The Billionaire's Secrets (4 page)

Windy picked up the remaining bag that held the books and school supplies she had brought. "How did you carry this all yourself?"

"It wasn't too bad," Chloe lied. She didn't want to explain how she had expected to be picked up at the airport and how
Gaelan
had left her standing there with all of her bags.

An open staircase wound up one side of the hallway to a second-floor landing that looked over the hallway. Long halls branched off on either side of the landing, confirming Chloe's suspicion that the house was more like a castle.  "Do you clean this house all by yourself?"

"No, thank heavens," Windy said as she led the way down one of these halls. "
Two women come
in
every day
. Really I just look after the cooking and washing up.
And
Sophia
of course."
They reached the end of the hall
,
and Windy opened the last door on the right.

The room was huge, and out of one corner jutted a circular area surrounded by windows.
"A turret!"
Chloe exclaimed. She cou
ldn't believe this was her room - it was like something out of a romance novel!
Her
and Shawn’s
old apartment in
Boston
was a broom closet next
to this.
Windy went over and lit the fireplace. Facing the fireplace was a chintz-covered love seat, and Chloe imagined herself curled up with a good book. The floors were dark plank covered with excellent Middle Eastern carpets. But the icing on the cake was an antique canopy bed complete with bed curtains! Not in her wildest dreams did Chloe imagine herself in surroundings like this. She went to the turret windows and pulled back the drapes
,
but there was only blackness. "The view is beautiful," Windy said, setting the fireplace screen before the fire. "Hopefully the fog will clear tonight, and you'll get a chance to enjoy it by and by in the morning." Chloe hoped so too, but she was sure
Gaelan
Byrne was a bigger barrier than the fog to enjoying the view. The fog would eventually clear, but whether she w
ould be here when that happened
was the bigger question.

"Can I put your clothes away?"
Sophia
asked.

"Not t
onight,
sweetie
," Chloe said. "I’
m really too tired tonight." She didn't want to bring up the possibility she wouldn't be around long enough to make it worth their while.

"I think we should leave Chloe in peace for a
while," Windy added. She turned to Chloe. "Your bathroom is directly across the hall. Why don't you have a nice hot bath?"

"I don't want to miss Mr. Byrne when he comes back," Chloe said. She didn't really want to be in the bathtub when he booted her out. It would be so undignified
, to say the least!

Windy
looked
at her watch. "He won't be home for at least another hour. You have time."

"Okay then, I will." A bath would feel good. She would put on something nice and do her makeup. Perhaps she could convince
Gaelan
to give her a chance to prove herself.

"And you," Windy said to
Sophia
, who had climbed up on the bed and was rearranging all the many pillows and cushions. "You should have your own bath and get ready for bed."

"I want to see Daddy
too,"
Sophia
insisted.

"Okay, but you're still going to have your bath."

"Alright," she agreed, as if she were doing Windy a favour, and jumped down off the bed.

After they had left, Chloe opened her suitcases. She blushed at the thought of
Gaelan
Byrne seeing her underthings spread out of the road. Some of them now had smudges from the dirt. She sighed, stuffing the soiled bras and panties into a pocket in the lining of the suitcase, and searched for something clean. She would have all the time in the world to do laundry when she got sent back to
Boston
. Then suddenly, the full implications of losing this job hit home. She had
moved out of
her
and Shawn’s
apartment in
Boston
and couldn’t bear the thought of staying again on her cousin’s couch
, she had virtually no income beyond her small savings,
her parents had their own financial problems that she didn’t want to bother them with,
and
she had
no
other
job prospects! She had to keep this job. Dream job or not, this was a matter of survival.

She picked out a simple black wool dress that she knew was flattering and a pair of black stockings. From the underthings that had survived the mishap, she
chose
a pair of lacy white panties and a bra. If she had to appeal to the sensual side of
Gaelan
Byrne to keep this job, she would do it, no matter how loudly the feminist in her objected.

She headed across the hall to her bathroom. It was every bit as luxurious as her room, with antique fixtures and polished brass taps, but as she soaked in the deep old-fashioned
claw-foot
tub, she found it hard to relax and enjoy her surr
oundings - she was too focus
ed on her upcoming meeting with
Gaelan
.

Perhaps she had just caught him at a bad moment. Windy had said he was an "odd duck," but her tone seemed to indicate that everything would be fine. It was important not to panic. Meeting him again would be like going
on
a
nother
job interview. She would be polite and calm. She would shake his hand and introduce herself formally. Perhaps it would be better not to make any reference to their meeting on the road. Just start at the beginning. Surely once he spoke to her he would realize she was perfect for the job. Plus, she had the vote of
Sophia
. Surely once he s
aw how much his child liked her…

She washed her hair and got out of the tub, wrapping herself in a thick white towel. She blow-dried her hair, letting it fall in natural waves around her shoulders. Her hair, she felt,
was her best feature, thick
and shiny
and strawberry blond
. Back in the bedroom, she dressed and put on some lipstick. She was as prepared as she
ever
would be.

Gaelan
Byrne opened the door just as Chloe reached the landing overlooking the entrance hall. Wanting a moment to gather her courage before meeting him, she stepped back into the shadows of the hall. Just then,
Sophia
, dressed in her nightgown, ran out of the kitchen toward her father. "Daddy
!
" she called
,
running toward him. "Chloe's here!"

"I know,
Sophia
," he said
,
pulling off his gloves and throwing them onto a chair. He took off his coat and tossed it on the chair as well. "And how many times do I have to te
ll you to stop calling me Daddy?
Gaelan
will do just fine. You’
re not a baby anymore."

"Sorry,"
Sophia
said sheepishly.

Chloe was shocked. Where were the hugs and kisses fathers were supposed to greet their children with when they came home? And what was this about not calling him Daddy? Chloe still called her father Dad and always would.
She couldn’t even imagine Shawn being this cold.
How could
Gaelan
Byrne have so little affection for his own child?

"Why aren't you in bed?" he asked sharply.

"Windy said I could stay up 'cause Chloe's here."

"Okay, so now that you've told me she's here, it's time you
went to be
d.
Where's Windy?"

"She's in the kitchen."

"Then let's tell her it's time for you to go to
your room
."

Defiantly,
Sophia
crossed her arms over her chest. "No. I want Chloe to put me to bed!"

"
Sophia
," he said impatiently.
“
Be reasonable, please
.”

"I don't want you to send Chloe away," she said stubbornly. "I want her to be my teacher."

"Who said I was going to send Chloe away?" he demanded.

"Chloe did."

"She did, did she? And where is Chloe now?"

Chloe decided this was her cue. She stepped out of the shadows of the hall onto the landing toward the stairs. "I'm here," she said.

She felt
Gaelan's
eyes on her as she walked down the stairs.
Sophia
ran over to her and held her arms up. Chloe gave her a quick hug. "Go find Windy and tell her it's time for bed. I need to talk with your d
addy." She emphasized the word
daddy
, hoping
Gaelan
would notice.