“Thank you,” she said. “I’ll try. But please, Ryan, this can’t go on too long.”
“It won’t,” he promised.
*
Trish arrived home with the children at five.
Cassie had hoped to hear all about their adventures, but when she came out of her room to greet them, she found herself facing two sullen children who barely acknowledged her. Madison headed straight for the bathroom, and Dylan folded himself down on his bean bag in the dining room.
Cassie hovered nervously at the dining room door.
“How was your trip?” she asked.
Dylan looked up from his book reluctantly.
“It was OK,” he said, and then turned back to his reading.
The bathroom door slammed, and Cassie hurried off, hoping to catch up with Madison, but she marched into her bedroom and closed the door firmly.
Standing outside, Cassie frowned. She was sure Madison had seen her, but the closed door was a clear message she didn’t want to talk.
Then, to her surprise, she smelled food cooking in the kitchen.
Ryan had told her that the family had fast food on Sundays, usually pizza. Trish either hadn’t remembered about this, or maybe it only happened when she was away. Either way, she was cooking for the family and that unsettled Cassie, because what had happened to Ryan preparing all the meals? It felt as if Trish was entrenching herself.
Cassie went back to her own room, feeling like a dog with its tail between its legs. She didn’t venture out again until she heard Trish calling out for everyone to come for supper.
The square kitchen table was made for four. Five was a squeeze. Trish had set a place for her next to Madison, but there wasn’t enough space and Cassie had to shift sideways so that her legs were on either side of the table leg. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and gave her the feeling that she truly was a fifth wheel in the home.
The children ate in silence, and Trish updated Ryan on her trip and asked after people Cassie knew nothing about. From the context she realized some of them lived in the village.
“The Richardsons are opening a stationery store in town,” Ryan said.
“Part of the post office? Or separate?”
“I believe it’s opposite. On the other side of the road.”
“I’m unconvinced about the viability of a stationery store in this small town,” Trish said. “If it was part of the post office, it would be different. But separate, I’m not sure.”
Cassie could contribute nothing toward this conversation. She ate her food, discovering that Trish was a substandard cook and the chicken pasta she had made was bland and under-seasoned. She wished she could be somewhere else. Sitting at this table made her remember all the other times she’d enjoyed meals here, and how during every dinner, she’d been looking forward to sharing wine with Ryan outside. That would be impossible now.
“There was a power outage yesterday morning,” Madison said.
“Really?” Trish asked.
“There was a scary storm and then everything went dark.”
“That must have been frightening,” Trish said. “Are there flashlights in the bathroom and in your bedrooms? That’s something you could see to tomorrow,” she said, addressing Cassie for the first time.
“During storm season these outages are fairly frequent,” she continued. “If there are flashlights in everyone’s rooms, you won’t have to find your way to the bathroom in the dark.”
“I know my way around,” Madison protested. “Sometimes I test myself by walking to the bathroom with my eyes closed.”
“You must think of others. It’s a long walk from the guest bedroom to your bathroom.”
Madison frowned, puzzled.
“Cassie wasn’t sleeping—”
Just in time, Cassie realized what the young girl was going to say.
With a mouth full of food, she had no way of stopping the innocent statement that was going to land both her and Ryan in an ocean of trouble.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Cassie knocked her water over.
It was the only conversation-stopper she could think of.
She slammed the back of her hand into the glass, and it thumped down onto its side. Water sluiced all over Madison’s plate, which was almost untouched, and into Madison’s lap.
Madison uttered a dismayed shout.
“It’s cold! Yuck!”
Cassie hastily swallowed her food.
“Sorry, Maddie. That was clumsy of me,” she apologized.
Ryan jumped up and grabbed a dish towel from the hook above the sink.
Cassie’s heart was pounding from delayed shock at the bombshell Madison had come so close to dropping. She helped Madison mop up the splashes on her lap and dried the table while Ryan dished another helping of food for her.
“Do you want some more water?” Trish asked Cassie, coolly polite, once everything was back to normal.
“No, thanks. I’m fine,” Cassie said. She felt even more on edge than before, knowing that at any moment, innocent dinner table conversation could give the game away
She glanced at Madison anxiously, but she was not her talkative self, and had relapsed into silence again.
Once everyone had finished their food, Trish checked her watch.
“It’s already after seven, and we are meeting the Robinsons at half past. Do you need to get changed?” she asked Ryan.
Cassie couldn’t stop herself from gaping in astonishment at what was unfolding before her eyes.
“It’s only drinks at the Seafarer’s Arms. It’ll be fairly casual,” Ryan said.
“Well, we’d better get going.” Trish turned to Cassie. “You’ll ensure the children are put to bed by eight thirty? And could you tidy the kitchen?”
“Sure, I—sure. I’ll do that.”
Cassie had to bite back a stinging retort, realizing it would be completely out of place. After all, she had been hired to do this work. She just hadn’t thought she would be taking instructions from Ryan’s wife.
Ryan walked out of the kitchen, humming to himself, and a minute later, he and Trish were on their way out.
Cassie turned on the TV for the children and then headed back to the kitchen, agonizing over Ryan and Trish. She’d never been to the Seafarer’s Arms but guessed it was among
