“It must be terrible to have gone through a divorce, especially now.”
“It’s been a very difficult time.”
As Ryan turned away from the window, in the changing light, Cassie realized he wasn’t just attractive, but exceptionally good-looking. His face was strong and chiseled, and from the defined muscles in his arms, she thought he looked to be extremely fit.
Cassie chastised herself for ogling this poor man’s appearance when he was going through emotional hell. All the same, she had to admit he was compellingly handsome, so much so that she had to stop herself from staring.
“Ryan, the only problem is that I don’t have a valid work visa at this point. I have one for France, and I’ve been fully cleared by the au pair agency, but I didn’t realize it works differently here.”
“You were referred to me by a friend,” Ryan said, smiling. “That means you can stay with us as a guest. I will pay you cash, completely off the books, so you will receive it tax-free, if that works for you.”
Cassie felt a surge of relief. Ryan understood her situation and was willing to accommodate it without any issues. This was a huge weight off her shoulders. She realized it might even be the deciding factor, and had to stop herself from accepting the job on the spot. She reminded herself to be careful, and to wait until she’d met the children before committing.
“How long would you need me for?”
“A maximum of three weeks. That will give me time to get this project done, and we’ll be heading for the school holidays by then so we’ll have a chance to bond as a family. Rebond, I should say, as a new family. They say divorce is the most stressful life experience, and I think the children and I can confirm that.”
Cassie nodded in sympathy. She was sure his children would have suffered. She wondered how much Ryan and his wife had fought. Inevitably there would have been fights. It just depended whether they’d ended in shouting and recriminations, or in tense, smoldering silence.
Having experienced both as a child, she wasn’t sure which was worse.
While Cassie’s mother was alive she’d managed to keep the lid on the worst of her father’s temper. Cassie remembered the tense silences from when she was younger, and it had allowed her to develop a finely tuned sense for conflict. She could walk into a room and pick up instantly if the people had been fighting. The silences were toxic and they wore you out emotionally because there was never an end to them.
If there was one thing you could say in favor of loud fighting, it was that eventually it ended, even if it was with glass being broken or emergency services being called. But that caused other trauma and lasting scars. It also brought a sense of fear, because shouting and physical violence showed that you could lose self-control and therefore could not be trusted.
That, in summary, had been her father after her mother had died.
Cassie looked around the cheerful, tidy kitchen and tried to imagine what might have happened there between Ryan and his wife. The worst fights, in her experience, took place in the kitchen and the bedroom.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” she said softly.
Ryan was looking at her closely and she returned his gaze, staring into pale, piercing blue eyes.
“Cassie, you seem to understand,” he said.
She thought he was going to ask her something else, but at that moment the front door opened.
“The children are home, just in time.” He sounded relieved.
Cassie glanced out the window. Raindrops were spattering the glass, and as the door slammed, a cold winter shower started pouring down.
“Hey, Dad!”
Footsteps thudded along the wooden floor and a slim young girl wearing cycle shorts and a green tracksuit top came sprinting into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Cassie, looked her up and down, and then marched over and shook her hand.
“Hello. Are you the lady who’ll be looking after us?”
“My name’s Cassie. Are you Madison?” Cassie asked.
Madison nodded, and Ryan ruffled his daughter’s shiny brown hair.
“Cassie is still deciding whether she wants to work for us. What do you think? Will you promise to be on your best behavior?”
Madison shrugged.
“You always tell us not to make promises we can’t keep. But I’ll try.”
Ryan laughed and Cassie found herself smiling at the cheeky honesty of Madison’s response.
“Where’s Dylan?” Ryan asked.
“He’s in the garage, oiling his bicycle. It was squeaking on the way up the hill and then the chain fell off.” Madison took a deep breath and walked to the kitchen door.
“Dylan!” she yelled. “Come here!”
Cassie heard a distant shout. “Coming!”
“He’ll take forever,” Madison said. “Once he starts fussing with the bikes he doesn’t stop.”
Noticing the plate of snacks, she made a bee-line for them, her eyes lighting up. Then, looking down at the contents, she gave an exasperated sigh.
“Dad, you made egg sandwiches.”
“Is that a problem?” Ryan asked, his eyebrows raised.
“You know my views on egg. It’s like having sick in a sandwich.”
She carefully selected a muffin from the opposite side of the plate.
“Sick in a sandwich?” Ryan’s voice combined outrage and amusement. “Maddie, you shouldn’t say that kind of thing in front of a visitor.”
“Watch out, Cassie, that egg stuff sticks to everything,” Madison warned, making an unrepentant face at her father.
Cassie suddenly felt a weird sense of belonging. This banter was exactly what she’d hoped for. So far, this seemed to be a normal, happy family, teasing each other, looking out for each other, even though she was sure each of them had their own quirks and difficulties. She realized how tense she’d been, anticipating that something would go wrong.
She hadn’t yet taken any food because she had felt self-conscious about eating in front of Ryan. Now,
