“You’re paying me to do it,” Ella said.
“You know you do a lot more than that. You can’t put a price on the love and attention you’ve given Molly.”
“Thank you for saying that. It really means a lot to me, but you don’t need to do anything extra,” she whispered hoarsely.
She was an easy woman to fall in love with. How many women would say no to the offer of a gift like this? “Nope, saying no is not allowed. Molly and I want to pay your college fees for a course in fashion and design,” I insisted.
She went absolutely still. “I can’t let you do that.”
I stroked her cheek. “It’s already decided. There is nothing you can say or do that will change my decision. Your job is to identify a college and start the application process. Oh, and we’ll cater to your expenses while you’re studying.”
Ella burst into tears.
Ella
As I pushed Molly to and fro on the swing, her laugh filled my ears and made me smile. When I first became her nanny, she didn’t even smile. Now she was laughing like a normal child.
I couldn’t wait to see more of her emerging from her shell. So many good things had happened to me and sometimes, I felt like I was living a dream. Once, I had believed I was one of those people whose life never really aligned with their dreams.
Now, thanks to Luke‒even though I hardly dared dream of getting into fashion‒was about to come to fruition. I couldn’t remember being as excited about the future like I felt now. Penelope’s presence still grated on me, but now that I had something else to focus on, I tried not to let it bother me so much.
It also helped that Luke did not seem interested in the least to get back with Penelope. That ship had sailed a long time ago for him.
I had zeroed in on two colleges with intensive two year courses and sent applications to both. Now, I would just wait with my fingers crossed that one of them would accept me.
Meanwhile, I kept myself busy with Molly, my designs, and playing with Luke.
My phone vibrated against my thigh. I dug into the pocket of my jeans and pulled it out. I smiled with anticipation. Luke liked to send me dirty messages when we weren’t together, or even when we were but someone else was with us.
I swiped the screen and raised it up at a better angle to read. Then stared at the message in dismay. A cold ice formed in the pit of my stomach and my blood went cold.
Sorry I went silent.
Had a few things to take care of.
But now I can concentrate on you.
“Oh, God please,” I murmured. “Not again.”
I reread the message and searched around us. I saw no one watching us or behaving suspiciously. I tried to think rationally. The last time I’d gotten a weird message, Ruby had convinced me it was likely a wrong number.
This one destroyed that theory. Whoever was sending me messages knew exactly what they were doing. And they knew the recipient of those messages. Me. I forced myself to continue pushing the swing as if nothing had happened even though all my instincts were screaming at me to run like the devil was after me. No way, would I show him I was afraid of him.
Fuck him. And his stupid messages.
We stayed until it was almost lunchtime. Only then, did we walk back home. I kept Molly’s hand in mine the whole way. As much as I tried, I couldn’t stop myself from glancing back again and again, to see if anyone was following us.
Back at the house, Molly rushed to the backyard to say hello to Bean. We had taken him to the park once and he’d almost gotten lost. After that, we left him at home, free to roam in his enclosed space in the back.
Later, we ate lunch and then at exactly two in the afternoon, Penelope came.
She had a bag with her. As always, she did not bother greeting me, but she did throw in some information. She was planning on spending the weekend with us. In the hallway, she narrowed her eyes and stared at me. “You could take the weekend off if you want. I don’t think we’ll need you.”
I knew what she wanted. She wanted to have Luke all to herself, perhaps even show him how it could be if they were a family again. Penelope wasn’t a fool and she had probably sensed that there was more to Luke and me than employer and employee.
"I'd have to clear it with Luke," I said to her. "He’s my employer, after all."
She cocked her head to the side. "You're an odd one. A lot of people would jump at the chance of a weekend off, but not you. Unless..."
"Unless what?" I asked, though I knew where she was going.
"Nothing," she said and strode off.
I took Molly up for her nap and while she slept, I tried to work on some designs, but I couldn’t. I felt restless and jittery. I glanced at my phone every few seconds. At one point, I switched it off and then turned it back on again, a minute later.
Maybe I should tell Luke. My insides clenched at the thought. It wasn’t fair to involve him in a matter that didn’t concern him. Stan was my business and I had to find a way to deal with it, without involving Luke.
I jumped from the bed and strode across the length of my bedroom. I went to the window and looked out at the street. I knew Stan was out there, planning how to make my life a living nightmare.
I forced myself to look at the situation calmly. What was he likely to do? Probably nothing. Stan
