“Emily,” I said dryly. “My daughter. Couldn’t afford daycare for her.”
“I will take care of that. If you accept the job, that is.”
“A widow and an orphan isn’t much of a chooser, you know.”
“An orphan?” He raised his eyebrows. “Forgive me my curiosity. Which shelter were you put in?”
“Too many to count. The first one was right in this town, thirty years ago.”
His expression suddenly changed.
He studied my face closely enough to make me uncomfortable.
“You seemed… familiar.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I’m sorry, Nora. You seemed… familiar. Just for a second.” He coughed and looked at the papers on the table. “Well, how about we go over your duties on the job? Please, take a seat.”
After reviewing the paperwork, I accepted.
The job was easier than I had expected. A private company handled the monthly deep cleaning. My duties mainly involved light cleaning, errands, supervising the gardener, and keeping track of the contractors renovating the southern wing.
“You see, I enjoyed doing these things myself,” he signed. “However, my health isn’t what it used to be.”
For the first time during the interview, I smiled.
When we finished, we stood and shook hands.
“You can start the day after tomorrow. I’ll need to hire a nanny for the little miss,” he smiled at Emily and booped her nose.
“Oh, you shouldn’t—”
“No, no, Nora. What good is it for the baby to go to daycare, when she can stay with her mom?”
I expected there to be a catch.
