Stretching my back, I walked to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water and a couple of Tylenols, then walked the grand staircase to the small room Anne was sleeping in.
Standing in the doorway, I hesitated to walk in, hesitated in a way that I
’
d never done in my forty-three years on earth, and something about that didn’t sit well with me. Trying to ignore that feeling, I looked at her delicate body lying in bed. She had curves where curves should be on a woman, plus she possessed a softness that only added a quiet femininity to her. Closing my eyes, I ruefully shook my head, I couldn’t let myself think about her like this.
Taking in a breath, I walked quietly into the darkened room towards the nightstand by her bed where I settled the glass of water and two pain pills she might need in the morning or in case she awoke in the middle of the night. I fought the urge to look at her but failed, and my gaze fell upon her resting face. Even asleep she looked tense, but the tension couldn’t hide her beauty.
I
’
ve known women, had more than my share, but there was something different about Anne; something about her that piqued my interest; something about her I shouldn
’
t want. I watched her under the moonlight that was streaming into the room for a moment longer as I sat in the chair. Before letting sleep claim me, I headed back downstairs to sleep on the over-sized leather couch next to the playpen Zoey was sleeping in.
John
“
Okay, doll, let
’
s read these directions and see how the hell people make pancakes? Usually, I just order them at a restaurant, but we can't leave your mom,
”
I told her as I held her with one arm, her head bent to my shoulder looking at the bright yellow box of pancake mix in front of us.
My back hurt from having a shit time sleeping these last two nights, but I was more awake and energetic than I had been in years. Not that I was going to let myself think of why that was.
Zoey and I chatted aimlessly as we mixed the ingredients. I even let her help me mix, with my support of course, till it all looked like a lumpy goop. I sat her down in a purple high chair, another one of Sabrina
’
s purchases, as I started to cook and flip the pancakes. Pancakes, which of course, didn’t look anything like the picture on the box. A knock on the door distracted me and I grabbed Zoey and, together, we walked to the door.
“
Brilliant,
”
I said cheerfully as I opened the door and saw my curvy new assistant with a shocked expression on her face.
“
Umm.
”
“
Bernadette, meet Zoey. Doll, this is my new personal assistant.
”
Zoey cooed gently, looking at my baffled assistant, who looked at me in my sweat pants and white tee shirt and tan moccasins.
“
Mr. Davenport, please, it’s Birdie. Did I...umm…get here too early?
”
She clarified and asked as she glanced at the small watch on her wrist.
“
Come on in, Bernadette, we have our hands full today. Do you know how to make pancakes?
”
I asked, not taking my eyes off of her as I tried to read her. I was pleasantly relieved when the shock on her face wore off and turned into a kind smile on her pretty round face and she gave me a soft nod.
Anne
Walking down a set of stairs, I wandered through the huge home until I found the kitchen. Zoey was sitting in a high chair eating cheerios from her tray. John was sitting next to her, looking down at the table that had countless files strewn all over it and a laptop next to him. Seeing Zoey and John together made something tug at my chest. My eyes slightly teared up as he chatted with her while she babbled.
It was a sweet scene to take in.
“
Hi, you must be Anne,
”
a female voice said, and I jumped, looking behind me, my hand at my sweatshirt-covered chest. A curvy woman about my age, maybe younger, with gorgeously thick, silkily straight, mahogany-brown hair with a slight reddish tint was standing in the hall smiling at me. She had big green eyes behind thick, funky, black glasses, and something about the soft look on her face made her approachable.
“
Yeah. Hi.
”
“
I
’
m Bernadette, please call me Birdie.
”
“
Okay,
”
I muttered, feeling severely underdressed in my dark grey sweatshirt and black track pants. Birdie had on a soft green and white print dress with an A-line skirt that highlighted her curves and brought out her eyes. She added a touch of color bringing the ensemble together with a bright yellow cardigan. If I didn
’
t have to worry about money, I would ask her where she bought her outfit.
“
Would you like me to make you anything to eat?
”
She asked with a smile on her face, a slight tilt to her head.
“
Umm
…”
“
I was about to make lunch
…”
“
Anne.
”
John
’
s deep voice made me jump, and I turned too fast. I winced in pain as I looked at him now standing close to me.
“
You should be resting. Everything okay?
”
“
Yeah, I umm
…
I wanted to see Zoey
…
and I umm
…”
“
Come, sit.
”
John
’
s calm tone washed over me, sparking something in me, and I looked up at him.
Concerned dark eyes met mine, and his hand cupped my elbow. Without a thought or question, I let him lead me to the kitchen where my girl saw me and smiled brightly as she reached her arms out to me.
“
Hi, baby girl,
”
I whispered as I got closer.
“
Sit. I
’
ll get her for you,
”
he mumbled in an authoritative but gentle tone. He helped me sit at the bench part of the wooden breakfast table.
Something about a surly man like John owning a table like this in his kitchen made me wonder about him. It was a table made from beautiful wood and had a bench seat on one, and chairs on the other three sides, which made it perfect for a family, yet from what I understood, he lived alone. I watched him walk over to the far end where Zoey was sitting, who I noticed was in a new outfit.
“
John, do you have kids?
”
I asked, wondering if he just happened to have a high chair collecting dust in the garage. Maybe he was divorced and that's why he had a table like this, but by the way the chair looked, it seemed to be brand new.
“
No, why?
”
“
Oh.
”
Worry started to hum in the pit of my belly.
“
Umm, that
’
s a new high chair.
”
“
Yeah,
”
he muttered, putting Zoey in my arms. I looked up at him and took a deep breath as a sinking feeling fell upon me.
“
I asked Sabrina to order a couple of things that Zoey might need,
”
he shared as he sat back down next to me instead of in front of his laptop at the end of the table.
“
If you give me a receipt, I will see about paying you back.
”
It might take until Zoey graduated from high school, but I would do it eventually.
“
No need,
”
he muttered without looking at me, which irritated me slightly. I glanced at Birdie, who smiled at me and walked over to the fridge.
“
I have an opening for a housekeeper. If you decide to stay, that is. The guest house is ready and furnished. It
’
s not much, but it has all the necessities. Plus, there
’
s a play-pen and some small extras here in the house for Zoey
’
s safety while you
’
re working,
”
he told me, his body close, his muscular thigh brushing against mine. That small touch radiated heat in a way I had never felt.
It was somehow comforting, but his kindness overwhelmed me and I looked down at my hands holding Zoey
’
s now blurry sock-covered feet.
John
I looked at Bernadette and jerked my head for her to leave. She smiled at me sadly, her eyes slightly worried as she quickly left the kitchen, leaving the three of us alone. I looked at Anne, taking in her dark hair pulled into a simple ponytail at the base of her neck as she stared at Zoey
’
s feet, trying to hide the emotion in her eyes. My body itched to put my arms around her, to hold her, to comfort her, but my mind was throwing up a big red flag. So I did what was second best. I held Zoey
’
s hand as she slumped onto her mom as if sensing her need for comfort.
“
Everyone falls.
”
Words came out of my mouth without a second thought.
“
Sometimes we just need a little help standing back up.
”
She turned her face to look at me and I felt sucker-punched. Vulnerable eyes I couldn’t seem to read stared back at me. Something about not being able to read her I didn’t like. I wanted to know her, everything about her, and never wanted to stop learning.
“
Have you ever fallen?
”
The tremble in her voice made me switch hands with Zoey so that I could place my hand nearest to Anne on her back.
“
Yeah.
”
I frowned, not knowing why I was talking so much. I blurted out the last thing I could have ever wanted her to know, wanting her to know me unlike anyone else.
“
Mike, Sabrina
’
s husband, is like a brother to me. When we were in college, he picked me up. I fell....
”
shaking my head, I swallowed hard because admitting this was the furthest thing from easy,
“
Rock bottom, Kitten. There are different ways of falling on your face, not just financially.
”
“
How did you fall, John?
”
Her beautiful voice was soft and nurturing. I couldn’t seem to help myself as I drowned in her eyes.
“
I lost everything that meant anything to me.
”
Her hand suddenly cupped my jaw. Our bodies turned slightly towards each other on the bench seat and my heart beat hard against my chest. I wasn’t sure if she realized she was touching me the way she was, and I didn’t want to lose the contact.
“
What happened?
”
“
I was seeing someone who turned out to be someone I didn
’
t really know at all,
”
I admitted, surprising the shit out of myself. My heart rate picked up at the near mention of a past I
’
d tried so hard to bury. To forget!
“
She broke your heart?
”
Obliterated was more like it.
“
Something like that.
”
I shook my head, clearing the husky tone in my voice.
“
The point is, everyone goes through shit. Let me help you. You
’
ll save me from having to look for a housekeeper, and the guest house is ready to go. I
’
ll warn you, I
’
m not an easy guy to work for, so beware. Other than that and you sharing when you
’
re ready about whom you
’
re running from and why, that
’
s it,
”
I quickly spit out, slightly shifting away from her. It was dangerous being so close, yet I couldn’t make myself stand and move away.
Her hand moved away from my jaw the moment I mentioned having to tell me whom she was running from. She licked her lower lip innocently in a way that enticed me, sparking my body to life; something so strong the only way to fight it was to look away from her tempting lips, so I looked back at her eyes instead.
“
Okay,
”
she said, nodding her head after a slight moment of thought.
“
Only if you deduct a percentage of what you pay me for the expenses of Zoey
’
s things. And if I leave before it
’
s paid, you let me pay the rest when I can.
”
“
Sure,
”
I grumbled with no real intention of letting her do any of those things.
If Mike heard me now…I never talked about Grace and what she had done. Not to anyone. Not even Mike. He
’
d smirk like an asshole at me for spilling my guts like a girl to Anne, and for some weird reason, I could care less. But I refused to let myself think about what that meant.
“
Is it safe?
”
Bernadette said from the doorway, and Zoey giggled loudly.
“
Yeah.
”
I cleared my throat and finally found the courage to stand up and walk over to where my things were, unable to sit as nervous energy flowed through me.
Anne smiled shyly at me before her nose nuzzled the top of Zoey
’
s head. Something about the image warmed me, sparking to life a part of me I thought had died a long time ago.
John
Two months later
“
Mr. Davenport?
”
“
Yes, Bernadette,
”
she winced every time I said her full name, but I kept using it. She was my employee, and I needed to make sure we were both reminded of it before she thought I was her friend. I didn
’
t get close to employees. Not even those I actually liked, like Bernadette.
“
Mr. Crown called to let you know that the kids were going to be at your place. Anne is watching them until Mrs. Crown and he finish up with meetings for the day.
”