“That would be great! We... we aren’t from around here so it would be good to see where the store is that you guys like to shop at. Um, I would have to bring Chloe with us if that’s alright?”
He grunts out an affirmative and looks Chloe’s way. “Where are you from?”
I tense up but try and keep my reply nonchalant and then quickly change the subject. “Oh, um, a few states over. So, I’m not sure what to do about dinner. There’s not a lot to work with in here.”
He narrows his eyes at my non-reply but waves a hand toward the butler’s pantry and laundry room.
“Check the freezer in there. I’m sure whatever you come up with will be fine. As long as it isn’t pizza.”
He starts to say something else but a chime comes from one of the pockets of his dark green cargo pants and he fishes out a cell phone. Another grunt has him backing away with his eyes on his phone.
“Gotta go. Don’t worry too much about dinner. Just throw something together.”
And then he’s striding away.
I blow out a gush of air as the tension drains from me, grateful he didn’t press me on where we are from. Chloe flips to a new page in her book and picks out a purple crayon to use so I leave her there and go to the pantry to see what I can find in the freezer. I almost stumble over the piles of laundry on the floor when I walk in. My eyebrows pop up in surprise at just how much there is in different piles. Shaking my head, I go to work sorting it all and get the first load going. I don’t know what belongs to who but getting it washed and folded is the first step in clearing the mess. Thankfully, there are two washers and two dryers so it won’t take as long as doing a single load at a time.
With the washer chugging away, I go to the huge double-door freezer and inventory the scant offerings. There’s not a whole lot to choose from but I do find a tray of chicken breasts so I grab the tray and take it with me to the shelves where the dry goods are. I snag a half-filled bag of wild rice and carry it all back out to the kitchen. I find spices in a cupboard and dive back into the near empty fridge and pull out a brunch of wilted asparagus that I think I can bring back to life, a garlic bulb, and some butter. A glance at the clock on the microwave tells me I have a few hours before most people sit for dinner, so I put the sealed chicken tray in a sink filled with water to help it defrost faster and then chop the ends from the asparagus and stand them all in a tall glass of icy cold water to get them to firm back up.
Chloe loses interest in coloring so I grab the tablet from where Mr. Easton left it for me and scroll through the apps and find the Netflix icon. My finger hovers over the settings button to create a new profile. I hesitate for a second and hope that they are okay with me doing it before setting one up for kids. At least that way they won’t get deluged by cartoon recommendations. I get Paw Patrol playing for her, causing my baby to clap her hands and bounce in her seat in excitement.
I stand watching her for a minute and let mom guilt wash over me. She should be in school. She should be learning and playing with other kids. I have to push the guilt down before it overwhelms me. One step at a time, I tell myself. She has a safe, warm bed to sleep in tonight. Tomorrow… tomorrow I will start working on putting together a homeschool routine to try and keep her on track. One day at a time, I will make a better life for my baby.
****
I chew on my thumbnail as I study the set dining room table. The rosemary garlic chicken I made is being kept warm in the chafing dish in the center along with two more dishes that have wild rice and asparagus with almond slices next to it. I’m nervous that they won’t like it. I know it turned out well as Chloe and I had a small portion of all of it earlier. She’s too little to eat dinner so late in the day. I sigh, I did the best I could do with the ingredients on hand. I turn and leave the dining room and go back to the kitchen. Chloe’s been a good sport while I worked but I can tell she’s reaching her limit and will need a bath and bed sooner rather than later so I wrap my arms around her from behind where she sits at the island and place a kiss on the top of her head.
“Almost done, baby, and then we’ll go back to our rooms. You’ve been such a good girl today.” I murmur into her hair as she tips her head back and gives me a tired smile.
“S’okay, Mommy. I like Paw Patrol.” She wrinkles her little nose, “I like it here better than the car. Can we stay?”
I swallow back the tears that threaten to fill my eyes and nod with a smile. “I think so, for a while anyway.”
I hear the buzzer go from the dryers so squeeze her one more time and then go and fold the last of the laundry. There are stacks of clean and folded clothes all along the counter, separated by types. T-shirts, shorts, pants, jeans, and sweatshirts seem to be the main styles of these men. They’ll have to sort out what belongs to who but at least it’s all clean now.
When I go back to the kitchen my steps falter to find all three of the men there. They each have a beer bottle in one of their hands but the other holds a crayon-colored picture. Chloe is telling them in detail why she chose the colors and what each picture represents. I twist my fingers nervously hoping that they won’t be annoyed by her bugging them but each one of them seems to be nodding along with her explanations so I step further into the room and paste on a smile that only quivers a little bit.
“Hello, um, dinner is ready in the dining room. I’m, um, just leave all the dishes and I’ll take care of it after I get Chloe down for bed.” I swallow against my nerves. “I, I didn’t know what belonged to who but all the laundry is, um, folded and ready for you all. Maybe, um, we could get some different colored baskets for each of you? That way I can keep it all sorted and bring it to your rooms when it’s done?”
They all just blink at me so I plow forward in a rush of words. “Also, um, I’m getting groceries tomorrow so if there’s anything special you all wanted, maybe you could make a list for me? And, and I just wanted to say, um, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Easton, for giving me this opportunity. I promise you won’t regret it!”
A grimace crosses his expression while smirks fill Ryker’s and Zack’s faces causing my stomach to flip with anxiety.
“Please, don’t call me Mr. Easton. It’s just East or even Cass if you want. Mr. Easton was my father and we don’t want to summon that ghost back into the house.” He jokes with a faint smile calming the queasy feeling in my stomach.
Zack jumps in. “You did our laundry? Like all of it?” At my nod, he grins and glances at the others. “She did our laundry! And judging by the amazing smells of dinner, we will be dining like kings tonight. I don’t think you’re paying her enough, East!”
A small relieved smile tugs at my lips at his praise even as my gaze swings back to Mr…East. He nods at me and looks toward the dining room.
“Yes, well, whatever you made does smell good. We’ll have those lists for you by the end of the day. Thank you. It’s nice to come home to something besides take out.”
I nod again and then move to help Chloe down from the bar-height chair. “Well, um, if there’s nothing else right now, I should get Chloe settled in for bed.”
Ryker frowns, “Aren’t you going to eat with us? You need to eat.”
My eyes flare wide at the invitation but I shake my head.
“Oh, um, thank you but we ate earlier.” I tilt my head down to Chloe. “This one can’t make it past five for dinner without getting cranky. So, just um, enjoy!”
