As they headed off, I watched them go, feeling better about this job than I had in days. Maybe if I focused on the kids and stayed away from Cornelius Harvey, this would be as great an opportunity as I’d originally hoped.
“I hope this won’t be a habit, Ms. Browne. Do you know how much I make an hour?”
Then again, maybe not.
Twelve
Alec
Contrary to whatclassic fairy tales had to say, stepmothers were a godsend.
My mother hadn’t been gone for a year when my father had come home from a business trip to America to say that he’d met someone. Five months later, Theresa Gracen Carideo became my stepmother and brought with her four children: Austin, Rome, Paris, and Aspen. I’d gone from being one of five to being one of nine, and I’d resented it.
Theresa had been a widow, so she’d not only understood loss, but she’d helped her own kids after their father died. Things hadn’t magically gotten better between us, but she’d been as patient with me and my siblings as she’d been with her own biological kids, and we’d eventually developed a wonderful relationship.
Wonderful enough that after I’d put Evanne to bed Thursday night, I’d called Theresa. She’d been at my house the next morning. With Evanne being the only grandchild on my side of the family, any chance of having extra time with her was met with enthusiasm, but I knew Theresa would’ve come no matter how many grandkids she had.
The moment she’d walked inside, a rush of relief had gone through me. I’d spent my life trying to do everything myself, and Theresa had always been there to tell me that I didn’t have to. She’d never pushed things, but the moment Keli had driven away, I’d known exactly who I’d needed to call. And Theresa hadn’t let me down.
Da would’ve come too, but he’d gone back to Edinburgh for a few days. Even though he’d technically handed over MIRI when I’d turned twenty-one, he still liked to visit various sites, especially back home. Theresa had offered to call him, but I’d asked her not to. He’d only come back right away and try to fix things, but this wasn’t something that could be fixed. Or something I really wantedfixedin the way that most people would think.
Da was the sort of man to have around if I’d needed to fight for Evanne. He wasn’t mean or anything of the sort, but I knew it’d drive him crazy to feel like there was nothing he could do. What I’d needed was what Theresa had provided. Help with Evanne while I figured out at least enough to function in the new role I’d been given.
I was in over my head, sure, but I loved my daughter. I’d just gotten blindsided. Having Theresa around over the long weekend while I adjusted and made the necessary calls to ensure that the custody papers were all in order was a blessing. The last thing I needed was for Evanne to get hurt and not be able to take care of her properly because Keli overlooked something in the paperwork.
I’d called my assistant this morning at five o’clock to tell her that I’d be in late because I had to drop my daughter off at school. She’d been silent for a moment – adjusting to the surprise, I guessed – but then she’d reminded me about my six thirty Skype meeting with the head of Dherma Security Services, a security firm I’d been working to acquire for the last seven months.
If I canceled it or tried to reschedule it after hounding Hiram Claudel for months, I’d never get a second shot, and MIRI would be out a shit-ton of money. Even though it was a huge, multi-billion-dollar company, we employed hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, which meant that if I didn’t do my job, then people would suffer.
So I’d swallowed my pride and had gone to find Theresa. An early riser, she’d already been in the kitchen, and the moment she’d seen me, something had flickered across her face. I’d explained the problem and reassured her that I’d already double-checked to make sure I had the afternoon free specifically so I could pick Evanne up after her first day of school.
Theresa hadn’t been happy, but she’d agreed to help out. Again.
This, however, would be the last time, because Theresa was going home this afternoon. My stepsister, Paris, was arriving back in the States after being gone for months on her latest dig. I couldn’t ask Theresa to miss time with her daughter simply because I was struggling to cope with my strange change in circumstances.
Which was why I was surprised when Theresa came strolling back into the house, less than two hours after leaving to take Evanne to school.
“Isn’t Paris’s plane coming in tonight?” I asked as Theresa came into my office.
She took a seat across from me and ignored my question by asking one of her own. “How’d your meeting go?”
I sighed and scrubbed my hand along my jaw. “Not as well as I would’ve liked. Hiram wants me to come down to San Diego for a week to see how he runs things before he even considers my offer.”
“When are you going?”
I gave her a surprised look. “I’m not. I have Evanne now. I can’t just leave for a week.”
She smiled, her eyes warming with pride. It had been a while since I’d seen that expression. “I have faith you’ll figure something out. You’ve always been good at that.”
I rubbed my temples. “Thank you for taking her to school this morning.”
“It’s all right to need help, you know.” Her voice was mild, the way it always was when she talked to me.
After so many months resenting her for taking my mother’s place, it was the way Theresa had spoken to me that had finally gotten through. She’d talked to me like an adult, an equal. She hadn’t tried to coddle or comfort me even though I knew she would have if I’d asked her to. I hadn’t though. I’d been self-sufficient. It was the others who’d needed that part of having a mother.
Before things could get too maudlin, I returned to a safe topic. “I’ve already taken care of clearing my schedule and bringing a couple others up to speed. You can go back home before Paris gets in.”
“She’s a week behind,” Theresa said with an indulgent smile. “Which means I can stay a little longer, if you’d like.”
