Maid for the Single Dad (4 page)

With that Ellie scooted out through the butler's pantry and garage, leaving Ellie to prepare a salad in the twenty minutes it would take to heat the pasta and sauce.

She was just pulling dinner from the oven when Mac and the kids returned.

She greeted them with a smile. “You're right on time.”

“Great. We're starving.” He ambled to the door. “You may serve us in the formal dining room.”

Ellie smiled, breathing a silent sigh of relief that he'd told her what to do and quickly set the table. As she did that, Mac grabbed a jar of baby food, a baby dish and a tiny spoon.

She served the food while Mac fed Henry.

“That'll be all, Ellie.”

Ellie nodded in acknowledgement and scurried back into the kitchen. But she opened the swinging door a crack and peeked into the dining room. Watching the happy little family, she amended her opinion of Mac once again. It seemed wrong to call him a control freak when he was looking out for his kids. In some circles that would make him a good dad.

Still, there was the matter of the missing wife. She couldn't reconcile herself to thinking that any woman would give full custody of two adorable children to her husband. Had there been a custody battle? Were these two kids scarred for life?

Of course, his wife could be—Ellie swallowed—dead. Oh, dear. That would certainly raise a whole different set of issues! Including the curiosity of why he hadn't told Ellie, if only to explain whether or not the kids were still dealing with that.

No. He would have told her if his wife were dead. As diligent as he was, he'd want her to be prepared about everything to do with his kids. His wife had to have left.

But where was she? And why had
she
gone, leaving her kids behind?

Telling herself it was none of her business and that she could handle not knowing for one month if it meant that Liz got the recommendations she needed and Cain got the contracts he wanted, Liz began scrubbing pots and wiping the kitchen counters.

When the Carmichaels were finished eating, Mac leaned into the kitchen. “We're done. Lacy and I will be upstairs getting Henry ready for bed.”

“Okay.”

“Once you've cleaned up, you're done for the day. You may do whatever you wish. It's still hot out, so you might want to take a dip in the pool. The kids and I are in for the night, so it's all yours if you wish. Good night, Ellie.”

He pulled out of the room without waiting for her reply and Ellie leaned against the counter with a sigh of relief.

Day one down!

After clearing the dining room and popping the dishes into the dishwasher, Ellie went to her room.

She wouldn't mind a swim, but she hadn't brought a suit. Plus, she needed to get up early the next morning. She set her alarm for four, so that she'd be ready for Lacy whatever time she awoke, then did a quick pirouette in the massive bedroom she'd be staying in for the next month. Her boss's life might be a bit of a mystery. She might wonder what happened to the kids' mom. And she absolutely
had
to get better at cooking. But spending a month in this suite could almost make up for that. It was the lap of luxury.

Running her hand up one of the black posts of the four-poster bed, she noticed the gold decorative rings at the top and sighed dreamily. What must it be like to have so much money that you could have
everything
you wanted, exactly as you wanted it?

Lifting her makeup bag from the black mirrored dresser, she turned and walked into the bathroom. Again, she stopped and stared in awe. Brown travertine tiles on the floor matched the brown tiles in the shower and surrounding the spa tub. This bathroom was as big as the kitchen in her and her roommate Mitzi's apartment.

She set the makeup case on the counter of the double sink with black-and-gold granite countertops, then stripped to make good use of the spa tub. After a nice long soak, she stepped into lightweight pajamas, applied face cream and crawled into bed with a book. Cool silk sheets greeted her and she groaned. There was a definite difference between cleaning someone's house once a week and staying in that house—even if it was as hired help. She certainly hoped she didn't get used to this!

She read until about ten, then turned out the light of the brushed gold lamp on the bedside table and immediately fell asleep.

What seemed like only minutes later Henry's loud crying woke her. Slightly disoriented, she bolted up in bed, wondering what the sound was. But the second burst of crying brought her to full alertness and got her to her feet.

“Henry!” she cried, not even sure if the little boy could hear her. “I'm coming, sweetie!”

Intending to change his diaper and take him downstairs while she warmed a bottle, she ran into the room. As her door opened on the left side of the nursery, Mac's door on the right side of the nursery also opened. Both flew into the room and stopped dead in their tracks.

Her
pajamas, though lightweight, were covering.
His
chest was bare above low-riding bottoms. His dark hair was mussed. His eyelids drooped sexily and his brilliant blue eyes were glazed over. He had the sleepy look of a man who cuddled after sex.

The very fact that that popped into her mind shocked her. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. She'd seen him in swimming trunks that afternoon, but with her
brain jumping to inappropriate places and both of them soft and warm from sleep, everything about the moment felt different.

His gaze fell from her pajama top to her bare feet. As it leisurely crawled back up her body again, the haze in his eyes disappeared. She stifled a shiver. The way he had looked at her stole her breath. Not awake enough to monitor his reaction, he'd taken inventory from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and back up again, very obviously liking what he saw.

Their gazes caught and the light in his eyes intensified, sharpened.

Ellie swallowed, told herself to speak and speak now, but nothing came out.

Then Henry screamed.

“I'm sorry, buddy,” Mac said, breaking eye contact to race to the crib. He hoisted the little boy into his arms. It fleetingly occurred to Ellie that he was adorable with his son, especially when the baby so eagerly wrapped his chubby arms around his dad's neck, but the ripple of the muscles of his biceps and back as he cuddled Henry caused her heart to stutter in her chest and warmth to pool in her middle.

She took a step back. This attraction was ridiculous. As her boss, he was off-limits for too many reasons to count. But even if he was interested in her, she didn't want to be attracted to him! He was her boss. Cain and Liz needed for her to do a good job. And by God, she would.

She walked over to the crib. “I'll go downstairs and get the bottle.”

He peeked over at her. Gooseflesh sprinkled over her entire body. She tried to remind herself that Cain and Liz
were depending on her, and that meant she had to behave in a professional manner, but her gaze stayed locked with Mac's.

What was wrong with her? Her intuition was scrambling. Her hormones had executed a coup. And her brain seemed to have gone on vacation.

Finally Mac said, “I'll get it.”

Ellie took a breath. “No. That's okay. You change him. I'll get the bottle.” She had to get out of this room! “By the time I return, you'll be ready for it so you can feed him.”

He nodded, and she walked toward the nursery door, but at the last second she changed her mind and headed for the door of her suite. She closed it behind her then walked through her sitting room to get to the hall. It wasn't that she didn't want him seeing her things. She hadn't scattered her things about. She was a tidy person. It was more that there was something about both of them sleeping so close, with only a nursery to separate them. Something intimate was happening between them and she didn't want him thinking about her any more than she wanted to be thinking about him.

But she would.

Damn it. She knew she would.

What was it about this guy that drew her? Sure, he had beautiful blue eyes. Yes, he was perfect physically with his well-defined muscles that rippled when he moved, and shiny black hair that looked silky smooth and made her itch to run her fingers through it.

But he was…unattainable!

And she didn't know him. Rich people always had secrets in their closets and this guy's very demeanor screamed trouble.

Plus, she didn't want a relationship. Damn it. One day in his company and she'd almost forgotten every lesson she'd learned with Sam!

At the refrigerator, she put her attention on preparing Henry's bottle. Her mind back where it belonged, she got one of the pre-poured bottles of milk from the refrigerator. She heated it to room temperature as she'd been taught by several of the mothers at A Friend Indeed and returned to Henry's room.

Mac sat on the rocking chair with Henry on his lap, his towhead nestled against his daddy's chest. Ellie's heart squeezed.

Fuzzy feminine feelings rose up in her and she suddenly understood why Mac was so appealing to her. No matter what his secrets, he truly loved his kids and somehow or another that hit her right in the maternal instincts. She'd always wanted children and if she'd met someone normal before she'd met Sam her life probably would have been very different.

“Here,” she whispered, handing Mac the bottle.

He glanced up at her. Their gazes caught for only a second, but it was long enough for Ellie to feel the sizzle again, reminding her that this attraction wasn't one-side. And
that
was the problem.

“Thanks.”

She took a step back. “You're welcome.”

Then she turned and all but ran back to her suite.

Even if an employer felt an attraction for the help, most wouldn't let it show. Mac hadn't let it show all day. But being half-asleep, his guard had been down. Nine chances out of ten, he wouldn't even acknowledge this in the morning.

But what if he did?

What if he liked her?

What if living with him for a month was enough that their barriers broke down?

He already had her stuttering and staring. If he made a pass at her, could she resist him?

And what if she didn't?

No one knew better than Ellie that there were consequences to relationships.

Especially relationships with bosses.

E
LLIE
awakened at four, dressed in a clean pair of jeans and yawned her way to the kitchen. To her amazement six-year-old Lacy was waiting for her.

“Lacy?”

From her position on one of the chairs at the table, she peeked at Ellie. “Sorry.”

“Oh, that's okay, honey,” Ellie said, walking over to the table where the little girl sat. She stooped down to make herself eye-level. “I'm just a little concerned about you being up by yourself.”

Lacy leaned her elbow on the table and angled her chin on her fist. She wore pale blue pajamas covered in tiny pink hearts. The color brought out the blue in her eyes and made her wispy pale hair seem even more golden. “I just sit here until somebody gets up.”

“Really?”

“Yes. She does. She's fine.”

Ellie spun around to face the door when Mac spoke. He stood on the threshold, not in last night's pajama bottoms, but in a pair of sweatpants and a baggy T-shirt. Barefoot, he ambled into the kitchen.

“She likes an egg for breakfast, toast and some blueberries.”

“And a glass of milk,” Lacy added with a grin.

Staring at Mac, Ellie told her heart to settle down and her hormones to please take a vacation, but neither listened. Her heart tumbled in her chest and adrenaline surged through her blood. The man was just too good-looking. And he was dedicated to his kids. She'd never met a man who changed diapers and awakened at four without complaint. Yet she still felt something was off.

Suddenly the entire situation began to make sense. He was a great dad, seemingly a good person, and he was gorgeous…so she was attracted to him. But her experience with men wasn't good. So while her hormones were loping off the charts, her common sense was trying to find things wrong with him.

He wasn't a mystery. She was the one with the problem. Or maybe their attraction was the problem.

Still, she was the help and nothing more. From the nonchalant way he drifted into the kitchen and ambled to the table where Lacy sat, Ellie knew he had absolutely no interest in following up on the attraction he felt to her. After all, it was only physical. They hadn't spoken beyond the work required for this job. What they felt for each other couldn't be anything other than a healthy case of sexual attraction.

A good relationship required so much more. Shared interests. Mutual likes and dislikes. Even a shared background would be nice. Her background was so different from his that they probably didn't even share one similar childhood memory! She didn't even need to remember all the other reasons they were wrong for each other. With pasts as different as theirs, none of that mattered.

Reminded of her place, Ellie said, “We're fine here, Mr. Carmichael. You can go back to bed.”

Mac gave her a puzzled frown. “Mr. Carmichael?”

Ellie winced. “You never did tell me what to call you.”

“I'm Mac.” He paused significantly. “
Everyone
calls me Mac.”

“Okay, Mac,” she said, trying out the name and finding it was much easier to call him by his first name than it should be given that she was his maid. “I'll take care of Lacy's breakfast. You can go on back to bed.”

“I'm home. I take care of the kids when I'm home. Remember?”

“Yes, but it's so early.”

“So why don't
you
go back to bed?”

She pressed her had to her chest. “Me?”

“There's no point in both of us being up at four.”

He wasn't angry and what he said made sense. Now that she'd totally squelched her instincts, the entire situation made perfect sense. She took a step backward, toward the door. “Okay, then. I guess I will go back to bed.”

She turned to leave the kitchen, but Mac stopped her. “Ellie?”

She faced him. “Yes?”

“I don't always get up with her. When I'm working I usually sleep through her early-morning-wake-up days. So I appreciate that you're okay with this.”

She couldn't believe she'd let her intuition talk her into thinking there was something wrong here. Yes, she might not know where the kids' mom was, but Mac was a normal man. A good dad. A good guy. She had been wrong to be suspicious of him.

She smiled her best professional, I'm-your-maid smile. “You're welcome.”

She left the room, glad that everything was handled amicably. But halfway up the stairs she stopped as another question confronted her. Why would a six-year-old get up at four o'clock—or close—every day?

She squeezed her eyes shut. Mac might be an okay guy, but she couldn't dismiss her suspicions so easily. No matter how or why Lacy's mom had left, losing her mom had affected her. Without knowing the truth, Ellie could make a million mistakes with that little girl.

 

Three hours later, with Lacy fed and back to bed for a morning nap, Mac headed for his office, then realized he couldn't go there because it was too far away. He changed directions and headed for the master suite. Halfway down the hall, his cell phone rang. He glanced at caller ID and saw it was his investigator, and not a moment too soon.

“Hey, Phil.”

“Hey, Mac. I've got some news on your new girl.”

Mac opened the door to his suite, stepped inside and closed the door behind himself. “Spill.”

“Well, she's from Wisconsin.”

Walking to one of the two white chairs in front of the never used fireplace, Mac laughed. “You say that as if it's bad, but this is Florida. Lots of us are Northern transplants.”

“It's not the part about coming from up north that's bad. Your new housekeeper was a foster child.”

That stopped him. “Oh. Why is that bad?”

“It isn't. I mean, it doesn't positively indicate bad things. Lots of foster kids grow up to be perfectly normal. But that's not the end of the story on your temporary maid. She ran away at age seventeen. Didn't finish high school.”

“How does a seventeen-year-old support herself in a strange city without an education?”

“That's just it. The possibilities that come to mind aren't good ones. If she worked on the street or under the table, from here on out it's going to be harder and harder to find information.”

“I don't care. Whatever it costs, you fill in the blanks of her past.”

“Not only is that going to be expensive, but also it will take days.”

“Again, I don't care. This woman is going to be caring for my kids. I want to know everything about her.”

Phil said, “Will do, boss.”

Blowing his breath out on a sigh, Mac disconnected the call and leaned back in his chair. Being attracted to an employee was bad enough; being attracted to someone he didn't know—at all—who had missing pieces of her past was downright foolhardy.

In fact, he'd have to watch her very, very carefully over the next few days as his security team continued their investigation. If she made one move he didn't like, he'd have to let her go. He wasn't worried about the silver or the artwork or even money she might find. He was concerned for his kids. God only knew what Ellie had done in the years after she ran away from home. Without a high school education, as a runaway on the streets, she could have been a thief…or worse.

 

After doing some cleaning, Ellie once again took out her cookbook and cruised the well-stocked Carmichael cupboards. She found the ingredients for many of the recipes, but she also found boxes of ready-to-cook hamburger dishes, noodle entrées and macaroni and cheese. Maybe the Carmichael pallet wasn't so sophisticated after all? Mac did have a six-year-old, and children did like to eat
food they saw on TV. So maybe the thing to do would be prepare simple lunches of the prepackaged foods and cook more elaborate—more nutritious—suppers?

Satisfied with that decision, she headed to her room for a half-hour break before she had to return to the kitchen and prepare lunch. After turning on the television to listen to the day's news, she began taking inventory of the clothes she'd brought. Knowing she'd be here at least a month, she realized the few jeans, shorts and tops she'd packed wouldn't be enough. Especially if she needed to take the children somewhere that required more than casual clothes.

But that was fine. She could go back to her apartment and get more clothes once she had a handle on what kinds of things she'd be doing. In fact, with the temperature as warm as it had been, she might want to make a run back to her apartment for a bathing suit.

At eleven-thirty, she scampered downstairs to prepare a box of the macaroni and cheese she'd found. But when she made the turn to get into the kitchen she found Lacy already at the weathered table and Mac standing at the counter slathering peanut butter on bread.

“I was just about to make macaroni.”

Lacy's face lit up, but Mac said, “We're fine.”

“I know you wanted me to spend these first few days getting oriented, but I'm all set now. Ready to handle this job completely. I can make today's lunch.”

“I've got lunch, Ms. Swanson.”

Finding it curious that he wanted her to call him Mac, yet he had just called her Ms. Swanson, she ambled over to the counter. “Peanut butter sandwiches again?”

“Lacy likes peanut butter.”

“I like macaroni too,” Lacy said hopefully.

“I'll make that tomorrow,” Mac said, dropping another slice of peanut butter bread onto the paper plate and walking it to the table. Lacy frowned and sent Ellie a pleading look.

Ellie half smiled at Lacy. This was it. One of those tests household employees were forced to use. If she pushed him and he barked, she'd know to back off and never push him again. But if she pushed him and he relented, then she'd know there were things about which he could be reasonable.

“It really is no trouble for me to make a box of macaroni.”

Mac said, “We're fine—” at the same time that Lacy said, “Please.”

The pleading in Lacy's voice, sent Ellie into action. Surely he couldn't resist his daughter? She headed for the stove. “Seriously, Mac. It's no trouble.”

Mac pressed his lips together as if to prevent himself from saying something he'd regret. After a few seconds he quietly said, “That's all Ms. Swanson. You may finish your cleaning or take your break. Whatever is on your schedule now. But Lacy and I don't require your services.”

Wide-eyed Lacy immediately glanced down at her sandwich. Ellie swallowed and took a step back. She'd just learned two things. He didn't relent, but also this was a man who didn't need to yell to let everybody know he was furious.

Ellie took another step back and prudently said, “I'll be upstairs cleaning.”

“Thank you.”

Sucking in another breath, Ellie ran upstairs. It had been foolish to anger him—doubly foolish for
him
to get angry over something so trite. But she'd had to push to
see how far she could push. Now she knew. Clearly, she'd overstepped her boundaries. And though Mac's volume had been civil, his tone had told her he wasn't pleased.

She wouldn't care if this were just a matter of her job security. As far as she was concerned she could leave tomorrow. But this wasn't about her. This was about Liz and Cain. Liz getting referrals and Cain getting his “in” with Carmichael Incorporated. Surely, she couldn't have blown it over trying to make macaroni?

Not about to go to her room where she'd pace and chastise herself for being stupid, Ellie headed for the laundry room. She set the washer to begin filling, then retrieved the baskets of dirty clothes from the kids' rooms. Seeing that she didn't really have enough for a load, she frowned.

The obvious thing to do would be go into Mac's room and get his dirty clothes to round out the loads. She narrowed her eyes, considering that, and realized that she didn't feel as uncomfortable going into his room today as she had yesterday. All those feelings of attraction she'd been feeling had been snuffed out by the way he'd just treated her.

She almost laughed. Nobody liked being reprimanded, but Mac's behavior might have actually made her time here more tolerable. She wouldn't have to worry about wayward hormones around him anymore.

Her head high, she strode to the master suite door, twisted the knob and marched inside.

A sitting room greeted her. Comfortable white leather chairs sat atop a yellow-, green- and cream-colored Oriental rug on the honey-brown hardwood floors, creating a conversation grouping in front of a fireplace that Ellie would bet had never been used. The room was spotless. There wasn't even a book on the table between the two chairs. It was almost as if no one had ever set foot in this room.

She frowned. Maybe no one had? There were plenty of other places in this house for Mac to read or watch TV. He probably only used this suite to—she swallowed—sleep. In pajama bottoms, with his chest bare and his muscles exposed.

Damn it! She wasn't supposed to be attracted to him.

She gingerly made her way to the bedroom and was surprised when she stepped inside. While her room had a gorgeous black four-poster bed with elaborate bedspread and matching drapes, this room had a simple wooden bed. A queen-size at best. The spread was an almost ugly red-and-yellow print that matched the equally ugly drapes. The area rug beneath the bed was a tortured brown.

She walked to the center of the room and turned in a circle. If she were rich, she'd sue the person who designed this room. As ugly as it was, she was almost afraid to go into the bathroom. But that was where the clothes basket was. In a tidy little cupboard beneath the sink. At least that was where the kids' had been.

With a deep breath for courage, she walked into the bathroom and blinked. It was huge and gorgeous. Turning in a circle again, she took in the shower, complete with an enormous showerhead and six body jets. As in her bathroom, there was a spa tub. An open door in the back of the room revealed a walk-in closet.