Authors: Samantha Lovern
She pushed her hair back, scooted to the edge of her chair, and opened up the antibiotic cream. “I’m not stealing, and I couldn’t sleep. New job. Nerves are at a high, I guess.”
“What’s there to be nervous about? You’ll be cleaning house and putting up decorations. Are you afraid you’ll meet a scary dust bunny?” This won him a laugh and a smile.
“No, silly.” She took his hand in hers and they both grew quiet. It was as if touching him took all of her attention. His eyes studied her as she worked. She put some of the cream on her finger, turned his hand over, and spread the cream on the cut.
She must have known he was watching, for now and then she’d glance up to meet his gaze. Martin relaxed in the chair, enjoying the feather touch of her hand on his. “So why are you nervous about the job?”
“Oh yeah, I didn’t answer, did I?” She stopped talking for a second as she rummaged through the kit for something. She found a bandage and some gauze and finished her thought. “I’m always worried I’ll do something stupid. I’ll probably drop Mr. Taylor’s favorite Christmas ornament and break it into a thousand pieces.”
“Is it the fact that the Taylor’s are wealthy, or the fact that he’s a movie star?” Martin just couldn’t figure out if she was scamming him, or if she really didn’t have a clue who he was.
“The star quality doesn’t bother me because I’ve not seen any of his movies. It’s just the fact that people with money have power, and if you make a mistake, you could lose your job.”
“You haven’t seen any of his movies? None of them?” Martin found this hard to believe.
“I don’t watch much TV. It works well with this job. When I’m working for someone famous I have no clue, and I can treat them normally.”
“I see.” Well, if she was telling the truth that answered his question. But still, not watch TV in this day and age? “If you don’t watch TV, what do you do?”
“Read, go outside, swim, bike. I watch some TV, but I mostly stick to the older movies. I’m not likely to run into anyone that I would be working for.”
“I guess that would work. So you wouldn’t know Mr. Taylor if you met him on the street.” He wanted to see her reaction, look into her eyes, and try to see if she was lying.
“No, I wouldn’t. I work hard at ignoring those in the limelight. I know a few of the really huge stars, Pitt, Gere, Cruise, but I can manage to stay away from this newer crowd and the kind-of-famous, but not-so-famous group.”
“Ah, so you’re saying Taylor is a nobody.”
“That’s not what I said. Then again I don’t really know.”
Martin leaned back, satisfied she was telling the truth. It was strange and fun that she had no idea who he was. It felt good and real, and as he watched her he realized it was the most at ease he’d felt in a long time, maybe even years. When she glanced up from her work he smiled and she went on talking.
“Maids 101 always warns us girls to be careful, but this time, they just couldn’t say enough about how I needed to avoid Mr. Taylor. How I needed to stay away from him . . . well . . . we’ve been over this already.”
Randi grew quiet, and Martin knew she was recalling their conversation, about the fact that he was, or was not, sleeping with Celia. For the first time in months Martin wished he wasn’t sleeping with anyone.
He wished he could look this young woman in the eye and say, no, he wasn’t doing anything with the lady of the house. But he couldn’t, and since this couldn’t go anywhere, he didn’t question her further. He just sat watching and enjoying the attention as she bandaged and wrapped gauze around his hand.
A few minutes later she was finished. She looked at his hand and met his gaze. He could see regret in those pretty eyes, and as she stood she let her fingers slide over the back of his hand.
He wasn’t sure if it was reflex, or the feeling that something special was slipping through his fingers. No matter what it was, he reached up and held onto her hand.
What could he say? Was he about to leave Celia for a woman he’d just met? Was he thinking about cheating? “Thanks, for the help.” As his good sense came back he let go of her hand.
“You’re welcome.” She all but whispered as she walked past. Martin let out a deep breath, pressed his fingers against his forehead, and tried to work this out in his head. As he rose he noticed the pudding.
He picked it up and turned, but she was gone. A bit of his heart sank as the events of the day played through his mind. This beauty had entered his life at a strange time. If he and Celia weren’t having troubles would he even be looking at Randi, or thinking about her?
Martin kept the pudding and took a spoon from the drawer. He turned out the lights and walked to the foot of the stairs. He looked to his left where Randi slept, and looked up the steps to where Celia lay. He felt he was at some kind of crossroads. He opened the pudding and took a spoonful.
Celia and he had been drifting apart and their schedules at times were conflicting. As he took another bite of pudding he tried to recall the last time they’d been intimate and he couldn’t. Strange he hadn’t noticed until now.
He glanced back toward Randi’s room. The phrase 'out with the old and in with the new' came to mind. Things were going downhill with Celia, but that wasn’t an excuse to cheat.
He didn’t want Celia, and it would be easy at this moment to want Randi. This was one reason why he turned from the stairs and made his way across the living room and down a set of steps to the spare bedroom. It would be the first time he’d slept alone in months, but he had a feeling it would not be the last.
Chapter 7
Saturday
The first day of work at a new job could be rough. Learning the pace, getting your bearings, finding your place on the service team, could make your stress level rise.
The morning meeting helped put Randi at ease. The temporary help seemed friendly, and that was a good sign. Nancy kept saying this job was important, but didn’t say why. Not knowing made Randi nervous.
Was there something bigger at stake? Could they be about to overtake their competition? She should have asked. She tried to clear her mind, focusing on the task at hand.
Seven men and women were at the meeting. Now her mind went in another direction. Where was Mike? Didn’t he have to attend the meetings?
Emma, the household manager, announced that she was the only full-time employee. This caused Randi to wonder when she might see the cute limo driver again. Two men stood in the room. They were there to help with the outside lights and any heavy lifting inside the house while the women were cleaning.
The last three of the seven were all women. One of them, Ann, seemed to know Emma well. Ann looked to be in her early twenties, but like all the women, she wore her hair pulled back in bun, and this made her look older.
The meeting lasted twenty minutes, and afterward the staff quickly parted ways. Lonnie and Jake, who were landscapers, made their way to start with the outside Christmas decorations. Emma and Ann stepped to the side, and after a moment Ann nodded and left with Juanita and Maria in tow.
Randi guessed that the first few days would be like a competition. She knew every woman that worked at Maids 101, and she’d bet money that Maria and Juanita worked for House Helpers, their number-one competitor.
Randi watched the three women leave, waiting for orders.
“It’s nice to meet you, Randi,” Emma offered.
“Nice to work with you too. Should I call you Emma?”
“Yes, please.” Emma sat at the table and motioned for Randi to step closer. Emma glanced toward the hall before speaking. “I know Maids 101 was supposed to send over two women.”
“Yes, ma’am, until then I’ll do the work of two.”
“Good. And so you’ll know, this job could become permanent. Mr. Taylor’s been using various temp agencies to clean the house since he moved in, but he’s thinking of hiring at least one full-time maid. The service and/or maid that gets the best evaluation could be the one to end up with the position.”
“I assume you’ll be doing the rating.”
Emma shrugged, “Not all of it. Celia Taylor, as she requested that I call her, will have the final say.”
“I didn’t think they were married.”
“They aren’t, but if you happen to find yourself in her presence, I suggest you call her Ms. Taylor and leave it at that.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve also been given the lecture on avoiding Mr. Taylor at all costs.”
“You got it.” Emma smiled. “Ann, by the way, is my niece. She’ll be sharing your room at times. House Helpers, on the other hand, doesn’t have clearance for overnight stays. They’ll come and go each day.”
Randi tried not to smile, but it was hard. She’d not heard much about her competitors and would be sure and share this news with Nancy. “I should get started. Where to first?”
Emma looked at her clipboard. “I’ve been told to stick with the areas of the house that the guests will be visiting, so go to the top of the stairs, go left, and start on the guest rooms.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And don’t dare breathe to those HH girls where I have you working. For now the upstairs is off-limits to them. I’ve heard some of the girls have sticky fingers. Not that I want you spying, but if you notice anything, tell me in private.”
“Certainly.” Randi hid a smile. “Mum’s the word.”
“Good. Nancy and I go way back. We went to high school together and she says you’re one of her best girls. I’ll expect you to live up to my expectations. Now get to work. You’ll find everything you need in the cleaning closet, third door on the left.
*****
Martin had risen early to work in the garage again, and then decided to take a ride to see his friend Mike. On the way his mind kept going over the chat he'd had with Bill. He’d promised his agent as they parted ways that he’d give his liaison with Celia serious thought. It was a relief to Bill that he and Celia were not engaged.
The upcoming party might be an indication that a proposal was in the works. This thought and the day’s events had brought on a strange dream. Martin knelt under the mistletoe. Celia’s family was on one side of the room, his family on the other.
He was about to pop the question when Randi walked in. She stood, arms crossed, giving him a cynical look. She started to turn, and then asked, ‘Martin is this what you really want?’ He came awake fast, sitting up, thinking, No, it isn't what I want.
If he could find a way to stop the party before it started he would, but so many people had made plans that it wouldn’t be fair to cancel. It had made sense when he’d agreed to it. He and Celia both wanted to spend time with their families, and his home was large enough to comfortably hold twenty guests, so he’d agreed.
He could see now that combining his parents and hers would give signals that wedding bells could be ringing. Thankfully, he and Celia had never talked about a wedding. He wondered if she was expecting a ring under the tree. He’d have to be sure and let her know that one wasn’t going to happen.
After the way she’d been acting of late, he was wondering if by the end of the year they would even be living under the same roof. That would make his mother happy.
Martin also had other problems on his mind. He wasn’t looking forward to running into Randi. It wasn’t going to be easy looking into those pretty eyes and saying, I’m Martin Taylor. He hated to lose the connection. It was great to have someone that treated him as if he was just the limo driver.
Many women would put on airs and say what they thought he wanted to hear. It was a nice change to have someone be honest, and not handle him with kid gloves. Randi was attracted to him, but she didn’t treat him as if he was a king. It took him back to the days when he was doing community theater in Toronto.
He smiled as he dismounted his second bike, a K-650. The memory of the way Randi pulled his hand under the cold water flashed through his mind. She didn’t care if the action might offend him, or worry that her actions or words might affect her chances of becoming the next rising star in Hollywood.
“How do you stand to ride that thing, all laid over? Doesn’t it kill your back?” The voice of his good friend Mike Jackson brought him out of his thoughts. He laid his helmet on the bike, turning to shake hands with the broad-shouldered man.
“I don’t ride often, and you can ride sitting up. You just look old if you do.” Martin laughed at his own comment.
“I’ll stick with nice comfortable bikes.” Mike gestured to two chairs. “I was just getting ready to go down to the pond and do some fishing. Want to join me?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
A few minutes later the two men sat in folding chairs, both with a pole in hand, and a chest of drinks between them. Mike propped up his pole, took out a can, popped it open, and spoke. “You don’t look so chipper. That party mess getting to you?”
Martin pulled on the line, thinking he had a bite, then glanced at Mike. “My agent all but told me to dump Celia.”
“Did he now?” Mike pursed his lips.
“Sure did. I hate to admit it, but his comments and other things have me thinking he might not far from the mark.”
Mike took a sip of his cola and set the can down on the armrest. “I think it’ll be one of the best moves you made since you did The Outback. I can’t stand the woman, and other than her looks, I’m not sure what you see in her.”