Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 54055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54055 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
I went in search of Dotty to let her know she could knock off early and found her in the laundry room. “Hey Dotty, I’m taking Lena out to eat, so you don’t have to worry about dinner.”
She shrugged but didn’t turn to look at me. “I’ll just pop it in the fridge and you can have it tomorrow. Or not.”
I frowned at her surly tone. “Have I done something to offend you?”
Dotty shoved the last of the towels into the washing machine and glared up at me. “Offended? No. I’m disappointed in the way you spoke to Lucy. She’s a nice girl with a good heart, and you,” she pointed at me angrily. “You and your angry words broke her spirit. The girl hasn’t had a proper dinner all week because she refuses to leave her room.”
“That’s not my fault,” I insisted even though we both knew it was.
“Sure,” Dotty groaned as she yanked sheets from the dryer. “Must be someone else who impugned her character in front of Lena as well as a virtual stranger.” Dotty glared at me, her anger palpable and her tone accusatory.
The woman who’d been so reliable, my trusted employee for so many years, was now furious with me. “Dotty, I’ll fix it. I promise.”
“If you can,” she grumbled and pushed passed me with the laundry basket in her hands. “If not, just know that I won’t be doing double duty as babysitter and housekeeper.” With those words, she was gone and I was left staring after her, shocked and slightly amused despite the situation I now found myself in. A situation of my own making.
Everyone, it seemed, was on Lucy’s side, which only made me feel worse, like an even bigger fucking jerk because there had been witnesses. Alex and Dotty had witnessed my bad behavior, which meant that I couldn’t forget it if I wanted to. All that was left was to apologize. To make it right.
I made my way upstairs to change into something appropriate for the somewhat fancy dinner Lena was expecting and prepared myself for a weekend of daddy-daughter time.
By the time Saturday rolled around I wanted to call Lucy and ask if she was really planning to come back, but that would be inappropriate. Right? But I needed to know that I could count on her to keep her word. I had important deals in the works that required me to be at the office, present and not distracted by thoughts of the nanny.
Instead of calling her, I sucked it up and finished the weekend doing full-time parenting duty. Lena and I spent an incredible weekend together, and I only thought about Lucy every thirty or forty seconds or so.
It was a good weekend, but I was off my game and Lena could sense that something was wrong even if she never asked about it. She was quiet and obedient all weekend, which only made me feel like a terrible father on top of an asshole.
On Sunday, I finally managed to pull my shit together enough to act normal in front of my daughter. We ate breakfast and chatted about the week ahead, which consisted of conversation about Lucy. The things Lucy said and did, words of wisdom she’d imparted, and even all the reasons Lena loved her nanny. It was maddening even if it was heartwarming to know I’d finally done something good in finding an excellent caregiver for my daughter.
When Lucy finally arrived back at the mansion late that afternoon I felt like my old self again. Mostly. I managed a smile. Okay, it was a grin, but it felt genuine and believable.
But she didn’t speak to me even to greet me, she just hugged Lena before she carried her bag upstairs and she remained in her suite for the rest of the evening.
It really was time, beyond time, to apologize.
Chapter 27
Lucy
Sunday afternoon arrived far too soon for my liking. After a relaxing weekend spent mostly in total silence, coming back to the mansion felt like a foreign country. It had only taken a few hours to get used to roaming around the living room, cooking meals for myself, not to mention a very distinct lack of Dante Rush. And before I knew it, the calendar had flipped to Sunday and it was time to get back to work and get ready for the week ahead.
I returned to the mansion with a bag of clean laundry along with five meals prepped and ready to eat as is, or fresh from the microwave. It was all part of my plan to remain professional and keep my distance. I had meals, a case of water, a few cans of pop, and some snacks. It was just enough food to get me through the week without succumbing to the urge to join Lena and Dante for dinner.