Chapter 9
NINE
SASHA
Iwoke up in the morning from the best sleep I’d ever had.
The king-size bed with its lush bedding and soft pillows was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.
It felt like sleeping on a cloud. The bed was soft with perfect support, and the blankets smelled of fresh laundry and lavender.
I even dreamt that I was running through a lavender field.
I slept so well that even though I wasn’t tired, I wanted to go right back to sleep, but I knew I had a lot to do, so I threw the blankets back and forced myself to get up.
Even though I’d brought my belongings up from the car the night before, I hadn’t bothered with unpacking anything yet.
I dug through my stuff until I found everything I needed to start my day with a relaxing shower.
I wanted to take my time, but I needed to be ready when Sophia woke, so I got to work on getting cleaned up.
I dressed and was walking out of my bedroom within the hour.
I knew that Sophia wasn’t due to wake up for at least another thirty minutes, so I headed down to the kitchen for some coffee, and so I could make her breakfast in peace.
The place was tranquil, but I was thankful to find a few lights had been left on throughout, so I could easily see where I was going.
I pushed my way through the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Expecting to find it empty, I gasped and covered my heart with my hand when I nearly ran into Monica.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said, falling back a step.
“It’s fine,” I told her, even though I was breathing heavily from the fright.
“Roman has already left, but I wanted to stay and go over a few things if you have a moment.”
I nodded. “Yeah, of course. I’m just going to get some coffee going. My brain absorbs information much better with caffeine running through it.”
I got to work on making a pot of coffee, and she stood on the other side of the island with a file folder. She set it down and flipped it open before going over everything she wanted to discuss.
“Here’s the address for Sophia’s daycare. Take your ID with you so everyone there knows who you are. They will ask to see it before letting her go with you. I’ve already called and added you to the approved pick-up list.”
I nodded and turned to look at her while the coffee brewed.
“I know you have your own car, but Roman didn’t think it looked very safe, so he’s left you the keys for the Mercedes.” She slid the keys over to me. “Of course, you’re always welcome to drive your own car; however, Sophia is only allowed in this car. Her car seat is already installed.”
I picked up the keys and looked at them. I’d never driven anything that expensive before. “He really wants me to drive his car?”
“It’s not his car. I mean, he owns it, but it’s not the car he drives.
This car is only for the nannies and whoever else may be driving Sophia around.
” She could see the confusion on my face, so she added.
“Roman lost his wife due to a car accident. You could say that he goes a little overboard with his safety concerns where Sophia is concerned.”
I nodded, my chest tightening at her words.
“OK,” I said, putting the key down before turning to pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Here’s all the stuff you’ll need for that expense account we discussed.
” She placed a credit card beside the key.
“Feel free to use this account for anything regarding Sophia. Food, drinks, snacks, shopping trips, and gas to go here and there. Money isn’t an issue, so you don’t need to worry about it running dry.
Also.” She pointed at me. “I’ll need you to fill out these forms.” She pushed a few papers toward me.
“For tax purposes, and so we can deposit your weekly pay into your account each week.” She looked up at me. “Any questions?”
I lifted my brows as I took a deep breath, trying to keep everything straight in my head. “Not that I can think of.”
“OK, well, my number, along with Roman’s, is right here on this paper of emergency contacts.
Her doctor is also listed there. But if I were you, I’d call me before anyone else.
I’m sure you’ll have a few things pop into your head later, after you’ve had a moment to get your bearings.
Don’t hesitate to ask.” She gathered her things.
“Roman will be home around seven. He’s already planning on being here throughout the week, just in case you need anything.
After you take Sophia to daycare, you’ll have the day to get settled. ” She smiled. “Good luck.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, watching her turn and walk out of the kitchen.
I sipped at my coffee as I looked everything over.
I was nervous to say the least, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.
I had to get breakfast made for Sophia. I stacked everything into a neat pile and pushed it to the center of the island before starting to make some bacon.
While I waited for it to cook, I made scrambled eggs and sliced fruit, then worked on some toast and poured her a glass of milk.
It was a lot of food, but I wasn’t sure about her diet.
I could see Roman being a stickler for a balanced breakfast, so I wanted to make sure all food groups were covered.
When seven rolled around, I went to her room to wake her. I opened her door and stuck my head inside, looking around her dark room. I could make out the shape of her in bed. I opened the door wider and stepped inside, going straight to the window and pulling the curtains open.
“Sophia, it’s time to wake up.” I looked over my shoulder to see her starting to stir. I walked over to her bed and sat on the edge. “Good morning, sleepy head. Breakfast is all done. Are you hungry?”
She grinned sleepily and nodded as she stretched. “What’s for breakfast?”
“I made bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, and I cut up some fruit. You want to go check it out?” I held out my hand.
She nodded and slapped her tiny hand inside my palm.
After a quick stop at the bathroom, we made our way to the kitchen, where the two of us sat at the small table to eat together.
“So, do you like your daycare?” I asked, wanting to start building a relationship with my niece.
She nodded, causing her blonde curls to bounce.
“Yes. It’s fun,” she said, a piece of scrambled eggs falling from her mouth and back onto her plate. She didn’t even notice as she continued to talk. “We play games, have snacks, color…”
“That does sound fun.”
“You work with Daddy?”
I shook my head. “No, I go to school. And now it’s my job to watch you,” I answered, watching her as she ate.
She reminded me so much of my sister. Not just the color of her hair or the shape of her eyes.
It was in the way she moved, in the sound of her giggle, somehow, she even smelled similar to my sister, a scent that hits you when you hug someone close.
It wasn’t shampoo or perfume. It’s just the smell that’s naturally on them.
“Do you know who I am?”
She looked at me with a frown, painting her features. “I don’t remember your name,” she confessed.
I laughed. “That’s okay. My name is Sasha, and I’m your aunt.”
Her brows lifted, and her eyes widened. “My aunt?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“What’s an aunt?”
“That means that your mommy was my sister. We grew up together.”
“My mommy?”
I nodded. “You look just like her.”
She jumped down from her chair, took my hand, and started pulling me toward the living room.
“Where are we going?”
She stopped at the fireplace and pointed up at the framed picture on the edge. It was a picture of my sister. I hadn’t noticed it before, but there it was. All alone on a mantle.
“Mommy.”
I smiled and nodded. “That’s right. That’s your mommy and my sister.”
She smiled. “We play now?”
She tried pulling me toward her room, but I picked her up and carried her back to the kitchen.
“We’ll play later. Right now, you need to eat breakfast so I can take you to daycare.” I placed her in the chair, and she immediately resumed eating.
After dropping her off at daycare, I returned home to start unpacking my belongings. I got everything unpacked and put away. I even had time to fit in a nap before lunch. When I woke up, I decided to give myself a little tour of the place.
I wandered around the upper level, finding another bathroom, a library, and two more guest bedrooms. When I rounded the back corner, I found a small set of steps leading to another door.
I placed my hand on the knob and pushed the door open to see what was behind it.
The room was dark, so I couldn’t see inside, but I knew from the smell of the air that I’d just stumbled into Roman’s bedroom.
I flipped on the light, and sure enough, his big, unmade king-size bed was in the center of the room.
There were matching bedside tables on either side, each with an identical lamp.
A dresser was against the wall. A handwritten note was on the mirror over the dresser, in what looked like a dry-erase marker.
It was in her curvy handwriting, and it read: Be thankful for what we still have, rather than being bitter about what we lost.
It was definitely Chloe’s handwriting.
I smiled as I read the message, remembering how she always wrote inspirational things on her notebooks, folders, and in random spots around her room.
Tears burned my eyes in the next second because I’d completely forgotten that she’d do that.
The longer she was gone, the more I forgot, and the harder it was to remember.
It was stuff that I didn’t even realize I’d forgotten, like the sound of her voice.
I used to be able to hear it as if she were right next to me.
It was that moment that I realized I couldn’t do that anymore.
I could remember things she said, but I couldn’t hear her say it.
I turned away from the dresser and looked into the attached bathroom.
The floor was covered in clothes and towels.
Remembering I was in charge of the laundry, I took a deep breath and pushed myself forward to collect it.
It was a good excuse for entering a room I knew I had no business being in.
Knowing him, he probably had cameras recording every inch of the house, and I knew he’d jump down my throat later if he saw I went into his room just because I was nosy.
My cell rang, and I pulled it out of my back pocket as I gathered up the items on the floor.
“Hey, Mom,” I answered.
“Hey, hun. How’s it going?”
“Good. Just doing some cleaning, about to start laundry.”
“Tell me everything.”
I chuckled at the sound of my mom begging for some gossip.
“Everything is still the same,” I told her. “Roman is withdrawn and a bit of a grouch. The place is really nice, though.” I said, looking inside for a laundry basket.
“Really?” Mom said, sighing. “He’s not the boy I remember. He used to be so calm and sweet. We’re all still hurting, and I suppose we all grieve differently, too.”
I swallowed hard at her words. It was true. We did grieve differently, and it wasn’t something that would go away, no matter how many years it had been.
“I met Sophia, too,” I said, changing the subject. “Mom, she looks just like Chloe. Blonde hair, blue eyes. She even moves the same way, like the mannerisms she uses.”
“Have you talked to Roman about bringing her around us?” There was a note of hope in her voice.
“Not yet, but I’m going to when the time is right. I haven’t been around him much at all. I was hoping to spend some time with the two of them, build some relationship first.”
“So, who’s been watching Sophia all this time?”
“Different nannies brought in by an agency. Roman also has a personal assistant named Monica, and she seems to handle almost everything for him when it comes to the house and Sophia.”
“And what about school for you? You had the meetings, and then things got busy, and we didn’t hear back.”
“I’m enrolled. Sophia goes to daycare during the day, so tomorrow, I’ll drop her off in the morning, go to school, and then pick her up that evening.”
“I sure hope I didn’t push you into this. It seems like you have a lot on your plate.” I could hear the frown in her voice.
“You didn’t push me into it,” I told her. “I want to be here. I want to fix this for our family, and I want Sophia back in our lives.”
“I want all that too, but not at the cost of you spreading yourself too thin. You should be focusing on school, not raising your niece. I guess I thought Roman was doing more for her. At least that’s what I’ve been telling myself.”
I took a seat on Sophia’s bed.
“I can do both,” I assured her. “Plus, anything is better than being back in New York with a cheating boyfriend and a lying best friend. I promise everything is OK.”
She sighed. “OK. I believe you.”
We continued our conversation for a few more minutes before bidding each other goodbye. I hung up and looked around the room.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I had a lot of work ahead of me.