Chapter Eight
EMMA
HIS PARENTS
The doorbell rang as I made my way toward the stairs. “I’ll get it, Aiden!” I called out.
Opening the door, I saw an older couple and knew immediately this was Aiden’s parents. I’d stopped by their store earlier today, but they’d been out, so I didn’t get a chance to meet them.
“Emma?” Mrs. Bishop asked as she waltzed in and immediately hugged me.
“Yes. I’m guessing you’re Aiden’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bishop.”
Mr. Bishop shook my hand and we all made our way into the living room.
“Please, call us Lance and Patty,” Aiden’s mom said with a huge smile on her face. “I can’t even begin to tell you how glad we are that Aiden listened to Rose’s advice about a nanny.”
With a smile, I nodded. “I’m glad as well.”
They were both looking at me with wide grins. My goodness, these people really must have been stressed out to look so relieved to have me working here.
“Aiden said that Hadley’s really taken to you, and he also mentioned that you’re going to jump right in full time instead of the three-days arrangement you’d previously discussed.”
I nodded. “Yes, Hadley seems to be okay with me here, so I figured why not. We’ve had a lot of fun together the last couple days.”
Patty looked at her husband, then back to me. “I think the one you really have to win over is Aiden.”
Tilting my head with a questioning look, I asked, “What do you mean?” I totally knew what they meant. Aiden was obviously struggling with my presence in the house. But I couldn’t help fishing for information.
Lance brushed his wife off. “He’s going to be fine. It’s a bit weird for him to have you here, that’s all. He’ll get used to it.”
“From the sound of the laughing in the kitchen, I’d say they were both adjusting just fine. What’s going on?” Patty asked.
“Oh, Aiden and Hadley are making pizzas. I’ll let y’all head on in and join them. If you’ll excuse me, I was heading up to my place. Enjoy the evening.”
The moment I said pizza, Lance made a beeline for the kitchen. As I turned to leave, Patty reached for my arm and stopped me.
“May I speak with you for a moment?”
My stomach knotted at the serious look on her face. “Yes, of course.”
“In private. May I go up to your apartment with you?”
Swallowing hard, I felt like I was about to be put through another interview, one I wasn’t prepared for. “Sure.”
Patty followed me as I made my way upstairs, out to the balcony and into my personal space. She shut the door and looked around. “Do you need anything? I tried to make sure you had everything to get you started, but Rose gave me short notice on Saturday that you’d be joining us.”
“Everything is amazing, thank you so much.”
We sat down on the sofa, and I instantly wrung my hands together nervously.
“So, Aiden tells me you’ll be joining us for service on Sundays.”
I nodded. “Yes, I will.”
She grinned. “Wonderful. Rose also mentioned you might like our ladies’ group that we have at the church.”
My brows lifted. Oh no. I never was one to get involved with the ladies of church. They were well-meaning women, but terribly nosey from my experience.
“Now, before you go off thinking it’s one of those uptight conservative groups, let me put your mind at ease.
We’re not. We’re a group of women from all walks of life who like to meet once a week and let our hair down.
We’re all friends. We support each other, we counsel one another on occasion, and we’re really there to simply listen.
Sometimes it’s nice to have a friendly ear when you want to just… b-i-t-c-h…about something.”
I smiled when she whispered and spelled out the word bitch.
“Besides, it would be a great place for you to meet some people.”
One part of me wanted to decline, but the other part—the one that was never allowed to meet new people—craved friendship. “Thank you, I’d love to join y’all.”
“Great! I didn’t want to ask you in front of Aiden and put you on the spot. I think it’s going to be important for you to have time for yourself. When Aiden told me you watched Hadley on Sunday afternoon while he went out, I wanted to slap that boy. It was your first day!”
“I didn’t mind at all. It gave me and Hadley a chance to get to know each other better.”
“I’m glad, but don’t let Aiden take advantage of it. You need your personal time as well. We have a lot of very handsome men here in Estes Park.”
I laughed. “The last thing I’m looking for is a man.”
The way she smiled and looked me over made me squirm in my seat. It was as if she was sizing me up. Good Lord. I hope she wasn’t the type of woman who’d try to set me up on blind dates.
She finally pulled her gaze away and stood. “I’ll text you the information on next week’s meeting. You should probably attend church at least once before joining the group.”
I stood and followed her to the door. “Sounds good. Um, Patty…may I ask you something before you leave?”
“Yes, of course, you can ask me anything. I know everyone in this town and the best places to go to get any kind of deal.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “No, this has to do with Aiden.”
Her brow lifted. “Really? Go on.”
Did her eyes just light up with anticipation? No. No, that’s silly, Emma. Don’t even go there.
“I met Tammy for coffee this morning, and she was mentioning how Hadley didn’t have anyone to attend Muffins with Mom, or a parent more present in the classroom to help with volunteer-type things.
She suggested I volunteer at the school.
I’m assuming you’d join her for the muffins thing, but I wasn’t sure about volunteering. ”
Her head tilted and she studied me again.
Crap. I’m stepping on her toes. Fudge!
Clearing my throat, I decided it was best to keep going.
“I just wasn’t sure what level of involvement would be appropriate.
Like I said, I assumed you’d go to Muffins with Mom.
At least, I think it would be more appropriate if you went and not her nanny.
But I’m not sure how Aiden would feel about me getting involved with the school as a volunteer, since he’s not used to having a nanny yet.
Do you think that’s something he’d be open to?
Should I speak with him about it? Or maybe I should just tell Tammy that isn’t my place.
Yes, I think that’s what I’ll do,” I said, speaking way too fast.
Patty reached for my hand and squeezed it.
“Emma, no matter what the event might be, Hadley isn’t going to have her mother there like most of the other kids.
Personally, I think the more you can ease that pain for her, the better.
Speak to Aiden about it and be open with him like you were me.
As for Muffins with Mom, I’ve got it on my calendar already. I’ll be there.”
I sighed in relief. “Oh, wonderful!”
“Anything else you want to ask me?”
Shaking my head, I grinned. “Not that I can think of. Enjoy your evening.”
With one more light squeeze, she dropped my hand and made her way back over to Aiden’s house. I shut the door and leaned against it, letting out a deep breath.
My mind thought back to a few minutes ago, how happy Hadley had been, and how both she and Aiden seemed excited about the pizzas. I’d wanted to stay and watch them together, but it was important for them to be alone and for me to remember my place. I was not a family member; I was the hired help.
Pushing off the door, I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out the items I needed to make a ham and cheese sandwich, along with a salad.
Tomorrow morning, I’d talk to Aiden about volunteering at the school.
* * *
Holding the sieve over the bread, I said, “Okay, Hadley, tap the sides to get the powdered sugar out.”
She did just that and giggled as the sugar fell like snow. When she told me she hadn’t had French toast since her mommy got sick, I knew we had to make some.
“What’s your secret ingredient?” Hadley asked as I poured some syrup over the French toast.
“If I told you, then it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”
She giggled again.
Aiden had woken Hadley up this morning before he started to get ready for work. When she rushed into the kitchen, all dressed and ready to go, I couldn’t help but chuckle. The outfit she’d chosen didn’t match at all, but she was happy, so who was I to say anything about it?
“What’s going on?”
I looked up to see Aiden standing in the kitchen. He was staring at the French toast, a look of surprise on his face.
“Um, we made French toast for breakfast,” I said, a bit of uncertainty in my voice.
“Emma put a secret ingredient in it, Daddy! It’s so good!”
Aiden looked at me. “I need to speak to you in my office. Now, please.”
Instant dread filled my stomach. “Of course.” Turning to Hadley, I kept my expression easy. “I’ll be right back, Hadley.”
I followed Aiden into his office and stood in the middle of the room, turning to face him. The moment he shut the door a little hard, I held my breath. He was probably going to lecture me about giving her sugar two days in a row for breakfast. Tomorrow, I’d have to do something on the healthy side.
What he actually said took me completely by surprise.
“You are not her mother, so don’t act like it. She had a mom; she was a great mom, and she loved Hadley. No one will ever be able to replace her. Do you understand me?”
My heart dropped to my stomach and my mouth gaped in utter shock as I took a few steps back. After I got my wits about me, I closed my mouth, swallowed hard, and spoke in a clear, calm voice. Even though inside, I was shaking.
“I’m not trying to replace her mother, and I have no idea why you would even say that to me. I’m doing the job you hired me for. I don’t know how else to do it, unless you want me to be cold and mean to your daughter.”
He stared at me like I was insane. “What?” he finally said, clearly confused.
I shook my head. “I don’t know what I did to make you ever think I would try to replace her mother, but I wouldn’t do that.
We talked about Lisa just yesterday on the way home from school, when she said all the kids were drawing pictures of their parents.
She drew you, but she didn’t know what to do for her mom’s picture, so I told her to close her eyes and think of a favorite memory in her head and draw that. I…I would never…”
Aiden took a few steps back and ran a hand through his hair. So many different emotions seemed to dance across his face. He dropped his hand, then gave me a stern look. “How did you know about the French toast?”
Now it was my turn to stare in confusion. What in the world was he talking about?
“Answer me!” he barked, making me jump.
That old familiar feeling of fear raced through my veins until I quickly stopped it in its tracks. I vowed when I walked away from Ben, I would never allow a man to yell at me again.
Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and counted to five before opening them.
I gave Aiden a hard look. “I do not appreciate being yelled at. I’m going to answer your question, then I’ll go get Hadley ready for school and drop her off.
Afterward, I’m coming back here to pack my things, and I’ll let Rose know this isn’t working. ”
Aiden’s eyes went wide. “Wh-what?”
Swallowing hard, I went on, “Last night, I asked Hadley if she had a favorite breakfast she wanted to make. She told me she loved French toast and hadn’t had it since her mommy got sick. I was just trying to make her something she liked.”
His eyes closed and he cursed. “Damn.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to making your lunches.”
I hated that my voice cracked, that I had shown any weakness. The fact that those awful feelings of fear and failure could come rushing back and overwhelm me once again only proved that I had a long way to go. The emotions I thought I’d buried deep down were still too close to the surface.
As I walked by Aiden, he reached for my arm and gently brought me to a stop.
“Wait. Please…wait.” His voice sounded as defeated as I felt.
My eyes stung with the threat of tears, but I refused to let them show. Ten years of emotional and physical abuse was going to be harder to get over than I’d thought.
“Let me explain.”
My voice came out in a whisper. “You don’t need to explain. I’ll make sure someone can pick up Hadley from school.”
“Damn it, Emma!” he pleaded. “Just give me a minute to apologize and explain.”
I gently tugged my arm, and Aiden immediately let go.
Staring up at him, I took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. I could feel the tears pooling again, threatening to spill. When I spoke, my voice shook.
“I spent ten years of my life with a man who liked to scream at me, and I promised myself I would never, ever do it again, no matter who the man was.”
Aiden’s face went white, and he looked as if he might be sick. “I didn’t mean…I never raise my voice, Emma, but…I just…you caught me so off guard with the French toast.”
I stared at him, waiting for him to explain. Not that it would excuse his behavior.
“Lisa made Hadley French toast on special occasions. It was their thing. Their very special thing that they only shared together. Hadley has never once asked me to make it for her. When I saw it this morning, it totally shocked and threw me.”
“So, the first thing you assumed was that I had some hidden agenda behind it?”
His cheeks turned red.
“I’m not here to replace your wife, Aiden.
I’m here because you hired me to take care of your daughter.
And I already find myself falling for that little girl.
I care about her and want to make her feel safe and happy.
If you think that I’m doing it with malice, this obviously isn’t going to work.
I can’t read your mind or follow an invisible set of rules.
I realize this is new for you, but it is for me, too. ”
Aiden nodded and turned away. He walked to the window and stared out. When it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything more, I sighed.
“Hadley will be late if I don’t get going,” I stated.
“After you drop her off, will you please meet me at the ranger station on the River Falls side?”
I swallowed hard. It was really better to leave now, before I grew any more attached to Hadley. I wasn’t sure why he needed me to stop by his job first.
“I…I don’t know where that is.”
“Just go to the entrance and tell them who you are. I’ll make sure they get you there.”
I nodded even though his back was still to me. “Yes. I’ll be there as soon as I drop her off.”
Without another word, I made my way back to the kitchen. The emptiness I felt in my chest was an entirely new feeling. It felt like I was about to lose something I didn’t even realize I needed.