Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132834 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“Nanny interview,” I confirmed. “I think she’s the one. Great qualifications, the kids and Scarlett liked her when they met yesterday, and, most importantly, she passed the security checks.”
“What’s her name?” he asked.
“Paige McKenna,” I said. “Do you know her?”
Harvey gave me a tight smile and shook his head. “I don’t, but she looks familiar. Something about her face,” he said slowly and shook his head again. “I can’t quite place her. I feel like I should know her, but the name doesn’t ring a bell. Anyway, I was just curious. I’ll track down Griffen and see if we can’t look at this land before the weather turns.” He headed toward the library, saying over his shoulder, “I heard something on the radio about sleet. I don’t like the sound of that,” he muttered as he disappeared around the corner.
Satisfied, I returned to the office to find Hope finishing up with Paige. To me, she said, “Paige is ready to start on Monday.”
“Fantastic,” I replied. Things were looking up. Harvey was going to help me with Lydia, and we’d finally solved the nanny problem.
To Paige, Hope said, “We’ll get you set up with a room at the Inn until you can get moved into the apartment.”
“If you need help with movers, or anything else, just let me know,” I offered as we walked Paige to the front door.
She practically skipped down the steps to her car, seemingly oblivious to the icy gusts of damp wind whipping her ponytail into the air.
“She looks as happy as I am that she’s taking the job,” Hope said with a grin.
I closed the door firmly against the wind and turned to grin back at Hope. “I was almost willing to take anyone, but Paige seems like the perfect fit. The kids like her. You, Scarlett, and I like her. She has experience, patience . . . She’s almost too good to be true.”
Hope laughed. “Don’t say that! I don’t want to tempt fate.” Rolling her shoulders, she rubbed her lower back. “I was beginning to think this little one would be in preschool before we found someone.”
The wind gusted hard, and the chandelier high above us flickered, going dark for a full two seconds before sputtering back to life. Hope and I locked eyes. “The gennies are fueled up,” I assured her. “Billy Bob checked a few days ago when it looked like weather might be rolling in. Hopefully, the power will hold, but we’ll be covered if it doesn’t.”
Hope nodded. We hadn’t had to rely on the generators for more than a few hours here and there, but I kept them ready to use year-round, just in case. Between summer storms and winter ice, we never knew when we’d need them.
“With Griffen out and Royal at the Inn, I have some free time,” Hope said. “How about you? Do you want to go through some of the historical records?”
“I’d love to,” I answered with genuine enthusiasm. My to-do list wasn’t empty, but everything could wait if Hope had some free time. I knew she was dying to read that maid’s journal from the ’30s I’d found, and I wanted to keep organizing the stacks of paperwork. Piles of receipts would probably be mind-numbingly boring to anyone else, but I was fascinated.
Food orders, cleaning supplies, payroll for the staff. Notes between the butler and the housekeeper. In eras past, Heartstone had been like a small town unto itself. It boggled my mind to see what it took to keep the place running, and it left me feeling closely connected to the Manor’s history. I’d started jotting things down here and there about my work—notes about the renovations, staff, things that might be interesting to future housekeepers, just as these notes were so meaningful to me.
I stayed close to Hope as we descended the wide stairs to the lower level. She was a little wobbly on her feet these days. I know she was sick and tired of us hovering, but I had to ask. “Are you feeling okay? Maybe you need to—”
“Do not tell me to lay down,” Hope ordered, her usually warm cognac brown eyes hot with annoyance.
“I wasn’t going to,” I lied.
We reached the lower level, and she stopped to rub her lower back again. “I’m sorry. I’m cranky. I didn’t sleep well last night because I couldn’t get comfortable. The baby’s kicking up a storm, and I’m restless and achy and tired. And so sick of being pregnant.”
She turned beseeching eyes to me, her guilt clear. I didn’t blame her one bit, and I gave her a one-armed hug.
“I know what you mean, sister,” I said with a low laugh. “In my last few weeks with Nicky, I tried every trick in the book to speed things up. Eggplant Parmesan. Bouncing on my mini trampoline. Walking. If you’d told me it would make labor start faster, I would have done back handsprings. I already loved Nicky so much, but by then, all I wanted was for him to get out of me.”