Page 9 of An Unexpected Match

“That was three years ago?” Arden asked.

She’d worked in a hospice for a while, and understood the stages of grief and recovery. Three years seemed like a long time to avoid talking about a loved one who had died. Not that there was any set length of time. Each person had to heal in his or her own way. But still Ella nodded. “She never even got to hold Avery. It really shook us all up. She was so young.”

“That’s sad. I’m sorry for your loss and the girls’. It’s tough not having your mother when you’re growing up. I know because mine died when I was seven. I guess I just didn’t notice pictures of Lannie in the girls’ room when you gave me the house tour.”

“There aren’t any. Brendan couldn’t stand to be reminded at first. He was so crazy about her. I guess we never thought later to put any out. I know he has lots of photos somewhere unless he destroyed them after she died. He was devastated. They were the perfect couple, and he adored Lannie.”

Lannie was a pretty name. Had his wife been pretty? Arden wondered. For a moment she envied the woman. She’d never have a perfect marriage. In fact, she didn’t plan to marry at all. But it didn’t stop her from wondering what it’d be like to be adored.

At least he has his daughters.

“What are their favorite foods?” Arden asked, trying to ignore her curiosity about Brendan Ferguson’s wife. Or her new employer. She was here to care for his children, nothing more.

Arden considered all Ella had told her when they sat down to eat promptly at six o’clock. She watched Hailey and Avery, pleased to note their table manners were superb. Nothing like some children she’d seen in the restaurant. These young ladies were quiet and well behaved.

Maybetooquiet.

“Did you tell your daddy we read the new books?” she asked when there was a lull in the adult conversation.

Brendan looked at her, then at the girls.

“Arden read us the new books, Daddy,” Hailey said.

“That was nice. Did you enjoy them?” Brendan asked.

She nodded.

Avery looked at her sister, then nodded.

Arden waited for Brendan to ask them what the books were about, or where they’d been read, or something to continue the dialogue. But he resumed eating, saying nothing.

Arden glared at him.

He looked back at her, narrowing his eyes at her expression. “Something wrong?”

She sighed and shook her head. If he didn’t know, it wasn’t her place to tell him tonight.

She continued to observe the interaction between the family members. She had little to go by; her aging great-aunts were the only living relatives she had. And they had all talked at mealtimes, sharing their days.

She missed living with them.

Feeling very homesick for a house that no longer was hers, she finished her meal, looking forward to slipping off to her room for the night. This was only the first day. There’d be time enough to think things through and make any changes she felt necessary in the weeks to come.

By late afternoon the next day, Ella had left to finish packing her own household to prepare for moving. Brendan had departed for his office. And Arden had spent the day alone with two little girls.

Delighted to discover they were not the perfect little angels she’d thought yesterday, Arden chased after them all day. Playing ball in the backyard had been a hit. So had hide-and-seek.

After a lunch of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, which they had never tried before and declared a new favorite, they’d settled in the queen-size bed in Arden’s room and she read the new books again. Both girls had dropped off quickly, giving Arden time to tidy their room and have a quiet moment sipping a glass of iced tea.

Now they played on the kitchen floor while she prepared dinner. Contrary to Ella’s assessment that they liked pretty much everything, the girls had favorites. Hailey loved spaghetti and meatballs, and Avery loved pork chops.

Since she was unsure whether or not Brendan would be home for dinner, she elected to make spaghetti. It was easy to stretch or to cook just enough for the three of them.

The girls played pickup sticks with a few uncooked noodles. Every so often, one would break, and Arden would toss a whole one to them. She’d sweep the mess up in a second when they were finished.

They were thrilled with the new game, and their laughter was a delight to hear as she stirred the sauce.

“How did things go today?” Brendan asked, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.