Elizabeth August - Truly, Madly, Deeply

“He must be a tough boss,” Minerva said, recalling her encounters with the man.

“Tough but fair,” Lucy confirmed. “My husband, Bill, worked for his daddy and then for him.”

Minerva glanced at Lucy’s hand, for the first time noticing the simple gold band on her finger. “I didn’t arealize you were married.”

“Widowed,” Lucy corrected. “Three years ago. It was an accident at one of the sites. Until then I only came in days to clean and cook. But after Bill died, Judd suggested I move into the housekeeper’s quarters he’d had built onto the kitchen. Bill and I’d had our kids early and they were all grown and away from home. I didn’t much relish the idea of living alone, so I moved in.”

“John must have been around three at the time,” Minerva speculated.

Lucy nodded. “He hung around my kitchen constantly. Sweetest little boy, next to my own, that I’ve ever known. Having him underfoot helped ease the pain of my loss. When he broke his little arm, it just tore me to pieces. Between me and his nanny, Claudia, we babied him unmercifully.”

“He broke his arm?”

“Took a tumble out of bed when he was supposed to be napping.”

Maybe he wasn’t worried about having a nanny who would mistreat his brother and sisters, Minerva thought. Maybe he was just worried about one who wasn’t vigilant enough. Breaking his arm at such a young age coupled with his mother’s desertion had to have left him feeling uncertain about the world. She breathed a mental sigh of relief. She hadn’t liked suspecting that the children had been mistreated.

Exhausted from her day, Minerva said good-night to Lucy and retired to her room while Judd was still reading to the children. After a long, hot shower, she climbed into bed. Before lying down, she made certain both intercoms from the children’s rooms were turned on so she would hear if they woke in the night. Then she turned off her light, lay back and listened to the giggles as Judd tucked in the children, telling each one that he loved them.

Recalling the parting between her and her father, a bitter smile curled her lips. She had not told him until this morning of her plans to leave. She had begun looking for a full-time job a couple of days before his marriage to Julianna and had packed while they were away on their honeymoon. Yesterday, before they returned, she’d loaded her things into her car. As she put the last item in, she’d wondered if he would even notice and guessed he wouldn’t. During the past couple of weeks she’d spent a lot of time remembering their time together and realized that he’d rarely paid much attention to her unless he wanted something for himself. And she’d been right. He hadn’t noticed her loaded car or her sparse room.

When he and Julianna had arrived home last night, they’d sunk down in the chairs in the living room and, pleading exhaustion from their travels, expected her to wait on them. And knowing this would be the last time, she had done just that while they’d laughed and talked together about their trip and never once asked her how she’d been and what she’d done during their absence.

So this morning, hearing her father’s shower running at its usual early hour, she’d waited for him to come down to breakfast. Peter Brodwick had frowned at his place at the table as he entered. There was no plate of eggs and ham waiting for him. His gaze shifted to his daughter seated in her chair with a cup of coffee in front of her. “Where’s my breakfast?”

“If you want someone to cook something for you, you can wake up your new wife,” Minerva had replied calmly. “I merely stayed until you came in so that I could say goodbye. I’m all packed and have found a new place to live.”

Peter’s frown turned to a fatherly smile. “There is no reason for you to move out. There’s plenty of room here for you, your new stepmother and me.”

The house, situated in one of the well-maintained but older communities of Atlanta, was certainly large enough, Minerva conceded. “I know how much room you have here. Ever since I was sixteen and mother died, I’ve cleaned it for you. I’ve also done your laundry and cooked for you. But now you have a new chief cook and housekeeper, and I’m going to have a life of my own.”

Peter’s frown returned. “Julianna is not the domestic type.”

“I know.” The anger Minerva had been hiding bubbled to the surface. “I heard the two of you talking a couple of days before the wedding.”

“You eavesdropped on us,” he growled accusingly.

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t like the movie I went out to see and came home early. I was on my way upstairs when I heard my name mentioned. You wanted to send me to live with my dear brother, Gerald, so that you and Julianna could be alone. But she pointed out that if I left, who would get up and fix you breakfast? She made it clear she intended to sleep in the mornings. And she also wanted to know who would clean the house and do the laundry.”

“Are you complaining about doing your chores...your fair share? I’ve taken good care of you. You did what is considered woman’s work around here, and I’ve provided you with a roof over your head and food to eat.”

“Yes, you have. But that wasn’t why I stayed. I stayed because I thought you loved me and you needed me. And you said as much when I wanted to go away to college.”

“I do love you and need you,” he assured her.

“I’m not sure about the love part but you did need me. You needed someone to be your maid.”

“It wasn’t as if you were a slave. I paid for you to go to college here in town,” he said in his defense.

“True. But when I finished and wanted to get a full-time job, you talked me out of it. You insinuated that I owed you and I was being an ingrate if I didn’t let you come first on my list of priorities. And I did so want you to love me. So I settled for a part-time job that wouldn’t interfere with my having your breakfast and dinner on the table when you wanted it there.”

He regarded her dryly. “And I suppose you’re going to blame me for you being nearly thirty and not married, either.”

“You’ve pointed out many times that I’m not a beauty... that I take after Aunt Mamie rather than my mother. And, when a man has shown interest in me, you’ve found flaws in him. But, no, I don’t blame you for my not being married. You’re right about me being a plain Jane and you were right about every suitor I’ve ever had. None were the right husband material for me.”

His voice took on a coaxing quality. “You don’t really want to spend the rest of your life living alone in a tiny little apartment.”

“I don’t know what I want except that I want my freedom.”

His manner became practical. “You can’t afford to support yourself on your salary from the day-care center. And I hope you don’t think you can take any furniture out of this house.”

“I’m taking nothing but my personal belongings. And I have a new job.”

The plea returned to his voice. “I still need you. Come on, honey. You don’t really want to leave. You just feel a little out of place with Julianna joining the household. But you shouldn’t.”

“I don’t feel out of place. I feel freed. You have someone to take care of you and I can get on with my life.” Rising, she walked to him, gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I wish you all the best.”

The anger returned to his face. “You’ll regret this. You’ll fail on your own.”

A curl of fear had woven through her. He’d made that prediction in the past and it had caused her to hesitate, to question her ability to survive on her own and finally to retreat to the safe haven he offered her. But not this time. Before she’d been able to convince herself that he loved her and that was why he was so concerned. Now she knew he’d only kept her there because he’d wanted her free services. “Every bird must spread its wings and fly. I’d hoped you’d wish me luck.”