Chapter 8
Felix
I waited for a few moments before I entered the house. I’d spent the whole day at the office, thinking about Nora and the things she had said to me, and now I wasn’t sure if she was still there or had left already.
The door squeaked when I stepped in, and as usual, there wasn’t a sound in the house and everything was in its place. I could smell food being cooked in the kitchen, which meant that Anne was home already.
“Cici?” I called to her as I walked up the stairs towards her room.
“Daddy?” Cici peeped out from her room and when she saw me, she came running towards me.
“I knew you’d come. Anne didn’t believe me!” She jumped into my arms and I swung her around.
“Well, Anne doesn’t know everything,” I said with a smile, just as I saw Nora walk out of Cici’s bedroom. She was watching me as I kissed Cici’s forehead and then placed her down.
“Come, look, Daddy! We’re having a tea party!” Cici squealed, tugging at my arm.
“Why don’t you go back inside and I’ll talk to Nora for a bit,” I suggested. Cici pouted her lips but eventually she went back in. Nora’s hair had come loose now, and some strands of her wavy golden hair fell around her face.
She stepped closer to me, with her hands clasped together tightly. I could sense that she didn’t know what to say.
“I spoke to Jackson about your job,” I broke the ice. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at me. Her perfect pink lips were parted and I felt an urge to feel them against mine.
“Oh?” she said in a quiet voice.
“The job is yours if you still want it,” I added and a soft smile grazed her lips. She gulped and nodded her head.
“Of course, thank you! I didn’t think I still had the job,” she said.
We were standing in the dark hallway, just a few feet away from Cici’s bedroom. I could hear her talking to herself inside, but my eyes were focused on the girl in front of me.
“Look…I should have said something earlier. I apologize for losing my temper. It wasn’t your fault; it was your first day and you did what you thought you were supposed to do,” I said and Nora licked her lips nervously and then shook her head.
“It was my fault too. I should have gone to Jackson or someone else who might have known what to do. I should have searched for you harder,” Nora argued and I stepped closer to her.
“The staff at the reception desk should have been trained on how to deal with a lost kid,” I countered.
“It wasn’t their fault. They were busy and didn’t think much of it,” Nora stated.
“They should have known what to do, taken Cici out of your hands. They should have recognized her at least,” I argued and Nora gulped, staring into my eyes.
“Please don’t fire them…because of me. It wasn’t their fault,” she said.
There was a silence of a few moments between us. I was staring at her and she was staring back at me.
“Thank you for today, for watching Cici while I was at work. Our housekeeper…” I tried to explain, but Nora smiled and nodded her head.
“That’s okay, Cici explained the situation to me already. I was happy to help,” she said.
“I know this isn’t your job, and it was your first day,” I tried but Nora shook her head.
“I’ll start fresh again tomorrow, now that I still have the job,” she told me, and then smiled.
Nora’s face was fresh and young; she looked like the kind of person who didn’t worry about anything, who had a positive outlook on life, and I couldn’t remember what being that kind of person felt like.
“Mr. Stone, I should be going,” she said in a quiet voice. We were standing close enough to touch, but I couldn’t touch her. She was my employee and she had just done me a huge favor!
“Okay, thanks again. I’ll make sure that Jackson trains you professionally at your job,” I said. Nora smiled, nodded her head and was about to walk past me, but she stopped.
“Mr. Stone, I know that this isn’t my place to say…but, Cici misses you. She misses having her father.” Nora had spoken in a low shaky voice, like she was afraid of the words that were coming out of her mouth.
I felt the stiffening of my muscles. I clenched my jaw as I stared at her. Why was she doing this to me? How was she doing it? With anyone else, I wouldn’t have thought twice about putting them in place for speaking to me like this! I was her boss!
When I didn’t reply, Nora breathed in deeply and gulped again.
“She told me that she couldn’t really remember the last time she had dinner with you. On her birthday? At Christmas? Don’t you think there’s something wrong with that? You should have seen how excited she was to know that you were coming home today. Even your housekeeper was surprised to hear that. I guess what I’m trying to say, Mr. Stone, is that maybe you should try spending some more time with your daughter. I’m sorry if…”
I’d listened quietly to what Nora had been saying. Her words had shocked me beyond belief. I was too taken aback to say anything, till finally, I snapped out of it.
“Leave my house now, Nora, and be grateful that you still have this job,” I said threateningly, through gritted teeth. I saw the shock on her face as she stepped away from me.
She stood there for a moment, staring at me with a deathly pale face and then she turned and ran down the stairs.
I’d had enough of her and her quick mouth. She had no idea who she was speaking to.