She should have known better. This was going to be a long and painful work day. Why hadn’t she quit?
Because she needed the work. They needed the money, and she didn’t want to quit because things were complicated.
That’s all it was: work. Just one job for an hour. All she had to do was stick this out until they had another big contract. But she knew that was going to take time, and in the meanwhile, she’d be in pain for those three hours a week.
It was worth it, she told herself.
She’d started this job to help the twins, and she was going to finish it. She was a big girl. It was only three out of the 168 hours each week.
She’d asked her sisters about the shoes as soon as she got home from the ball, and they’d told her that they’d bought them. They hadn’t stolen them, and she believed them. Connor was the one in the wrong here, and that was that. All that was left was for her to keep doing her job as usual. Return to her normal life.
So what if she had to see her ex for a few hours? So what if she had to clean his kitchen and scrub his floors?
That wasn’t the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone. He wasn’t even really her ex. They hadn’t even really dated, and they hadn’t slept together—they’d just had one heavy makeout session. That wasn’t that big a deal. It was nothing. Nothing at all. Teenagers did more than they had. It didn’t matter that she’d gotten to know him and he’d called her his mate.
It was nothing.
At least, that was what she told herself as she sat in her car in front of his house.
Strangely, the most humiliating part of this was having to go in past the security guards. She felt like they were all watching her, that they all knew. She could have been a resident in this place if things had gone well, and now she was back to being a servant once more.
It was for the twins, she repeated to herself. It was for her family and gaining her own freedom. Once this was taken care of and the company had other contracts, she’d be able to move out and not worry about the house falling apart.
She could do this. She was a strong, independent woman. She could do it!
She opened the door to Connor’s apartment and strode to the kitchen counter. She slapped the key down hard enough to make the salt shaker tremble.
“I thought you’d want this back.” Her voice sounded strange to her own ears. Too high-pitched, too fast. She couldn’t get herself in check. Good thing he was far enough away that he wouldn’t see her shaking.
He nodded, with a quick glance in her direction. “Thank you. I’m going to head out now. If you wouldn’t mind, could you make sure to close the front door on your way out?”
She nodded and swallowed. He gathered his papers without looking at her anymore and left his apartment.
Alone, Mary took a shaky breath and began her work. She was able to lose herself in the scrubbing and mopping, and she got through the kitchen before her cell phone rang. It was Gina.
“The girls want to know what’s going on, and I do too,” Gina said without a greeting. “You’re going back to work at the Hansen mansion?”
“We still have a job to finish.”
“I told you I’d take care of that. It’s too weird having you clean up after your boyfriend and getting paid for it. Your father wouldn’t approve of me letting you be treated like some kind of prostitute.”
“I’m not his girlfriend.” It hurt to say the words.
“You don’t have to hide it from me.” Gina laughed. “The girls haven’t stopped talking about him. I know you two are an item.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” Mary said more strongly. “He isn’t my boyfriend, and we aren’t dating. It was just a little fling, and it’s finished now. I know my place. I know who’s loyal and who isn’t. I found out that he doesn’t like me as much as I like him.”
That was the truth, and she needed to keep reminding herself of it. Being around his place and being able to smell him was enough to make her think about changing her mind. Giving him another chance. But that wouldn’t be smart. It would only lead to more heartbreak.
“A fling? That’s not what it looked like,” Gina said. “We all saw the pictures in the paper. I saw you two at the house, and so did the twins. He was enamored with you. He thought you were his mate. What’s changed?”
“I didn’t do anything wrong, if that’s what you’re wondering,” Mary bristled. “Sometimes people just don’t work out. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a very big deal.” Gina said. “You don’t look at someone like you two looked at each other and fall out of love that fast. I know that look. It was how your dad looked at me. That was love.”
“It wasn’t. And it won’t hurt the business. He assured me that we can go back to a regular working relationship, and he’ll still give me a good review. I do great work. Our relationship has no bearing on that.”
Everything was taken care of, and as soon as she could afford to let someone take her place here, she’d be done with him completely. It was finished, and that was that.
One day, she’d have a funny story to tell her grandchildren. The time she’d almost become a billionaire’s girlfriend. The time she’d almost married the most handsome shifter in the world.
Whoa. Her thoughts were getting carried away. Almost married? Who was she kidding? They had barely dated, if you could call it that, for two weeks. How had she let herself go head over heels so fast? She’d never been this reckless before. Never with a client, either.
“I can come in and relieve you. I’m on my way there now,” Gina told her. “And don’t tell me no. Let me do this for you. You shouldn’t have to clean his apartment.”
Mary’s eyes filled with tears. That would be nice, but it wasn’t practical. “I’m already here, and he’s already left. It’s really no big deal. Let me finish this time, and I’ll let you come next time.”
Mary could hear Gina passing the phone from one hand to the next as she considered the idea. “Fine. But I’m not happy about this.”
“It’s okay. It really isn’t that big a deal. Thanks for taking over for me, though. This is very thoughtful of you.”
“Even if he doesn’t like you, please know that we love you very much, and we appreciate everything you do for us. It doesn’t matter what any billionaire shifter has to say. You’re a very special woman. I’m so happy to have you in my life.”
The call died abruptly as Gina hung up.
The lump in Mary’s throat was boulder-sized. She needed to take a minute to compose herself. She was very glad Connor had left her alone for the hour.
Gina had never said anything so nice. Mary knew she’d never hear the same in person, but it was exactly what she needed right now.
Maybe she didn’t have a mate for life, or a man she could trust to take care of her and her family, but at least she had a family who loved her. That was more than many people had, and she’d always be grateful for it.
No matter what Gina did, she was still Mary’s stepmother, and she did love her. She might not be able to easily express it in words, but she still loved Mary.
After the nice call, Mary cleaned the apartment with more vigor. This was the last time she was going to be cleaning at the mansion, and she was going to do the best job she could.
“You’re still here?”
Mary looked up, startled. Connor had come in while she was cleaning under the sofa cushions. She was so wrapped up in getting every nook and cranny clean, she hadn’t even noticed.
“I’m almost done here,” she told him briskly.
“I was thinking that you should probably keep the key,” he told her. “It’s much easier if you can let yourself in. That way I don’t have to be here to let you in every time.”
“I won’t be coming back.” She concentrated on getting the crumbs and hair cleaned up from the couch. She didn’t dare look at him for a reaction. She hoped he was sad, but she feared he’d be relieved that he didn’t need to see her again.
“Understood.” Connor sighed. “I really hate to have to find a new cleaning service. You really were the best I’ve ever found.”
His last sentence hung in the air between them. If she was the best, why couldn’t he stand by her when she needed him?
Mary wanted to scream, but she held herself together. “You don’t have to fire us. I won’t be coming back, but Gina will take over your cleaning services.”
“Oh.” He went to the counter and grabbed the key. She held out her hand, and he pressed it into her palm, lingering for a second. “You did a really great job.”
“Thank you.” She looked up and met his eyes for a second. He meant what he’d said; she could see that in his eyes. He wasn’t happy that she wasn’t going to be there again.
“I’d be happy to give you a recommendation to anyplace else. I’ve already recommended you guys to a few of my friends, and so has my mother.”
“Thank you.” Mary couldn’t say more. Too much emotion was making it hard for her to think.
This was it. This was the last time they were going to see each other face-to-face. She should have made it more special, but all she could think to do was get out of there soon as she could.
“Would you like me to leave while you finish?” he asked after a minute of awkward silence.
“I’m pretty much done. Thank you for the recommendations and for the kind words.”
She gathered her supplies and left the apartment quietly. She shut the door as softly as possible and held her head high while she walked to her car.
When she was alone, her shoulders sagged, and she relaxed into the seat.
It was done.
Things were only going to get better from here. She’d made the right decision, as much as it hurt her. He couldn’t stand by her and her family, so she would never be able to trust him. It didn’t matter how much she liked him. Their relationship had been fun while it lasted, but now it was done.
The faster she forgot about him, the better.