Chapter 5
Heather waited until she was out of earshot then said, “Mr. Montgomery I’m afraid we’ve gotten our wires crossed. I’m not….”
Her words were cut off when he grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away from Chloe, who immediately began to cry. “Don’t leave me daddy.” She sobbed, breaking Heather’s heart.
“Don’t worry baby, we’re just going over here.” Marshall reassured her, stopping about ten feet away and positioning himself so he could see Chloe over Heather’s shoulder. “I’ll be right here I promise.”
Chloe calmed down when she saw that her father wasn’t going any farther, but they could still hear her little hiccups. Heather took a deep breath planning to finally tell Marshall that she wasn’t his assistant or his baby sitter, but then she caught Simone out of the corner of her eye, she was sneaking along the edge of the hallway in the shadows. Curious about what she was doing, she shut her mouth before she said anything, giving Marshall the opportunity to speak.
“I’m sorry you had to pick her up, but I didn’t know what else to do. I have too much going on right now to deal with her.” Marshall wined.
Heather was shocked at his words, this was his daughter after all, but before she could speak he went on, “You have no idea how hard it is to be a single parent.” He said, then began complaining about how hard it was to take care of Chloe.
There were so many things Heather wanted to say to him about being a single parent, but Simone caught her attention again, she’d slunk behind a pillar so that all Heather could see was her back. At first, she thought that Simone was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation but then she realized that she was too far away to hear anything.
As Marshall went on and on, a shaft of sunlight broke through the gloom and illuminated the area where Simone was standing. Heather caught a glint of light coming off something metal, then she was able to make out the figure of a man standing there with Simone, their heads were bent together and the sun was glinting off his watch where he had his arm wrapped around her.
Heather sucked in a deep breath shocked, then immediately turned away, not wanting to get caught watching them. She stepped back a few paces to put some more distance between them, then unable to see the couple any longer she turned her attention back to Marshall, who was completely unaware of what was happening behind his back. She wondered who the man was, but knew deep down that Simone knew him, that the two of them were up to something, something that was going to hurt Marshall in the end.
“I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’m hoping you’ll do it.” Marshall was saying and she realized that she’d missed the entire conversation.
“I’m sorry what did you say?” She asked, finally looking up at his blue eyes, then wishing she hadn’t when a little tremor of desire washed over her.
“I asked if you would watch Chloe for me for a few days. I could call the agency but you’re already here.” Marshall said, flashing her a big smile.
Her body responded to that smile in ways she didn’t like, making her angry. “You want me to babysit for you?”
“That’s what I asked.” Marshall repeated, practically hoping from foot to foot like a little boy who wanted to go out and play. “I have so much to do before I buy this theatre, I need to meet with contractors and craftsmen, and the owner is waiting for me upstairs to finalize the deal.”
Heather knew that this would be the time to tell him who she really was, but after what she’d seen in the shadows, she decided that it might not be a bad idea to continue the pretense. If Simone found out that Marshall’s brother had sent her she’d be on her guard around her, but if she thought she was just the babysitter it might be easier to figure out what was going on.
She dreaded having to spend the day with Chloe who had already proven to be a difficult child, but Seth had sent her to protect his brother and this seemed to be the best way. “What did you have in mind?” She asked.
“If you could just watch her during the day it would make all the difference in the world. I have a big house just outside of town and I’ll pay you well.” Marshall offered, sure that he’d get his way.
Half an hour and a bucket of tears later Marshall still hadn’t convinced Chloe that she should go with Heather, but then a man came stomping down the stairs distracting them all. “Mr. Montgomery, I’ve been waiting for you for over a half an hour. Are we going to make this deal or not?”
Heather was surprised to see the man who had been hiding in the shadows with Simone, but managed to keep her face neutral. “I’m sorry Hank, I’ll be right with you.” Marshall said, then turned to Heather, “Can’t you please convince her to go with you? Offer her some ice cream, that always works.”
Heather was not the kind of parent who used bribery, but when Simone came sidling up to Marshall she knew that it was time to go. “Chloe honey, let’s go get some ice cream and then we’ll go to your house and I’ll play with you.” Heather cajoled.
Chloe looked exhausted, but perked up at the mention of ice cream. “Okay, I guess that would be all right.”
Simone watched the woman and Marshall’s daughter walk away wanting to scream. Nowhere in all the research she’d done had she seen any mention of the kid, now Marshall would be distracted and it was going to take even longer. Worse he might expect her to spend time with the little monster. But at least he’d gotten that cow of a woman to take the brat off their hands for a few days, it might just give Marco enough time to seal the deal. Still it might not be a bad idea to start planting a few suggestions in Marshall’s mind, especially if the kid was going to be staying a long time, a trip to summer camp might just be what the kid always wanted.
More than anything she wanted to scream at Marshall for hiding his daughter from her, but she knew that he’d be shocked if she did, instead she’d have to play the good girl and be forgiving, something she’d never been very good at. But when she saw Marshall with Marco, it reminded her what was at stake, enough money to move to South America and live like royalty. They were so close, just a few more days and Marshall would sign on the dotted line, transfer the money and they’d be on a plane out of here before the ink dried.
She couldn’t help but smile at the amount of money they’d already managed to get out of him, down payments to contractors and craftsmen most of whom had never touched a tool in their lives. It hadn’t been hard to find a few men who were willing to help them out for half the take — it had been enough money to allow Marco to live in style while they’d been here with some leftover. Simone planned to use it to buy herself a new wardrobe when they got to South America.
Slipping back into her role, she slid up next to Marshall and took his hand, then looked up at him. “Is everything okay? Is there something I can do to help?” She asked in the sweetest voice she could muster.
Marshall looked down at her, “I really am sorry I didn’t tell you about Chloe.” He said, his heart practically bursting at how caring Simone was.
“It’s okay, really.” She said, then added. “I don’t mind that much, I mean I like kids and everything.”
Marco who had quietly moved away when she first came up had clearly been listening because he choked back a laugh, but Marshall was so engrossed in Simone he didn’t even notice. “I’m so glad.” He said, pulling her into a hug.
Simone shot Marcos a dirty look over Marshall’s shoulder, then gently pulled away from Marshall — she could only handle so much direct contact. As handsome as Marshall was, she wasn’t the least bit attracted to him, she liked her men to be manlier than Marshall was. Just like Marco, who was only a few inches taller than her, but carried himself in a way that said pure man to anyone who saw him, men and women alike seemed to understand that Marco wasn’t a man to be messed with.
Suppressing a sigh, she turned her attention back to Marshall, as difficult as it was she needed him to believe that she was completely in love with him. “I remember when I was Chloe’s age, all I wanted was a trip to summer camp. Isn’t it funny that I remember that after all these years?” She said, innocently.
By the end of the first day taking care of Chloe, Heather was exhausted. The little girl while only six, had some definite ideas about what she wanted and when, and it was painfully obvious to Heather that she usually ran the show. Unaccustomed to a child who was used to getting her way, she’d had to learn quickly how to keep Chloe from having a melt down every time she heard the word no. She never thought she’d be happy to see Marshall, but when he walked in the door the first night she was so relieved that she jumped up from the table and offered him some dinner.
But the second night was much different. It had been a long and trying day and she was more than ready to hand Chloe over to Marshall. When he walked into the kitchen the first thing he noticed was that they both looked like they’d been through a tornado. Heather’s usually smooth hair, was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she had dark circles under her honey brown eyes. Chloe didn’t look much better — she had stains on her shirt and the look on her face spoke volumes.
“Looks like you two had a long day.” He said, crossing the room to give his daughter a kiss on the head.
She batted his hand away, and gave him a dirty look. Then threw her fork down on her plate and said, “I don’t want to eat this, I want ice cream.”
Heather, who had heard this same refrain all day long said, “That’s all I’ve heard all day.” Then forced a smile that even Marshall could see was fake.
“Eat your dinner and you can have some ice cream.” Marshall said, ruffling Chloe’s hair.
“No, she’s been telling me that all day and I’m not eating anything but ice cream.” Chloe said, crossing her arms over her chest. Then she shouted, “I want ice cream.”
Marshall sighed, then went to the freezer and got out the ice cream. Chloe cheered and stuck her tongue out at Heather. “See I told you my daddy would give it to me.”
Heather was so shocked by the child’s behavior, which she shouldn’t have been since they’d spent two very long days together, could only stare with her mouth open. Then she got angry, not only had she not learned anything new about Simone and what she was up to, it had been pure hell taking care of Chloe, who was a spoiled, obnoxious child. Getting up from the table, she took her plate to the sink and rinsed it off, then finally calm enough to speak she turned to Marshall who was putting the bowl of ice cream down in front of a gleeful Chloe.
“We need to talk.” She said, walking out of the room.
Marshall followed her ready to offer her more pay to stay and take care of his daughter who could be a handful if she didn’t get her way. “Before you say anything, I know how difficult Chloe can be and I’d be happy to double your salary. And I’ll give you some advice, let her have what she wants, then she’s happy and you’re happy. Did you see how well that worked just now?” He said, a smug smile on his face.
“Well, I can see what’s wrong with Chloe now.” Heather said, unable to stop herself.
“Excuse me?” Marshall said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Heather was at the end of her rope, tired of Chloe and shocked at how neglected the child was, she let her mouth get ahead of her brain. “I’ve spent two days with your daughter Mr. Montgomery and one thing is perfect clear to me, she’s starved for attention and spoiling her doesn’t make up for that.” She said, then immediately regretted it.
Marshall was silent for a long time, but as she watched his face got redder and redder. “Are you saying that Chloe is spoiled?” He asked through clenched teeth.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Since she’d already begun, it didn’t make any sense to stop then, so she said exactly what she’d been thinking all day. “Chloe not only needs some attention from her parents, but she needs some rules, and a routine she can count on.”
“I see, you’ve spent two days with her and you’ve got it all figured out. I suppose you think that you’re some kind of expert. What do you know about raising a child? It’s hard to be a single parent, sometimes we have to cut corners a little. Besides what harm does it do? So what if she’s a little spoiled.” Marshall knew even as the words came out of his mouth that his daughter was a little bit more than spoiled, but it was her mother’s fault not his.
“A little spoiled? That child is a little monster when she doesn’t get her way.” Heather said, then knew she’d gone to far.
“Ms. Whitcomb, again I remind you that you’re talking about my daughter.” Marshall said, then added. “I think it’s time I found someone else to take care of her.”
Heather hadn’t meant for the conversation to go that far, sure that she could make it through a few more days of Chloe’s abuse but now that it was out there, she was relieved. “If you think that’s best, but don’t call me when your daughter breaks the woman’s windshield with her shoe like she did mine.” She said, then turned, grabbed her purse and keys and headed for the front door.
Marshall followed her, not sure he’d heard her correctly. “What did you say?”
Heather turned back to him, “She took her shoe off and threw it at the windshield when I wouldn’t let her have ice cream for lunch. Does that sound a little spoiled to you? It’s time you faced facts, Chloe needs something and it isn’t ice cream.” Then she stormed out of the house, not the least bit sorry any longer that she’d spoken her mind. Marshall needed to know what his daughter was capable of.
When she got back to the hotel, her exhaustion was so complete that it took all her strength to make it to her room. The combination of physical and mental strain of the day had just been too much and the fight with Marshall hadn’t helped, now she was so tense that sleep would never come. As soon as she walked into the room, she headed for the bathroom thinking that a hot shower would help relieve some of the tension she could feel in her shoulders, but then she saw the huge bathtub and changed her mind.
Half an hour later, she was immersed in a fragrant bubble bath, a glass of wine sitting next to her, and candles providing not only a soft glow, but a fragrant scent. The hot water and gentle light relaxed her, allowing her to look at the events of the day from a more detached point of view. The fight with Marshall had really been her fault, she should have handled the situation better, but when he’d given Chloe that ice cream all the pent-up frustration from the day had come pouring out.
It had been a mistake from the very beginning not to tell Marshall who she was, now it was going to be weird to tell him. The only bright spot was the glass sitting on the sink in a plastic bag; Maria had finally come through on the finger prints. She’d send them to Seth tomorrow and hopefully before long they’d have some answers. But in the meantime, she was going to have to tell Marshall the truth, unless she kept taking care of Chloe, a thought that made her tense up again, but that she knew made sense.
When she finally got out of the bath, her sore muscles felt better and the tension in her shoulders was gone. Putting on the plush bathrobe she found hanging on the back of the door, she found her phone and called Seth who had been out of cell range for the last three days and had no idea about what was going on. She had a lot to tell him, including the fact that she might have made a mistake not telling Marshall who she was from the very beginning.