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Authors: Susan Mallery
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everything, she tossed another load of laundry into the washer. She'd barely gotten the frozen food into the freezer when the phone rang.
She juggled bags of apples in one hand and reached for the receiver with the other.
"Hello, Haynes residence," she said, tucking the phone between her head and shoulder and trying to remember what she'd planned for dinner that night. Did she need to make a salad?
"Jill, it's Kim. Are you still speaking to me?"
Jill set the apples on the counter and bumped the refrigerator door closed. She leaned against the kitchen wall by the phone and sighed. "Kim. I wondered when I'd hear from you."
"Are you mad?"
"Not exactly." She sank onto the sparkling floor. The service she'd hired had sent four cleaning people over. They'd gone through the house like a plague of locusts and had finished in three hours. It would have taken her two, maybe three days.
As she closed her eyes and drew in a breath, she inhaled the scent of pine cleaner and lemon furniture polish.
Her friend sighed. "I'm really sorry. I should have told you the truth, but I knew if I did, you'd say no and then I couldn't go get married and, Jill, I feel so bad."
Amazingly, Kim got that out in one long breath. "Not bad enough," Jill said.
"So you are mad."
"No, but I would have liked to have known what I was getting into. Mr. Haynes thought he was hiring a full-time nanny, and I thought I was baby-sitting for a couple of nights."
"But it can't be too awful. You took the job."
"You didn't leave me a lot of choice. The poor man was desperate."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't keep apologizing. I'm not upset." She glanced around at the piles of laundry yet to be folded and the groceries she had to put away. Her gaze strayed to the clock and she realized she had to leave in less than an hour to pick up Danny and C.J. at school.
"This job might be good for me," she said slowly. "At least I don't have to worry about finding a place when you come home from your honeymoon. This job will give me time to think."
"So you don't hate me?"
"No, I don't. How was the wedding?"
"Wonderful. And the honeymoon is even better. Oh, Jill, Brian is everything I dreamed he would be. I can't believe I put off getting married to him for so long. Every day is better than the one before. He's thoughtful and tender. My heart beats faster when he comes into the room. And the sex—"
"Spare me the details," Jill said quickly. "I'll use my imagination."
Kim laughed. "Then you'd better have a good one because—"
"Kim!"
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Her friend was silent for a moment. "I do appreciate all you've done. Without you reminding me what was really important, I wouldn't have married Brian."
"You were there for me. When I realized I couldn't stand it anymore, you gave me a place to run to," Jill said. "I owed you. Now we're even."
"How are the boys?"
"Interesting. Very different from Patti and Heather. But I like them."
Over the phone line she heard the sound of a door opening. Kim called her husband over. There was a breath of silence, then a soft giggle.
"Sounds like you two have plans," Jill said. "I'll talk to you when you get back."
"Definitely. We want to have you over for dinner."
"Sounds great. Bye." She hung up the receiver.
Despite the bags of groceries that needed to be emptied, she sat on the floor a little longer. She envied Kim her happiness. Jill tried to remember the last time she'd been excited about a man. She had been married to Aaron for five years, but the thrill wore off very quickly. Had she expected too much, or had she sensed that he was holding back something of himself?
Funny that she never thought about leaving him. Of course, he'd gone out of his way to make her feel obligated to the girls. Maybe that was his way of making sure she was around. Sometimes she felt as if Aaron had played her the way an experienced fisherman plays with a prize bass. Reeling her in slowly, teasing her with just enough line so that the
She juggled bags of apples in one hand and reached for the receiver with the other.
"Hello, Haynes residence," she said, tucking the phone between her head and shoulder and trying to remember what she'd planned for dinner that night. Did she need to make a salad?
"Jill, it's Kim. Are you still speaking to me?"
Jill set the apples on the counter and bumped the refrigerator door closed. She leaned against the kitchen wall by the phone and sighed. "Kim. I wondered when I'd hear from you."
"Are you mad?"
"Not exactly." She sank onto the sparkling floor. The service she'd hired had sent four cleaning people over. They'd gone through the house like a plague of locusts and had finished in three hours. It would have taken her two, maybe three days.
As she closed her eyes and drew in a breath, she inhaled the scent of pine cleaner and lemon furniture polish.
Her friend sighed. "I'm really sorry. I should have told you the truth, but I knew if I did, you'd say no and then I couldn't go get married and, Jill, I feel so bad."
Amazingly, Kim got that out in one long breath. "Not bad enough," Jill said.
"So you are mad."
"No, but I would have liked to have known what I was getting into. Mr. Haynes thought he was hiring a full-time nanny, and I thought I was baby-sitting for a couple of nights."
"But it can't be too awful. You took the job."
"You didn't leave me a lot of choice. The poor man was desperate."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't keep apologizing. I'm not upset." She glanced around at the piles of laundry yet to be folded and the groceries she had to put away. Her gaze strayed to the clock and she realized she had to leave in less than an hour to pick up Danny and C.J. at school.
"This job might be good for me," she said slowly. "At least I don't have to worry about finding a place when you come home from your honeymoon. This job will give me time to think."
"So you don't hate me?"
"No, I don't. How was the wedding?"
"Wonderful. And the honeymoon is even better. Oh, Jill, Brian is everything I dreamed he would be. I can't believe I put off getting married to him for so long. Every day is better than the one before. He's thoughtful and tender. My heart beats faster when he comes into the room. And the sex—"
"Spare me the details," Jill said quickly. "I'll use my imagination."
Kim laughed. "Then you'd better have a good one because—"
"Kim!"
"Okay, I won't tease you anymore." Her friend was silent for a moment. "I do appreciate all you've done. Without you reminding me what was really important, I wouldn't have married Brian."
"You were there for me. When I realized I couldn't stand it anymore, you gave me a place to run to," Jill said. "I owed you. Now we're even."
"How are the boys?"
"Interesting. Very different from Patti and Heather. But I like them."
Over the phone line she heard the sound of a door opening. Kim called her husband over. There was a breath of silence, then a soft giggle.
"Sounds like you two have plans," Jill said. "I'll talk to you when you get back."
"Definitely. We want to have you over for dinner."
"Sounds great. Bye." She hung up the receiver.
Despite the bags of groceries that needed to be emptied, she sat on the floor a little longer. She envied Kim her happiness. Jill tried to remember the last time she'd been excited about a man. She had been married to Aaron for five years, but the thrill wore off very quickly. Had she expected too much, or had she sensed that he was holding back something of himself?
Funny that she never thought about leaving him. Of course, he'd gone out of his way to make her feel obligated to the girls. Maybe that was his way of making sure she was around. Sometimes she felt as if Aaron had played her the way an experienced fisherman plays with a prize bass. Reeling her in slowly, teasing her with just enough line so that the
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