by Lola Kidd
Mel reached under the coffee table and pulled out a shoebox. She handed it to Mary with a big smile. “For you. The world’s hardest-working big sister.”
“We love you,” Hil said. “We wanted to get you something to make your workday a little easier.”
Mary opened the box and gasped. “How did you afford these?”
“We have our ways,” Hil said. “Do you like them?”
“I love them, but I can’t accept these.” Mary gazed at the high-end sneakers lovingly and stroked the brightly colored laces. These were the most comfortable sneakers on the market. She’d been lusting for a pair ever since they first came out. One of the girls on the crew had a pair, and her feet never hurt anymore. Mary was doing easy work now, but standing all day at the factory on the cheap stress mats had been killer on her back.
The shoes cost two hundred dollars, which was more than she would ever dream of spending on footwear. She’d worn New Balance when she was a maid and had gotten a steep discount on already cheap work boots at the factory. If a pair of shoes was more than fifty dollars, she didn’t want them.
“We can’t take them back,” Mel said. “They were on sale.”
“So, you have to keep them,” Hil said.
Both girls were smiling from ear to ear. They had her. There was no point in wasting a good present.
Mary took the shoes out of the box and put them on. Then she flexed her feet and took a few steps. “These are so comfortable. Thank you so much. You girls are the nicest.”
Hil hugged Mary, resting her head on Mary’s shoulder. “You’re the best and the nicest and the prettiest and the smartest. You really are the absolute best big sister we could ask for.”
Tears filled Mary’s eyes. Even if she had to work hard and put some of her dreams on hold, it would be worth it. She would clean every toilet in the whole Hansen house if it meant giving the girls a good life.
But she was going to have to work harder to keep from getting tangled up with Connor. He could be trouble, and she didn’t need that right now. She needed to do her job and get out of there with her fat paycheck every week. After she’d put out all the fires in her life, she could work on her own dreams again.
Chapter Eight
Connor put the last of his clothes in the hamper and ran to the bathroom. He needed to run a rag around the sink. He was already running behind. Mary would be there any minute.
He didn’t want her to catch him cleaning. It was silly, but he didn’t want her to see what a mess his place could be. There was still dusting to do, and the living room needed a vacuum, but everything else was perfect. He’d gotten his work done early that morning and had taken the rest home before lunch.
Instead of eating, he’d spent the last two hours cleaning his apartment.
“I’m here,” Mary called from the front door.
He flushed the toilet and opened the bathroom door. “I’m back here.”
“I’ll start in front, then.”
Her bucket scraped on the tile floor in the kitchen, and the tap turned on. She was going to start with the floors. He had a few more minutes to make sure his bedroom was clean and nothing embarrassing had been left out. She already thought he was a sex pervert. No need to add to that bad image.
When he was satisfied with the room, he went to the couch in the living room. As she mopped and cleaned the kitchen, he checked his emails and finished the slide show for a meeting he had later in the week. He was going to be speaking to the new security recruits, but he hadn’t updated his presentation in years. After working in the field for a few years, he had a better understanding of the issues facing anyone in that position.
“What’s with all the tuxedos?” Mary asked, coming out of the bedroom.
Connor startled. “I forgot you were here. Sorry, what was the question?”
“The tuxes on the bed? What’s up with that?” She rummaged through her caddy for a cleaning cloth. She sprayed it with some cleaning solution, then waited for his reply.
“I’m getting ready for the big ball. I can’t decide what to wear.”
Mary cocked an eyebrow. “They look all the same to me. No offense.”
“Are you kidding me?”
She shrugged. “My bad. I guess I lack the discerning eye to tell the difference between midnight black and dark black.”
He laughed. “There’s a bit more than that to it. They’re mostly black, but the cut of each suit is different. I’m guessing you’ve never worn a tux, but it’s like the difference between a full ballgown and an off-the-shoulder Grecian-style dress.”
“Nope, I’ve never worn a tux, but I see what you mean. I guess I always see suits as the same.”
“We can change that.” Connor stood up and stretched. “I’ll try on the suits, and you can see how they differ.”
“Oh, no. I have work to do, and you do too.” She scurried to the bedroom.
“Nonsense.” He took all the suits off the bed. “What more do you have to do?”
“The living room and the bathroom and the office.”
He put the suits back on the bed. “All right, come and get me when you’re done. How about an after-work fashion show? I’m sure we could both use a break by then.”
She bit her lip. “I guess.”
He clapped his hands together. “Perfect.”
Whistling a jaunty tune, he went back to the couch and worked on his presentation for the next half-hour. During that time, she dusted and vacuumed his room and dusted the living room.
“This place is pretty clean,” she noted as she put away her supplies. “I think we could drop back to three times a week without sacrificing cleanliness.”
“That’s awfully nice of you, but I’d prefer to keep it at five days a week for at least the first month. No need to cheat yourself out of business because you’re doing too good a job.”
“This isn’t me. You’re just very clean and organized.”
He snorted. “Yeah, tell that to my ex-girlfriend.”
“Maybe that’s why you’re so clean.”
“What?”
“Maybe she nagged you into being a cleaner man.” She smiled. “Or maybe you’ve just grown up since then.”
“Want a glass of water or something to snack on?” he asked to change the subject.
He didn’t know why he’d brought up his ex. Now wasn’t the time to talk about her. Mary was going to help him pick a suit, and there was no need to take her on a trip down memory lane. Especially not when that particular road had seen so many accidents along the way.
“I’d love a can of soda.”
He opened the fridge. “I have Sprite and some Coke.”
“Coke.”
She sat back on the couch and cracked open her can. “You can model all the suits here. But are you going to give me a sheet of paper so I can rate each one?”
He threw a notepad from the kitchen to her. “There should be a pen on the table or underneath it.”
She kicked her feet up on the coffee table and waved the pen at him. “I’m ready.”
Connor spread the five suits out on his bed. He was going to show them to her starting with his least favorite and working his way up to what he thought were the best two.
The first suit was charcoal gray and cut slim. He didn’t think it did his large frame any favors, but it was his stylist’s and Mom’s favorite.
“Ta-da.” He walked out of the bedroom and did his best sashay in front of the coffee table.
She frowned. “You look very muscular.”
“Then, why are you frowning?” He flexed and felt the suit tighten uncomfortably around his bicep.
“Unless this is going to be a Chippendales Magic Mike kind of deal, you’d better be a little more careful. Is that suit even the right size?”
“Are you calling me fat?”
She covered her eyes and hung her head. “Oh, my goodness. I’m only saying you have way too many muscles for a suit that small. You need more room in the
shoulders.”
“I’m only messing with you.” He flexed again and felt the suit start to tear at the shoulder. “This is my least favorite. It feels really cheap, and I’m getting out of it before I burst the seams.”
“The ladies at the ball are going to kill me, but that suit is a total no for me too.”
He put on the second one and returned. “Suit number two. This is a Hugo Boss.”
She tapped the pen on the notepad. “This one is better. I’m not afraid you’re going to flash me.”
“Not unless you ask.” He did a full turn. “This one feels better, too.”
“This one is good, but it’s less interesting than the last one. You wear it well, but I don’t know. Something is missing, I guess.”
“All right. On to suit three.”
He returned a few minutes later. “This is actually much more tiring than I expected.”
“Having to dress yourself—what a pain.”
“You try putting on a different tux every couple of minutes.”
“It would take me forever with a tux, but a dress? I can change in and out of dresses in under three minutes.”
“I don’t think you can. But there’s an easy way to find out. Next time, you do a fashion show for me.”
Mary laughed. “Do you have a whole bunch of dresses hidden back there?”
“You can bring some of yours.”
“This may shock you, but I don’t have a collection of dresses. Definitely not enough to do a fashion show.”
Connor searched her face. There was nothing angry in her expression, or bitter. He didn’t like talking about anything that could include money, because it could get awkward, especially when he was talking with someone he paid to clean up after him. But she didn’t seem to mind, and he was curious.
“Do you not have any dresses because you don’t like to wear them, or because you don’t have any place to wear them to?”
She considered the question. “I guess a little of both. Mostly because I don’t go anywhere to wear anything fancy. Now that I think about it, I don’t actually have anything black-tie-appropriate. I’ve never gone anywhere where I’d need to dress up that much. Jeez, that’s not even considering the accessories I’d need for an outfit like that.”
“What about your prom? Did you go to that?”
She shook her head. “No, and it wasn’t black tie, either. Not in the real sense. More like poor-people black tie.”
Connor bristled at the word. “You aren’t poor.”
Mary took a sip of her Coke before she replied. “I kind of am, though. I don’t mind. It isn’t so bad, not being a billionaire. I mean, I have an easier time at it than you ever would.”
“I’m not sure how to take that one.”
She motioned to his suit. “I’d have just as much trouble in your world. I mean, I wouldn’t even know how to act at a fancy ball. I’d make a fool of myself. Just like you’d make a fool of yourself if you had to go grocery shopping or pump your own gas.”
“You think I have someone who pumps my gas for me?” Connor doubled over laughing. “You must think I’m helpless.”
“Not helpless, just dragon rich.”
“Fair enough. But I do most things for myself. The money just allows me to live a life of my own choosing. I still have to work and keep the money going. If my forefathers had decided to sit back on their laurels, I wouldn’t have the nice life I have today.”
“It does help that your ancestors had two hundred years to get things right. And your father has had how long?”
“A hundred and fifty-six years,” Connor said. “But it won’t stop with him. My brother and I will do our part too. I don’t know what you think I do all day, but I do work.”
“I know.” Mary sighed. “I’m not giving you a hard time on purpose. I’m just telling the truth. I don’t have any use for an evening gown.”
“Would you like to have one?”
“What do you mean?”
“Would you like to go the ball? If you could, just to see what it’s like. Because there’s a chance the people there will surprise you. You might even have fun.”
She thought about it, then said, “I guess I would. I mean, I’ve never done that kind of thing. It’d be fun to try.”
Connor nodded. “Then, it’s settled. You’re coming with me.”
“What?”
“You’re coming with me to the ball. You’re going to help me pick a tux, and then you’ll come to the ball as my date.” He adjusted the lapel of his suit. “What do you think of this one?”
“Hold on.” She put her hand up. “I wasn’t asking you to take me to the ball. I wasn’t giving you a sob story so you’d invite me.”
“I didn’t think you were. But I need a date, and you want to go.”
“This would be highly inappropriate. I’m your employee.” She stood up. “I shouldn’t have let us get so familiar. I’m sorry. I think I gave you the wrong impression.”
Connor went to her and touched her arm. “Wait. Don’t go. I don’t have any ideas. I want you to come with me. You’re honest. I don’t think you’ll do anything unbecoming or embarrassing. You understand that you’d only be coming as my friend. You’d be doing me a favor.”
That was mostly the truth. He didn’t have a date, and finding one now would be a pain. He’d have to go through his little black book and call an ex, or find someone who wanted to be his next. Neither idea was appealing. He didn’t have any close female friends, and all of his male friends were already invited. Mary was his best option.
This was breaking all his rules, but he liked spending time with her. He didn’t think she’d report him for harassment or try to blackmail him. She was a safe choice.
She was also an interesting choice. There was a good chance he’d have a great time if he went with her.
She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Think of all the people you’ll meet,” he coaxed. “You’ll make some great business connections. That’s the draw of these things for a lot of people. It can’t hurt to meet more rich people who need their homes and businesses cleaned.”
Now she was considering it. He could tell from the tilt of her head and her hesitation.
“And I can even get you a dress at half-price. One of the boutique owners in town insists they owe me a favor. If you go in and use my discount, it would satisfy their feeling of being indebted to me. That’s another favor you’d be doing me.”
That was also the truth. He’d helped the owner when they were having a vandalism problem. It had been one of his first jobs when he was working alone, and he hadn’t charged them. Raj, the owner, had never let up on paying him back. The discount wasn’t fifty percent, it was a hundred. Raj wanted to give him a dress for free.
He wasn’t going to tell Mary that until later.
“Maybe,” she said at last.
That meant yes. He knew it meant yes.
“Fine.” He nodded. “We’ll talk about it later. Let’s continue the fashion show.”
She looked at her watch. “No need. The gray suit is the clear winner. Nothing else you put on will look as good. Now, I need to go. I have an appointment to make. See you later this week.”
Mary made a quick exit, but Connor was undeterred. She wanted to go to the ball, and there would be no stopping him now.
Chapter Nine
“There’s a really nice car outside,” Hilary said.
Mary went to the window and pushed the curtains aside. “He must be turning around or something.”
It was Saturday, and she needed to get the girls to the mall.
“They’re not turning around,” Hilary said. “I’m pretty sure that’s Connor.”
“No, it’s not. Now, can you please tell your sister to hurry up and get ready? I don’t have all day to show you guys around.”
“Well, if you’d buy us a car or let us buy our own, this wouldn’t be a problem,” Melody said as she came down the stairs.
Mel put her hands at her sides. “No way. These are as long as my fingertips.”
“I’m going to let him in,” Hilary sang.
Mary’s head snapped around. “You’re going to let who in?”
“I told you,” Hilary said. “Your boss is outside.”
Before Mary had a chance to react, Hilary had flung open the door and was greeting none other than Connor Hansen. All Mary could do was stare. This couldn’t be happening.
“I hope I’m not being too forward,” he told her from the door. He looked as handsome as ever. Even in his weekend clothes, he looked like a male model.
“Please do come in,” Hilary said with a smile. “We were just getting ready to head out to the mall.”
“We don’t have to go to the mall now.” Mel extended her hand as she neared him. “I’m Melody, and this is my sister Hilary.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
He looked from one girl to the other. Mary knew that look. He was searching for any kind of way to tell them apart. This time, it was going to be easy. Melody was wearing shorts and Hilary pants. But that wouldn’t help him in future exchanges with the girls.
Not that there would be any future exchanges. She didn’t even know how this first one had happened.
“What are you doing here?” She’d finally regained the ability to talk.
“I thought you and I could go shopping. You do owe me a fashion show. And you said you wanted to use my discount.”
“I said maybe I would use your discount. That didn’t mean yes, and anyway, I don’t have time for that.” Mary waved a hand to dismiss him, as if turning down shopping trips with a billionaire was old hat for her. “I have to get the girls to the mall and then come back to shampoo the rugs.”
Not to mention the fact that she had zero dollars to buy anything. But she didn’t want to admit that in front of him. It would seem like she was angling for a raise or something.
