“Actually, that’s just the issue,” Veronica spoke up. “I live with my boyfriend, so our things are kind of mixed up together.”
“Oh,” Maria blinked, as though that possibility hadn’t even crossed her mind. “Well that does complicate things a bit.”
Veronica waited as Maria seemed to think the situation over in her head.
“Well,” Maria frowned a little. “I’ll have to call Mr. Davenport and work out the situation with him. Do you mind if I step out for a moment?”
“Of course not,” Veronica smile pleasantly.
“The house is as good as yours,” Maria gestured around as she turned and pulled her phone out. “Make yourself at home.”
Veronica watched as Maria went out the kitchen door onto the porch in front of the pool. She couldn’t help but feel a little awkward, but she figured she may as well try to normalize all this as soon as possible. So, she moved into the kitchen and took a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the sink.
She moved over to the breakfast bar and sat down on one of the cushioned stools. She sipped at her water as she went through a mental list of the things she was responsible for. She assumed she would likely do her set of chores while Davenport was at work so that she wouldn’t be disturbing him in the evenings when he was home. That certainly wouldn’t be hard, and she could do it all while keeping a close eye on the girls.
As Veronica was thinking of these things, Maria came back into the room, and she turned to look over at her.
“Mr. Davenport says not to worry,” Maria said with a calm smile. “He is going to take care of absolutely everything.”
Veronica frowned a little, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Maria held her hand up to stop her.
“Miss Lawrence,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “I have worked for Mr. Davenport for a few years now. When he says he’ll take care of something, he means it.”
Veronica blinked in a bit of surprise. She was used to fending for herself and being the stereotypical strong, independent black woman. Now, it seemed like someone was intent on making sure she was absolutely taken care of.
“Thank you for calling him,” Veronica said, at a loss for what else to say. “I really appreciate it.”
“You’re really going to like it here Veronica,” Maria said softly and genuinely. “Mr. Davenport makes sure that everyone on his staff wants for nothing. We’re like a family here.”
Veronica smiled. She wondered vaguely if it was because he hadn’t had a family of his own growing up that he spread his wealth to so many people.
“Well I’ll leave you to yourself,” Maria said. “If you need anything I’m sure you can find me. I’ll meet you in the foyer a little before noon so I can introduce you to the girls.”
“Sounds great,” Veronica gave her a smile. Maria nodded, and turned, walking quickly to some other part of the house.
Alone again, Veronica stood and took her glass over to the sink, washed it and put it back in the cabinet. Maybe it would be easier than she thought to adjust to life here.
Ch. 10
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur for Veronica. The girls, Ashley and Kaitlyn, arrived home promptly at noon, and had immediately attached themselves to Veronica’s legs.
Veronica had been shocked, but managed to laugh, naturally putting her hand on the back of their heads. The interim nanny, a woman who looked slightly younger than Veronica in spite of the bulge that revealed her pregnancy and the wedding band that adorned her left ring finger, laughed, and said her farewells to the girls.
From that moment on, it seemed almost as though the girls had known Veronica their entire lives. They got along immediately, and Veronica seamlessly integrated herself into their play and activities. She was so engrossed with them, in fact, that she hardly noticed when Mr. Davenport made it home for the afternoon.
When she finally noticed him standing in the doorframe of Kaitlyn’s room, she felt her stomach do a flip. He was still dressed in a dark blue suit and a white shirt. His tie, a paisley affair, had been loosened, and it hung around his neck. He had a familiar twinkle in his eyes and a small smile as he watched them play. Veronica could have sworn, though, that they flashed with something darker as he looked at her.
“Don’t mind me,” he said in his smooth, deep voice, a smile warming his features. “I’m glad to see the three of you getting along.”
“Daddy!” the two girls cried excitedly, and rushed toward the man.
Veronica watched as he dropped down and scooped the girls up in his arms and gathered them to his chest, kissing them both on the top of their heads. Her heart melted a little to see how well he interacted with the girls.
She tried not to eavesdrop as they spilled the entire contents of their day to him as he patiently held them. When they had settled a little bit, he put them back down on the ground.
“Well I don’t know about you guys,” Davenport said to his daughters. “But I’m getting hungry. How does spaghetti sound?”
The girls made their delight known by squeals of excitement.