LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

way. Reaching into a drawer for clean underwear, he watched warily out of the corner of his eye as Mikey slid off the bed, walked over and slipped his sneakered feet into Alex’s size-ten dress shoes. The child began to shuffle around, reeling dangerously.

      Nick flopped over on his stomach and began to kick his feet up and down. “You know what, Daddy?”

      “What?”

      “I’m hungry.”

      Alex gladly welcomed the change of subject. He thought for a second and realized he was, too. Furthermore, it appeared he and the boys were on their own for the evening. “Tell you what. Why don’t you go wash your hands and faces while I finish dressing, and I’ll take you out to dinner.”

      Nick scrambled off the bed. “Really?”

      For an instant something nagged at him, something he knew he ought to remember, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. “Really.”

      Brady popped upright. “Can Shay come?”

      “No. This is a family meal.”

      “Can we go to Letsa Eatsa Pizza?” Nick asked.

      Alex sighed. Nick always wanted to go to the pizza joint. Still, it was his first night home. “Sure.”

      “All right! Come on, Brady.” Clearly afraid his father would change his mind, Nick dragged his elder brother off the bed, yanked Mikey out of Alex’s shoes and hustled the pair out the door.

      Ten minutes later the four of them trooped down the front steps to get in the car. It was then, when Alex saw the open driver’s side door and recalled his earlier panicked flight, that his nagging sense of something undone made sense. With a groan, he slid onto the seat and tried the ignition. Sure enough, the battery was dead, drained by the combination of courtesy lights and warning buzzers activated by the open door. Well, hell.

      Brady shifted restlessly on the seat beside him. “Come on, Daddy. Let’s go.”

      The other two boys bounced up and down on the back seat like a hyperactive chorus line. “Let’s go, let’s go,” they chanted.

      With a heartfelt sigh, Alex twisted on the seat to take in all three. “Sorry, boys. The battery’s dead. We’ll have to do it another time.”

      First disbelieving, then reproachful, his sons stared at him.

      “But you promised,” Nick said forcefully.

      “That was before I found out the car was dead.”

      “I’m hungry,” Mikey said plaintively.

      “I’m not,” Nick wailed. “I’m starved. What’re we gonna do?”

      “I know!” Brady said happily. “We can go to Shay’s! She can drive us in her car and we can all have dinner together!”

      “Yeah!” sang the chorus.

      “No,” Alex said firmly. He couldn’t afford her help. He climbed out of the car. “I’ll fix dinner.”

      The boys climbed out after him, their expressions dubious.

      “You can cook?” Brady asked. “Really?”

      “Yes. How about toasted cheese sandwiches?”

      “Okay,” Mikey said.

      “Okay,” Nick said.

      “Yech.” Brady made a choking sound and clutched theatrically at his throat. “I hate toasted cheese.” He scowled. “I bet we wouldn’t have to eat dumb old toasted cheese if Shay was here. She knows how to cook really good food.”

      Alex ground his teeth as they trudged back inside. “It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

      It was, too. At first. Even though he wasn’t very familiar with the kitchen, since the housekeeper normally did the cooking, Alex easily located the cheese, bread and margarine and some potato chips.

      He had the cheese sliced and was buttering the bread when the phone rang. Brady answered, spoke for a moment, then looked unhappily over at his father. “It’s Ms. Layman from the nanny place.”

      Alex laid down the knife. “Good.” Given his frame of mind, he thought this was one conversation the boys would be better off not hearing. “I’ll take it in the study.”

      “What do you want to talk to her about?” Brady demanded.

      “A new nanny,” Alex said firmly. “Hang up after I pick up in the other room.”

      “But, Dad—”

      “I’ll be right back.” He strode down the hall and into the elegant room he considered his sanctuary. Although the walls and carpeting where done in a restful eggshell color, liberal splashes of navy, gold and maroon made the room unmistakably masculine. He picked up the phone. “Hello? Ms. Layman?”

      Francine Layman, an energetic, gregarious woman of sixty, seized the initiative. “Mr. Morrison! I’m so glad you’re back! I’m sure you’ll be pleased to know that I’ve convinced Mrs. Kiltz not to sue.”

      Alex, who’d started to sink down in the big, burgundy leather chair behind the massive, teak desk, shot to his feet. “Excuse me?”

      “As long as you’ll agree to make a settlement toward her therapy, she’s agreed to sign a release absolving you of responsibility.”

      “Responsibility? For what?”

      Frannie uttered a slightly put-upon sigh. “Her breakdown, dear. She still refuses to discuss specifics, simply shudders and whispers about giant, man-eating spiders, but I’m sure that’s only temporary. A few sessions with a first-rate therapist, the correct dose of tranquilizers, and she should be right as rain.” She paused, then added thoughtfully, “You might consider calling an exterminator, though. Just to be on the safe side.”

      “Exterminator?” Alex ground out. “The Terminator is more like it! The woman walked off and left my children alone and unsupervised! And you didn’t even bother to contact me!”

      “Oh, no, dear. That’s not true. I talked to your son, Bradley—”

      “Brady.”

      “Yes, that’s right. Such a delightful boy. He assured me he’d spoken to your secretary. He said he was waiting for you to call back and that when you did, he’d have you call me. Oh, dear. Wasn’t that true?”

      “Yes, but—” Alex began to pace, marching back and forth between the grass-papered walls, which were liberally dappled with evening shadow.

      “According to Brady, your fiancée was there and was perfectly happy to take over—”

      “My fiancée?” Alex slammed to a stop. “I don’t have a fiancée.”

      There was a tiny moment of silence. “But I called this very phone number, Mr. Morrison. And I spoke with a delightful young woman, a Miss—” there came the faint sound of rustling paper “— Spenser, who assured me she’d be glad to stay with the children until your return. Such a pleasant, charming young woman. After what your son said, I just assumed... Oh, my. Did you two break up, dear?”

      Alex clenched his jaw so hard pain shot into his ears. “Ms. Spenser happens to be a friend of my brother’s,” he said stiffly.

      “Oh, my.” Frannie sounded unmistakably scandalized. “I’ve heard of such things, of course, but...how awkward for you.”

      Puzzled, he did a quick review of the conversation. His spine snapped straight. “Wait a minute! I didn’t mean—”

      “Please, Mr. Morrison,” Frannie interrupted anxiously. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I really do think it would be best if we refrain from discussing your personal problems and get back to business.”

      Alex

Скачать книгу