He edged out the door as he spoke, then disappeared into the hall before she could refuse him.
His prayers had been answered, he thought as he saved the scanned documents into a file, then prepared to send them via modem. If Cassie whatever-her-last-name-was knew Sasha, she could be a great resource. He hadn’t yet figured out what he was going to do about his niece. While he wanted to get back to San Jose as fast as he could, he didn’t think that was going to be possible for a while. As if his own company didn’t keep him busy enough, he had John and Helen’s affairs to settle. He had to decide what to do about the big Victorian house his brother and sister-in-law had recently purchased. There were a thousand details he had neither the time nor the inclination to take care of. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone else.
Cassie could help him with Sasha. Maybe she could baby-sit, or recommend someone who could move in full-time. That was what he needed, he decided. A nanny. Like Mary Poppins.
Thirty minutes later, Ryan made his way back to the kitchen. He wasn’t ready to face Sasha again, but he knew he couldn’t leave her alone with Cassie forever, despite the temptation to do just that.
Sasha sat at her high chair. As she was literally up to her elbows in a red sauce, she’d obviously just finished eating an early dinner. Cassie stood with her back to him as she bent over to fill the dishwasher.
He froze in the doorway. While he’d seen this exact domestic scene a thousand times on television or at the movies, he’d never experienced it in real life. There was something vaguely unsettling about having a woman and a child in his house, he thought. Of course this wasn’t his house. If anyone was out of place in this scenario, it was he.
Cassie glanced up and saw him. “Did you get your papers sent?”
“Yeah. Thanks for looking after her.”
As he glanced at Sasha, she gave him a big smile, then picked up her plastic-covered cup in both hands and carefully brought it to her lips. She managed to drink without pouring more than a couple of teaspoons. He winced quietly as he remembered the first time he’d given her a glass of milk…in a real glass…about ten ounces. The cold liquid had ended up down the front of her pajamas, over and in his shoes, not to mention coating the kitchen floor. He’d cleaned up as best he could, but his shoes still smelled funny.
Sasha set her cup back on her high chair tray and wiggled in her seat. “Down,” she announced.
“Okay, but let’s get you cleaned up first,” Cassie told her. She dampened a paper towel and wiped off Sasha’s face and hands. Then she untied the bib and set the little girl on her feet.
Sasha dashed over to him and wrapped her arms around his right leg and stared up at him. “Esghetti.”
“For dinner?” he asked. When she nodded he glanced at Cassie. “I’m amazed. That was her request.”
Cassie grinned. “Don’t be too impressed. I feed her lunch nearly every day, so I know what she likes. It was just a matter of picking it up at the store.”
“I see.” He untangled himself from Sasha and walked to the kitchen table. Cassie had cleared off the chairs. He took the closest one and indicated that she should take the one across from his.
She crossed the floor toward the seat, pausing long enough to collect Sasha in her arms and bring her along, too. When Cassie sat down, she settled the toddler in her lap.
There was a moment of silence as he tried to figure out where he should begin. “This has been very difficult,” he started, then paused as he wondered if she would think he was talking about his dealings with Sasha or the death of his brother.
“I’m sure it has been,” Cassie said, before he could explain himself. “Everything was so sudden. The police came to the school to tell us. I took Sasha home with me those first couple of nights, until you could get here.”
He blinked at her. He’d never given it a thought, he realized. When he’d received the phone call informing him that his brother and sister-in-law had been killed, he’d had to wrap up as much work as possible, then drive over to Bradley. Sasha hadn’t been at the house when he’d arrived. Until she’d been placed in his arms, he’d nearly forgotten about her existence.
“The woman who returned her to me was…” His voice trailed off.
“My aunt Charity,” Cassie said. “I was working that day.” Her gaze settled on his face. “You didn’t visit your brother and his family much.”
He couldn’t tell if she was stating a fact or issuing a judgment. “I run a large company in San Jose,” he told her, even as he wondered why he cared what a nursery school teacher thought of him. “I have a lot of responsibilities.”