Dream Wedding(99)

Cassie’s voice drifted down from upstairs, followed by Sasha’s laughter. The sound of thundering tiny feet accompanied the giggles. Earlier Ryan had heard running water, then splashing, so he assumed that Cassie had given his niece a bath before getting her ready for bed.

Over the past week, his life had taken on some kind of order, the movement of the hours marked by Sasha and Cassie’s comings and goings to preschool, followed by the excitement of lunch, early-afternoon reading time, the quiet of his niece’s nap, the preparation for dinner, evening playtime, then bath and bed. Despite his attempts to distance himself from the child as much as possible, he was still aware of what went on in her day.

He’d assumed that as he got used to being in the house with her and as he developed a routine, he would find her easier to forget. He could go for long stretches of time without thinking about her, but then she appeared in his mind without warning. He would think about how she smiled at him as he passed her and Cassie in the hall, or the way she liked him to read her at least one story before dinner each evening. He didn’t understand her need for him to be there, but he found himself showing up before he was asked and lingering in the room until Cassie had prepared dinner, even though he rarely ate with the two of them.

One of the things that startled him the most about Sasha was her blind trust. Not so much of him as of Cassie. The toddler simply expected Cassie to be there to take care of her. If she had a need, she expected it to be fulfilled. If she wanted a hug, she asked and expected to receive affection. He couldn’t imagine trusting another person so completely.

It was a curious situation, he thought as he returned his attention to his computer and buried himself in his work.

Sometime later he noticed the silence in the house and knew that Sasha was asleep. Peace reigned again. But before he could focus on his work, there was a knock at his door.

“Come in,” he called and gave Cassie a welcoming smile as she entered his office. Except for seeing her with Sasha a couple of times a day, they were rarely together. He didn’t know anything about this young woman who took care of his niece and quietly brought him food on trays so he could continue working through the day.

She moved across the floor toward him, then paused in front of his desk. “I have a couple of things I would like to talk to you about,” she said. “Is this a convenient time?”

“Sure. Have a seat.”

“Thanks.” She settled in the chair across from his.

He leaned forward. “Before you start, I want to tell you that you’re doing a terrific job with Sasha. She seems very happy these days. You’ve got her on a schedule, the house is in order. I really appreciate that.”

“You’re welcome.” Cassie tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “To be honest, it’s easy duty. Your niece is a very happy little girl. She’s intelligent and fun to be with.” She paused and cleared her throat. “Although we talked about salary when I was first hired, we never discussed time off.”

Ryan stared at her for a couple of seconds. He opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. “You’re right,” he said at last. “I’m sorry. I should have thought of that and I don’t know why I didn’t.” He shrugged. “Evidence to the contrary, I’m not usually a slave driver when it comes to my employees. What seems fair to you?”

“I don’t need that much,” Cassie told him. “I have some time to myself when I drop her off at the preschool. They invited me to come back to work for those few hours each morning but I told them I had my hands full already. So I’m able to get any personal things done then. What about two evenings a week, and one full day every other week? Just to make it easy on you, I’ll arrange day care for the full day. You should be fine on your own in the evening. Sasha sleeps soundly through the night.”

He felt a faint whisper of panic at the thought of being left alone with his niece again. Their first few days together hadn’t gone well. But, he reminded himself, Cassie was right. Sasha slept through until morning. As long as he wouldn’t have to deal with her during waking hours, he would be all right.

“When did you want to start your nights off?” he asked.

“Tonight.”

He heard the words as she spoke them but it took a little longer for the meaning to sink in. Great, he thought grimly. He was being thrown into the fire without warning. “That will be fine,” he told her, careful to keep his voice and his expression neutral.

She continued to stay in her seat, but instead of sitting quietly, she fidgeted slightly. Obviously she had more on her mind.