“Coward.”
“What?”
“You basically hired her and now you’re going to leave it to Lydia to deal with her?”
“Put that way, I guess you’ve got a point.”
“Guys? Lunch is ready,” Lydia said from the doorway. She smiled, reaching out to Chance with his reading glasses in her hand, and said, “You left these in the kitchen. Sorry to interrupt.”
Clayton smiled and crooked his finger at her. “You’re not interrupting, Lydi. Can you come here for a second?” Lydia glanced across the house, presumably at Presley Ann, frowned, and then came into the office. Clayton stood up and pulled her closer as she sidled up to him, a frown knitting her brows together and her arms crossed over her chest. “I apologize for not asking more questions about our new house help when I arranged for the agency to send someone. Do you think she’s going to work out?”
Lydia shrugged. “She’s promised me she’ll work harder tomorrow, dress more appropriately, and prove herself. It’s possible I may have expected too much from her this morning.”
“I’m not sure she’s the type that’s cut out for the kind of work you need done.”
“Clayton, I don’t want it said about me that I didn’t give her a fair chance. If I fire her the first day then it may be more difficult to get anybody decent from the agency, especially since she’s related to the owner.”
“Hell, she’s related to half of Divine and Morehead. You’re being more generous than you need to be, Lydi,” Chance said.
“I already told her she had until next Wednesday to prove herself. It’s not an emergency for the house to be cleaned from top to bottom in a day. I just want to get it done and over with so things can be maintained properly. I guess I’m just anxious to—”
“What, baby?” Chance asked.
“Make a good impression. Take care of things around here for you two.”
Clayton smiled as he stroked her jaw with a fingertip. “Cut yourself a little slack, Lydi. We already think you’re doing a fantastic job.”
Lydia smiled happily at him and said, “Thank you.”
“So you forgive me?”
Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed, “There is nothing to forgive. I’m frustrated but I’m not mad at you. But”—she poked Clayton in the middle of his chest with her fingertip—“I’m hiring the next one. Come eat when you’re ready.”
They nodded, and she left the room, appearing a little more confident than when she walked in.
During lunch, Presley Ann did not come across as someone who had any interest whatsoever in a job or housework, and Chance couldn’t believe the gall of her aunt in sending her out. Lydia appeared to tune her out halfway through the meal when Presley Ann persisted in dropping names and events that Lydia knew nothing about.
Chance frowned when Lydia ate quickly and scraped half of her meal into the trash and set to cleaning up the kitchen. Presley Ann lingered until they finished eating and then made no move to help her.
The house was Lydia’s domain, and Chance wanted that to be clear. He debated for a few seconds then said, “Lydia, lunch was delicious. Presley Ann, it’s good to meet you. Lydia has complete control of our home and whatever she says goes. If you have any questions, address them to her.”
“Why, yes, sir, Chance,” Presley Ann said, wiping dust from the high heel of her fancy shoes. Either his subtle reference to Lydia being her boss went over her head, or she didn’t care.
Lydia caught his eye and smiled at him from across the kitchen and waved. If they both kissed her good-bye before going back to work that would raise questions and probably put more pressure on her than she needed right now. He blew a kiss when Presley Ann wasn’t looking, and Lydia grinned happily. Clayton blew her a kiss and waved, too, as they went out the back door into the hot, noonday sun.
Chance’s phone rang. He didn’t recognize the phone number in caller ID. “Chance Carlisle.”
“Mr. Carlisle,” said an ingratiating voice on the phone. Mrs. Perkins. Presley Ann Woodworth’s aunt. “How are things working out with Presley Ann? Isn’t she wonderful?”
Chance made the only polite reply he could think of. “Well…she’s something, all right.”
“Did you know she was Tarkett County Fair Queen three years ago?”
What that had to do with being a good worker for Lydia, Chance didn’t know. “Um, okay.”
“I hope she meets with your approval.” Her tone led him to believe that Dorothy Perkins hoped Chance approved of Presley Ann on a personal level.