The Doctor's Secret Bride(63)
Michelle swallowed a lump that lodged itself in her throat as she filled the egg tray in the refrigerator door. “Yeah, I do.” If it weren’t for Mrs. Hayes, she and Robert would have died of starvation in their childhood.
Mrs. Hayes sighed and took another sip of water. “Eventually, my brother passed, but by then I’d lost my house to the bank. I didn’t have anywhere to live, so I started sleeping at the clinic. The doctor figured out I was homeless and he and Miss Cassie insisted I come live in their guesthouse. All I had to do in return was cook. After she passed, I took over the housekeeping.”
Michelle was rooted at the island, too choked to speak. Just the thought of this woman who’d been so kind to her and so many other kids in her neighborhood, not having a place to live was too much for her. Life was so damned unfair. Tears welled up in her eyes.
When she felt the comforting arms go about her, Michelle let the tears flow.
“Michelle, darling,” Mrs. Hayes said, guiding her over to the table and seating her, just as Michelle had done to her a short while ago. “The good Lord brought me here for a reason. All these years I didn’t know what it was until I ran into you at Mama Lola’s diner.”
“So you did have the agency call me,” Michelle said, smiling through her tears.
Mrs. Hayes smiled back, sheepishly. “Yes. I know the owners at Ready Nanny Agency. They used to be my clients. The doctor was getting desperate and Precious was growing more miserable with each potential that came through the door. I asked them to cancel the scheduled candidate and call you instead. I told them not to give you time to think about it.”
Michelle smiled. “They didn’t. Thank you. You are truly my guardian angel.”
“The doctor is sweet on you, and I know you like him,” Mrs. Hayes said softly.
She laughed. “Is it that obvious?”
“I may be old, but I’m not blind.” She paused. “You need to tell the doctor the truth about your father. You shouldn’t have lied to him.”
“I didn’t plan on it. It just kind of slipped out when he asked me about him.” She crossed her arms to stop the quivering in her stomach.
“Your father is a drunk and a drunk killed Miss Cassie, but that doesn’t have anything to do with you. Even if it was your father, the doctor wouldn’t hold it against you. He’s a fair man, and I’ll tell you what he hates most are lies and deception. Tell him.”
Michelle knew the old woman was right. She needed to tell Erik the truth, and she would. She just had to find the right time. “Mrs. Hayes, how well did you know my parents?”
“What do you mean, dear?” She dropped wearily down in the chair next to Michelle.
Michelle shrugged. “Well… I know they aren’t from New Hampshire. All Robert and I know is that they moved here from the south when Robert was just four years old, and my mother was already pregnant with me. They don’t have any family. Not any we know about. They must have come from somewhere.”#p#分页标题#e#
Mrs. Hayes placed her wrinkled hand over Michelle’s. “Do you have a specific reason for asking these questions, little Michelle?”
“It’s just that one of my friends thinks that he may not be our real father. You know, because neither of us looks like him. We don’t act like him either.”
“Hmm. I only knew your mother for a very short time, Michelle, but we became close friends.”
“So close that she asked you to be in the delivery room when I was born.”
She nodded. “She was very sweet and shy and kept to herself a lot. Your father was very protective of her in public.” She paused for a moment and her face twisted with concentration. “Now that you brought it up, he was more guarded that protective. If he saw Violet talking to me, he’d always find a way to stop the conversation and take her into the house.”
“You think he was hiding something? You think he was afraid she’d say something he didn’t want her to reveal?”
“I don’t know, dear. I asked her if he physically abused her. She swore up and down that he didn’t. I never saw any bruises on her, so I don’t know.”
Michelle clenched her teeth together. Her blood boiled at the possibility that her father had hit her mother.
“If you think he’s not your father, then you should look into it,” Mrs. Hayes said. “You should at least find out where you came from, or if you have any other family. There was just something about him that didn’t quite fit. I should finish up the laundry and make up the doctor’s bed,” she added. “Thanks for putting away the groceries.” As she straightened up, she swayed and grabbed the table.