Chapter 2 - The Uninvited Guests
Margaret had barely spoken the words when the doorbell echoed through the cavernous foyer.
Ethan wheeled himself out of the shadows of the library.
Margaret pulled open the heavy oak door. Standing on the porch, drenched from a sudden summer downpour, was a woman in standard-issue blue scrubs. She wasn’t glamorous. Her brown hair was pulled into a messy knot, and she had dark circles under her eyes.
But it was what stood behind her that made Ethan freeze.
A little boy, no older than five, clutching the hem of her scrubs. He was holding a small, tarnished silver compass, turning it over in his muddy hands.
“Clara Evans,” the woman said, her voice steady despite the shivering. “Dr. Mercer sent me. I’m the new live-in nurse.”
Margaret frowned, looking at the child. “Dr. Mercer didn’t mention a boy.”
Clara’s chin lifted. She didn’t apologize. “My sitter fell through. Toby is quiet. He won’t be in Mr. Hale’s way. If that’s a problem, I can leave, but you’ll have a hard time finding another neuro-certified RN at nine o'clock on a Friday night.”
Ethan studied her. She was exhausted, soaked, and holding onto her dignity by a thread. People usually begged for a job at the Hale estate. Clara was giving him an ultimatum.
“Let them in, Margaret,” Ethan said, his voice echoing in the marble hall.
Clara stepped inside, her eyes falling on Ethan in the wheelchair. There was no pity in her gaze. No widened eyes. No calculated assessment of his wealth. She just looked at his posture, silently evaluating his core strength.
“Toby,” Clara whispered, kneeling to eye level with her son. “What did we practice?”
The little boy stepped forward. He didn’t look at the giant chandelier or the priceless art. He looked right at Ethan, holding out the tarnished compass. “My mom says you can’t walk right now. So if you get lost in this big house, you can borrow my compass. It always points home.”
Ethan felt a strange tightness in his chest. He reached out and took the cold metal object.
Before he could speak, the sharp click of stiletto heels rang out from the top of the sweeping staircase.
Vanessa had returned.
She paused halfway down, her eyes narrowing as she took in the wet scrubs and the muddy sneakers on her pristine Persian rug.
“Ethan,” Vanessa snapped, her voice like cracking ice. “What is this?”
“This is Clara,” Ethan said flatly. “My new nurse.”
Vanessa descended the remaining stairs, her eyes fixed on the little boy. “Absolutely not. I am not turning this estate into a daycare for the hired help. Tell her to pack up and get out. Now.”
Clara didn’t flinch. She just reached for Toby’s hand.
May you like
But Ethan’s fingers tightened around the silver compass.
“She’s staying, Vanessa.”
