Almost Lost

Pulling up outside the open gate, Cassie stared in amazement, because the house beyond was almost too perfect to be true. It felt like a place she’d always dreamed of living in. A simple yet gorgeous home, with sloping lines and wooden detail that blended harmoniously with its surroundings and reminded her of a ship moored in the harbor—only this building was nestled on a cliff, with an incredible view of the ocean beyond. The well-tended yard housed a swing and see-saw. Both were slightly rusty, and Cassie guessed the state of the equipment provided a clue about the children’s ages.

Cassie glanced into the car’s mirror and checked her hair—the waves were sleek and shiny from her efforts early this morning, and her coral lipstick was immaculate.

She parked on the cobblestone driveway and walked to the house along a pathway bordered by flower beds. Even at this time of year the beds were bright with yellow blossoms, and she recognized flowering honeysuckle planted beyond. In summer she guessed they would be a riot of color.

The front door opened before she reached it.

“Afternoon, Cassie. Good to meet you. I’m Ryan.”

The man who greeted her was a head taller than her, fit-looking and surprisingly young, with tousled, sandy-brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He was smiling, looking genuinely happy to see her, and he was wearing a faded Eminem T-shirt and a worn pair of jeans. She noticed a dishcloth was hooked into their waistband.

“Hi, Ryan.”

She took his outstretched hand. His grip was warm and firm.

“You caught me in the middle of cleaning the kitchen, preparing for your arrival. The kettle’s boiled—are you a tea drinker? It’s such an English habit, I know, but there’s also coffee if you’d prefer.

“I’d love some tea,” Cassie said, reassured by his down to earth welcome.

As he closed the front door and led the way to the kitchen, she thought to herself that Ryan Ellis was very different from what she’d expected. He was friendlier than she’d thought he’d be, and she loved that he was prepared to clean the kitchen.

Cassie remembered her arrival at her last au pairing assignment. As soon as she’d walked into the French chateau, she’d sensed the charged, ugly atmosphere of conflict. In this house, she didn’t pick that up at all.

Walking over polished wooden floorboards, she was impressed by how tidy it looked. There were even fresh flowers on the hall table.

“We spruced the place up for you,” Ryan said, as if reading her mind. “It hasn’t looked this good for months.”

To her right, Cassie saw a family room with huge sliding doors leading onto a verandah. With comfortable-looking leather furniture and paintings of ships on the walls, the room appeared welcoming and tasteful. She couldn’t help but compare it with the ostentatious showroom décor of the chateau where she’d previously worked. It felt like a real family lived in this home.

The kitchen was neat and clean, and Cassie noticed the quality of the appliances. The kettle, toaster, and food processor were a top brand. She recognized their bright designer patterns from an article she’d read in the in-flight magazine, and she remembered having been astonished by their price.

“Have you eaten lunch?” Ryan asked after pouring the tea.

“No, but it’s fine—”

Ignoring her protests, he opened the fridge and took out a plate piled high with fruit, muffins, and sandwiches.

“On the weekend I like to have a stash of snacks available. I wish I could say this was especially for you, but it’s standard fare for the children. Dylan is twelve and starting to eat like a teenager, Madison is nine and plays a lot of sports, and I’d rather they gorged on this than junk food or sweets.”

“Where are the children?” Cassie asked, feeling another stab of nerves at the thought of meeting them. With such a fun, genuine dad they would probably be just as Jess had described them, but she needed to be sure.

“They cycled down the road after lunch to visit a friend. I told them to make the most of the afternoon before the weather turned. They should be back any minute—if not, I might have to take the Land Rover to pick them up.”

Ryan glanced out the window at the darkening sky.

“Anyway, as I explained to you, I’m stuck for help over the next while. I’m a single parent now, the kids need as much distraction as they can get, and my work deadline is unbreakable.”

“What do you do?” Cassie asked.

“I own a fleet of fishing and leisure boats which operates from the port in town. This time of year is when the boats get maintained, and I have a repair crew on site at the moment. They are hellishly busy, and the first storms of the season are almost here. That’s why time’s so tight, and my present circumstances aren’t helping.”

“It must be terrible to have gone through a divorce, especially now.”

“It’s been a very difficult time.”

As Ryan turned away from the window, in the changing light, Cassie realized he wasn’t just attractive, but exceptionally good-looking. His face was strong and chiseled, and from the defined muscles in his arms, she thought he looked to be extremely fit.

Cassie chastised herself for ogling this poor man’s appearance when he was going through emotional hell. All the same, she had to admit he was compellingly handsome, so much so that she had to stop herself from staring.

“Ryan, the only problem is that I don’t have a valid work visa at this point. I have one for France, and I’ve been fully cleared by the au pair agency, but I didn’t realize it works differently here.”

“You were referred to me by a friend,” Ryan said, smiling. “That means you can stay with us as a guest. I will pay you cash, completely off the books, so you will receive it tax-free, if that works for you.”

Cassie felt a surge of relief. Ryan understood her situation and was willing to accommodate it without any issues. This was a huge weight off her shoulders. She realized it might even be the deciding factor, and had to stop herself from accepting the job on the spot. She reminded herself to be careful, and to wait until she’d met the children before committing.

“How long would you need me for?”

“A maximum of three weeks. That will give me time to get this project done, and we’ll be heading for the school holidays by then so we’ll have a chance to bond as a family. Rebond, I should say, as a new family. They say divorce is the most stressful life experience, and I think the children and I can confirm that.”

Cassie nodded in sympathy. She was sure his children would have suffered. She wondered how much Ryan and his wife had fought. Inevitably there would have been fights. It just depended whether they’d ended in shouting and recriminations, or in tense, smoldering silence.

Having experienced both as a child, she wasn’t sure which was worse.

While Cassie’s mother was alive she’d managed to keep the lid on the worst of her father’s temper. Cassie remembered the tense silences from when she was younger, and it had allowed her to develop a finely tuned sense for conflict. She could walk into a room and pick up instantly if the people had been fighting. The silences were toxic and they wore you out emotionally because there was never an end to them.

If there was one thing you could say in favor of loud fighting, it was that eventually it ended, even if it was with glass being broken or emergency services being called. But that caused other trauma and lasting scars. It also brought a sense of fear, because shouting and physical violence showed that you could lose self-control and therefore could not be trusted.

That, in summary, had been her father after her mother had died.

Cassie looked around the cheerful, tidy kitchen and tried to imagine what might have happened there between Ryan and his wife. The worst fights, in her experience, took place in the kitchen and the bedroom.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through this,” she said softly.

Ryan was looking at her closely and she returned his gaze, staring into pale, piercing blue eyes.

“Cassie, you seem to understand,” he said.

She thought he was going to ask her something else, but at that moment the front door opened.

“The children are home, just in time.” He sounded relieved.

Cassie glanced out the window. Raindrops were spattering the glass, and as the door slammed, a cold winter shower started pouring down.

“Hey, Dad!”

Footsteps thudded along the wooden floor and a slim young girl wearing cycle shorts and a green tracksuit top came sprinting into the kitchen. She stopped when she saw Cassie, looked her up and down, and then marched over and shook her hand.

“Hello. Are you the lady who’ll be looking after us?”