Cara’s eyes widened with apprehension as she took baby steps towards him. Placing the tray in front of him on a coffee table, she wrung her hands together nervously. “I need to do the dishes and then the laundry, sir,” she said, turning to go.
“Wait,” said Marcus in a hoarse voice, getting up from his chair. Cara took a step or two backward with nervousness, wondering what he was up to as he approached her slowly. Stopping inches away from her, he gazed at her face, as if committing her features to his memory.
His hand tucked a stray curl away from her face, the contact making a tremor run down her spine. With his hot breath fanning her face and the tingling scent of his cologne lingering on her nostrils, Cara was more nervous than ever before. She had to get away before she melted at his touch. She turned around abruptly and ran out of the room, unable to take in the tension in the air.
Marcus sighed with a brooding look on his face as he stood watching her escape him. He was at his wit’s end. Every time he sat down to draw the face of the diva, he ended up sketching Cara’s face instead.
Why couldn’t he sketch anything else apart from her? He sat down in his chair and glanced at the coffee and food that she had prepared for him.
The delightful aroma of freshly brewed coffee made him forget his miseries, and he relished the delicious food laid out in front of him. There was no doubt she was very good at her job. He loved everything she made for him.
Afterwards, he again sat down in front of his unfinished painting. There was no point in fighting the urge to sketch Cara. He would get it out of his system once and for all. So he set about sketching the object of his dreams!
Cara worked non-stop since morning. The house needed vacuuming, Marcus’s clothes needed washing, the pantry was in a mess; the refrigerator was smelly. In other words, Marcus Donnelly sucked at housework.
In between, she went to the outhouse to check up on her siblings. They seemed to have the time of their lives. Uncle Ben had made pizza at home for them to munch on. They were too excited to see uncle Ben’s pet parrot, Zizi and his goldfish, Tito.
Cara knew that all this enjoyment was fine for a few days, but she had to think of a permanent solution. She was a little guilty that they had to skip school because of her.
The moment she returned to the house, Marcus glared at her with his hands on his waist. “Where were you? I’ve been looking for you for the last ten minutes,” he growled angrily. Cara hung her head, looking guilty.
“Umm, sorry, sir. I went to the outhouse to check up on my siblings,” said Cara meekly, waiting for him to yell at her.
“Oh, what are they doing there? You should have brought them inside,” he said, looking displeased.
“No, no, sir. They’re perfectly fine with uncle Ben. They’ll get in your way and disturb you. I would have left them at home, but aunt Maggie is ill and she can’t look after them. So they had to skip school and come along with me,” she rambled on. Marcus nodded and frowned at her, looking deep in thought.
“You can move in here with your siblings. Then you wouldn’t have to travel back and forth every day,” he said in a solemn tone, his eyes holding her gaze. His suggestion shocked Cara.
“Isn’t there only one outhouse here, sir?” she asked with confusion. Where did he expect her to live? She didn’t wish to live with uncle Ben!
“Who’s asking you to live in the outhouse? Think about it and let me know before you leave for the day,” he told her, before walking off towards his studio.
Cara knew she couldn’t live here with him. It was alright for a day, but he would get disturbed by the children, eventually. It was better to keep her relationship with her employer as professional as possible.
Moreover, the kids were settled in their school at Hempstead. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe were completing legal formalities to adopt them. They genuinely loved all of them. She couldn’t completely move out of aunt Maggie’s house, she needed them.
She needed this job as well, so the only option left was to travel the distance daily. After work, she could rush to Kingston Club for her performance.
Having decided, she quickly made lunch. Thankfully, Marcus Donnelly stayed locked up in his studio and hardly emerged after suggesting that offer to her. She was about to summon him for lunch when she collided with him at the doorway of the kitchen.
“Ow,” she gasped, startled by his presence. She hadn’t heard him at all. Had he been standing there and watching her cook? It was so creepy! Marcus caught her by the arm to steady her.
“So, what have you decided?” he asked impatiently. Cara was hesitant and looked up at him with wide eyes, reflecting her inner turmoil. She tried to move away, but he just held her tightly, her front lightly brushing with his. It caused goosebumps to erupt in her arms and her response to him had her baffled.
“I think I’ll go back and forth, Mr. Donnelly. My siblings are better off at aunt Maggie’s house. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe will soon be their legal guardians and can look after them better. I’ll just bear their expenses.
Moreover, their school is in Hempstead. I don’t want to uproot them,” she said in a solemn tone, her wide eyes looking into his blue-gray ones with fear and dread. She did not know how he would react to her decision. Would he throw her out of the job?
Marcus continued to stare at her, and it was difficult to understand what was going on in his mind. From the brooding expression on his face, it was clear that he wasn’t happy with her decision. He released her abruptly and turned to go.
“Umm, shall I serve you lunch now, Mr. Donnelly?” Cara asked hesitantly.
“Serve it in my studio. I’ll have it there,” he growled and walked away. Cara knew she had angered him, but she was helpless. His offer might be very attractive, but she couldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to depend on him totally.
What if he threw her out of the job suddenly? It would be difficult to leave with her siblings. She would again have to land up at aunt Maggie’s house. So she would stand by her decision!
Serving his food, she carried it to his studio. “You may leave it on the table and leave,” he said in a dark and grim tone that made a shudder run down her spine. He sounded very cross indeed! She placed the tray of food on the table and escaped from the room as fast as possible.
Her stomach grumbled with hunger and she sneaked away to uncle Ben’s house to check up on her siblings. However, Cara’s eyes widened at seeing them munching on chicken nuggets, BLT sandwiches, and carrot soup this time. Her mouth watered seeing the wholesome food.
“Why don’t you join us, Cara?” asked the old guard. Cara sat down, unable to ignore the rumble in her stomach.
“Thank you, Uncle Ben. I’m dying of hunger,” she said. Uncle Ben chuckled and brought her a plate of food and she hungrily tucked in. However, a phone call on uncle Ben’s mobile phone disrupted her peace of mind. Uncle Ben disconnected the call and gave her a look of pity.
“Mr. Donnelly wants you there right now,” he said in a serious tone. Cara jumped up with panic, leaving her food.
“Finish your food before you go, dear. You can’t work on an empty stomach,” said Uncle Ben. Cara gulped her food and thanked Ben Duncan profusely before dashing off towards the house.
She opened the door and peered inside. Thankfully, Marcus Donnelly was nowhere around. She dashed inside, straight to his studio to collect the tray. He might have finished his food by now. She walked into his studio, taking baby steps, dreading his reaction to her being late. She wondered why he had been looking for her. What did he need?
The door wasn’t locked, and she peered inside. To her surprise, there was no one inside. Where was Marcus Donnelly? She glanced around for the tray and found it on a stool in front of an enormous canvas. Going towards it, she was about to pick up the tray when her glance fell upon a canvas mounted in front of it. It had a beautiful sketch of a girl who resembled her.
Cara’s jaws dropped seeing the sketch. Had Marcus Donnelly sketched her? Her head swooned from shock and she stood straight and blinked in disbelief. Why would he draw her of all the people on earth?
The sound of footsteps alerted her, and she looked for an avenue to escape. She was sure that he wouldn’t be pleased seeing her invade his territory and unearth his secret.