Page 31 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

“We can tackle it tomorrow.”Phew. Something I can do to help her.

“I planned to hire a professional organizer to come and do it.”

A professional organizer? As painful as it’d be to sort through her folks’ clothes, was it really something to leave to a stranger?

“Remy, I can do it if you want me to. I just thought you might want to have some say.”

She waved her hand and shook her head. “Clothing-wise, there’s nothing I’d want to keep. I’ll go through my mother’s jewelry, but there’s no hurry. The clothes are more pressing because I’m still living out of a suitcase.”

“You’d never know it. Every day you look great.” He cringed.Will she think I’m coming on to her?

She offered him a genuine smile, clearly unfazed by his faux pas.

“I have a good clothing steamer. That and I own as many wrinkle-free items as I can. I wear those clothes because they’re required for work—not because I enjoy them.”

“Part of your persona.”

“In a way. Truth be told, I’m a jeans-and-T-shirt kind of gal.”

She was attempting, with her language, to place a clear line between work and personal. She wasn’t telling him anything he hadn’t already noticed. Tonight, she’d changed into casual clothes before sitting down to spend time with the family.

Family? No, not family. Calleigh. She was ready to interact with Calleigh. He and Mira were, appropriately, a secondary consideration. Except he didn’t want there to be disparity. He tried, every night, to create a welcoming environment. He was committed to treating Calleigh the same as Mira, and he hoped for reciprocation. Of course, that would hopefully come with familiarity, and for that to happen, she needed to come home at a decent hour.

Time.She needed time to adjust to her new reality.

The woman in question looked at him with an odd expression. Oops, he’d been silent for a while, hadn’t he? He measured his next words. “How are you?”

Of course she was surprised. They’d been discussing jeans and T-shirts. She was putting on a brave face and, in an unguarded moment, the mask had slipped, and he saw her pain.

“I’m fine.” She drew herself up. “You needn’t worry about me. I hired you to care for Calleigh.”

She stood with more dignity than he’d ever manage.

“I’m off to my room.” She fled.

Ugh. He could’ve kicked himself. There went whatever camaraderie had existed. He was the hired help, and she meant to keep to his place.

Chapter twelve

Noquestioncleaningoutsomeone else’s closets was disconcerting, especially those of the recently deceased. While the girls were in preschool, Rusty picked up several boxes and bags to tackle the task.

During the ride to the library, Calleigh and Mira had kept up a steady stream of discussion about the cookies they’d baked.

Impressed, he made a note to add it to the repertoire of activities to do with the girls.

At the library, Loriana read aloud to the toddlers. Their attention span, and the librarian’s infinite patience, never ceased to amaze him. A few minutes into the reading, Marnie joined him.

“How are things going?” she asked him quietly.

His instinct was to shrug, but he offered a sheepish grin. “It’s weird, but in a good way. Mira took to it right away but Calleigh’s still quiet. She laughed on the way over, though, and I’ll take that as a positive sign.”

“And Remy?”

This time he shrugged. How was he supposed to answer?

Taking his silence in stride, Marnie pulled a piece of paper from her pocket. “Olivia said you might need a babysitter from time-to-time.” She handed him the paper. “I’ll pay, if that’s an issue. I think it’d be good for her—if you can put her to use.”

“Why on earth would you pay?” He frowned at her.Does she think I’m hard up for money? Ok, deep breath. Don’t get angry—she means well.“I have some ideas on how I might get her to help. I’m hoping she can bring Bianca. Mira loves the dog, of course, but Calleigh seems to respond also. We took Calleigh to see Dr. Dixon last night, and her professional opinion was that we take a wait-and-see approach.”

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