Page 50 of Falling for the Beast

He lay in bed, listening to her even breathing. If she’d heard him come home, she hadn’t reacted to it. That was for the best. He needed to get her away from the emotional rollercoaster.

After a few minutes of trying to sleep, he begrudgingly stood and walked down the hallway to his office. If he couldn’t sleep, maybe he could get a head start on getting Aribelle out of here.

Thaddeus looked up from the puzzle when Aribelle walked into the dining room. “Good morning.”

She gave him a smile, although it didn’t reach her eyes. “Morning.”

He knew she’d still be upset. He couldn’t help that. “I cut up some fruit, and there’s fresh yogurt in the fridge.”

“Thanks.” She left the room and came back a minute later with a plate of food and a fork. Her gaze landed on his bandaged arm, but she didn’t say anything.

He put a piece of the puzzle into place. They had gotten quite far on it. He figured in a day or two, it would be finished. “I found you a car.”

“You’re not buying me a car.”

“It’s already done.”

She tightened her lips into a thin line. “I see.”

“I paid extra so they would deliver it to the house.”

Her cheeks turned pink and she clenched her fists. “I suppose you want me out of here by lunch, then?”

“Of course not.” He placed another piece, controlling his features. He had to force his emotions behind a wall, where they should have stayed. “I haven’t gotten the apartment yet.”

She glared at him, picked up her plate, and left the room. He watched her leave and sighed. It couldn’t be helped. She was going to be mad no matter what he did. She wanted to stay and live some fantasy life where everything was sunshine and unicorns.

Life here was not that way.

He worked on the puzzle for another hour before Aribelle came back and slumped into a chair. “I’m sorry I got upset. I know you’re only trying to help.”

She sounded like the last thing she wanted to do was say she was sorry, but he ignored her unenthusiastic apology. Maybe when she saw the car she’d be happier.

The doorbell rang. Thaddeus strode to the front door and swung it open. A woman stood on the steps fingering her graying hair. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, but she quickly recovered. He glanced behind her for the car, but it wasn’t there. He turned his attention back to her. “Yes?”

“I’m Sarah Cottier, from Accelerated Employment. I’m your new housekeeper.” She stuck her hand out to him.

An immediate dislike for the woman surged in him, but he had asked for a new employee to be sent. He was the one who had fired Aribelle. He should have realized they’d find someone new by now. Reluctantly, he grasped her hand. “Thaddeus Walker.”

Aribelle joined him at the door. “I couldn’t help but overhear you’re the new girl from Accelerated Employment. I’m Aribelle, the girl you’ll be replacing. Come on in, I’d love to show you around.”

Thaddeus stared at Aribelle, unsure if she was being genuine or not. He’d thought she’d be upset at her replacement showing up. Aribelle smiled and pulled the woman inside.

Sarah seemed surprised to see Aribelle. “Oh, I thought you would be gone by now. I wasn’t expecting…”

Aribelle laughed and looped her hand around Sarah’s elbow. “You’ll find many things you don’t expect here.”

Oh, great. What was she going to tell Sarah? Thaddeus pinched the bridge of his nose and took in a deep breath.

Aribelle turned to him. “You can go back to what you were doing. I’ll give Sarah the tour.”

He did as he was told, sitting back down in the dining room. That didn’t keep him from hearing everything that was said.

“Never mind him, he can be grumpy at times, but underneath all the cantankerous grouchiness, there’s a slightly less grumpy man.”

Thaddeus snorted. She was a piece of work.

Aribelle took Sarah through the rooms on the main floor. “Here’s the laundry room. Go ahead and just start doing his laundry. He loves it when the help is assertive and takes command. You don’t have to ask him what needs to be done. Come in and start working on what you want.”

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