Page 92 of The Widower
“Doesn’t matter. I have moments like this,” I lied. I didn’t even know what “funny moments” were before I met a certain someone.
“Sure you do…”
“One more thing: your mom’s gonna help Helen around the house. I hired her.”
That one left Isabelle speechless.
“Why are you joking about that?”
“I’m not joking—far from it,” I said firmly. “Your mother doesn’t need to keep running from job to job, working for random people and risking being left with nothing. Especially after everything that’s happened.”
“She won’t accept,” she whispered, embarrassed.
“Which part of ‘I hired her’ did you not understand?I already talked to her.”
“Colin…”
“Before you start bombarding me with questions, I’m heading out to take care of a few things. Necessary things, after what happened yesterday. Just a reminder—you’re not leaving this house unless I’m with you. When I get back, we’ll go buy clothes and whatever else you three need.”
I turned away. I couldn’t look at Isabelle—especially when her eyes filled with tears, right before she was about to thank me for something… or get mad at me.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this, but… thank you.I owe you more than I can say.”
“Keep busy. Work. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself until we sort this out.”
My talk with Isabelle’s mother wasn’t just about hiring her to work here. There were other things we needed to discuss—and I did.But Isabelle can’t know about it yet, and I trust Elisa not to say a word. If she did, it would ruin everything for me.
After taking care of what I needed to, I headed back to the mansion. I had some news to tell Isabelle.
“Your house has been condemned for a month. I talked to a police officer friend of mine.”
“Condemned?”
“Yeah. I pulled a few strings and went to the station myself to check if there were any updates—and to find out when you might be able to go back. I’ll do everything I can to help you get your house back soon.”
And there she went again…
She had this habit of rushing up and hugging people for no reason at all—and every single time, it caught me off guard.
“…and there you go doing that again. What’s the reason this time?”
“For helping me.” She looked at me closely. “You’re a good man,” she added, finally letting go.
“Whatever. I just hope the police find whoever’s responsible for that vandalism.”
I’m not stupid, and I made sure to plan ahead before bringing Isabelle, Hanna, and Elisa to one of the city’s malls. Besides being a busy place—which helps in situations like this—I had three of my security guards nearby in plain clothes, and I asked Helen to come along with them.
And yes, I also called Henry after explaining everything that had happened.
“I’m enjoying this little outing.You’ve got a real knack for being a babysitter.”
He’d started getting on my nerves early today.
“I already told you why I’m doing this.”
“I know. I just think there are a few extra reasons.”
“Oh, really?” I raised an eyebrow.
