Caleb must have noticed the change of heart in his son because he stood, ruffled the boy’s hair, and said, “Your lessons are on the table. Miss Ariel will get your breakfast. I’ll see you at lunch time. And, Joshua?”

  “Yes?” he asked, looking up from under long lashes.

  “Be good.” With those parting words, Caleb walked back to the basement entrance, giving Ariel one last look.

  Ariel’s pulse jumped as Caleb continued to stand on the stairwell watching her. Her nerves were as taut as the string of violin. She’d hoped her entrance into the household would have been a little smoother. Head erect, she felt the time had come to prove herself.

  Ariel turned to Joshua who stood rooted to his spot. It appeared it was up to her to take the first step. Like a seasoned chess player she picked her piece and made her move. “Joshua, I’m Ariel. It’s very nice to meet you.”

  Head bowed, Joshua shuffled his feet.

  Ariel could sense Caleb stirring. Not now. She didn’t want him to interfere just yet. “Joshua, do you know Mabel?”

  With the lift of his head, his eyes turned up to meet her face, he said, “Mabel from church?”

  “Yes. She’s the one.”

  “Yep. I know her. She’s my friend. Did you know she comes to all our family dinners? She just invites herself. She’s good at that. And did you also know that she says my dad needs a good woman? She’s been trying to set him up for years but don’t tell dad, I don’t think he knows.”

  A groan was heard from the stairwell. Ariel fought hard not to smile but it was a losing battle.

  “You don’t? Why not?” she couldn’t help but ask.

  “Well, if he knows Mabel is trying to find him a woman, then it hasn’t worked. And I’ve never seen Mabel fail at anything she wants to accomplish. So he mustn’t know.” Joshua paused to breath, shifting gears, he said, “Yes, I know Mabel. Why do you ask?”

  Ariel struggled to keep up with Joshua’s mind. “I asked because Mabel is the one that sent me here. She sent me here to help your dad while he works. To help with you.”

  “Oh.”

  “So, what can I get you for breakfast?” Ariel asked, seeking a sense of normalcy.

  Without blinking, Joshua answered, “Eggs, bacon, toast, and orange juice.”

  “Okay,” she drawled. Ariel wasn’t sure such a skinny child could eat all that food, but his wish was her command. She pushed the laundry aside, giving herself room to work. It took several tries to find the right pans.

  While she moved about the kitchen, she sensed Caleb had left. Indeed glancing at the stairwell proved she was now alone with Joshua.

  Joshua sat at the table and worked on his school work while Ariel prepared his breakfast. The silence in the room caused her mind to wander and she couldn’t help but ask the question, what am I doing here? Mabel, that’s why. Just like she’d told Joshua, Mabel had convinced her they were a family in need. Caleb needed a housekeeper and she needed a job.

  As Ariel cooked, the smell of bacon sizzling, the aroma of scrambled eggs, and the smell of slightly burnt toast caused her stomach to rumble. She’d eaten nothing since the night before and found her mouth salivating over the feast. Oh, but to sample a tiny piece, but she resisted the temptation. Ariel had failed to discuss eating the household food and she wouldn’t do so without permission.

  While placing Joshua’s breakfast plate in front of him, she watched as he pondered his math. She read the question and raised an eyebrow. This was not third grade work. It looked more like a problem designed for high school or college. Working the problem in her mind she said, “The answer’s five.”

  Joshua frowned and with a mouthful of egg and asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  He was silent for a moment while he worked the answer out on paper. “You’re right! How did you know that?”

  Ariel shrugged. Just because she was cleaning his house didn’t mean she didn’t know certain things. But instead of explaining, she said, “Eat up.”

  “Aren’t you going to eat with me?” he asked.

  Ariel could have said, ‘I’ve already eaten’, which would have been a lie. So instead she said, “I’m not hungry right now. I’ll eat later.” Okay, it wasn’t the whole truth. But she would eat later. Her answer seemed to satisfy Joshua. He went back to his work, placing another spoonful of egg into his tiny mouth.

  While Joshua went back to his studies, Ariel went back to her list. Caleb had been very detailed. He knew what he wanted done and the order to do it. For cleaning, he’d given directions on where to find the cleaning supplies. All the way down to drawing a detailed map.

  Following the list, Ariel dusted, swept, and mopped. She picked up toys and vacuumed the rugs. In between chores, she would go back to the kitchen and peek in on Joshua. He was hard at work, going through his own list.

  When twelve o’ clock rolled around, Ariel headed back to the kitchen to prepare lunch. By this time, hunger gnawed at her belly. She’d had nothing at home to pack and she didn’t want to eat their food. She wasn’t sure she’d make it until dinner time.

  Caleb had written down what he wanted made for lunch and Ariel set about making it. As soon as she was finished, she told Joshua to go get his father.

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “He doesn’t like to be disturbed while he’s working. Just wrap it up and he’ll eat it later.”

  Ariel wrapped up Caleb’s lunch and set it aside. All that food just sitting there. Drool threatened to leak from the corner of her mouth as she stared at the meal. She sighed and answered, “Okay.”

  She placed Joshua’s plate in front of him and he asked, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  “No, not right now. I’m not hungry. I’ll eat later.”

  Joshua frowned at her when her belly growled. Ariel just smiled.

  Turning to go, she asked, “Is there anything else you need before I go back upstairs?”

  “Nope. I’m good.”

  “Okay, then. I’ll be back to check on you in a few.”

  “Okay,” he answered, stuffing the sandwich into his mouth.

  Heading up the stairs, Ariel started the rest of the chores. By the time she finished with the bathrooms and the upstairs, it was time to start dinner. She went downstairs and placed the partially frozen lasagna in the oven, per the list’s instructions. Then she looked around the room for Joshua.

  Joshua no longer sat at the table. His books were piled up and pushed to the side. Ariel felt a sense of dread. She’d just checked on him not more than thirty minutes ago. Okay, don’t panic. Take slow breaths and think this through. She knew he wasn’t upstairs because she had just come from there. A quick run-through of the downstairs rooms revealed no sign of Joshua either.

  Back in the kitchen, Ariel placed her hands on the sink and stared out the back window, where could he be?

  Then, she saw it. The flash of movement in a tiny building out back. Ariel pulled her sweatshirt over her head and buried her hands inside her pockets, while she walked towards the building. When she opened the door, a burst of hot air assailed her. It was a greenhouse. Green plants were everywhere. They sat on tables, hung from the ceiling, and grew around the walls on vines. It looked like a jungle.

  As she walked down one row of plants, she found him. He held a wooden sword in his hand and yelled, “Back foul beast! The maiden is mine!”

  Ariel looked behind her. On the wall was a painting of a fierce, fire-breathing dragon. Placing her hand across her heart she feigned horror with a gasp. Joshua pushed her to the side, his sword ready. He grasped her hand and pulled her away, running the length of the greenhouse.

  “Come with me, fair maiden. I will assure you safe passage.”

  “Thank you, brave knight,” she said, following along.

  He led her to the back corner of the building. In the midst of the dense foliage, set a wooden chair. “Sit here upon thy throne, young maiden, whilst I vanquish yon dragon.”

  Ariel sat on the chair and watched as Joshua went back and battled the dragon. Ariel couldn’t help but smile as she watched him play. There was nothing wrong with this child. Smart yes. Well read, definitely. But still a normal child, just like Caleb had said.

  When the fight had been won, he returned to her side and bowed on one knee in front of her. “Your kingdom is safe.”

  While staying in character Ariel’s hand fluttered to her heart and she answered, “Most courageous knight, I shall never forget your bravery on behalf of my fair kingdom. But for now I fear I must check on your sustenance.”

  Joshua stood, bowed at the waist, and allowed her to pass. Ariel made sure to curtsey before heading out, giving him a parting smile as she strode toward the kitchen. Before she reached the back door, a loud piercing sound tore through the air. Her brain struggled to assign a mechanism to the sound she heard. Then it hit her.

  “Smoke alarm!” she cried, as she jerked open the back door and rushed inside.

  Caleb was fanning smoke away from his face, a deep frown darkening his visage. “I can hear it!”

  Ariel cringed at the irritation she heard in his voice. He’d already turned off the oven and was using a mitt to retrieve the burnt dinner from the hot oven. Ariel took a kitchen stool and placed it under the smoke alarm. Moving her arms back and forth wildly, she tried to clear the smoke.

  As Ariel did so, she felt a wave of dizziness. She grasped at the air, but it was no use. She felt herself toppling to the ground.

  Mr. Reed would fire her for sure.

  Chapter Three

  Caleb was typing when the shrill peal of the smoke alarm startled him, causing him to jump and toss his sandwich to the floor. His ice tea flying through the air landed within inches of the keyboard.

  Once Caleb righted himself, he rushed upstairs. The kitchen was filled with smoke and Ariel was nowhere to be found. Where was that woman? He’d hired her to take care of things around here. Her carelessness could have burned down the whole house. For the most part, he was a patient man who tried not to let things bother him, but this was unacceptable.

  Caleb was pulling oven mitts on his hands when she came through the back door with a horrified expression. And of all things, he’d snapped at her. Her crestfallen face at his rude behavior caused an unexpected lump to form in his throat.

  To get his mind off these strange new feelings, Caleb retrieved his ruined dinner and placed it on the stove. When he turned back around, Ariel was toppling off the stool. He stepped under her and caught her, but the force of the fall sent them to the ground. He hit his backside with a thud, Ariel landing on top of him.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

  Caleb was going to tell her it was okay, although he wasn’t sure it was the truth. But before he could say anything, Ariel jumped to her feet and ran out of the kitchen. He made sure the oven was off and headed after her, following behind and holding a hand to his bruised tailbone.

  When Caleb arrived at the front door, he saw her sitting in her car, crying. On the hall table sat her purse and keys. While he was staring through the glass wondering what to do, Joshua came up behind him.

  “What happened?”

  “She burned dinner.”

  “I can smell that. Why are you holding your butt?”

  “I fell.”

  “How?”

  “Ariel was fanning the smoke alarm, and she toppled over. I caught her but we hit the floor.”

  “I’m not surprised.”

  “What?”

  “She said she wasn’t hungry, but I think she was lying. I haven’t seen her eat all day. Everyone gets hungry, right?”

  “Yeah, they do,” he whispered.

  “What are we going to do now? If she can’t fan a smoke alarm, she is going to be too weak to cook something else for us to eat.” Joshua was silent then piped up with, “Can we go get pizza?”

  “Joshua…” he started with his parental tone.

  “I know, I know, town is too far away just for one pizza.” He tapped his head, “Maybe we could make pizza! I’ll go see if we have the ingredients.”

  “Okay son, sounds like a great idea. You do that while I find a way to get Ariel back in here.”

  “Don’t worry, Dad, I don’t think she’s going to go too far.”

  “You noticed that, too.”

  “Yep,” Joshua answered as he walked back into the kitchen.

  While Joshua was on his pizza-making mission, Caleb headed to Ariel’s car. As he approached, she opened her door and stepped out. Her voice quivering, she said, “I forgot my things. I’ll just go get them then I’ll get out of your way.”

  “Oh, but you can’t leave. Joshua is making pizza for us to eat.”

  “But I, I, burned your dinner.”

  Caleb ran a hand through his disheveled hair. Standing there trembling in the cold, Ariel looked vulnerable. How could he turn her away after one incident? Nothing bad had happened. Besides, he had promised her a week. And he did still need her.

  To ease her fears, he said, “No problem. Do you know how many times I’ve left the plastic on those meals? Just come back inside and let’s see what the munchkin has found to top this pizza.”

  “Oh, but I couldn’t.”

  Caleb grasped her hand, noticing how thin she looked. “I think I forgot to mention, meals are included with the job.”

  Ariel’s muscles felt tense, as his finger began to stroke the silken skin of her wrist. Caleb could feel her body resist his touch. Maybe she wanted to leave? But she couldn’t leave. He wouldn’t let her leave. Beside, all her belongs were still inside.

  If Ariel left this way, sluggish from lack of nutrition, she might be harmed. This was why Caleb was still holding her hand, or so he told himself. His hand clasped her wrist in a firm grip. She didn’t pull away, nor did she protest as they walked back inside together. He led her to a stool in the kitchen and didn’t release her hand until she was seated.

  The brief moment with Ariel upset his equilibrium. To distract himself, Caleb opened a few windows causing the lingering smoke to float away on the winter breeze.

  “So, son, what have you got planned so far?”

  “Hmm, I’m thinking we dig out mamaw’s homemade pizza recipe.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yep. It’s the best.”

  Caleb patted Joshua on the bottom as the kid skipped around the room. Feeling more lighthearted than he had in years, Caleb dug out the recipe for the pizza dough. It didn’t take him long to realize he was lost. He held the card every which way trying to decipher the directions.

  “Does it make it easier to read if it’s upside down?” asked Ariel, trying to hide the laughter in her voice.

  “I’m not sure yet. I do know reading it right side up looks like Greek. So I was hoping upside down would look more like English.”

  Ariel shook her head as she took the recipe card from his hand. “Let me see that.” She read the ingredients out loud and they gathered them, placing them on the counter. In no time at all, she’d combined all the ingredients and held up a crust for them to see.

  “Voila! Now where are the toppings and the sauce?”

  Caleb and Joshua stared at her in confusion. Caleb said, “Well, we aren’t sure we have any.”

  Caleb watched as she placed her hands on her hips in a sassy manner before saying, “How did you expect to make pizza without sauce and toppings?”

  When they didn’t answer, she threw her hands up in the air and stalked to the refrigerator. Ariel opened it and buried her head inside. She was mumbling and grumbling the whole time. Caleb hid a smile at the spectacle she presented.

  Shredded cheese, sliced deli ham, and some spaghetti sauce was found and placed on the island. Ariel put everything together and slid it into the oven. When she turned to face them, they were staring at her in a state of awe. How did she do that? He was amazed. There was more to the woman than he realized.

  “It should be finished in about twelve minutes. That is, if I don’t burn it.”

  Joshua giggled and added, “You’ll stay and eat with us, won’t you?”

  Ariel looked at Caleb and he answered for her, “Of course she will.”

  When the pizza was ready, the three of them moved to the table and sat down to eat. Caleb offered grace. He watched Ariel as she picked at the food. Had she ate so little it now hurt to eat? Or was she embarrassed to eat her fill?

  Joshua broke the awkward silence, “This tastes great! Don’t you think so, Dad?”

  He stared at Ariel when he answered, “Yes. The best food I’ve eaten in a long time.”

  A flush of color invaded her checks. Had his compliment embarrassed her? Ariel flashed him a shy smile, picked up a piece of the pizza and took a huge bite, making sounds of contentment.

  As Ariel cleared away the dishes after dinner, Caleb sent Joshua upstairs to prepare for bed. He couldn’t help but watch Ariel as she worked. When she turned he was caught staring at her. Had she seen the eagerness in his eyes? Did she sense his attraction for her?

  “I think maybe I should go,” she said.

  “Yeah, I guess it is getting kind of late. We’ll see you tomorrow at seven.”

  “Tomorrow at seven,” she replied.

  She walked to the front door, grabbed her things, and went to her car.

  Caleb watched her retreating taillights. Today had been one of the most normal days he’d had in a long time. He’d almost felt like he had a real family.

  He was surprised at how relaxed the day had been. At first, he worried about Ariel, whether she would fit in. Whether she would care to clean his home and watch Joshua without complaint. But having her around had been an enjoyable experience.

  Last week if you’d told him he could have laughed over a burned dinner and then turned around and had a good time making a new one, he would have told you that you were crazy. He was way too busy for such nonsense. But Ariel brought a new feeling to the house. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. A feeling that he didn’t want to lose.