Drew & Associates Law Firm ~ October 14, 2004
Carson sat at his desk, eating his lunch which Mrs. Gruen had packed for him. She'd homemade a special raspberry vinaigrette dressing and grilled chicken seasoned with cinnamon and black pepper to put onto the salad as a topping. It was the best salad combination he'd ever had. He thought of Kate and how much she would have enjoyed Mrs. Gruen's cooking. A guilty feeling stole over him at the thought. She would have quirked an eyebrow at him and accused him of liking another woman's cooking more than hers. He'd have promised her to his grave that Kate's cooking was generally far superior, but in his heart, Mrs. Gruen's cooking was the best he'd ever had. He had been genuinely impressed by her talent the first few weeks and month of her being with them.
Nancy had even liked the veggies at dinner, somehow and he wondered if she did some sort of magic. Hannah had even packed him a homemade cupcake and a thermos filled with a thick french onion soup. He shook his head at the spread and wondered how he could have ever doubted hiring her was a good decision.
His office phone rang and he heard his secretary answer it.
"Oh, Hannah," Jill's voice changed into a more casual tone and Carson sighed. Even his secretary was on a first name basis with his housekeeper. She still called him Mr. Drew and he called her MRs. Gruen.
He hoped she didn't take it personally. His office phone rang, the call from Jill's desk.
"Yes, Jill?" He answered and she alerted him that Mrs. Gruen was on the other line.
"Put her through."
"Mrs. Gruen?" He asked after a moment.
"Oh, Mr Drew!" She responded and he wondered if she sounded nervous.
"Is everything okay? Is Nancy okay" He asked feeling alarm race through him.
"Yes, yes, nothing is the matter. Well.. I just have a favor to ask of you," she began uncertainly and surprise shot through him. A favor?
"Yes, I wanted to request a couple days off.. I mean, I can cook for you both in advance and make sure you are both taken care of. I would just like some time to myself for a few days." She sounded nervous and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Oh. Time off. That's all.
"Of course. When did you want to request off?" He asked, using the same terms they would use at a more traditional work place. He preferred to view it as the same thing.
"October 29th and 30th. I'll be back for Halloween." She reassured him and he felt curiosity go through him at why she needed the time but he pushed the question down. He had no right to know, and it was her time.
"Sounds perfect. You can have Halloween off too, if you want." He offered and she sighed in relief.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Drew. I hated to ask since I just started. I would be grateful to have the 31st off as well."
"No problem." He offered and she wished him a good day at work and hung up. He wondered what Nancy's reaction would be to Hannah being gone for a couple days.
Gone. That's what she'd implied, right? She'd said that she'd be back by halloween. He shook his head and decided he would probably find out later.
He eyed the cream cheese frosted cupcake and hoped that nothing was wrong in Mrs. Gruen's life.
Drew Residence - October 14, 2004
Hannah put down the phone and her body sagged in relief. Her first request off had been stressful, but Mr. Drew had proven to be just as kind as he'd seemed so far. He hadn't even questioned her. It was a huge relief.
If he had asked questions she knew she would have burst into tears.
She checked the time on the stove's clock. 11:34 am. It would be time to pick up Nancy from school soon since it was a half day. Her friends were coming over and Hannah was looking forward to meeting the girls. She'd been making cute tea sandwiches all morning and fruit punch. She knew the girls would want to play in Nancy's room or the backyard, but she also knew they'd be hungry. She'd made a few different types of sandwiches.
She'd prepped the egg salad the night before but the chicken salad had been easy enough to throw together that morning. She'd even snuck in some dried cranberries and she'd wait to see if NAncy would notice. The cucumber ones had been the only type she'd never made before, but it had been simple enough. The recipe she had followed had instructed her to put small bits of pineapple with the cucumber.
Hannah placed the air tight containers full of small finger sandwiches into the fridge and then returned to her room. She examined herself in the mirror. Her button up blouse was tucked into her jeans and she made sure it was stain free. She checked her teeth and ran a hand through her dark brown hair.
Her daughter's hair had been the same color. She wondered as she stared at her reflection if she would have looked the same as her or more like her father. The thoughts stirred sadness inside of her and she turned away from her reflection. She wouldn't think about them. She promised herself that she would have plenty of time to grieve on her days off and that she could cry as much as she wanted.
She left her room and picked up her car keys and left the house. She drove the now familiar route to the school and picked up the three girls. She'd had to ask Mr. Drew's permission to buy a few booster seats the first week she'd moved in since the girls were frequent visitors. He'd readily agreed.
They chatted happily in the backseat, not caring how they were crammed together.
"Mrs. Gruen," George Fayne asked, the brunette of the trio, "I like your hair today." She complimented and Hannah smiled. Whenever kids gave her compliments they always made her feel like a million bucks.
"Why thank you, George. And please just call me Hannah." She smiled and Bess broke into the conversation.
"Mrs. Hannah," she started making hannah's smile grow wider, "are you married? How many kids do you have?" She asked curiously. Hannah sighed at the question. It was innocently asked and she knew she had to answer it.
"I was married! He was an amazing guy! I had a baby girl. She was around your age. She's in heaven now." Hannah answered, feeling her own voice shake at the memory.
"Where is your husband?"
"He's in heaven too." Hannah commented and she met Nancy's eyes in the rear view mirror. Nancy's eyes were big and round.
"My daddy told me that my mommy is in heaven. Do you think she has met your daughter and husband?" She asked.
"Yeah. I think they all must be really good friends." Hannah answered with a smile.
"I hope so. Because we are good friends!" Nancy smiled.
"We sure are."
She parked the car and let the girls out, helping Nancy who had been seated in the middle to climb over the bulky seats.
The girls followed Hannah into the house and she clapped her hands.
"Now who wants super yummy sandwiches and fruit punch?" She asked and they all began talking about how hungry they were. Hannah pulled the sandwiches from the fridge and poured them glasses of punch. Nancy asked if they could take them up to her room and Hannah made them promise not to spill the fruit punch.
"WE promise. We will be super, super careful."
"Okay. Well, you girls just come and get me if you need anything. I'm going to be doing the dishes and then I'll do the vacuming upstairs."
Carson walked through the front door and a heavenly scent met his nose. He felt drawn by it to the kitchen. Mrs. Gruen stood over a cutting board and held a broccoli crown in her hand.
"Hannah, can we have more fruit punch?" Nancy appeared and then squealed when she saw Carson, "DAddy!" She hugged him and he smiled and set his briefcase down. He gave her a tight hug.
"Can't breathe." she finally wheezed and he laughed.
"Sorry, I just missed my girl today!" He rustled her hair and she smiled and ran back into the kitchen.
"If you drink a whole glass of water, then you can have some more. Same for George and Bess." Hannah rinsed the punch glass with water and filled it for Nancy. BEss and George appeared in the hallways too and grimaced at the challenge of needing to drink water first. Carson grinned at the housekeeper.
"That was so cruel. Water? Who drinks that stuff." She laughed and rose her eye brows at the girls who were suddenly not thirsty any more.
"What is that smell?" Carson finally asked and she pointed to the oven.
"I have a roast in the oven. I would actually appreciate your help in a few minutes when it's time to take it out." She smiled hopefully at him and he nodded.
"No problem."
"Did you girls enjoy your sandwiches?" Hannah asked the girls and they all nodded.
"Oh what types of sandwiches?" He asked and Bess was the first to answer.
"My favorite was the cucumber sandwich."
"Yeah she ate like all of them," George grunted. CArson laughed. The two girls were cousins and were comfortable making fun of each other even at their young age.
"I did not!" She defended herself and Nancy laughed.
"I like the egg salad one the best."
"Mm. Egg salad is delicious." He nodded.
"There are a few left," Mrs. Gruen nodded to the fridge, "I can add them to your lunch tomorrow, if you like?" She smiled and he nodded.
"Mrs. Hannah," Bess began, "What was your daughter's name?" and Carson's eye brows rose. HE watched the exchange with interest. He noted the tinge of pain and sadness on Mrs. Gruen's face.
"Her name was Gracie." She smiled and Carson swallowed. He couldn't imagine how she must feel to have lost her little girl. Even thinking about it was painful enough. He wondered how Bess had known about her daughter. She didn't seem like the type to just bring it up to a group of six year olds.
A car door slammed outside and the doorbell rang. Hannah set down the knife and went to answer it but Carson waved her to go back. He walked to the door and opened it.
"Teresa!" He greeted and asked George's mom to come in. She would be taking both of Nancy's friends home.
"Hi Carson," She smiled and then walked into the kitchen, "Girls, are you ready?"
"Yeah, mom," George responded and Bess waved.
"Hi Aunt Teresa! I'm coming." Bess hugged Mrs Gruen and then joined her aunt. The girls both hugged Nancy and then waved to Mr. Drew.
"Bye Mr. Drew!" They all called and he shut the door.
"Nancy, why don't you go and tidy up your room." He nodded up the stairs and he noticed Mrs. Gruen look up and then back down.
Nancy nodded and took her still half full water glass with her upstairs.
"Do you need any help?" Carson asked and she looked surprised.
"No, no. Remember, I get paid to do this," she grinned. He smirked at her independence and it broadened to a grin when the oven's timer went off.
"Oh, I take it back. I need your help," she laughed and tossed her long brown hair over her shoulder. He grabbed the pot holders and helped lift the huge pan out of the oven. It was extremely heavy. She'd cooked a substantial amount of beef in a bag with what looked like carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and sweet potatoes.
"Wow. How did you even get this in there?" He asked and she shrugged.
"I had three little helpers. I paid them in sandwiches." she smiled and he nodded.
"Clever." He looked around and saw that the room was tidy and even though she'd been cooking, the sink was relatively empty.
"You're doing a great job, Mrs. Gruen. I appreciate all your help." He opened the cabinet and pulled three plates down.
"Oh, it's been great for me too," she smiled and then her eyes saw the plates. He hadn't asked her to eat with them yet. He had never had a live in housekeeper before and it was all new to him. Was it weird that she didn't eat with them? Would it be weird if she did? Her eyes met his again.
"If you want to eat with us, I'm sure Nancy would like that. And I would too." He smiled in what he hoped was a welcoming way. She blinked and nodded.
"I'd like that." Her response made some of his own awkwardness melt away.
He helped her dish up the dinner and she poured Nancy another glass of punch.
"What would you like to drink, Mr. Drew?" He shrugged.
"What do we have?"
"Fruit punch," she grinned, "Milk, lemonade, pineapple juice, and some red wine."
"The last option sounds good. Sounds like adult fruit punch. Feel free to have some too." He offered and took the dished up plates into the dining room.
To his amusement she poured herself some of the regular fruit punch and it reminded him of Bess's question.
"I heard Bess's question about your daughter… Deep conversation happen today?"
"Well.. On the way home from school Bess asked if I was married and had kids… So I told her my husband and daughter are in heaven." She answered, her voice suddenly more misty than it had been. He pretended not to notice. He completely understood the pain that lay under the surface. Well, he at least understood part of it.
"Gotta love kids. At least they don't mean anything by it." He shrugged and she nodded.
"Thank you again for letting me take time off in a couple weeks." Her switch of topics surprised him and he nodded.
"You're leaving?" Nancy's voice surprised him and he wondered if she'd been eavesdropping. It wouldn't surprise him. She was quite the little spy.
"Oh, you scared me!" Mrs. Gruen laughed, "Only for a couple days. I'm taking a little trip."
"You're coming back right? You won't leave us?" She asked and Hannah nodded.
"I promise I'll come back. I'll bring you both a gift too." She walked over to Nancy who Carson was surprised to see so sad. They'd only known the woman for a month.
Mrs. Gruen wrapped Nancy into a hug and Carson realized then and there, that she was part of their family. Whether or not he had wanted it to happen, Nancy loved her. She'd become attached.
He was growing to like her too.
Carson hoped that she would stay for a long time. He couldn't imagine finding someone else. The whole process had been intense and he hated the thought of her leaving and Nancy not wanting anyone else moving in.
He measured Hannah's expression . She seemed genuine when she promised to come back.