Chapter 3 - Reese Finally Told Her Why She Was Afraid
Judith left through the front door without saying goodbye to Maisie.
That bothered Camille almost as much as everything else.
Graham went into his office and closed the door.
Reese stood by the kitchen island holding an ice pack against her cheek.
Camille poured her water.
“I need you to tell me everything.”
Reese hesitated.
That hesitation hurt.
“How long have you been afraid to tell me something?”
“About three weeks.”
Camille sat down.
Reese remained standing.
Three weeks earlier, she explained, Judith had come over while Camille was at work and Graham was supposed to be in Oak Brook meeting a client.
He arrived home unexpectedly.
Reese heard Graham and Judith arguing downstairs.
She had not tried to listen.
She was walking Maisie through the upstairs hallway because the baby had reflux and settled best while being carried upright.
Then she heard Judith say her name.
Reese stopped.
“What did she say?”
“She asked why I was still here.”
Camille frowned.
“Still working here?”
“I think so.”
“What did Graham say?”
Reese swallowed.
“He said you trusted me.”
Camille waited.
“And?”
“He said if anything changed suddenly, you’d get suspicious.”
The kitchen seemed to shrink.
Reese continued.
She had assumed they meant firing her.
Then strange things started happening.
Judith began questioning Reese’s routine.
Why had Maisie slept twenty minutes longer?
Why was one bottle unfinished?
Why had Reese taken the stroller around the block instead of using the backyard?
Nothing serious.
Nothing that justified concern.
But Judith began mentioning these things to Graham.
Graham began repeating them to Camille.
Always casually.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Reese looked ashamed.
“Because they were your husband and your mother-in-law.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“I thought maybe I was being paranoid.”
Camille understood that immediately.
She had been doing the same thing.
Reese finally sat across from her.
“Then last week Judith told me you didn’t need a nanny anymore.”
“What?”
“She said you were probably going to stop working soon.”
Camille stared at her.
“I never said that.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Because you told me you were taking on the Lake Forest project.”
Camille nodded slowly.
That project could lead to a promotion.
Graham knew how important it was.
At least she believed he did.
Reese lowered the ice pack.
“There’s one more thing.”
Camille’s stomach tightened.
“Yesterday Graham asked me to switch my Thursday hours.”
“Why?”
“He said he wanted me here alone with Maisie in the afternoon because he had meetings and you’d be downtown.”
Camille looked toward Graham’s closed office door.
Today was Thursday.
Graham had supposedly been leaving for work.
Judith had supposedly stopped by unexpectedly.
And Reese had supposedly been scheduled to be alone with the baby.
Except Camille’s afternoon client meeting had been canceled.
She had come home early.
May you like
For the first time, the stroller incident stopped looking like Judith losing control.
It looked like something with a schedule.
