LaDonna Baker, widowed mother to Meagan, Mitch and Madison, was very close to her three offspring, all of whom had chosen to stay in Little Rock to practice medicine. She had embraced her new teenage step-granddaughter into the family with affection and eagerness, and she and Alice had already grown very close. Alice was the one who had given LaDonna the whimsical nickname of “Mimi,” saying it fit in with the rest of the M names in the family. LaDonna had accepted the name with delight. Jacqui suspected having young Alice in her life had eased LaDonna’s grief somewhat at the loss of her elderly mother at the end of last year.
“So, anyway,” Alice continued, “Mimi’s expecting company for the next week, so she doesn’t really have a place for Mitch to stay until he finds a new place. And Madison has a one-bedroom apartment, so she doesn’t have room for him, either. So I said why doesn’t he stay here with us? We’ve got an extra guest room. I know Dad and Meagan would offer if they were here. So Mimi said that was a really good idea, if you and I don’t mind, and she was going to call Meagan and tell her everything that happened and make sure it’s okay.”
“He’s going to stay here?” Jacqui asked, following the rambling account with an effort. That was the part that stood out most to her.
She pictured Dr. Mitchell Baker, a tall, sandy-haired man with kind blue eyes and a warm smile that transformed his pleasantly homely face into full-out attractive. He was thirty-one, two years older than Jacqui. She had met him several times during the past fourteen months, although she could count on one hand the number of times she’d actually had a conversation with him. Those conversations had been brief and slightly awkward, at least on her part. For some reason she always became uncharacteristically tongue-tied around Mitch.
“I knew you wouldn’t mind—you don’t, do you?” Alice asked, suddenly aware, apparently, that she was making assumptions on Jacqui’s behalf.
There seemed to be nothing gracious to say except, “Of course not.”
Alice smiled with a flash of braces. “I knew you wouldn’t.”
Normally, Jacqui wouldn’t be staying at the house herself. She had her own apartment across town. But Seth and Meagan had left only two days ago for a two-week trip to Europe on a belated honeymoon. They had asked Jacqui to stay with Alice, a request she had been happy to accept—and not just for the extra pay that would go into her savings for a down payment for her own house someday.
She told herself there was really no reason to be concerned about having a houseguest. She suspected that Mitch, a surgeon like his sister, would be at the hospital quite a bit. When he was here, Alice would keep him entertained. Jacqui would perform her usual role, staying quietly in the background. She was good at being a housekeeper, and she knew exactly how to play that part.
“Mimi’s going to call you as soon as she talks to Meagan,” Alice said on her way out of the kitchen. “I’m going upstairs to pack for the sleepover at Tiff’s tonight.”
Alice and her friends loved sleepover parties and were always looking for an excuse to have one. Because Tiffany was on the same swim team as Alice, they had decided to stay at Tiffany’s house tonight and have her mother take them to a scheduled meet the next afternoon. Alice had assured Jacqui there was no need for her to attend this particular event, so Jacqui planned to use the time to catch up on some overdue chores including grocery shopping. She figured she might as well stay at her place tonight to dust and vacuum and grab a few extra things she needed here.
The phone rang only a few minutes later. She wasn’t surprised that it was Meagan, calling to make sure there was no problem with her brother staying at the house for a few days.
“No problem at all,” Jacqui assured her employer. “I’m glad to be able to help. Enjoy your vacation. Your brother will be fine.”
“I’m so glad to know you’re taking care of things there,” Meagan said fervently. “I don’t know what we would do without you, Jacqui.”
Meagan’s mother said much the same words when she called a few minutes later to discuss her son’s plans with Jacqui. “He’ll probably spend another night here with me and then come over there sometime tomorrow. You’re sure you don’t mind having an extra person in the house?”
“Not at all. I’ll be cooking and doing laundry for Alice and me anyway. One extra houseguest will be no trouble at all. Neither Alice nor I will be here tonight, but I’ll be back tomorrow mor
ning, so he can come whenever he’s ready.”
“You’re a jewel, Jacqui,” LaDonna said warmly. “We’re all so lucky to have found you.”
During the past year or so, Jacqui had made a deliberate effort to make herself indispensable to the Llewellyn/Baker family. She liked this job, and she wanted to keep it. In return, they had all been nothing but kind and generous to her. Maybe they even considered her an honorary member of the family.
She wasn’t that presumptuous. Besides which, she had learned long ago that “family” was a word frequently used without real meaning. Family members—honorary or otherwise—were all too often expendable, in her experience.
Mitch’s steps dragged as he climbed the steps to the front door of his sister’s house Friday night. His mother had given him detailed instructions for letting himself in and disarming the alarm system. As tired as he was, he hoped he remembered her directives correctly. The last thing he needed tonight was to be arrested for breaking and entering.
It was after 11:00 p.m. He’d had a very long day of surgeries, meetings and a pretty-much mandatory appearance at a retirement party for one of the surgical department heads, followed by yet another couple hours of paperwork in his office. His amazing and efficient secretary had volunteered to spend her lunch hour picking up a few things for him so he hadn’t had to wear scrubs to the party, which had been a casual affair fortunately. He now owned three pairs of khaki slacks, three white shirts, a comb and toothbrush, a few pairs of socks and a package of boxer shorts in addition to the two pairs of jeans, two polo shirts and electric razor he’d kept stashed at work. He’d had to wear sneakers to the party because Jean hadn’t risked buying shoes for him.
It amazed him how kind and generous everyone had been at work. Other doctors, nurses, techs, office staff, everyone who’d heard word of the fire had offered condolences and any assistance he might need. His partners had volunteered to cover for him when he needed time to look for a new place and to replace his lost possessions, even though their schedules were all stretched to allow for summer vacations. A few people had even offered extra clothes and household goods. He’d been genuinely touched by everyone’s thoughtfulness.
With a duffel bag holding his entire wardrobe clutched in his left hand, he used his right hand to quickly press buttons on the keypad located just inside the front door, resetting the alarm for the night. At least he had a place to sleep for a few weeks. He would have stayed with his mother, but his late father’s two sisters had already planned to come for a weeklong visit. They were arriving tomorrow and even if his mom’s house had been big enough to comfortably accommodate them all, he hadn’t relished the idea of sharing a house even temporarily with the three women. His younger sister, Madison, was a third-year medical resident who lived in a one-bedroom efficiency apartment, so staying with her wasn’t an option, either.
Moving in here seemed the ideal solution, and his sister and brother-in-law had agreed. In fact, they had interrupted their much-needed vacation to call and insist he make use of their spare room for as long as necessary.
He had planned to spend one more night at his mom’s, but when he’d realized how late he was going to be, he’d called and told her he’d crash at Meagan’s a night early instead. His mother had informed him no one else would be there tonight, so he didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone with his late arrival. Still, he made little noise as he climbed the stairs without bothering to turn on lights. Tiny, energy-efficient bulbs illuminated the steps for safety, providing a soft, cozy glow to guide him to the second story.
After the wedding in April, Seth and Alice had moved from their previous home across the street into Meagan’s house. Both houses in the upscale subdivision were approximately the same size, but this one had a pool in the roomy backyard—of primary importance to Alice. Seth had planned to put in a pool for Alice this summer, but they’d all decided it would be easier to simply settle in here. Seth’s house was on the market now, although Mitch hadn’t heard if it had sold yet.
Mitch hadn’t actually visited this house often, even before his sister married Seth. He and his sisters usually gathered at their mother’s place on the rare occasions when they were free to get together. He knew the master bedroom was downstairs and there were three bedrooms upstairs. Vaguely recalling that Alice’s room was on the left of the staircase, he turned right, arbitrarily choosing the first door he encountered.
He was going to fall straight into bed, he thought with a yawn. He’d worry about unpacking his few belongings in the morning. Opening the door, he entered the darkened room.
He heard someone gasp loudly at the same time his foot made contact with something large and unyielding. Caught off guard, he fell forward, hands flailing in a futile attempt to steady himself, the duffel bag throwing him off balance. His shoulder made solid contact with the hardwood floor, knocking the breath out of him in a startled “oof!”