The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection

Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Laura Parnell couldn’t stop shaking. She’d never felt such bone-deep humiliation as when Mrs. Friessen fired her. Jules had shown her the door, scolding her the entire way through the mansion. Adding to her shame, she then forced her to stand at the back door with her coat on while the head housekeeper summoned two men, neither of whom had a sliver of interest in her predicament. When they arrived with Jules five minutes later, Laura had been unable to swallow and was shaking, an agony twisting up her stomach. She wondered if she might vomit right in the doorway. No matter how she tried, her brain just wouldn’t grasp how bad the situation really was.

Stan, a young, blond man she recognized as Mrs. Friessen’s driver, grabbed her elbow roughly and said, “Let’s go. Start walking, girl.” Ed, the burly gardener, flanked her other side, walking her up the long, slate-gray driveway for half a mile to the highway. It was Ed who muttered, “Take my advice, deary. Don’t set foot back here or the sheriff will be called.” Then they stood and watched her, and for the first time Laura felt real fear.

Laura could only nod as a tear slipped down her cheek and she started walking home. She usually shared a ride with Sue, one of the other maids who worked at the estate, but there wasn’t a chance in hell that Sue asked if she could leave and drive Laura home, and it wasn’t as if Laura could have asked her anyway. When Jules had ordered Laura to stand by the door and wait, not touching anything, Sue pretended she didn’t know her and ducked her head, continuing to peel potatoes in the kitchen. Laura hadn’t expected Sue to go to bat for her. She hadn’t expected her to ignore her, either, as she stood terrified by the back door as Jules searched out the two men. It hurt, and even though she knew Sue needed the job, so did Laura. She wondered if there was such a thing as simple human compassion inside anyone anymore.

Laura pulled up the collar of her thin blue coat. The zipper had broken, so she could only fasten it closed with the metal snaps. At one time, it had probably been a nice coat, but at least it was a coat, and the price was right at the second-hand store. It did little to stop the chill from seeping into her bones, though, as she started shivering. She was no more dressed for a stroll downtown than the five-mile walk back to North Lakewood. The Friessen estate was just outside the small town, which didn’t seem that far when driving but was a long way when you were walking. Even though she wore sensible shoes for work, they were not made for the wet highway. Though it had stopped raining for the moment, the wind blew, and the thick, dark clouds overhead were threatening to unleash one hell of a storm. Laura just hoped it would hold off until she made it back to town.

A few cars passed, going the other way, but no one stopped. She’d just rounded a bend when she heard a car behind her. Her feet were numb, and her stockings were soaked and muddy. She shuffled over further on the shoulder and felt tears of relief. The moment she saw the shiny blue pickup, the fancy one she’d seen Andy drive, she froze. She could feel his eyes lock on her, and she couldn’t help but duck her head in embarrassment. Of all people, why did it have to be Andy who stopped? He’d witnessed one of the most embarrassing moments of her life, but then, he was partly responsible. Laura could barely function around him; he was far too good looking, and the power oozed off him. Every time he walked into the room, Laura felt as if she’d been plugged into a socket, and she would struggle not to trip over both her feet as she hurried away from him. This was exactly what had happened when she took a header into the Christmas tree, knocking it down. She also knew he watched her in a way that was entirely indecent, and she could feel the heat of his gaze burning into her. His father did, too, but she went out of her way to avoid Todd Friessen. She’d heard all the rumors of how he played with women, and she couldn’t help thinking the apple didn’t fall too far from the tree with Andy. She had no plans of being anyone’s w***e.

He pulled to the side of the road and got out. He overwhelmed her with his size as he stepped around the front of the truck, and she really disliked having to look up at him. She shoved her bare hands in her coat pockets, unsure of what to say or do. This was about as bad as it could get today. Then she wondered, how did one go about being rescued?

“You’re walking?” He swept his gaze downward, taking in everything from her bare legs to her shoes and her thin coat. “Get in. I’ll give you a ride.” He didn’t wait for her to answer but pressed his hand into the small of her back, hustling her to his truck.

Laura felt as if her brain had gone to mush, as she couldn’t for the life of her think of anything intelligent to say as Andy closed the passenger door. When he slid in under the steering wheel, his eyes lingered on her, and she felt her cheeks burning. She needed to do something but, short of jumping out and freezing, she couldn’t think of anything. She swallowed her discomfort and grabbed the seat belt, jamming it in. Thankfully, Andy started the truck, driving toward town. It would be short and painless. They’d be there in no time, he could drop her off at the corner, and she’d never have to see him again.

“Where do you live?”

She stared out the windshield and pointed straight ahead. “Just outside downtown. You can just drop me off at the corner by the school. There’s a daycare. I need to pick up my son.”

She didn’t know why, but she didn’t want Andy to take her home or know she lived in the tiny basement suite of a piece-of-s**t rundown old house. She kept her space neat and tidy, but from the outside it didn’t look like much. An older lady, who chain-smoked lived upstairs and wasn’t great at keeping up the front yard. Which would always be the first impression anyone had of the place: overgrown weeds, long grass, and unkempt bushes. An untidy mess. Laura looked after the backyard, which was a sharp contrast to the front, but then, people didn’t see the back, so they just assumed it was her. They judged her, and she hated that feeling. She’d rather Andy didn’t see it at all. It irritated her further that she cared what he thought, because it shouldn’t matter. He shouldn’t matter. The fact was that she was just tired of everyone looking down their noses at her, which they had done throughout her entire teenage pregnancy, and it hurt. Didn’t people get that?

“So, do you have family around?”

She could feel his gaze burning into her as she stared straight ahead. He waited for her to answer. Why couldn’t he just drive and ignore her? It hurt to talk; she didn’t think she could get her throat to work. She needed to crawl into bed and pull the covers up over her head.

“No,” she responded in a voice she didn’t recognize, and she was grateful when Andy pulled into the parking lot of the school. “Here’s good.” She pointed to the concrete steps, but he didn’t stop until he pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine.

“You have a boyfriend or husband at home?”

“No.” That was the last thing she wanted to talk about: Tyler, Gabriel’s father, who she hadn’t seen since she was six months pregnant and had been forced to drop out of school. He’d treated her as if she had something he might catch, running the other way every time he saw her. Yeah, she got that message loud and clear, but it didn’t stop the ache that burned a giant hole where her heart had once beat.

Laura shut her eyes and took a deep breath to still the shaking in her hands. She couldn’t go in looking the mess she felt. Andy strode around to her side, so Laura scrambled for her door handle and yanked it, pushing her door open, clearing her throat to thank him and then slink away up those cracked concrete stairs and into that old building. But Andy slid his hand over the top of her door as she slid out, and he stood right in her space, holding out his hand for her. She just stared and didn’t think, setting her hand in his, which was so warm and big that it all but swallowed hers up. Touching him did little to calm her, and she pulled her hand away, clutching her raggedy purse because she needed to do something, as she was acutely embarrassed from his touch.

“Well, thank you for the ride. I can walk from here.”

Andy didn’t move. He was still right in front of her, blocking her way. “I’ll drive you and your son home.”

She wondered in that moment, as a rush of tingling heat left her face, whether all the color had left with it. She was, after all, no good at hiding her feelings. She didn’t want Andy’s help, and she definitely didn’t want him driving her and her son home, but when he raised dark eyebrows over those hard blue eyes, she knew he wasn’t going away, so she dropped her gaze and started walking inside the old school and down the inside steps to the daycare in the basement. She knocked on the glass window. A dark-haired lady smiled and pressed a button that unlocked the door. Andy was right behind her; she could feel his heat as if he pressed into her, but he wasn’t touching her at all. He was right in her space, right behind her, holding the door for her as she stepped in. She didn’t have to look up at him to know that he was taking every part of this daycare in, from the overcrowded conditions, with too many kids and not enough workers, to the bargain basement toys. But this was all she could afford. Again, it bothered her what he must be thinking. She was tired of people getting into her business and knowing too much about her.

“You’re here early. I wasn’t expecting you until this evening?” Peggy, the short, dark-haired woman in her late forties who owned the daycare, glanced at Andy. “Hello, Mr. Friessen. This is a surprise.” Peggy appeared more than interested and did nothing to hide her curiosity as she glanced from Laura to Andy. Great. Laura could almost see the wheels spinning in her mind. She was about to be the flavor of the week—the gossip would be unbearable.

“I’m picking up Gabriel now,” Laura said. She could feel Andy’s eyes burning into her as he stood behind her. In fact, he stepped closer, and she knew he was taking in the entire place. He didn’t touch her, but he may as well have put his hand on her shoulder. It was almost the same, by how close he was standing.

“I’m still going to have to charge you for the full day, you understand,” Peggy stated quite loudly, sounding annoyed. Laura knew the woman wasn’t about to let the matter drop. Peggy strode across the concrete floor to the corner where Gabriel was playing with a box of Lego bricks. Gabriel didn’t look up when she knelt beside him. Peggy tossed the Legos into the box, and Gabriel started fussing. Then she took his hand. Laura was sweating because Peggy was about as discreet as a two-dollar hooker. She called out to Laura from across the room, so everyone could hear, “Will Gabriel be back tomorrow morning, same time?”

Laura swallowed, her face burning by the time Peggy handed Gabriel over. She knelt down and zipped up Gabriel’s faded red coat. Her four-year-old little boy said not a word. “No, not tomorrow.” She kept her eyes on that zipper and on Gabriel, hoping Peggy would just get the message and drop it.

“Oh, is it my mistake? I have you down for tomorrow. Five days this week. Did I mix up the days?”

Why, at this moment, couldn’t the floor just open up and swallow her? Peggy was marching to a big drawer by the sink where she kept all her business records and everything personal about all the parents who brought their kids to this daycare, and she yanked out her day timer just to prove to Laura she was right. Laura wished Andy were anywhere but there. She wanted to ask him to leave, but that would mean she’d have to turn around and face him, and she couldn’t do that as she stood frozen like an awkward teenager. As she stood up, her legs were trembling so hard her knees knocked together.

“No, he won’t be back this week.” Laura nibbled on her lip, feeling her face heat.

Peggy dropped her pen and sighed, letting Laura know she was irritated. “You do realize you still have to pay for the week. As I’ve reserved that spot for you, others were turned away, so you may as well let him come. You were given our outlined policy when you enrolled here. I will not be out any money, Laura. We have a very strict cancellation policy.…”

Laura cut her off. “You will be paid, but Gabriel won’t be coming. Come on, honey. Let’s go,” she snapped, reaching for Gabriel’s hand and starting toward the door, brushing past Andy.

“How much does she owe?” Andy asked in a tone she’d heard him use many a time on the phone.

Laura froze mid-step beside Andy. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She stared up at him just as he unzipped a pocket inside his black leather coat and yanked out his wallet. She wanted to yell “No, stop!” but she couldn’t get her tongue to move, and she watched in horror as Andy lifted what looked like several hundred dollars out and dropped it on the counter in front of Peggy. The woman moved her mouth to say something as her round cheeks flushed a nice rosy pink and she picked up all the bills.

“And—Mr. Friessen, I can pay my own way.” Laura had finally found her voice, but stumbled when she almost used his first name. She’d never addressed him at all, only ever responding to his orders. She, unlike the rest of the staff at the mansion, never addressed him, period, and she went out of her way to avoid him at all costs. So, of course, she was stumped on what to call him now, because his actions now went way beyond employer–employee. She didn’t know what the hell this was.

“Let’s go” was all he said in response. His tone was sharp and dismissive, and he reached around her and yanked open the door, his hand holding the top so she had to scoot under his arm. She didn’t miss the way Peggy watched in a way that made Laura know that as soon as she stepped out that door, the daycare owner would be on the phone to half a dozen of her friends, giving the latest on Andy and Laura. It would be horrible. Laura wouldn’t be able to show her face anywhere. It was hard enough now, as people talked. What made it worse was that she’d heard some of the talk around town about the Friessen men, how they used women to warm their beds. Those women were called tarts, tramps, and sluts, and she didn’t want to be tarred with that brush.

Laura hurried up the steps and outside to his truck. His heavy footsteps were right behind her and pounded with the beat of her heart. She could feel him and wasn’t sure if she was feeling irritation, annoyance, or regret at what he’d done.

“You know, we could walk the rest of the way. I’m not far from here. You don’t have to drive us.” She was positive her voice squeaked, and she didn’t look at him, but he placed his hand on her lower back as if hurrying her along and yanked open the passenger door.

“No, I’ll drive you.” He held the door open for her and then stepped around her and Gabriel, sliding her seat forward and pulling a strap in the back middle seat down. Laura was surprised when it opened into a car seat, not something she’d thought of.

Andy then reached for Gabriel, who she’d lifted into her arms, and that was when she tightened her hold on her son. It was instinctive, and he must have noticed, because he said, “I’m not going to hurt him, Laura. Let me fasten him in.”

Laura glanced at her son, wondering if he’d let Andy touch him. She started to lift Gabriel to Andy, and Andy took it from there, reaching for him. The boy’s eyes went wide, and he whined, reaching his tiny arms out to Laura as Andy fastened him in.

“It’s okay, honey. Mommy’s here,” she said, peeking around Andy, who didn’t seem bothered in the least by her son. Gabriel, well, he never looked at Andy, and, thankfully, Andy said nothing as he slid the seat back and Laura climbed in. She reached her hand over the seat, touching her son’s shoulder and then his cheek. “It’s okay, sweetie.”

Gabriel continued to whine, gripping her finger with his tiny little ones. Andy slid in under the wheel, and she didn’t miss the way he glanced at Gabriel and then her, as if was trying to figure something out. Laura’s face burned bright red. She was so uncomfortable around Andy, and it was because he was so big. His presence, everything about him, took up more space than a person had a right to. Laura was having a hard time breathing.

“Do you want help putting on your seatbelt?” Andy started to reach over, but Laura bumped his hand and fumbled her seatbelt, trying to latch it one handed. She couldn’t let go of Gabriel’s hand; she worried he’d start screaming and freaking out, and that was about the last thing she wanted Andy to see. Even daycare had been a problem—with how long he had cried, carrying on for hours, no one could console him. It was awful, and Peggy had been furious.

Andy brushed her hand aside and snapped the buckle, pulling it tight. He started the truck and backed out. “Which way?”

Laura pointed, swallowing the lump as his touch, though subtle, burned into her. The worst thing possible was happening, and she could do nothing about it: He was driving her home. “Turn right and then left at the four-way stop.”