Chapter 9.
"How was your first night with the baby?"
Grace asked later in the morning when she came into the house. She had her greying hair in a bun and she was wearing her usual sweater and slacks. The only difference was that there was a pair of glasses on her face.
She kissed Emilia on the forehead and stroked her cheeks lovingly before turning to Lori.
Lori looked sleep deprived. Her eyes were sunken and her hair looked greasy like she had not taken a bath. Grace felt pity for her, she must have not slept through the night.
"She did good. She didn't sleep but she did good."
Lori added. She had brought the baby down the stairs and into the living room where her rockaroo swing was. She placed the baby in it and settled on the nearest couch.
Lori didn't know why she thought Grace was a live in housekeeper but apparently she wasn't. She regularly took shifts with Gregory.
Grace luckily took time out to explain the work dynamics of everyone that worked at the Caine household.
Gregory was the oldest worker in the house, he had been hired when Gabriel's parents were still alive, Gabriel retained him because he just couldn't bear to let him go.
But he was the butler and he managed the affairs of the house and overlooked the staff. Grace was his second in command, and she managed the affairs in the house, she supervised the maid's cleaning and gave them tasks, then there was the Gardener Antonio who came three times a week to tend to the garden, the chauffeur Tony who Lori had met, he came in everyday but most times Mr Gabriel drove himself, so he mostly took Grace on her weekly grocery runs, then there was Jeffrey who worked with security, he was over at least once a week to check out the security of the house, Lori had not seen him and then there was the maid Jenny who cleaned and Sylvia who was also a maid but mostly prepared their meals.
She had made their breakfast.
"I hope you at least tried to get some rest?"
Grace asked as she watched Emilia nod off on her rocakroo once it started moving.
Lori nodded. It was a lie but she didn't want Grace to think she was somewhat incapable or she needed to help her out. She was new, she was getting the hang of it.
"I did. I don't sleep much at night anyways."
She said.
It was true, ever since labour, she had found it hard to sleep peacefully throughout the night, her nights were plagued with nightmares.
Lori relaxed on the sofa, convinced that Emilia was finally falling asleep, Grace came to sit next to her.
"So, tell me about you Loretta. I realise I don't know enough about you."
Lori chuckled.
"There's not much to know Grace."
"I'd still like to know."
Grace persisted.
"I know you were pregnant and you lost your baby, but you never seem to mention anything about the father, or your friends or your family."
Lori sat up straight, she supposed the question was going to come up sooner than later.
"I don't have any family. I'm an orphan."
She answered and Grace sighed.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. I've been an orphan from birth. I never knew my birth parents."
"I was left behind a dumpster."
She added. She laughed, but Grace's face was enough to tell her she didn't find it funny.
She looked horrified.
"That's horrible."
"Nobody should ever do that to a child."
Lori nodded.
"Yes."
Grace still looked persistent, like she wanted to ask more questions about her life so Lori quickly decided to gibe her a short and sweet version before she asked any more questions.
"I got adopted though, I spent a while in the system before that."
"I wasn't really close with my adoptive parents. So yes, I ran away from home. Took care of myself."
"Then I got pregnant."
"Oh sweetie."
Lori shrugged.
She decided it was time she turned the conversation around. She had heard nothing about Emilia's birth mother. Nothing at all and while she had been very curious, she didn't want to pry.
She also didn't see any pictures of her, not even one.
"What about Emilia's mother? What happened with her?"
Lori asked and Grace sighed.
"We don't know. The doctors said labour complications. She went into cardiac arrest."
"I'm sorry about that."
Grace nodded.
"Yes. Thank you."
"Was she Mr Caine's wife?"
She asked and Grace shrugged.
"Oh no. She wasn't, they barely even got along..."
"Suzie and Mr Gabriel had a brief fling during one of his trips and she got pregnant."
"Even when she got pregnant, they still weren't close, besides, Mr Gabriel is rarely ever home."
Lori nodded.
"It'a sad, that she won't get to meet her mother."
Lori said as she looked at Emilia, thinking about her own son.
"She has a great father. While it's sad, I don't think she'll miss someone she has never met."
"I guess you're right. But still, she would have loved to meet her."
Grace nodded in agreement.
The rest of the day went by uneventfully. Emilia woke up to eat and Lori fed her and got her changed, she didn't breastfeed her this time, for fear that Grace might judge her.
She then took her outside for a walk in the garden, Emilia really seemed to enjoy the outdoors, she brought her back inside and put her down for another nap while she finally showered and dressed up as Grace watched the baby.
She came back downstairs to pick up more storage bags that she used to store milk but found out they had run out of that.
"Grace! We're out of bags!"
She said as she peeked into the kitchen pantry where Grace was taking stock of the grocery with Sylvia.
Grace turned away from her notebook and nodded.
"Yes. Yes. Sylvia and I are going out for some pasta so we will pick one up on the way."
"Thank you!"
Lori chimed as she started to walk out and then stopped and turned back to the pantry.
"Oh can I also maybe get a tub of ice cream? I was surprised there wasn't any in the fridge!"
Slyvia chuckled.
Grace shook her head.
"Im afraid Mr Gabriel doesn't have much of a sweet tooth."
"But yes, I can pick up a tub of ice-cream for you."
She mentioned and Lori sighed as she went back upstairs to her room.
She had spent her free time playing with her new phone and basically customising it. It was nice to get new things and Lori didn't know how good it felt until she actually got something new.
She couldn't remember ever being gifted something before in her life. No, she had not, not even on her birthdays.
Maybe when she was younger, yes, but not when she got older.
No, not like that.
She looked outside of her window and was watching the swaying trees when she noticed a movement in the shrubs close to the house.
Lori instantly froze.
Who the hell was that?!
She asked herself as a man, a naked man emerged from the woods and walked right into the beach house.
Lori ran, she ran downstairs to where Grace and Sylvia were already almost at the door.
"Guys! Guys! There's someone in the beach house."
Grace furrowed her eyebrows.
"Someone in the beach house? What are you talking about?"
Sylvia asked but Grace was eerily quiet.
"Come! Come! I'll show you."
She said as she pushed the both of them gently out of her way and went all the way to the back of the house.
She was slowly aware during that moment that in her haste, she had forgotten to put on shoes.
She could hear Grace calling out to her but she wanted to be sure they caught the man before he had a chance of running away.
Why wasn't the backyard fenced anyways? Was it because they lived on top of the hill in the middle of nowhere or what other reason?
She passed the pool and tried the handle of the beach house door but it didn't budge.
By the time she got there she was already breathless and panting and Grace was already next to her.
"Grace, why aren't you calling the cops?"
She asked and Grace gave her a pointed look.
"Well, if you had stayed a little while and let me explain...."
She was cut off by the sound of the door open and the same man she had seen running inside standing in front of her. Only, this time, he wasn't naked, he was just shirtless. He had put on a beach short.
He had a tan golden body and a small tattoo on his forearm. He had dark hair, sharp features and blue brooding eyes.
He turned to look at her and raised his eyebrows.
Whoever he was, they had not met yet, but he looked at her like he knew her.
Lori took a step back out of precaution.
"Like I was saying Lori, before you ran off! This is Elliot. He's Mr Gabriel's cousin and he stays in the beach house occasionally."
"Oh."
Lori mouthed, now feeling very embarrassed. The man in front of her had not said a word.
"Im sorry. I apologize."
She said as she turned to Grace for approval and Grace nodded.
"It's okay. We didn't inform you so there's no way you'd have known."
Grace answered as she patted Lori's back.
"Grace who's this?"
He finally asked. He had a very deep voice, one that sounded a little bit upsetting to hear, because it almost sounded as if he was angry at her.
"This is Lori. She's Emilia's nanny."
The man simply nodded and slammed the door right in their face.
Lori stood there for a few seconds before turning her back and walking away.
Well, she has been too forward.
And made a complete fool out of herself.
She thought as she sighed.