A Christmas Homecoming Read Online Free Page B

lately? Buying new would be so much simpler.
    “Bailey!” Mona called from the room next door.
    “I’ll be right there.” She tried to keep her voice cheerful, but it was becoming more of a challenge. With a click on the mouse, she closed the internet and put her computer to sleep, suspecting this would take a while. Grabbing a notepad and pen she ambled into her boss’s bedroom. “Oh.” A tingle zipped through her as she stopped mid-step. Get it together girl . No way would a man like Stephen give her more than a passing glance. She needed to turn off this attraction before her heart got involved. “Hi, Stephen. I didn’t realize you were here.” The black eye he’d gotten from his accident last week had turned colors and was now an odd shade of yellow.
    “Good afternoon, Bailey,” Stephen said. “Mrs. Gladstone called a while ago. She was still ecstatic over the job you did for her and told Mother how pleased she was with your work.”
    Bailey grinned as she walked to the empty wingback chair on the other side of Mona’s four-poster bed. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m really pleased she liked it so much.”
    “Well, that’s the point of hiring a professional,” Mona snapped from her bed.
    The euphoria of a moment ago fizzled. Her boss sure knew how to make herself understood. It seemed her speech had improved slightly since Stephen’s arrival. Then again, Mona was still talking slower than normal.
    “If she wasn’t happy, there’d be a problem.” Mona crossed her arms.
    Stephen cleared his throat. “That’s true, Mom, but I believe when a job is well done it should be acknowledged.”
    Bailey’s gaze shot to Stephen’s. He winked. Stephen was different from his brothers. None of them ever winked—period. She had imagined Stephen would be stuffy and disagreeable, considering that he’d chosen to work in France—a location decidedly more aristocratic than Central Oregon. Plus, he’d gone there on his own; it wasn’t even the family business he was working for. Maybe she’d judged him wrong. His shortness with her last week could easily be attributed to his accident and jetlag.
    Stephen cleared his throat. “My mother and I have decided to hire a companion for her. Someone who will fix meals, keep the house tidy, and tend to her needs. I hope to have her in place soon after Thanksgiving. Then maybe Mom will be more willing to venture outside this room.”
    Bailey’s gaze shot to Mona’s. Her boss frowned, but a resigned look filled her eyes. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.” In fact it was the best news she’d received since Mona’s stroke. Not that she didn’t feel for her boss, but life would be so much easier with help. She had to believe that if Mona would get out of that bed and try a little harder to gain back her mobility, her overall health would improve.
    Mona pressed her lips into a tight frown.
    Bailey’s eye’s widened. Uh-oh. Mona was unhappy, and that never bode well for anyone. Clearly her son had played a huge role in getting his mother to agree to hire someone. Hopefully she’d warm up to the idea and turn that frown upside down, as her mom liked to say. Bailey had never thought of using an old fashioned companion who could do it all. He’d found the perfect solution.
    Mona’s hurtful words from a moment ago tickled the back of her mind, but she pushed them aside. She would not dwell on words spoken out of anger, frustration, or perhaps pain. She did a good job and would keep this job by continuing to be excellent at designing and pleasing their clients. “What can I do for you, Mona?” Her boss had called her in here for a reason, but they’d gotten sidetracked.
    “I want to go over the design for the Davis’s en-suite remodel. Rick wants the plans firmed up so they can begin work on Monday.”
    “Okay. It’s on my computer. I’ll be right back.” She placed the pad and pen on the chair and dashed to the next room to retrieve her laptop. A