Maid to Fit Read Online Free Page B

kitchen, Mom,” Addie yelled.
    Kayla dropped off her things in her office and headed to the kitchen. Upon entering,
     she stopped and stared.
    The kitchen was clean—
really clean
. Dishes done, counters and stove cleaned off, as was the breakfast table, which held
     two table settings and what smelled and looked like dinner.
    “Oh, my goodness, Addie! Did you do all this?” she asked.
    “No, Ronnie did. Isn’t it great?” Addie smiled.
A real smile.
    A clean kitchen, dinner and a happy teenager…Kayla would have to thank Ronnie when
     she finally met him.

Chapter Two
    Boy did he have his work cut out for him. These people were
majorly
disorganized. They even had a
couch
in the
garage
.
    After entering the unlocked house and confirming that no one was hiding within waiting
     for the owners to return home, Ronnie had taken a look around to see if anything appeared
     to be missing.
    Actually, after seeing the other large houses in the neighborhood, he was curious
     as hell how the other half lived.
    There had been seven people in the house when he was growing up and they hadn’t had
near
the space the Clarks did. His parents had five children. He was smack-dab in the
     middle and the only boy. His father had worked in a steel mill and made a good wage;
     his mother had been the first military experience he’d ever had. She was organized
     and kept the whole family in line with a finesse worthy of the toughest drill sergeant.
     The little farm in Georgia where his parents still lived hadn’t been updated in twenty
     years, but it was always organized.
    He couldn’t figure out the point of working night and day to afford all this grandeur
     but not being able to enjoy it because you were always working. It was obvious Mrs.
     Clark and her husband had something to prove to
someone,
what with the posh-looking couch and designer dishes. Their kid was cute, though.
    Looking around, he’d figured out quickly that they must not eat dinner at the table.
     It was covered with newspapers and bills from weeks past, including a final notice
     for something.
That is one crazy way to live
, he’d thought,
when you have money for lush carpets and nice curtains but don’t have time to pay
     your bills
.
    He’d managed to clean up the kitchen and whip up some of his famous chicken, broccoli
     and cheese bake. He’d put their dinner in the fancy oven and figured out how to program
     it so that it would turn on at six o’clock. Then he had cleaned off the table and
     finished up just in time to go get the kid. He’d had a little of his mama in him after
     all.
    Upon pulling up to a town house equally as nice as the two-story home he’d just left,
     he noticed a group of about eight girls in the front yard running around and doing
     flips. A short girl with long dark brown hair and freckles yelled something at her
     friend and then ran and grabbed a bag off one of the porch chairs and headed his way.
     She approached his truck cautiously, staring him down the whole way. She was sizing
     him up, and he had to respect her for it.
    Opening the passenger-side door of his truck, she looked him in the eye and said,
     “Ronnie?”
    “Yeah,” he said.
    The ride back to her house had been relatively relaxed. When they pulled up he told
     her about the casserole and how to keep it warm, which resulted in a stunned look
     appearing on her face.
    After getting out of the truck, she looked at him before closing the door. “We have
     cheer practice in the gym at school tomorrow until 4:30. Can you pick me up?”
    He nodded and she blessed him with a pretty smile, then slammed the truck door and
     headed up the walk. He watched her until she was safely inside and then he left to
     go see Buck. Ronnie had dropped off some food and a chew toy for Buck this morning
     and visited with him for a little while, but he still felt bad about having to dump
     the dog on Rusty. Friend or not, that was asking a lot.
    Rusty didn’t seem to mind, but