fabric to make it up.
Sighing, she realized that would now have to wait. Her personal activities had to be curtailed and arranged around her daily housekeeping chores. She wouldn’t have as much time to follow through with her own plans.
Ah, well. There were worse things than living on New York’s upper east side and making a salary, while looking for the ideal job. At least Uncle William’s exacting demands for a spotless house would not go to waste. She and Autumn had learned to clean, cook and sew with the best little Good Housekeeping examples Uncle William could find. She could recall his often repeated words as though he said them at her shoulder now: “A disordered home denotes a disordered life.”
She smiled. Uncle William would approve of her. She’d been smart and frugal with her funds, and hadn’t had to spend much of her small inheritance.
But she sincerely hoped Chad had no occasion to peek into her bedroom. It was a shambles, with stacks of fabric and sewing debris piled wherever she’d found available space. Her main task there was to at least keep the pins off the floor to prevent injury to her bare feet.
Or she needed to remember to put on her shoes.
The quiet ring of the phone caught her just as she slid the pie into the oven. She’d taken a couple of messages for Chad already today—female voices, sounding young and sophisticated, or savvy and businesslike, asking to have Chad return their calls. Spring had taken several such calls when she first took up residence with Honor, but over the passing weeks the calls had slowed and stopped.
News of Chad’s return had rocketed now, she thought in amusement as she grabbed the kitchen extension.
“This is Chad,” he said in return to her hello, then proceeded to give her directions with a firm, instructional tone. “I’ve arranged for a household account for anything you or Honor may need, and opened up a couple of charge cards for Honor at Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and a couple of other places. Did you find the cash I left on the kitchen counter for groceries?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. Thanks, I’ll restock the cupboards and fridge. Is there anything particular you’d like for dinner?”
“Don’t think I’ll make it home for dinner. Sorry.”
“Oh. Well, is there a message for Honor?”
“Um, no, I…just tell my sister to follow her usual routine. I’ll stop into her room to say good-night before going to bed.”
“All right. Chad?”
“Yes?”
“Honor would like to enroll in a summer ballet class, if it’s all right with you.”
“Sure. Why shouldn’t it be?”
“Well, it runs through August. I didn’t know what your summer plans may be.”
“Plans?” He sounded distracted.
“Many people don’t like to be tied down through the summer months,” she explained. “If you have family vacation plans, it may interfere.”
“Ah.” He’d caught her direction, but his immediate “No, I don’t have any further plans for the summer” put an end to her hope that he’d take a week or so to spend with Honor. The girl needed her brother’s company, in Spring’s opinion. She’d noticed too many lost, plaintive expressions on the child’s face while Honor had thought herself unobserved.
“If she wants to join the class,” he went on quickly, giving her the feeling he was in a hurry to wrap up the conversation, “it’s fine with me. Whatever equipment or clothing she needs, use the charge cards. I’ll discuss it more fully later, all right?”
“Yes, of course, I only thought—” But he was gone before she could voice her thoughts.
She sighed, picked up a stack of bills lying beneath the phone, then set them down again. They were no longer her worry.
Glancing at her watch, she realized Honor would be home soon. She made up her mind. Since Chad wouldn’t be home until late, why shouldn’t she take Honor to register this very afternoon? Then they could buy what Honor needed for the class, find a bite to eat, and run straight on to the Wednesday night teen gathering at church. She could deliver the finished dress to her customer Mary Beth, on the way.
But she wasn’t about to tell Mary Beth that this was the last sewing she could do for her. Chad couldn’t dictate whom she sewed for, and if he didn’t know she was being paid for it, he couldn’t object.
Chapter Five
Well after nine o’clock, Chad drummed his fingers along his leather chair arm while he valiantly tried to keep his attention on a repeat of a boring TV comedy. Being stressed out wasn’t how he’d pictured his evening, on his long drive home from Connecticut. After the demanding, intense day, he’d simply wanted to come home and relax. Read a couple of case studies on the new businesses he’d brought home from Europe, and go to bed early. After all, he still felt short of sleep.
Only, the apartment had been empty when he’d expected to find two giggling, chattering girls. Or at least one of them practicing a ballet twirl. It was too quiet for comfort. Not even the TV had been on.
Faced with all that silence, he hadn’t been able to get beyond taking a quick shower and planting himself down in the living room. Oh, he’d taken his files out of his briefcase. He’d even shuffled through a few papers, but it was no use. He couldn’t concentrate.
Where were they? What were they doing? His mind leapt to a hundred possibilities, most of them filled with possible dangers for two very innocent girls in the big city.
When he finally heard a key in the front door, Chad glanced at his watch for the tenth time in thirty minutes. It’s about time, he mentally muttered as two low feminine murmurs reached his ears. He pushed out of his chair; his stride lengthened as he headed their way. He rounded the living room corner into the entry hall just in time to catch a huge yawn on Honor’s face.
“Where on God’s green earth have you two been? Do you know what time it is?”
“Um, about a quarter to ten?” Spring answered, giving him a questioning gaze. “What’s the matter?”
“Matter? You tell me. Where were you?”
“Don’t get all bent outa shape, Chad,” Honor answered. “We only went to the teen Bible Study.”
“A Bible study?” he scoffed. “On a school night?”
“So?” Honor shrugged, giving him a puzzled I-can’t-believe-this-is-a-problem stare. She moved past him into the living room, where she set a scuffed, leather-bound Bible on the end table. “It’s Wednesday.”
Chad turned to follow. His sister spoke as though he should understand completely with that bit of casual information. As though Wednesday held an aura all its own.
“What’s Wednesday got to do with it? I expected you to be home hours ago on a school night. Studying and into bed at a decent hour.” He turned to Spring as she came into the larger space. “Is this how it’s been? You let her stay out as late as she wants, baby-sitting till all hours and whatever…running the streets?”
“We’re not ‘running the streets,’ Chad. We’re only doing wholesome activities. Stuff that most teens do. And if Honor needed more sleep than she does, I’d probably see that we’re home earlier on a school night. But she does just fine on the mornings after we’re out.”
“What about homework?” He pursed his mouth, irritated and feeling like his old set-in-his-ways grandfather, yet unable to help himself. He was responsible for a growing young girl now, and it was up to him to monitor her activities. Spring should know that.
“I’ve done my homework. And it’s not even ten,” Honor protested, but then her voice softened. “Don’t be upset, Chad. It’s a common night for midweek