A Job From Hell Read online

I opened a few kitchen cabinets. The steel pots and pants gleamed in the morning light. The cooking utensils in our family never looked this polished. I peeked inside the drawers, marvel ing at the pristineness of this place. Why did I take this job? As much as it pained me to acknowledge, I knew nothing about housekeeping. Dal as said it'd be easy money so I could save enough to pay my bil s, the yearly travel card and purchase books in my first year of col ege. The student loan covered my col ege fees already, but I gathered a part-time job would be unavoidable if I also wanted to eat. The money made from this summer job was supposed to help me survive until I found one that wouldn't col ide with my classes.

  Prepare breakfast, cook dinner, keep the house tidy, wash some clothes. How hard could it be? But peering around, I realised this didn't look like any house I had ever entered. It was too tidy and clean, as though someone had already finished their work for the day. Used to this standard, McAl ister probably expected me to scrub like five housekeepers. With most of the summer temping positions gone, it was too late to change my mind now, but I made a mental note not to believe my brother ever again.

  No boss around, no work. I shrugged and went about making myself a cup of tea, then took a seat near the window. For a while I just sat there, watching the woods behind the house, admiring the dark green of the dense thickets stretching out as far as I could see. I felt the cal of the woods, urging me to take a nice, long walk to stretch my legs and inhale the clean air I would never smel in London. I sighed with pleasure. What a beautiful, big house. Okay, given my experience from last night it was a bit spooky, but this was Scotland after al . You simply don't buy a house without one or two resident ghosts. Besides, I gathered I had been imagining things because last night when I final y plucked up the courage to open the door, the floor was empty. The point was, with no one around I could almost pretend I wasn't just an employee. I took another sip of my herbal tea when I heard a voice behind me. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

  Startled, I jumped, spil ing some of the mug's content onto the floor. Slowly, I turned to stare at a woman's dowdy face. She was short, almost as short as me, with wiry grey hair tied at the back of her nape, blue eyes and a welcoming smile. I liked her instantly. "I was just taking a minute to admire the view," I said, pressing a clammy palm against my racing heart.

  The woman's eyes creased as her smile widened. "No worries, dear. Take your time. I remember my first day here. I did the same thing.

  Couldn't resist the view." She put her large basket on the kitchen counter and took a seat at the nearby dining table. "I'm tel ing you, it's getting harder by the day to carry those things. You must be Amber. Thank goodness, Aidan's employed a housekeeper. I'm Greta."

  I nodded. "Nice to meet you."

  Greta jumped to her stubby feet and started rummaging in her basket. "I've brought some eggs and bacon to make you a nice breakfast.

  There's hardly anything to eat in this house. Aidan's always away, never eating in. Most of the time, I have to throw away what I cook." She opened one of the cupboards and pul ed out a large saucepan, then placed it on the stove and retrieved a bowl to blend the eggs.

  "Do you need help?" I asked, standing.

  "No, you sit, dear. You must be tired from the long journey." Greta tossed several stripes of ham into the hot pan and turned to me. "Where did you say you came from?"

  "London."

  "Ah." Greta nodded knowingly. "Such a big place and so far away. Been there a few times." She shook her head. "Didn't like it one bit."

  "I can see why."

  "Aidan said you'd be staying for the summer?" Greta shot me an inquiring look. When I nodded, she laughed heartily. "I thought I'd be staying for a few months, but ended taking care of this house for the past five years now." She placed a plate in front of me and went about scrubbing the saucepan.

  "Thank you," I said, a little shy. The aroma of eggs and bacon made my stomach rumble. I dug in. The bacon was crisp, but not dry. The eggs were stil moist. My usual McDonald's breakfast never tasted this good. How the hel was I going to prepare something this delicious for McAl ister?

  I almost chocked on my food at the thought. Damn! Dal as said McAl ister would be easily pleased with a bit of toast, butter and jam. Trust my brother to mess up my future job prospects because of a bad reference.

  "How's the bacon, dear?" Greta inquired from the kitchen sink.

  I forced my mouth into a smile. "Al 's great, thank you. I just realised I need to give my brother a cal ." And kil him.

  Greta patted the saucepan dry and put it away. The kitchen looked as sparkly clean as before. I made a mental note to remember to wash the dishes rather than let them soak in soapy water overnight, which was my usual procedure.

  "So you have family nearby? How lovely," Greta said.

  "Just a brother. Dal as. He moved to Inverness a few weeks ago." I finished my breakfast, dropped the plate into the sink and looked around for washing up liquid.

  "Leave it, dear. We have a dishwasher." Greta opened a cupboard door to reveal a large dishwasher smel ing of lemons.

  I placed my plate on an empty tray. "If you'l excuse me. I should get started on the housework."

  "Of course. I'd better dash too." Greta picked up her basked and made a beeline for the hal . "One last thing. Just a word of advice, stay away from Aidan's friends." The old woman inched closer whispering, "Most of the time, it's only him, Aidan's brother and the blonde girl. But I've seen the others hovering outside the gates, glaring at me when I pass." She made a disparaging gesture with her hand. "I keep tel ing him they're strange."

  I stared at her, gobsmacked. The job advertisement didn't mention visitors. For how many people was I supposed to cook? "How many people are we talking about?"

  "Ah, the housework," Greta said, ignoring my question. "You should start with the washing. God knows what Aidan does with his shirts. They're always so dirty from the woods. If you need anything, you know where to find me." With a wave of her hand, she walked down the narrow, paved path behind the house.

  I stared after her for a while. What was that al about? I hadn't seen anybody the evening before, but now I remembered the noises that woke me up. Could there have been other people in the house and Clare hadn't told me? Come to think of it, I was just an employee. No one had to tel me anything. Shrugging, I went in search of the laundry room.

  Ten minutes later, I found it in the basement next to a locked door marked DO NOT ENTER. The laundry pile on the floor next to the washing machine stood almost as high as the ceiling. I kicked the pile and lowered to pick up a white shirt, my lips curling in disgust at the large brownish stains on the front. Either McAl ister was into rol ing in the mud, or he just enjoyed making my life a living hel because I sure had no idea how to get the dirt out of his clothes.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, startling me. Strange to have reception in the basement, but not in a bedroom. A smile stretched across my lips as I peered at the cal er ID. Dal as dressed in diapers—he cal ed it his Cupid outfit—at the last Hal oween party after a glass too many.

  "Hey, sis. How's life?"

  "I should be barking mad at you for sending me to this forsaken part of the world. Do you have any idea what you got me into? I can't cook, or clean, or do anything around a house, and you know it."

  "You'l be al right. You weren't that bad at home." Dal as paused. "Come to think of it, you were. But that's not the point. Don't worry about it, just listen."

  I sighed. Of course he wouldn't show any sympathy. My brother couldn't care less about my job because he didn't like any kind of work. Part-time job or placement, he had never been one to stay in the same job for more than three weeks. "What do you want, Dal as?"

  "I can't talk over the phone. Let's just meet and I'l tel you everything."

  "It's my first day. I can't take off already."

  Dal as snorted. "I wasn't expecting you to. I'l be there in half an hour."

  "But—" I couldn't have guests over already. Was I ev
en al owed to have visitors?

  Dal as cut me off. "And keep me some of your boss's glorious lunch, won't you? I'm starving."

  "No, you can't pop over just like that," I said, but my brother had already hung up on me.

  No need to worry. McAl ister was away, so he'd never know. My thoughts returning to Dal as's strange phone cal , I started to sort through the pile, throwing al the whites into the washing automat.

  What did Dal as want? He never visited unless he needed a favour. Getting me a job was the biggest surprise ever, like he real y cared to help me after my family realised my chances of affording col ege were slim. He even helped me lie to Mum and Dad about my job duties. But my brother never did anything for anyone unless he had something to gain. I switched on the washing automat and returned to the kitchen to prepare lunch in case McAl ister turned up.

  The sudden noise of heavy footsteps jerked me out of my thoughts. I turned in time to see my brother's grinning face in the doorway.

  "You said half an hour," I scolded.

  He plopped into a chair and heaved his booted feet on the kitchen table, dried mud raining down on the polished surface. "I was in the vicinity."

  "Of course you were," I muttered under my breath. In spite of my annoyance, I was glad to see him. Being al alone made me a little sentimental.

  "Not bad." He pointed at the white kitchen furniture with its black marble counter.

  "What do you want, Dal as?"

  He peered at me from under thick, dark lashes, his golden skin flushing. "What makes you think I want something? Maybe I'm just here to check on my little sister, you know, make sure she's okay and al ."

  "Don't cal me that. You're only a few months older." I shook my head. "Just spit it out."

  "Okay." He breathed in and put down his legs. "There's something you need to do for me." I rol ed my eyes. There it was. "No, listen. It's not just for me," Dal as continued. "It's the answer to al of our problems. You could go to col ege without worrying about money, and we could help Mum and Dad pay off their mortgage, and Dad wouldn't have to work in that horrid supermarket because he's too old and can't find a job in marketing."

  "I'm not robbing a bank."

  "Neither am I." Dal as inched nearer, his eyes darting left and right as he started to whisper, "In my new job as an environmentalist officer—"

  "You're a what?" I burst into a fit of laughter. He couldn't be serious. Until a year ago, Dal as thought recycling meant giving away plastic bottles to people who couldn't afford their own.

  "You're so unbelievably rude. I beat a lot of competition to get that job." He glared at me. "Now, are you going to let me finish, or not?"

  I motioned with my hand, suppressing the laughter in my throat. "Go on then."

  He shot me an irritated look before continuing, "I was walking around the forest, checking for damage to the trees, when I came across a hut. It was locked so I peered through the window and then saw something reflecting the light."

  Pausing, he stared at me, wide-eyed, as if I just needed to switch on the light bulb over my head to understand what he was talking about.

  "And? Get on with it," I said, impatiently.

  "The floor was covered in soil, but—" he took a deep breath "—the stones were large enough to see. Diamonds, rubies and the likes, hundreds of them, as big as the palm of your hand. I'm tel ing you, we'l be rich soon."

  Chapter 3

  I crossed my arms over my chest, my mind unwil ing to believe my brother's sordid proposition. "So you're tel ing me you want us to break into a house and rob it."

  "No! You're not getting it." Dal as shook his head vehemently. "I didn't say it was a house. It's a hut, hidden in the woods. Whoever's keeping their stuff there is probably a little shady. After al , any normal person with nothing to hide would just lock it al in a safe, wouldn't they?"

  "Great. You want me to steal from the local thug. What a delightful way to die." I turned to face him with a smile. He couldn't be serious. "Tel me you're joking."

  "No one's going to die, because no one wil know it was us." His hazel eyes sparkled as he regarded me. I could feel the layers of doubt peeling away slowly. He squeezed my hand. "Come on, sis."

  "What you're asking of me is just crazy. I never figured I'd be a jewel thief when I grew up." I sighed. "Al right. I'l think about it. So what happens if this heist turns into a disaster? I swear I'm not going to be caught dead in one of those hideous orange jumpers for twenty years."

  "I thought orange was your colour."

  "Dal as!" I punched his shoulder.

  "Come on. Do you think I'd let that happen to my baby sister? You know I got your back." Laughing, he grabbed me in a hug. "We could talk about this al day, but there's not much time, Amber. Who knows how long they'l keep the stash hidden." He threw me that dimpled smile that always made me give in.

  "What's the plan then? I'm sure you have some ridiculous scheme cooked up already." I regarded him intently. If the jewels existed, Dal as wouldn't do something as stupid as stealing, even though pilfering from some thugs wasn't like taking away someone's life savings. Mum would be so proud of him. Not.

  "You bet." Dal as moved away a few inches, draping his arm around my shoulders as he whispered, "Friday night. You wait until everyone's asleep, then squeeze out and meet me down the road. Make sure you wear black and I'l dig up the rest."

  "You don't even know how to pick a lock." I felt laughter bubbling up again. Probably just hysteria at the outlook of burglary. Cameron had broken up with me because I wasn't as posh as his private school friends. It mortified him to be seen with me, particularly after I gained a few pounds when most of my friends were losing their baby fat. Soon I could add dishonesty to the long list of character traits that kept him from taking our dating to the next level.

  "I'l look it up on Wikipedia. Now do we have a deal?" Dal as held out his hand. I grabbed it, shaking my head. Like usual, he was al talk, or so I hoped.

  "Wikipedia? How reassuring. Why are you even waiting until Friday?" I asked. "Aren't you worried the stones wil be gone by then?"

  "Think about it. Everyone's out, partying, on a Friday."

  His reasoning made no sense, but I wasn't going to argue. Anything could happen in five days. I knew he'd change his mind. "Just do me a favour and don't get the stuff on eBay," I said.

  He winked. "You know I can't resist a bargain."

  ***

  After Dal as left, I gave up on preparing lunch and went about finishing the household chores, fluffing up the cushions on the sofa and watering the flowers, then looked around. What do housekeepers do in a sparkling house? Would my boss notice if I didn't polish the already gleaming floors? Most likely not, which was good because scrubbing wasn't my favourite pastime. I grabbed the feather duster and waved it over the furniture, then hung the clothes on the line to dry. Bored, I glanced at my watch. Dinner wouldn't be served before six, so I had a few hours to inspect the back garden.

  As I strol ed around the bushes and trees, I inhaled the sweet smel of honeysuckle that stretched up the brown brick wal to the windowsil s on the second floor. The drapes were drawn, the glass shimmered almost black in the bright sun. I wrapped my thick cardigan around my shoulders to fend off the cold wind, and turned my attention to the narrow path leading into the forest. The pale cobblestones, scrubbed from years of heavy rain, looked clean and polished. In the distance was a tal mesh fence obscured by trimmed rosebushes, already wilted. What was the fence for?

  McAl ister obviously wasn't keen on trespassers. I snorted. As if anyone would find their way to this part of the country without the latest in satnavs and a good hound dog.

  It was late afternoon when I returned to the kitchen to cook dinner. The freezer was fil ed to the brim. I prepared a vegetable stir-fry with pasta—

  one of the few things I knew how to cook—and made a mental note to look up a few recipes on the Internet. That is, if McAl ister had an Internet connection.

  By six the sky
had turned a dark shade of grey, but my new boss had yet to arrive. I sat at the kitchen table, my hands fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, unsure what to do. I took a large gulp of water to soothe the dry cave of my mouth. I hadn't been so nervous since my first date with Cameron. It wasn't like me at al .

  Eventual y I heard the soft click of the entrance door. I jumped from my seat, holding my breath. Should I meet him in the hal , or wait? I had no idea. What did people do in movies? I dried my clammy hands on my jeans and opened the kitchen door, bumping into a tal , dark -haired guy. He reached out his hands to steady me. "You okay?"

  I peered up into pale blue eyes framed by black lashes. He was stunning, tal and broad with high cheekbones, clad in ripped jeans and a white shirt similar to the ones piled high in the basement, a leather jacket draped over his arm. Wearing my flat shoes, I barely reached his chin. The thought of laundry brought me back to reality. I'd been employed to wash the clothes, not stare at some guy, no matter how hot he was.

  Clearing my throat, I pul ed away and smiled. "You must be Mr McAl ister's son." My statement sounded more like a question.

  The guy cocked a brow, amused. "Actual y, I'm Aidan, your employer. You must be Amber."

  "Right." I nodded, wide-eyed. How could he be my employer when he wasn't much older than me?

  "I inherited the place," Aidan clarified as though reading my thoughts.

  Another rich kid like Cameron. I would never be good enough for him. The pang hit me somewhere in the pit of my stomach. I ignored it because I needed this job. "So sorry to hear."

  He frowned. "Huh?"

  "Your parents. I mean—" I stopped, realising I wasn't making much sense. His intense, blue gaze made me nervous, but I was a professional housekeeper and wouldn't develop a crush on my new employer. Not least because Clare and he couldn't be related, so there was only one option left. They were dating.

  "Is that dinner?" Inching forward, he peered inside the huge saucepan, then took a sniff. The corners of his mouth curled downward. If he didn't like what he saw he didn't comment on it. "I usual y eat in my study. Unless I have guests over, in which case it's the library."