My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 01

My Housekeeper Tried to Replace Me with Her Daughter Chapter 01

Our housekeeper of three years had suddenly become impossible to deal with.

I’d asked for lobster mac and cheese. She gave me plain mac and cheese.

“Ms. Holloway, I asked for lobster mac and cheese.”

Marlene Holloway set the plate down. “The seafood at the market wasn’t fresh today. I’ll try again tomorrow.”

The next day, I came downstairs and found a plate of boxed mac and cheese dusted with seafood seasoning.

Marlene didn’t even look at me. “Do you know how much seafood costs? The seasoning makes it taste the same.”

I sighed. “We aren’t hurting for money, Marlene. Buy the seafood.”

But by the end of the week, the meals kept getting worse. No seafood. No meat at all.

I was about to give up and order takeout when I overheard her on the phone with another housekeeper.

“My boss’s wife is unbelievable. Her husband works himself to the bone, and she blows through his money like it’s nothing.”

“Once I get my daughter in front of her husband, trust me, he’ll forget all about that lazy freeloader.”

I almost laughed.

I’d been planning to renew her contract for another year, even help her daughter find a job.

Not anymore.

…

I stood outside the kitchen with a glass of water in my hand.

Marlene’s voice carried through the half-open door.

“She still wants lobster mac and cheese. Do you know how much that costs? She doesn’t even work. Every dime she spends comes out of her husband’s pocket.”

“Mr. Ashford is way too nice. That’s why she walks all over him.”

“She sits around doing nothing all day and doesn’t lift a finger around the house. Leaves it all to me.”

She held her phone closer. Whatever the other person said made her laugh, a smug little sound that turned my stomach.

“Of course. My daughter’s just like me. She knows how to keep a house running. She’d have the whole place spotless.”

“She just graduated and she’s still looking for work. I’m going to introduce her to Mr. Ashford.”

“Once he sees what my daughter can do, he won’t give Vivienne a second thought.”

The smugness in her voice was unreal. The whole thing was so absurd I didn’t even know where to start.

I’d hired Marlene three years ago.

Everett Ashford had wanted someone else at first, a polished, experienced woman with glowing references.

Marlene was from a rural part of Pine County. No experience, no references. She’d been fleeing an abusive husband, with her daughter in tow, scrubbing floors to put the girl through college.

I felt for her, so I talked Everett into giving her the job.

Over the years, I’d always looked out for her. I paid her what a top-tier housekeeper would make, even though her whole job was an hour of cleaning, a grocery run, and one meal a day.

Whenever I bought fancy groceries, I’d get extra for her to bring home to her daughter.

I never expected her to turn around and try to stab me in the back.

I pushed the door open.

Marlene was standing there eating a plate of my cherries.

The second she saw me, she hung up. She scowled.

“God, Vivienne, do you have to sneak around like that? You almost gave me a heart attack.”

I kept my smile easy. “Why so jumpy if you’ve got nothing to hide?”

Something flickered across Marlene’s face. Then she puffed herself up, like she had the right to talk down to me.

“Excuse me? Watch your tone. What exactly did I do?”

She popped the last few cherries into her mouth and grabbed her bag.

“I’m heading out. I’ve still got to go home and cook for my daughter.”

“Oh, and didn’t you mention you had a job lead for my daughter? I’ll bring her by tomorrow. Mr. Ashford’s back from his trip, so I’ll cook a nice dinner. She can give me a hand.”

She really wasn’t going to stop until she’d paraded her daughter in front of Everett.

The irony was unbelievable. Just days ago, she’d been complaining about her daughter not finding work, and I’d actually been planning to ask Everett to set the girl up with an internship.

So much for being generous.

I kept my voice even. “You don’t need to come tomorrow.”

Today was the last day on her contract. I’d been planning to renew it.

Not anymore.