listened to whoever was speaking at the other end of the line. Ryan looked up and saw Marisol standing in the door and the tips of his ears went red again.
“Please, just do what I ask,” he said to the person at the other end of the line. “I’ve got to go. Bye. Love you.” He hung up the phone.
“Yes, Marisol?”
“Danny called to say your car is here.”
He looked at his watch and shook his head. “Damn meetings. Okay, I’ll be gone until seven. Please have dinner then. I expect I’ll have a long night working at home.”
With that he breezed past her and walked out the front door.
Marisol stood there stunned. She couldn’t believe the speed with which he moved, or the ending of the phone call. “Love you, bye.” It was said quickly with familiarity, like it was said a thousand times before. He must have a girlfriend.
She was at a loss. Marisol was out of her element and living in the house of a man who obviously had prior commitments. One thing was for certain. She couldn’t keep staying here. Perhaps the best thing was to go back to plan A—find her New York relatives and throw herself on their mercy.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Plan A
Marisol changed into the shirt and jeans she’d worn before. There just wasn’t any reason for her to come here. This whole idea of her taking this job was a disaster. She’d just have to find another way to survive.
She slipped out the service entrance and entered the elevator there. Immediately she ran into a problem. There were no buttons to press. The only panel by the door was a handset and a round lock for a key that she didn’t have. She was stuck there. A light flashed above the handset and she picked it up.
“This is the doorman, who is this?” asked Danny.
“Marisol. I, um, have to go out for some errands.”
“Oh sure, Ms. Marisol,” said Danny brightly, as if they were old friends. “Hang tight and when the elevator opens, I’ll be right there for you.”
True to his word, a portly man dressed in a red jacket stood outside the elevator door as it opened. He wore a black cap over his dark hair, and his brown eyes twinkled when he saw her.
“So nice to meet you in person, Ms. Marisol. I’m so glad Mr. Ryan finally got a housekeeper. Not that I mind doing whatever for him. He’s very generous, Mr. Ryan is, but I hate him in that big apartment all by himself. He’s not the kind of man that likes to live on his own. I’m a doorman for twenty years now, and you learn about what kind of folks are what.”
“Surely he has, ah, friends.”
“I’ve not seen many, man or woman since he moved in. His mom comes by, and his little sister, but that’s about it. He works most of the time from what I gather.”
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Danny but I need to get going. Oh, can you tell me where the nearest library is?”
“Library, eh? Sure enough. Let me write the address down. And while we’re at it, I’ll give you the elevator key.”
Marisol looked for the exit out of the building. She didn’t want to tell him she wasn’t coming back. “Can I get that later?”
“Sure, Miss Marisol. I’m here until six.”
“And what direction is the library in?”
“Let me call Mr. Ryan’s car. He’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Mr. Ryan left instructions to call his car if you needed transportation. So, Miss Marisol, I’m calling the car.”
Danny had a determined look on his face so she relented. “Thanks, Danny.”
Marisol walked into a bright New York air and waited for the car. She was surprised when it arrived. It wasn’t a limo, but a new Lincoln Town Car.
“Hi, I’m Jerry,” said the driver.
“Nice to meet you,” said Marisol.
After introductions they travelled the clogged New York street to her destination. Soon Marisol was delivered to a branch of the New York Public Library.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” she said to Jerry when they
“Please, just do what I ask,” he said to the person at the other end of the line. “I’ve got to go. Bye. Love you.” He hung up the phone.
“Yes, Marisol?”
“Danny called to say your car is here.”
He looked at his watch and shook his head. “Damn meetings. Okay, I’ll be gone until seven. Please have dinner then. I expect I’ll have a long night working at home.”
With that he breezed past her and walked out the front door.
Marisol stood there stunned. She couldn’t believe the speed with which he moved, or the ending of the phone call. “Love you, bye.” It was said quickly with familiarity, like it was said a thousand times before. He must have a girlfriend.
She was at a loss. Marisol was out of her element and living in the house of a man who obviously had prior commitments. One thing was for certain. She couldn’t keep staying here. Perhaps the best thing was to go back to plan A—find her New York relatives and throw herself on their mercy.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Plan A
Marisol changed into the shirt and jeans she’d worn before. There just wasn’t any reason for her to come here. This whole idea of her taking this job was a disaster. She’d just have to find another way to survive.
She slipped out the service entrance and entered the elevator there. Immediately she ran into a problem. There were no buttons to press. The only panel by the door was a handset and a round lock for a key that she didn’t have. She was stuck there. A light flashed above the handset and she picked it up.
“This is the doorman, who is this?” asked Danny.
“Marisol. I, um, have to go out for some errands.”
“Oh sure, Ms. Marisol,” said Danny brightly, as if they were old friends. “Hang tight and when the elevator opens, I’ll be right there for you.”
True to his word, a portly man dressed in a red jacket stood outside the elevator door as it opened. He wore a black cap over his dark hair, and his brown eyes twinkled when he saw her.
“So nice to meet you in person, Ms. Marisol. I’m so glad Mr. Ryan finally got a housekeeper. Not that I mind doing whatever for him. He’s very generous, Mr. Ryan is, but I hate him in that big apartment all by himself. He’s not the kind of man that likes to live on his own. I’m a doorman for twenty years now, and you learn about what kind of folks are what.”
“Surely he has, ah, friends.”
“I’ve not seen many, man or woman since he moved in. His mom comes by, and his little sister, but that’s about it. He works most of the time from what I gather.”
“I see. Well, it’s nice to meet you, Danny but I need to get going. Oh, can you tell me where the nearest library is?”
“Library, eh? Sure enough. Let me write the address down. And while we’re at it, I’ll give you the elevator key.”
Marisol looked for the exit out of the building. She didn’t want to tell him she wasn’t coming back. “Can I get that later?”
“Sure, Miss Marisol. I’m here until six.”
“And what direction is the library in?”
“Let me call Mr. Ryan’s car. He’ll take you wherever you need to go.”
“You don’t need to—”
“Mr. Ryan left instructions to call his car if you needed transportation. So, Miss Marisol, I’m calling the car.”
Danny had a determined look on his face so she relented. “Thanks, Danny.”
Marisol walked into a bright New York air and waited for the car. She was surprised when it arrived. It wasn’t a limo, but a new Lincoln Town Car.
“Hi, I’m Jerry,” said the driver.
“Nice to meet you,” said Marisol.
After introductions they travelled the clogged New York street to her destination. Soon Marisol was delivered to a branch of the New York Public Library.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” she said to Jerry when they
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