CHAPTER ONE
‘SO, YOU’RE LOOKING for a live-in housekeeping position, are you, Ruby?’ the lady asked.
Ruby heard the scepticism behind the woman’s words. She’d heard it before from the other employment agencies she’d been to. They’d all taken one look at her, along with her less than impressive résumé, and told her they didn’t have anything suitable on their books right now.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ she replied, already knowing she’d drawn a blank again.
Ruby suppressed a sigh. If she couldn’t get a live-in position, then she’d have to take Oliver up on his offer for her to stay on at his place. Liam had offered to have her too, but really, she didn’t want to live with either of her brothers. Neither of their apartments were what you would call spacious. Besides, Oliver’s long-time girlfriend, Rachel, lived with him, and Liam’s new girlfriend, Lara, had just moved in with him. They needed their own space, as did she.
‘You do realise,’ the woman said kindly, ‘that Housewives For Hire doesn’t often have such a position available. We specialise more in part-time casual housekeeping. Rarely live-in. Most of my girls are married women who want to earn money whilst their children are at school.’
‘I see,’ Ruby said in a flat voice. Obviously, it had been a mistake to come back to Sydney and try to embrace real life again.
But before Ruby could say goodbye and go, a phone buzzed on the desk and Barbara, the owner of Housewives for Hire, swept it up, mouthing an apology to Ruby as she did so.
Ruby didn’t really listen as the conversation was rather one-sided. Barbara just said yes and hmm a lot whilst tapping on her computer, so Ruby tuned out, putting her mind to the problem of what she would do now, because blind Freddie could see she wasn’t going to get a housekeeping job in Sydney. She’d been a fool to think it would be straightforward to get such a position.
Going back to her nomadic lifestyle, however, no longer appealed. It had served its purpose for the past five years, giving her the time out she’d desperately needed. But when she’d turned thirty on her last birthday, a yearning had started growing inside her, a yearning to settle down and do something worthwhile with her life.
Not marriage. Lord no. Ruby shuddered at the thought. After the fiasco with Jason a few years back, she’d decided that marriage would never be her lot in life. Because marriage meant loving and trusting a man with her happiness, and Ruby simply couldn’t see that happening.
And let’s face it, Ruby thought, Jason wasn’t the only member of the opposite sex to have a strike against him. Your father sowed the seeds for your distrust when you were only nineteen, with your first serious boyfriend, Bailey, compounding your negative feelings shortly after.
It was inevitable that she would eventually come to the decision to rely on herself, and herself alone. Jason had just been the catalyst that had propelled her into adopting a totally celibate lifestyle, which Ruby found she actually quite liked. She enjoyed the freedom from the emotional complications associated with boyfriends and sex.
To her surprise, she found she didn’t miss either. Not one little bit.
The idea had finally taken hold that she could become a social worker. Over the past few years of travelling and working all over Queensland and northern NSW, she’d come across a lot of unfortunates who could have had different lives if someone had given them a helping hand.
The only problem with this was that social workers these days had degrees.
Gradually, Ruby had come up with a plan. It had seemed so simple on paper. She would return to Sydney and get herself a live-in housekeeping position, not because she really wanted to be a housekeeper but because that way she wouldn’t have to pay rent. Rents in Sydney, she knew, were exorbitant, and she didn’t have enough savings to pay a bond, plus the first month’s rent in advance. On top of that, she could spend her spare time doing an online course to get herself into a university so that she could study for a social science degree.
In her head, by thirty-five she would be a qualified social worker. Ruby knew she was intelligent and if she put her mind to it, she could do just about anything.
Unfortunately, her plan seemed to have one fatal flaw. No one would hire her as a housekeeper, not even here in Sydney where there were loads of such positions advertised. Ruby suspected her lack of experience in such a position was the main reason for her always being turned down, although one of the agencies had hinted that she looked too...sexy.
Now that had really floored her, though, now she thought about it, she had come across this opinion once or twice before over recent years. Lord knew why. Okay, so she had what was considered a good figure nowadays but she wasn’t even pretty.
Ruby shook her head ruefully when she thought back to her teenage years. No one would have called her sexy back then. Lord no! The opposite sex hadn’t given her a second glance when she was at school. And why would they? She’d been all puppy fat and braces, along with the lack of confidence that went with puberty. It had taken every bit of courage she possessed to apply for a job at a local fast-food place. But from then on her confidence had grown, confidence that had nothing to do with looks. It annoyed her that people couldn’t see past the obvious to who she was inside.
Oh, well. Ruby accepted she would have to live with one of her brothers for a while till she could get a job as a waitress or bar staff—jobs she was well qualified for and where looking sexy would be an asset. Once she had enough money she would look for shared accommodation, hopefully with a room of her own so she could study in peace.
It wouldn’t be as good as her original plan of being a live-in housekeeper but it would have to do, Ruby decided as she waited for Barbara to finish her call. A potential client, it sounded like.
‘I see,’ Barbara said slowly. ‘So this won’t be a permanent position, Mr Marshall. Your usual housekeeper will be coming back to work for you eventually.’
Ruby couldn’t hear what Mr Marshall said to this.
‘Actually,’ Barbara went on with a glance Ruby’s way, ‘I do have a girl who might suit you very well. Yes, she has excellent references.’
Ruby nodded enthusiastically at this. She did have excellent references. Ruby was a good worker, and as honest as the day was long. Employers were always sorry to see her go.
‘She’s actually here now. Would you like to talk to her? Good. Her name’s Ruby. Here she is.’
The ball’s in your court, Barbara’s eyes seemed to say as she handed Ruby the phone.
‘Hello?’ Ruby said after a swift swallow. She was not a nervous person, but she did so want this job. Even if it was only temporary. Because then she would have experience as a housekeeper on her résumé, which would lead more easily to getting another housekeeping position.
‘Hi, Ruby,’ Mr Marshall said in a deep and very masculine voice, the kind of voice you mostly associated with radio announcers and soul singers. ‘First things first. Have you done housekeeping jobs before?’