School was out at the end of May. The Riley children were ecstatic to be free for the summer. With immediate plans to go to the lake the first week in June, Sophie could hardly keep them on the ground. Their lake trip was an annual trek to Lake DuBay with the Fraziers, and they enjoyed it every summer. Sophie would not be going, but it was sure to be fun anyhow.
Their grandparents always rented a cabin and stayed for two weeks. They would rent the cabin next door for the second week, and Alec and the kids would join them. They had been doing this ever since Rita was a baby. It never occurred to any of the kids not to go, but Alec would have given much to stay home. Not only was this his busy time of year, but the thought of not seeing Sophie, however casually, for an entire week was almost depressing. He was in his office the night before they were scheduled to leave, his thoughts snowballing in his head.
You’re like some teenager with a crush, Alec berated himself, but it did no good. He was in love with his housekeeper, and naturally desired to be with her whenever possible. Some days he barely saw her, but that was better than being 120 miles away. Had the outing been with his parents, he would have asked Sophie to join them without a moment’s hesitation. But with Peg Frazier as hostess, it was impossible.
They would be leaving after Alec was done working on Friday, June 1, and he had already asked Sophie to pack a meal. It looked to Alec like he would need to make a quick trip home and back in the middle of the week, but the family would stay until Saturday the ninth. It was always a great way to start the summer season. This year, with Sophie here, Alec would not worry about the kids being alone for the remainder of the summer. It was the nature of his business for summer to be the most hectic time for him. Last year, even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t have been home much. This year he wanted to be at home more, but work was already pouring in.
Where had the weeks gone between Easter and summer? While on the beach one night, Alec had prayed after a solitary run in the surf that very soon God would open a door for him and Sophie. He had known a peace that God would eventually do so, but it seemed that God’s timing was not Alec’s, and he was being asked to wait yet again.
If someone had asked Alec to predict how things would be by the end of May, he would have said that he and Sophie would be dating. With true conviction he would have pronounced that by now he would be free to make her feel like the woman she was. But he wasn’t any closer to either of these goals than he had been in April.
In fact, a few weeks after they arrived home from Florida, Sophie had had a date with Brad Marshall. The timing certainly had been the Lord’s since Alec had been forced to surrender himself and Sophie to the Lord as he hadn’t truly done before. It wasn’t many days later that he was able to tell Tory what he had learned: God had to be his everything. No, he did not want Sophie to leave, but if God was at his side, he knew he could handle even that.
“Mr. Riley,” Sophie’s voice broke into his thoughts. He had actually forgotten she was here playing a game with Tory, who was not happy over leaving her behind.
“Come on in, Sophie.”
“No, I am go home now, but I wanted to ask if you need extra jobs while you are gone.”
“You mean, do I want extra cleaning done?”
Sophie nodded.
Alec shrugged. “You would know better than anyone, Sophie. It certainly would be easier with us gone, but right at the moment I can’t think of anything. I’ll tell you what: If I do think of something, I’ll leave you a note in the kitchen.”
“All right. Have nice time.”
“Thank you, Sophie.” He was tempted to tell her he would be down midweek, but decided against it.
They said good-bye, and Sophie climbed the stairs to her apartment. Alec sat for some minutes after that. He prayed that his feelings would change if she was not the woman for him. He knew God was capable of anything, and with that he let it rest.
“However,” Alec spoke to his empty office, “capable as God is, He’s not going to pack your suitcase.”
With that little pep talk, Alec took himself upstairs to prepare for the trip and turn in for the night.
Sophie missed the Rileys by lunchtime the next day. In fact, she had never been so happy to see the mail which brought a letter from her grandmother and gave her some contact with the outside world.
My Darling Sophie,
I start each letter with “I miss you,” and fear that this will grow repetitious, but it is so true. The Czech Republic seems lonely without you. I have done some work in your room, if ever you visit. I hope you will be pleased.
Our spring has turned into a fiercely hot summer, and already I feel boiled. I am not complaining, mind you. It is so much easier than snow. But I must run my fan all day and night. Everyone has windows open, and at night I hear babies cry. As a baby you cried in the heat, too.
Have the Rileys left for their vacation now? Will you miss them or will you get lots of work done? I’m sure you will say yes to both. Maybe you will have some time for yourself. Sometimes in your letters, I fear that this family is swallowing you. I wonder if I would see you on the street if I would know you. Or have you become so American, or so much a Riley, that I would walk past you without recognition? I know this will make you laugh because I’m being so silly, but there is some truth to my words. You have grown away from me, Sophie, and this was well and good. But as your babushka, I will always want my little dark-haired girl, even the one who cried in the heat.
There were tears in Sophie’s eyes even as she chuckled. She had changed, certainly, but she believed it was for the good. It was a temptation to pull forth pencil and paper and write to her grandmother immediately. You could see me, the letter would say. Just come to America. Sophie knew she would not write such a thing, but it was tempting. Maybe she should return for a visit; Tory had even asked if she would be going back. Sophie wondered now if she shouldn’t plan on it. Obviously, her grandmother was not coming here. Sophie went back to the letter.
I would love to see your hair. I saw a woman on the street the other day who looked like you described, but she was a blond, so it was too hard to picture.
Picture! The word jumped off the page at Sophie as she realized she had never sent any pictures home. She didn’t have a camera, but it would be so simple to borrow one. Gladys had one, and so did Brad Marshall. Sophie finished the letter with a new resolve. She would give Gladys a call right now and see if she could set it up. When Rita returned, Sophie would ask the teen to take a few photos of her. Some of her apartment would also be nice, and maybe even one of the Riley family. She knew her grandmother prayed for them daily, and for this reason it would be nice to have a picture.
Sophie stood from where she had plopped down on the front porch step and sorted through the rest of the mail. No one else ever wrote to her, but she always checked. She was in the kitchen and almost through the stack when she saw that this time she was wrong. There was another letter for her, sent c/o Alec Riley, but with no return address. Sophie had not planned to work that day, so she put the mail in a pile on the counter and headed out of the kitchen. She was at her own kitchen table when she opened the envelope. What she read took some of the sunshine out of her day.
Sophie,
Enclosed is a list of things I noticed needed attention. I was impressed with the way you kept the house, but now is a good time to do those extra jobs that can slide so easily. Knowing Alec as I do, I’m sure he would be hesitant to say too much, so I’ve put together a list for him.
Thank you,
Peg Frazier
Sophie’s hand was steady as she drew forth the list, but it shook slightly when she saw that it was four pages long. She swiftly began to read every item.
• Pull out refrigerator, clean the coils at the back and the floor below
• Buy white paint and touch up the wood where the paint has chipped at the back side of the garage
• Wash all windows, inside and out, including the basement and garage
• Wash all screens
• Clean furnace thoroughly
• Polish the dining room table and chairs
• Pull weeds along the front border and along the cracks in the sidewalk
• Clean the patio furniture
• Wash down the outside of the house
• Trim the bushes on the north side
• Clean the garage
• Wash and rehang all curtains
• Take apart and dust the lights in the upstairs hallway
• Scrub the back patio (I noticed many webs and too much dust)
• Clean out all closets and the pantry
• Move the washing machine and dryer and clean under and behind
And on it went for three more pages. Sophie had not planned to work that day, but she would have to begin. It was the only way she would get done. For just an instant Sophie’s eyes darted back to the letter. Knowing Alec as I do, I’m sure he would be hesitant to say too much. Sophie thought about the other night when she asked if he had any extra work. He had only shrugged and said he would leave a list. Had he been slightly uncomfortable? Sophie couldn’t recall. Mrs. Frazier said he would be hesitant to say, but Sophie didn’t think this was true. However, she had been sent a list, and she wasn’t one to question. Sophie scanned the items one more time and stood. It was a long list, but she would do her best. She was comfortable with this thought until she spotted a small note at the very bottom of the four-page list.
I’m sure you’ll be able to accomplish these in a week’s time without the family there to distract you. I would hate to see Alec and the children disappointed.
The words had a strange effect on Sophie. She clutched the list tightly and moved swiftly out the door and downstairs with an air of urgency. A week without the family had seemed so long. Now she dreaded having them arrive home with the jobs not done.
Alec and Craig left DuBay at 8:30 Wednesday morning. Alec had two houses to check on before stopping at his own home. He hoped they would be back on the road to the lake by 4:00, but they didn’t arrive home until 3:30. When they got there, nothing was as they expected. Alec smelled fresh paint as soon as he stepped from the van, and for a moment he could only stare at the spotless garage. There wasn’t a thing out of place. The next thing he noticed was that his truck had been washed. He thought Sophie might find extra jobs to do, but this was taking things a bit too far. And for some reason, her efforts irritated him.
When he and Craig entered the kitchen, she was nowhere to be found, but things were in total upheaval. There was a can of paint under the table, and buckets, mops, and brooms were stacked against one wall.
“Sophie?” Craig called up the stairs, but there was no answer. Alec waited in the kitchen, his brow drawn into a frown. Craig had joined him when they heard the noise—a slight scrape and then a bump. It came from above, but outside the house. Without comment, Alec moved out the door and to the backyard, Craig on his heels. What he saw nearly caused his heart to stop. Nearly 15 feet in the air, Sophie stood on his longest extension ladder, washing Craig’s bedroom window. His first reaction was to shout at her to come down. But if he startled her, she might fall. He waited until she noticed them.
Sophie saw them, but for a moment she thought she was daydreaming. She looked down and blinked and said stupidly, “Is it Saturday?”
“No, it’s Wednesday. Please come down.”
Sophie finished the window she had started and then did as she was told. Alec had come to hold the ladder. Had Sophie known him very well, she would have seen that he was furious.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a calm he didn’t feel.
Sophie blinked at him. “Washing windows.”
Alec only stared at her. “Come in here, Sophie.”
Sophie followed him back to the kitchen. Alec went to the windows by the table and moved the curtains.
“If you feel you must wash the windows, then do it from inside. These are double hung, and they pull in so all four panes can be reached.”
Sophie’s eyes widened as he demonstrated, and she saw how easy it could have been. Craig’s room was nearly the last. She had done almost all of them from the ladder. A hysterical little giggle bubbled out of her, and Alec turned sharply to give her a keen look.
“I did not know,” she tried to explain, even as she fought tears. She was so very tired, and there were still two pages of jobs to do.
“Don’t worry about it, Sophie,” Craig told her.
“You look all done in,” Alec now commented, still slightly irritated at what she had taken on. “Just forget the windows, all right?”
Sophie nodded. “I guess is best. I have not done inside windows. I would not have been able to finish list if I go on.”
“The list?”
“Yes,” Sophie answered and began to turn away. Alec gently caught her arm. It was then that he was close enough to see her exhaustion.
“I didn’t leave a list.”
“Mrs. Frazier did for you.”
Craig, who had been silent during this final exchange, now stepped away from the kitchen table with the sheets of paper in his hand. Sophie didn’t even notice. As soon as Alec released her, she moved to work on the hall closet. She had cleaned it two weeks ago, but she wanted to check it and mark it off her list.
“What’s this?” Alec asked.
“It’s from Grandma.”
Alec scanned the pages. Words leapt off at him. Clean out all closets….Wash all bedding and air all quilts….Clean Alec’s truck— inside and out….Clean furnace. Alec had to stop.
Watching his father’s face, Craig knew what Sophie did not: Alec Riley was just barely holding his fury. Craig wanted to ask his father why Grandma Frazier would do such a thing, but he knew that now was not the time.
Alec put the list on the counter and went in search of Sophie. He found her in the living room taking down the drapes. These were not washable, but the sheers were, and Sophie had decided to remove everything to get to them.
“Sophie,” Alec spoke as soon as he came into the room.
“Yes, Mr. Riley,” Sophie answered, but did not stop working to even look at him. She was too busy concentrating on taking down the curtains. Alec’s hands suddenly joined hers, but to Sophie’s surprise he was replacing the hooks, not bringing them down. Sophie stepped back in surprise, but didn’t speak. When Alec was finished, he looked at her and again saw her fatigue.
“I want you to go up to your apartment now and clean up. When you’re through, come back down and we’ll talk.
“I cannot,” she surprised him by saying. Tears rushed to her eyes, and her breath caught. “I must do the list.”
Alec shook his head. He was glad Peg Frazier was not present, for he would surely have said something he would have been sorry for.
“Don’t worry about the list. Go now and come back down when you’re ready.”
Sophie still looked crushed and hesitant, but Alec urged her with a hand to her arm. He walked her to the kitchen door and watched as she climbed the stairs. His heart winced when he saw bruises on her legs and could only guess how she had received them.
Two hours later she was still not back down. Alec was praying about his next move when someone came to the door. It was Mrs. Nickelberry. Alec gave her the key and asked if she would check on Sophie. He was not surprised to hear that she was sound asleep on her bed. Alec thanked Gladys, saw her out, calmly ordered a pizza for Craig and himself, and called up to the lake to say they would not be back until the next day.