chapter 175


    Thaddeus Magic was in my system still and hadn’t subsided, yet I did manage to sleep only to be


    awoken by a tiny body climbing over me and sitting half on me and half on her father. Opening my eyes


    I find Mara had climbed out of her cot, I don’t remember Orioning back but it was obvious he had


    because here she was trying to pry her father’s eyelids open with her tiny fingers. Thaddeus rolls at her


    actions.


    Mara jumps up and down her bottom hitting my hip as she excitedly tries to wake him. “Dad


    shower, shower” She squeals, prying his eyelid open and gazing in his eyeball. He smiles half asleep.


    “Ask mumma poppit” He tells her as she continues forcing his lids open. Iugh as she then rolls


    over me doing the same to Rnd trying to wake him but he was snoring loudly, dead to the world until


    she stuck her finger up his nose making him jump and his eyes fly open.


    “Shower” She demands her bottom lip jutting out. I sit up climbing over Rnd.


    “Have one with mum, she is up” He says yawning brushing her curls from her face. I walk into the


    bathroom hearing the racing pitter patter of her feet. Turning the shower on, I strip my pyjamas off


    adjusting the taps and waiting for the water to heat up. Maraes racing in with her clothes stripped


    running in with an armful of toys.


    “Do you really need all those toys?” I ask her, looking at the death contraptions she wants to bring


    in to shower. She pouts looking up at me and I hold the shower door open for her.


    “At least leave this one out, it has batteries” I tell her when she tries to bring her robotic dog that


    aunty Amara got her. I take it from her cing it on the bench as she arranges her toys in a booby trap


    for me to step on. I wash her little body of chubby rolls with soap while she ys before washing


    myself. Halfway through my shower a panicked Orion races in before sighing realising she was in the


    shower with me.


    “I told you to wait,” He tells her as she gazes up at him.


    “You know she thinks she needs to shower with everyone,” I tell him. Usually as soon as she hears


    water running, no matter how sneaky you are trying to have a shower by yourself, she will run in with


    her towel and naked demanding to hop in with whoever is showering, sometimes it can be frustrating


    especially when you are trying to shave and have to walk out with half a shaved minge or leg. Orion


    leans on the basin, he looks tired considering he doesn''t sleep.


    “You sorted everything with Thaddeus” he asks. I nod and feel his relief through the bond.


    “Where did you gost night?”


    “Inside didn’t want her to wake up and be scarred for life with the images of her fathers and mother


    in bed” He says chuckling.


    “Yeah, we need to find a ce soon,” I tell him.


    “If you can take her today, I will go find something” He says and I nod.


    “You want toe to work with mummy and nanny?” I ask her. She nods.


    “Well then you need to let me wash your hair” I tell her.


    “Goodluck with that” Orion says walking out knowing washing her hair is like performing an


    exorcism. Today is no different she screams bloody murder as soon as the shampoo touched her head


    and I had to pin the writhing child beast to wash it out. Her screaming forced Rnd and Thaddeus up


    as I tried to wash the soap from her head.


    “Why all these tears?” Rndes in, staring down at her now drenched hair still with bubbles in


    it.


    “It burns” She says,


    “Well if you would let me wash it out it won''t get in your eyes” I tell her, grabbing the shower head


    off and trying to wash it out again while Rnd distracts her by pressing his face against the ss.


    Once we are both showered we hop out and I wrap her towel around her. Thaddeus was getting


    dressed pulling his shirt on as we walked out. He raises an eyebrow at his daughter for her screaming


    meltdown in the shower.


    “Where are you going?” I ask him, seeing him all dressed up.


    “Council, been asked toe in”


    “I need to go in to work but I am taking Mara while Orion house hunts”


    “Did you still want to go home?” He asks and I nod.


    “Well when you finish ring me, I wille grab you” He says and Rnd clears his throat loudly


    grabbing our attention.


    “What’s this talk of going home?” He asks while dressing Mara while I get changed.


    “We are going to see if we can find anything” I tell him buttoning up my blouse.


    “That is going to be an issue” He states and I hear his worry smash into me. Thaddeus looks over


    at him. “Why is that an issue?” He asks him.


    “Because the ce was bulldozed yesterday, there is nothing left”


    “What?” I ask burning anger bubbling within me.


    “Evelyn, Mara!” Thaddeus warns as he feels my temper rise. I press my lips in a line biting back


    the profanities I wanted to scream at him.


    “I told you I would clean it up” Rnd tells Thaddeus.


    “Yeah but I didn''t think immediately, I thought like a week or so”


    “Great, fucking great Rnd” I tell him and Thaddeus res at me swearing.


    “If you''re going to argue, do it outside, not in front of her” Thaddeus says ring at both of us.


    I pick up Mara grabbing her shoes before storming out of the little studio toward the main house.


    Imogen steps out dressed for work.


    “So youing in again?” She asks and I nod handing Mara off to her.


    “What''s wrong?” She asks.


    “Nothing, everything is fine” I tell her.


    “That new girl we hired won''t be in today” Imogen says, making me look at her.


    “Why?” I ask, she had only just started just before I left on maternity leave.


    “Stealing from the til, I fired her that''s why I aming in today” I nod, great now I need to find


    another person.


    Getting to work Imogen and I set to work while Mara draws behind the counter watching everyone.


    We werepletely run off our feet, the day filled withmuters and workers from the main street.


    Towards the end of the day just as we are closing a woman walks in around her mid twenties. I smile at


    her as she enters walking to the counter. Mara watched her with a strange look on her face that I hadn’t


    seen before. She put down her pencil to openly stare at the woman.


    “Hi what can I get you?” I asked her, hoping it wasn’t a big order seeing as we were about to close.


    Imogenes out wiping over thest few tables and clearing them.


    “Oh nothing, I saw in the window you''re looking for a kitchen hand?” She says holding out her


    From N?velDrama.Org.


    hand for me to shake. Imogen stops looking her over.


    “Can you pass a criminal check?” Imogen asks now paranoid. The girl nods holding her hand out


    to Imogen. Imogen shakes her hand gently. “I’m Laura” She introduces herself before handing her


    resume to Imogen who quickly reads it. “We do need someone desperately” Imogen says under her


    breath so low I could only hear.


    “Can you start tomorrow?” Imogen asks her. The girl nods eagerly.


    “Be here at 7” I tell her and she agrees before giving us her contact information before leaving.


    “Her resume is impressive. I wonder why she wants to work here” Imogen says.


    “Resumes could be faked, do your checks and we will see if she shows up tomorrow” I tell her and


    Imogen nods in agreement. Mara however runs over to the window peering out looking at the woman, I


    thought her behaviour strange, she doesn''t usually show such a keen interest in customers and


    something about the way Mara watched her, had me on edge.


    “What’s wrong?” I ask her, turning the closed sign on the door before scooping her up and walking


    back out the back with her.


    Mara shakes her head but I could feel her looking over my shoulder out the front of the store


    still.