Maid to Order (11 page)

When she finally arrived back home she took Grudge outside to use the bathroom and then went to bed. Why did she
finally
meet a man who possessed the backbone needed to stand up to her when necessary, only for him to also have such
deep
emotional problems? It somehow seemed so unfair. Rusty was perfect in every way except for that one area. Unfortunately it was a big deal area she was unfamiliar with how to fix as she herself had issues relating and dealing with people.

The following day was busier than normal since Renee had finally actually reduced her hours down to part time and therefore hadn’t come in at all. By the time she got the closing chores done and locked up the shop she realized it was too late to visit Danny. By the time she could get there he would already be in the process of going to bed. She would call him instead.

Digging her cellphone out of her purse she noticed a missed call and voicemail message. Listening to the voicemail she realized it was from Martha at the group home. She’d completed all the required paperwork so was a little curious as to what was so important that it couldn’t wait until she took Danny back at the end of the weekend. Sighing, she called the number back.

“This is Amy Carlton returning your call,” she said when Martha answered.

“I just wanted to let you know, in light of the accusations that Mr. Hawkins made regarding Lester Crawford, we did investigate. Frankly what we found was disturbing. I’d like to assure both you and Mr. Hawkins, Lester is no longer employed with us. In fact he was charged with theft as we have video of him taking money and various items from other residents both in this home and another one he worked at,” Martha said. “I just wanted to assure you, we take these matters seriously and will do everything we can to restore the faith and trust, you put in us to care for your brother. We hope you will accept our apologies over what happened. Lester did pass all the required background checks. Unfortunately, a background check can only discover run-ins with the law or employment related issues, and isn’t an indicator of personality or morality.”

“I’m sorry… but what are you talking about?” she managed after Martha’s lengthy explanation.

“Your brother’s music collection… as far as we know Lester didn’t actually take any of them. He was simply using them as a way to… bully and belittle… your brother. We don’t have video of those incidents… only audio as most of those incidents occurred in your brother’s room and out of sight of the hallway cameras. However, if any of them are missing, please contact the police department and let them know,” Martha responded.

“Who is Lester?” Amy asked, getting angry that she’d obviously missed something major happening where Danny was concerned. Why hadn’t Danny said something to her... or even better… why hadn’t Rusty? Martha had said that Rusty was the one who brought this to her attention.

“Lester… the weekend caregiver? He was supposed to be taking the night shifts through this week since Rick is on vacation,” Martha replied. “However, after I spoke with Mr. Hawkins I advised my boss who reviewed tapes of the main areas of the house. We just apologize that we didn’t catch on to what he was doing earlier. The things he called our residents nearly broke my heart. We normally don’t listen to the audio of those recordings, we just watch them for safety issues or obvious mistreatment of residents or staff, like physical abuse… that type of thing. In this case, Lester used his words to hurt the residents and then stole from them whenever an opportunity presented itself. We assure you that we will more carefully screen those videos from now on… both the audio and the video. Additionally, there will now be two caregivers even on the night shift so no one is ever left alone with the residents. We sincerely hope that both you and Danny will consider giving us another chance. Both the other residents and the remaining staff really enjoy having Danny here.”

Why hadn’t either Rusty or Danny told her about Les? Danny’s insistence on not staying at the home anymore made a lot more sense now. He would have known that Les was going to be the night caregiver through this week, not just for the weekend, which would explain why he’d taken it upon himself to try and ride the bus to her house. Danny had tried to tell her in his own way… she just didn’t know how to listen to him yet. Rusty on the other hand should have said something to her.

After changing her clothes that sported a couple of chocolate stains, she took Grudge out for his walk. She’d hoped the walk would clear her head and keep her from just going over to Rusty’s house and jumping his case about not telling her about Les’ treatment of Danny.

Upon getting back to the apartment, she found herself standing outside the spare bedroom. She’d moved her brother’s stuff into the bedroom and never given it another thought. Now every single item in the room was calling to her.

Opening the door she was met with a unique smell… like antique furniture… that again, brought about glimpses of a memory. As before, she could see herself at around four or five years old… and frightened. Her father and Sylvia were arguing adamantly… about Danny.

A younger version of Danny had come into the room and taken her hand, leading her back to his bedroom. He’d started music playing… hippie music… and sat in the rocking chair. She’d climbed into his lap and he’d rocked her while they listened to the music which drowned out the shouts from the other room.

She gently looked through Danny’s things as she tried to work through all the feelings and thoughts… and recollections… that assailed her where her brother was concerned.

Everything he owned was neatly organized. He even had boxes of photographs, each one marked with divider tabs of the year in which they were taken. One tab caught her eye, as it wasn’t a year but rather a name… hers.
Amy
.

Thumbing through the photographs she was met with more memories of fights between her father and Sylvia, while she and Danny had listened to hippie music in his room. Sometimes he’d rocked her in his rocking chair if she was afraid, sometimes he’d let her look at all the faces on his album covers when she was curious, and a few times he’d even let her jump on his nicely made bed when she’d had too much energy.

Danny had taken care of her. He’d been patient with her… that much she remembered very clearly. Yet when he’d needed her, she’d failed him. She’d left him at a home that he hated, with a man who’d treated him wrong. Why hadn’t he just told her what Les was doing to him? He’d obviously told Rusty what was going on.

Having been so wrapped up in her memories, she was startled when her cell phone rang. Despite not recognizing the number on the screen she answered it.

The memories of Danny she’d actually been painfully enjoying, even in spite of the fact they’d all involved her father and Sylvia arguing, were dashed upon hearing that it was the security company that monitored the building where AmyCakes was located. A man from the company informed her that the alarm for the building had been triggered. The local police department had been notified and someone would be contacting her shortly.

She’d no more than ended the call from the alarm
company when she was contacted by the Sheriff’s department that several businesses along the main street of Miamisburg had their windows shattered. Unfortunately, one of the windows was at AmyCakes. The deputy recommended that she contact her insurance company and see if she could get someone to come and board up the broken window until she could get it repaired.

After finding the number to the insurance company and leaving a message, she realized she didn’t have a board of any kind or even the proper tools needed to board up the broken window. Frustrated that the first person she thought to call for help with the window was the same man that she wanted to stop helping her with Danny, she finally caved in and called his cell phone.

“He’s already in bed, sorry,” Rusty answered.

“I hate to call you but… some windows were broken out up at the shop. I called my insurance agent but so far he hasn’t called me back. If I come and stay with Danny… could you maybe…” she asked.

“Are you at the shop now?” Rusty asked gruffly.

“No… I haven’t left the apartment yet,” she replied.

“Good… just sit tight. Danny and I will take care of it. Then we’ll stop by the apartment. Do not go up there, Amy,” Rusty ordered.

“I don’t want you to have to wake him up to go up there. I’ll drive over to stay with him…” she started to say.

“He’d never forgive me if I didn’t let him come and help. Just trust me. We’ll take care of this and be there before you know it,” Rusty finished.

Rather than continuing to argue with him, she agreed. After hanging up the phone she went and started some coffee brewing. It was likely to be a long night by the time the deputy stopped by with the paperwork he needed her to sign and Rusty and Danny made it there after boarding up the window.

The thought of Danny helping Rusty brought about yet another childhood memory. She remembered making Danny wait outside the bathroom door for her when she’d had to use the restroom once during one of those fighting episodes. She’d been too afraid to go by herself so he’d told her he would keep watch outside the door until she was all done.

The thought hit her just as she set her cup of coffee on the kitchen table and sat down in one of the chairs. Thanks to Rusty, Danny would once again be watching out for
her
. Was that why Danny always wanted to stay at her apartment? Why he wanted to work with her at AmyCakes? Help her with Grudge? Like any big brother… was this Danny’s way of still looking out for
her?

Did Rusty know that? Is that what Rusty had meant about Danny not forgiving him if he didn’t allow him to help him fix the window to her cupcake shop? Perhaps much like it bothered her to have anyone else look out for Danny… maybe Danny felt the same way about her? Was this the bond her mother had been so insistent on?

Chapter Nine

“We’re too old for this, huh, Rusty?” Danny asked with a wide smile as he helped hold a piece of plywood in place across the broken window while Rusty secured it.

“It sure feels like it. Sometimes more than others, but when it comes to sisters… age doesn’t matter,” he replied. “As brother’s we have to look out for them. It’s what we do… you know that.”

“Yeah. Do you still have to fix stuff for Lauren?” Danny asked.

“She lives in California now so I haven’t had to fix anything for her for a very long time,” he replied.

“I don’t want Amy to move to California. Then I would have to move too so I can still look out for her and I like Ohio. I live in Ohio. Not California,” Danny replied. “Why don’t you live in California so you can look out for Lauren?”

“Remember how she used to kick us out of her room sometimes?” he asked. Upon seeing Danny nod his head he said, “Well, she kicked me out of California too.”

Glancing over at his friend he could see that Danny was satisfied with that white lie answer and decided to do a little prying of his own. “How come you never got to spend the night at Amy’s house back when we were in school?” he asked.

“Mom said that my dad couldn’t take good enough care of me. Not like she did. She said that he didn’t understand me. I can’t drive a car, that’s what she said but my dad said I could maybe learn how if I tried. Mom said that I couldn’t take care of Amy… Amy’s not my responsibility. My dad said that Amy’s my little sister and always would be. Letting me spend time with her doesn’t make me her babysitter… it makes me her big brother,” Danny said. “Mom said no. That’s what she said every time I asked. No.”

Danny’s recent questions about Rusty being able to find a house closer to where Amy lived made a lot more sense now. Not allowing Danny to have a relationship with his dad was one thing. However, Sylvia’s need to nearly smother Danny in her protective bosom had apparently meant keeping Amy at bay as well. Her overactive motherly instincts probably would have extended to Rusty and Greg too had it not been for the public school system.

There were no rules or laws against bullying back then. He and Greg had been the unspoken rule against bullying… at least where Danny was concerned. The two of them had been members of both the wrestling and football teams. So that meant most kids feared the retaliation they would endure from them if they picked on Danny way more than any trouble they might have gotten into with a teacher or the principal.

Sylvia not allowing Danny to stay with his dad explained why Rusty knew nothing of Amy prior to now. He’d even called Greg Sanders to ask if
he
remembered Amy. Greg hadn’t known anything about her either. Then Rusty decided that since Sylvia wasn’t around anymore to offend by even
mentioning
Down Syndrome, he would take the opportunity to pick the brain of Greg’s wife, Carla, who was a nurse.

The few times Rusty had gathered
the nerve to ask Sylvia about what Down Syndrome meant in terms of what Danny could do had usually turned into a scolding about how her son was special. Rusty and Greg both already knew that but somehow it got Sylvia out of actually answering their questions to berate them for even asking.

By the time they entered high school, Rusty figured out that Sylvia took his questions as some form of a slight against her… or Danny… or both. Who knew what she thought? By then the three of them really didn’t even care about Down Syndrome or heart conditions anyway and were more interested in pushing the envelope every chance they got.

Unfortunately, the fact that currently neither of them were getting any younger, combined with Danny’s longstanding medical problems, had made Rusty worry about how much Danny could or should do…
physically
. So he’d asked Carla about Danny’s different medications, heart problems, and where to look for more information on how to help him out now that he was a middle aged adult.

Carla had several suggestions for both Danny
and
Rusty. When Carla finished her list of do’s and don’ts and handed the phone back to Greg, Rusty was pleased when Greg reluctantly admitted that Carla made him eat that health food crap and exercise too.

Rusty wanted to give Danny all those freedoms he’d not experienced while Sylvia had been alive but not if it meant harming him in any way. So a better diet and evening walks it was. Aging sucked in more ways than one.

After they finished securing the board across the broken window, they loaded up in Rusty’s car and headed to Amy’s apartment. Rusty’s stomach was in knots over the memories of the last time he’d been in her house. With Danny content to listen to the radio and sing along to the song playing during the short two block drive, Rusty was free to relive every single moment of his last visit with Amy.

God but she was a sweet little thing. Try as he might he could
not
push the vivid images out of his mind of her taking his hand and guiding it back to the wetness between her legs, or the flush on her cheeks as he’d pushed into her exquisite body.

Not only had she broken a five year dry spell where sex was concerned but she had busted through his fears of not being able to get past the scars in his mind long enough to even perform. Her whispered words of encouragement and outright begging for satisfaction combined with the feel of her orgasm clenching around his dick…

If he didn’t watch himself he’d be showing up on her doorstep fully aroused and ready for more… which certainly couldn’t happen again. Hell, he had to be at least ten years older than her if not more. Not to mention women who looked like Amy were typically high maintenance and could most certainly have their choice of well off business tycoons to pamper them.

Men with a lot more money and less baggage and years on them than Rusty had.

“How old is Amy?” he finally asked, unable to stave off the need to know all he could about her and just how badly his behavior toward her had been.

“She’s not very old… not as old as us,” Danny replied.

The look Danny wore told Rusty that he didn’t know for sure how old Amy was. It was sad that the man was in his forties and just now getting to know his only sibling. However, Rusty’s need to punish himself was greater than his pity for Danny’s current struggles regarding his sister, so Rusty thought of another way to ask the question he needed an answer to.

“Was she in school when we graduated from high school?” he tried again.

“She was only in the first grade then! She had a red backpack with stars on it. Her mom, Diane, sent a picture of her with my dad once, for me to keep in my photo box. Amy was just starting school when we finished school… isn’t that funny, Rusty?” Danny smiled.

Rusty staved off the groan he felt since that bit of information was far from what he wanted to hear and definitely
not
funny. What if she got pregnant from his complete disregard for the very same rules he’d laid out for the men he’d been in charge of over the past couple of decades?

He was trying not to be cynical and think that she had lied to him about being on birth control but there was always a chance her protection could fail and like he’d always told his men… doubling up certainly couldn’t hurt. Always take backup with you and use it…
every time.
As for catching something… if he did… it would serve his dumbass right.
Shit!

“Can we get a root beer from the gas station? I’m thirsty from fixing the window and I have money in my wallet now. Martha says it’s good to keep some of my money in there… in case I need it.” Danny said.

Rusty made a pit stop at a gas station up the street and while Danny browsed all three snack food aisles and the entire drink cooler section, Rusty picked up a six pack of beer and a box of condoms. Not that he was planning on using the condoms or anything, but he also hadn’t planned on being unable to resist one sugar coated angel either.

In fact… he’d nearly given in again when she’d shown up at his house offering him more an hour afterward. In the unlikely event that he wasn’t man enough to resist her this time…
just in case
… he’d take his own advice for once.

Who the hell was he kidding? Too young or not he wanted her more than he wanted a beer, peaceful sleep or even his next breath. If she messed with him now that he’d gotten a small but phenomenal taste of her, she’d practically have to fight him off.

She was like a lifeline to him… he could only attempt not to cling to her so desperately that she either went down with him… or had to let him go in order to save herself.

Once Danny made his own purchases and they were back in the car again heading to Amy’s house, Rusty forced his thoughts to the other issue on his mind. Though the broken windows appeared like random vandalism, his gut told him it was Les
. The asshole’s idea of paying them back for getting him fired.

Proving it was Les would go a long way in putting the man where he belonged… behind bars. It was usually pretty good odds that people who were mean to animals, kids or people like Danny, were just one step away from doing something really bad.

That intuition made Rusty want to install a security camera at the cupcake shop to go along with the existing alarm every bit as much as he wanted Amy’s legs wrapped around him once more.

Upon pulling up to Amy’s apartment, Danny got out without any prompting, leaving his snacks and soda behind, and made a beeline for the apartment. Gathering up both Danny’s purchases and his own, he followed behind.

Danny opened the door and went on inside without knocking so Rusty followed as well, somehow managing both bags, the door and fending off a yapping Grudge. Looking around he noticed Danny hugging Amy and kissing her on the cheek.

“It’s okay now, Amy. We fixed the window at AmyCakes. Now there’s no reason to be afraid anymore… see? But if you are scared… you can come to Rusty’s house with me and stay in my room,” Danny offered.

Where Amy had glanced at Rusty as he let himself in her apartment and warded off Grudge, at Danny’s words, she pulled back from his embrace and stared at her brother. Rusty could actually see the resemblance between them when they stood facing each other. Their blonde hair wasn’t what he noticed though… it was the look of amazement on Amy’s face as she stared at Danny.

“How do you… always know what I’m thinking? Earlier I was remembering how you would wait for me outside the bathroom door at your house because I was so afraid… how do you do that, Danny?” She asked him quietly. “How do you know that?”

“I’m your big brother, Amy. Not your babysitter,” Danny replied and then released her to pull out a box of candies from his shopping bag which he then offered to Amy. She glanced at the box of candies and once more looked at Danny in amazement.

“These are my favorites…” she said with a smile very similar to her brother’s yet interpreted by Rusty in a whole different manner.

“I know.” Danny smiled victoriously.

“Maybe you’d both feel better staying at my place tonight. You’re both welcome…” Rusty offered when Amy continued to stare at Danny in bewilderment.

That brought Amy’s seductive hazel eyes back to him and he felt a burning start low in his belly at the look she gave him. He coughed in an effort to force the feeling away.

“Yeah… you either come with me to Rusty’s house or I can stay here with you, Amy,” Danny insisted, crossing his arms over his chest in a show of how serious the matter was to him.

Not more than an half an hour later Rusty heard Amy exit her bedroom, close the door behind her and then walk down the hallway of her apartment. A few seconds later she entered the living room and approached where he sat on her couch.

“He and Grudge are both out like a light. Thank you for bringing him out here tonight,” she said and then sat down gently on the sofa.

Then, for no apparent reason, she laughed. She didn’t look like she planned to tell him what she was thinking. So, standing up, he went to the kitchen, fished out a beer from her refrigerator, brought it back into the living room and handed it to her.

“What’s so funny?” he asked after she took the beer from his hand.

“All this time I’ve been so worried about not taking good enough care of him and how much responsibility this will be for
me
and how
I
wasn’t ready for it… only to realize what he needs most is to take care of
me
. Or to at least
think
he’s taking care of me,” she said and then swiped at a couple of tears that were making tracks down her cheeks. “That’s what he knows… how to take care of people…
Danny style.
He did it for Sylvia for years when she became sick and he did it for me when I was little… I remembered that today while looking at some of the stuff in his room. Photos mostly.”

Rusty held his hand out to her and said, “Show me?”

She grasped his hand and he helped her up from the couch. Then she led him back the hall quietly. Amy opened the door to another room and looking in, Rusty was shocked at just how much stuff she’d crammed into such a tiny space.

The spare bedroom was smaller than some people’s walk-in closets. There was no space left for
anything
, let alone a bed, chest of drawers, chair and record player that were essential to Danny’s happiness. If Amy’s apartment was the size of Rusty’s house, then maybe there would be space for all of Danny’s stuff, but not in this little room.

“What about a storage unit?” he asked.

Then he thought better of his question… no matter how much Danny wanted to be near Amy. Danny would never truly be content until his bedroom contained all of his things, organized just the way they should be in his mind.

The exact same stuff Rusty could remember from Danny’s youth was packed tightly in the small room… his books, his clothes, his pictures and the rest of his record collection. The look Amy shot Rusty told him that she knew that storing this stuff wouldn’t work either.

“He also wants to spend time with you though,” he tried to appease her. “You just need to find a compromise he can deal with.”