Free The Mistress by Lexie Ray Page B

her to pull her blankets tighter against her, and she rolled into them. Unlike Marissa, there was no evidence of another presence being there recently. There was no warmth, only the chill of an unslept on side. She sighed, lifted her tired body off of her bed, and got ready for the day ahead of her.
    Another day at fucking work. Another day of seeing him. Hi Ho – fucking  Hi Ho – she began to sing, laughing at the innuendo, which seemed to describe her perfectly. Ho.
    She was wondering at that moment why in the world she had agreed to work Saturdays. Fucking Saturdays.
    ~~~
    M arissa laughed at herself – mocked even – for even thinking that the earring’s presence in the bed was strange. It was obviously Haley’s earring. She remembered her wearing them consistently, and Haley cleaned everything in the house. It was only a matter of time before she found some of her things scattered about randomly.
    Forgetting about her stupidity, she turned her attention to her family. She admired them greatly; hell, the kids and Preston made a beautiful spread for breakfast, and she was incredibly grateful for it. It had been absolutely delicious, consisting of pancakes, fruit, bacon, and freshly squeezed orange juice with a hint of grapefruit squeezed in.
    Part of her really hoped that they hadn’t made too much of a mess, though. She hadn’t had the time to go into the kitchen and investigate the cleanliness – or lack thereof, of the room. Poor Haley , she thought to herself. The woman was too good. She cooked, cleaned, chauffeured the kids to and from school, extra-curricular activities and sports, and wherever else they needed to go; she folded all the laundry and put it all away – she truly was a miracle worker.
    Marissa was forever indebted to her for working Saturdays. Once upon a time it wasn’t in the job description. It wasn’t until the bakery started noticing a large decline in business due to competition that she decided to open up on Saturday afternoons like other bakeries in the area. Because she was open, and Preston was always preparing for his job, it was necessary for Haley to be around on Saturdays. The kids often had activities on those days, plus it was nice to have someone around to clean up after the crazy Saturday morning breakfast rush at home.
    There were many times that they wondered if they truly needed a nanny, especially with the growing age of the kids, but it was out of the question to get rid of her. Over the last twelve years, she really had been part of the family. Lucas and Sophie loved her as if she were a second mother or a fun aunt, and in truth, Marissa didn’t know what she would do without her. She loved talking to her, and she knew Preston felt the same way.
    As soon as she heard the front door open and the kids running through the house, she knew that she was there. Smiling, she grabbed her jacket and apron and went to greet the woman.
    “Hey, you dropped your earrings in our room!” Marissa bellowed through the house. She couldn’t place Haley’s expression but shrugged it off as nothing, “I’m sure you would be crazy without it! It looks expensive!” she finished, rushing past the woman. She was almost late for work.
    ~~`
    A tall, dark-haired man in his mid-twenties, dressed in an expensive-looking hand-stitched blue sport coat, busted through the bakery door with a conducting flamboyancy. In a sing-a-long tune he musically uplifted a “hello” before fox-trotting to the counter to greet the blonde. “You’re late, sweetie,” Marissa smiled. She loved the man. Truly she did. He was such a joy to work with, but completely unreliable.
    “I prefer fashionably so,” he responded, feigning a catty tone.
    “Fashionably or not, Joseph. You’re still late. Don’t let it happen again.”
    When she hired Joseph she had suspected he would fulfill the gay best friend role that every woman – including her – secretly vies for. Though he did fill the position quite