Reyona marvelled at her acting prowess.
Maybe she had a second career lying in wait for her after all.
But then she had taken it too far when she mentioned the school.
She wished she had stuffed her feet in her mouth before the words got out.
After all, all she had known about it was the name of the school, and she had video-called the children when they were leaving for school on their first day.
That was last week.
Junior's squeal of "Reyona, you came!" was the first hiccup of the night.
Macaulay looked confused for a moment.
"I thought you were not going to…"
"... come back from work!" Reyona said as she suddenly hugged the boy, muffling the remnant of his words against her body.
Still holding him, she smiled at Macaulay as she hurriedly said "How can I not come back from work, darling? I always come back. I am sorry that I came back late today."
Maxwell quickly led Macaulay to the living room, and they were soon seated after Reyona had lingered behind to remind Junior of their deal.
As if that was not enough, Reyona had to tactfully direct most of the questions to Maxwell that evening.
Allysyn and Junior made another mistake in including Reyona in their activities too.
It seemed Macaulay was out to get Reyona that night as she mostly directed most of her questions to Reyona instead of Maxwell.
She got most of them wrong, and Junior, in his exuberance, would innocently point out her mistake.
Reyona had to feign a headache at one point and Maxwell quickly diffused the increasingly tense atmosphere by firmly telling Macaulay that his wife would like to have a rest.
"We can take this up next time, right?" he asked when Macaulay seemed reluctant to leave.
The woman sighed quietly as she said "Yes, I suppose we can."
Reyona gave her car key to Maxwell, so he could move her car from behind Macaulay's.
She heard the children whispering urgently to themselves, and she looked over at them.
Junior looked upset.
"What is it?" She asked wearily.
"Ally said I made you look like a liar, and now you might send us away."
There was another person who needed her feet stuffed in her mouth most of the time.
"No, of course not. That is not true. Why would you even say that, Allysyn?"
Allysyn shrugged and said nothing.
As much as Reyona would like to know what was causing all that attitude from the young girl, she was in no mood to start trying to pull a camel through a needle's eye.
So, she said to both of them, "No, I am not…we are not going to do such a thing, okay? We are not going to let them take you away either. If there is anyone to blame for what happened tonight, then blame me, okay?"
"So, so, you are not mad at me?" Junior asked as he fiddled with his fingers, his vital smile nowhere to be found.
"No, of course not. I can never be mad at you." then she inclined her head with a smile as she said "Well, maybe when you have been very, very naughty. But right now? No, that wasn't your fault. Come."
She spread her arms and waited as his face split in a smile, and he bounced over to her.
She hugged him tightly and breathed in his sweet smell.
Then, with her chin above his, she asked "Does that look like the hug of someone mad at you?"
"No!"
"Good," Reyona said as she kissed his hair.
The nanny came in just at that moment to announce that it was time for their bed.
"Good night," Junior said as he hugged Reyona tightly before running to hold the woman's hand. "Jane, are you going to read the fox and the grape today?"
"You bet," the woman said. "The first person to get into the bath gets to pick the second story."
Junior was off while shouting that he was going to be the winner.
Allysyn shot Reyona what could have been termed an apologetic look before she quietly followed the two out.
Expecting a good night would have been too much after all.
Reyona sighed and leaned back wearily against the backrest of the couch with her eyes closed.
She jolted as she felt a pair of strong fingers on her shoulders.
"Relax", Maxwell's voice floated down her ears as he set out to gently massage the kinks she had not even known she had in her neck.
"So, that was a bit awkward, wasn't it?" he said as he moved down the nape of her neck.
"The worst," Reyona said in embarrassment as she remembered how much she had messed up. "You don't think she would…" she unconsciously turned her head to expose the spot she wanted him to get to. "You don't think she would make a move to call us out or something right? The kids were worried that they might get sent away."
"That is not going to happen. One strike shouldn't be enough ground for them to do that. Also, I made her realise that you do forget things at times when you are very tired."
"Oh, great. Now she would think I am an idiot who can't handle a hectic day at work and might completely forget the children exist whenever I am tired."
Maxwell's chuckle mingled deliciously with the tingling feeling she was getting all over her body from the way his hands were working on her shoulders.
"Only you would think of that," he said in a low husky tone that was closer to her ears than before.
She turned her head suddenly and realised that he had leaned closer to her.
She straightened immediately and slowly eased her shoulders from beneath his fingers as she said "I…uhm. Thank you. That was very helpful."
"It is my pleasure," Maxwell said as he tucked his hands into his pockets and watched her as she stood.
He was still standing behind the couch, yet Reyona felt as if the distance between them had been reduced somehow.
She looked towards the direction that the kids had gone with the nanny and fleetingly wondered how a home with so many domestic staff could manage to be that quiet.
She could feel his gaze resting heavily on her as she wondered why she was finding it difficult to look back at him.
"I…" her gaze landed on the open collar of his v-neck tight-fitting shirt, and she wondered why he liked tight-fitting clothes.
It must be an ego thing. He couldn't wait to show off his…"
"Why wouldn't you consider it?" he asked suddenly.