Maid for the family

Caleb

Penny woke up early, too nervous to sleep. Today Tyler's uncle, Sean was coming. She didn't know much about him, except that the mere mention of him left the guys tense. She also knew that the mansion actually belonged to him, not the boys. She was nervous that he'd be unhappy with her performance and fire her. What would she do if she never saw the boys again?

She quickly dressed in her maid uniform along with her black pair of shorts to make it decent. She spent a little extra time on her hair, making sure she looked presentable. She ran downstairs once she was done and started making breakfast. She wasn't sure when Sean was going to arrive, but she wanted everything to be prepared for him.

Breakfast was a quiche with fresh vegetables and sausage. It would reheat easily in case he arrived after the boys ate breakfast. She made a pot of coffee and poured some in thermoses for the guys. Hopefully, now Brian and Tyler wouldn't fight over the coffee like they normally did. Next, she made lunches for them and put them in sacks with manly bears on them. She smiled as she finished up Caleb's. He hadn't mentioned her doodles again, but she really hoped that he liked the bears.

Thinking of Caleb made her remember that he'd been tired lately. He'd been isolating himself the last couple days and she was worried about him. She wondered if it was work stressing him out or maybe the upcoming visit from Sean. She went to the cupboard and pulled out some chocolate chip cookies that she'd baked the day before. She added them to Caleb's lunch with a little note.

She bit her lip and stared at the other lunches. She couldn't leave the others out. She bagged cookies for the others and added them to their sack lunches. She added little notes as well. When she was done, it was close to time for the boys to wake up. She hurried and cleaned the kitchen. She added a vase of fresh flowers to the table and smiled at her work. She hoped that her efforts made them at least a little happier.

She heard footsteps and turned to watch Caleb enter the dining room. He grunted and sat down at the table. He cupped his coffee with both hands and bent his head, inhaling the coffee scent. She sat next to him and asked if he was feeling okay. He grunted and continued to sit with his nose inches from the coffee. She hadn't had a good look at his face yet, she wondered if he still had bags under his eyes. His frosty blond hair was messier than usual and his clothes were less pristine.

"Is there anything you would like me to do to prepare for Sean's visit?"

"Yes. Go away. No, wait. Dust everything. Then go away."

She blinked at him in surprise. "You don't want me to meet him?"

"God, no," he said vehemently into the coffee cup.

"Alright then," she said and got up from her chair. She felt hurt that he didn't want her around, but tried to remind herself that he usually said things sterner than he meant. She had only known the guys for a brief amount of time, but already she trusted them. He must have a reason for not wanting her to meet Sean. She better get started on the dusting...

His hand shot out and gripped her wrist, stopping her. "Where are you going?"

She looked at him, bewildered, and said, "I'm going to dust and then go away."

He looked up from the coffee and she gasped. His eyes were red, his nose was running and his pale face was clammy. He looked miserable and she immediately forgot all about her hurt feelings.

"You're sick!" She felt his forehead and fussed over him. "You're burning up, you shouldn't be down here! You need to rest. Let me call your work and explain that you're sick."

He shook his head and brushed away her hands. "I can't call in, it's not that kind of job." He bent back over his cup and murmured, "I'm not supposed to be able to get sick."