Maid for Him.

Chapter Twelve

Cole sat on the front step of the whitewashed guest house, surrounded by the competing scents of a mixture of flowers. He got out his phone to spend his time replying to emails while he waited for Tess and his mother to return from shopping. The emails were banked up, months' worth. He'd only just returned to work since his accident when he found out about Tess and the baby, and things were starting to get on top of him. Not that he would admit it to Tess. The last thing he wanted was her worrying about him and the business. Besides, he deserved some time off but answering a few thousand emails couldn't hurt.

Before he realized it, he'd gotten lost in his business, it always had a knack for drawing him in until he forgot time and place. An hour passed by in the blink of an eye and he was only disturbed when the sound of women's laughter pricked up his ears. He closed his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. Standing up, he squinted into the sun and saw the silhouettes of two women walking across the lawn towards him. They were either 8ft wide or they were each carrying copious amounts of shopping.

He dashed over to greet them.

"Tess you're pregnant, you shouldn't be lifting heavy things." Cole scolded and pulled the bags from her hands. Looking at his mother, her cheeks red with exhaustion but her eyes crinkled with laughter he couldn't help but smile. "And you, well, you're old, give me your stuff as well." He teased and yanked the packages from her.

"Oh, this is nothing." His mother said. "You should see the delivery van."

Cole laughed, he wouldn't put it past her. His mother had many skills. She was actually a really great cook, a shrewd businesswoman, even though she really only dabbled now and again, and a marvelous mother. But her one skill that would leave all others in her dust was her ability to shop. "I wouldn't put it past her." He winked at Tess.

Tess' cheeks burned and she stared at her toes. "You shouldn't look." She glanced up briefly and pointed towards a white van, pulling up outside the door of the guesthouse.

"Are you kidding me? Mother!"

"It's not every day you become a grandmother for the first time. So I did a bit of spoiling." She threw Tess a conspiring wink, who smiled shyly back and looked back to the ground.

They met the delivery van driver at the door. His mother fell immediately into supervisor mode and set out orders of where to put everything. Cole took the opportunity to pull Tess aside.

"Hey, you alright? You feel okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just..." She let her voice trail off.

"Just what?"

"I feel terrible about all this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time with your mother. She's so fun."

"You find my mother fun?" He asked. "Her? That woman there." He pointed to his mother as she rushed around screeching at the delivery men.

Tess stifled a giggle. "Yes, her, and you're terrible, Cole."

"Well, what's your issue?" He asked, turning back to her.

"She shouldn't have spent so much money. I had a little. Enough."

He shushed her with his hand. "Pft...don't pay her any mind. Shopping's her 'thing' but she's run out of things to buy. Believe me, this was for her not you."

"It's just... your father, I don't want him to think— "

"Who cares what he thinks?" He interrupted her. "Not me. And you shouldn't either."

"It's easy for you to say, he likes you."

Cole's eyebrows shot up. "Well, that's a matter of opinion."