“How long have you worked here?” I ask.
“Six years. The Matises hired me soon after they bought the place.”
Six years. Maybe he’s older than I initially thought.
“Where did they live before here?” I realize how nosy I’m being. “Sorry, I sound really nosy.”
“Don’t ask, don’t find out, right?” He gives me a reassuring smile. “They moved up here from London. Mr. Matis was big in the banking industry—stocks and that sorta stuff. Made a lot of money. Think he and Mrs. Matis wanted out of the city, so they moved here for the peace and quiet. And it’s a good investment, a place like this.”
“How many others work here?” I ask, looking around.
“Well, there’s me, of course. I’m the stable manager. Ellie and Peter are trainers. Mack and Tash are my stable hands. They’re all off on lunch at the moment, but you’ll meet ’em soon. Then, we have Dom, who’s the gardener. It’s his day off today, but he’ll be back in tomorrow. And that’s it.”
“What happened to the maid who worked here before me?”
Cooper’s expression drops a little. “Tania. She left…well, I say left, but she upped and disappeared on us about two months ago.”
“She disappeared?” I frown.
He nods. “One minute, she was here. The next, gone. When I asked Kas about her, he just shut me down.”
“Weird,” I muse. “Had she been in prison?”
He gives me a surprised look, and I instantly blanch.
Shit.
“No, not that I know of. Why’d you ask?”
Because I’m an idiot.
“Um…I don’t know. Just with her running off…” I give an awkward shrug.
I guess I just assumed that, because of what Toby said, the Matises are employers who are willing to take on people who just recently got out of prison.
Knowing I’m the first leaves me feeling a bit weird.
“Nah, Tania was a good girl. No way she was mixed up in bad stuff.”
Yeah, because girls who go to prison are mixed up in bad stuff. And they’re definitely not good girls. Right?
The knowledge of how Cooper’s opinion of me would instantly change once he knew the truth about me leaves me feeling a little sick.
I don’t know why because I should be used to this by now.
I guess my recent encounters with Kastor Matis have left me feeling a little raw. More than I want to admit.
Cooper leans closer, lowering his voice. “I know Tash thought that Tania and Kas were…you know…” He gives a knowing look before leaning back. “I couldn’t see it myself, but if Tash was right and they were bumping uglies and it didn’t work out…maybe he gave her the push. Or maybe it has nothing to do with Kas, and Tania just went back home.”
“Home?”
“She was from Poland.”
“Oh, right.”
For some reason, I’m having visions of a tall blonde beauty and Kas liking her a lot.
But not little old jailbird Daisy.
Not that I give two shits about what Kas-hole thinks of me.
“Tash tried ringing Tania’s mobile after we found out she’d left, but it was out of service.”
“How long did Tania work here?” I ask.
“About six months.”
Feeling a bit strange about this conversation as a whole and knowing it must be time for me to get back to work, I reach into my bag for my phone and check the time.
Yep, five minutes before I have to be back to work. I don’t want to be late and give Kas-hole another reason to be shitty to me.
“Well…I should get back.” I gesture to my phone before dropping it back in my bag. “It was nice meeting you, Cooper.” I take a step away.
“You, too. Hey, before you go,” he calls me back. “Do you ride?” He tips his head back at the horse grazing behind him.
“No.” I shake my head.
“Well, if you want to learn, let me know. I’ll give you some lessons on the house. Perks of working here.” He smiles, and it’s a friendly smile.
I decide on the spot that I like Cooper. He might think jailbirds are bad news, and in most cases, he’s not wrong, so I can’t blame him for thinking that.
“That’d be great. Thanks. But maybe not in this dress.” I wrinkle up my nose, nodding down at my uniform.
“No.” He chuckles. “Unless you want to ride sidesaddle, that is.”
“How very old-fashioned of you.”
“I’m an old-fashioned kinda guy.” He winks.
Usually, I hate winks, but he can totally pull it off. And I’m a little rusty here…but is he flirting with me?
“I’m serious. If you want a lesson, let me know, and we’ll arrange something.”
I smile. “I will do that. See you later.”
“Sooner, I hope.”
Okay, I totally smile like a girl at that one.
He’s charming. And it’s nice to be charmed after Kas-hole’s mean ways this morning.
Not that I’d take Cooper up on any offer, aside from the free riding lesson.
Men are a no-go area for me. Jason burned me for life.
Smiling, I swivel on my toes and walk back to the house, feeling a little lighter than when I first left it.
Out of nowhere, a feeling creeps up my spine. That sense again of being watched.
I lift my head, seeing no one.
I glance back over my shoulder, but Cooper is back to work on the fence.
I look back ahead, staring up at Kas’s bedroom window, but no one’s there.