Delaware - The Matchmakers (Americana 8 - Delaware )

CHAPTER ONE

"Your supervisors at the hospital recommend you very highly, Miss Darrow." The blond-haired woman glanced up from the papers in her hand and smiled politely at the young woman seated in front of her desk. "What prompted you to quit?"
"Actually it was a combination of reasons." Kathleen Darrow folded her hands primly in her lap, silently wishing she didn't feel so defensive. "I had four years of nurse's training and three more years working as a nurse. So for the last seven years my life has revolved around the hospital. There's more to the world than that, and I'd like to see what there is."
"In the form you filled out for the agency, you mentioned the night work as a reason. I imagine that particular shift would interfere a great deal with your social life."
Kathleen guessed that the woman interviewing her was barely two years older than herself. The name plaque on her desk identified her as Lorna Scott. She was very attractive and smartly dressed in a dusty rose pantsuit that complemented the tawny blond of her hair. Her aura of sophistication and poise made Kathleen feel gauche and uncertain. It was a ridiculous sensation when she knew how well her olive green suit showed off her slender figure, matching the green flecks in her hazel eyes and accenting the fiery auburn highlights in her brown hair.
"First, Miss Scott," Kathleen replied with a self-deprecating smile, "you have to have a social life before your work can interfere with it."
Laughter flowed easily and musically from the blonde. "You are destroying my illusions about nurses! I always picture them fighting off a patient with one hand while fending off the advances of a young intern with the other."
"There are some patients who think a massage means something else," Kathleen admitted, "but very few in my experience. And as for interns, ask me about bedpans and I could probably tell you more," she added with dry humor.
To deny that she had a social life wasn't exactly true. There was always Barry. The problem was Kathleen regarded him as more of a distant cousin than a boyfriend. He was Mr. Reliable, always there to pick up the pieces when a romance ended. Lately there hadn't been any pieces to pick up, so Barry provided her company and a ready escort.
"What type of position would interest you? Obviously you want to stay away from a hospital environment." Lorna Scott smiled with understanding and amusement.
"I honestly don't know what kind of work I would like," Kathleen admitted, shaking her head in faint bewilderment. "My experience has been strictly in nursing, yet I would like to get away from the medical profession for a while. I don't know what other type of position I'm qualified to hold."
"Let me see what openings our agency has available," Lorna Scott suggested, reaching for a card file on her desk. "I'm sure we'll find something."
I hope so, Kathleen thought silently as the woman began flipping through the index. Her friends, nearly all fellow nurses, had thought she was crazy to hand in her resignation without having another job lined up, but Kathleen had chosen not to listen to their well-meaning advice. There was enough money in her savings account to keep her going for a few months and she had known that if she didn't make a complete break from the hospital while she was determined to do so, she would never do it.
As for her future employment, she was open to any suggestion. She would willingly clerk in a department store or serve tables in a restaurant if need be. She knew she could always return to nursing.
It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy her work or find it rewarding. Her life had simply fallen into a rut and she wanted to blaze a new trail. With luck this employment agency would offer her a new horizon. Anything was better than her view of the old one.
"Have you had any experience with adolescents?" The other woman's question broke in on Kathleen's train of thought.
"I've worked in the pediatrics ward." A smile tugged at her mouth, bringing a pair of dimples into play. "And I'm the oldest of seven children, so I suppose that gives me some experience."
An agreeing smile touched Lorna Scott's face as she extracted the card from a file. "We have a client who's looking for someone to take care of his two children. Let's see." She consulted the writing on the card. "They're both girls. One is twelve and the other is ten."
"It sounds as if it's more supervision than actually taking care of them," Kathleen commented, her interest mounting as she contemplated the position.
"Our client is away from home a great deal and the job would require that you live in. It would also entail some housekeeping and cooking." Lorna Scott tipped her head to the side in resignation. "I can't say that it's a position that would help your social life."
"No, that's true." Yet it did have some compensations. While she wouldn't actually have a great deal of free time, there would be a considerable amount that she could spend as she wished. Two nearly teenaged girls would not require her constant attention or need to be entertained.
Her mother had always declared that Kathleen was a homemaker at heart. She certainly enjoyed working around her small apartment, cooking and cleaning and redecorating when the budget allowed. She had always looked forward to the day when she would have a home of her own. Of course, her dream had always included a husband. And there wasn't any applicant for that position on the horizon, unless one counted Barry, which Kathleen didn't.
"Still," Kathleen added after several seconds of consideration, "the job does sound interesting."
"Your experience and background would meet the requirements." The salary offered, in addition to meals and lodging, was generous. "You will have one day off a week and one weekend a month. The girls will stay with a relative during those times. Once the summer vacation is over and they're back in school, you would have more free daytime hours to yourself."
The more Kathleen thought about it, the more appealing the job sounded. Summer days with two girls would invariably mean a lot of time spent at the beach, swimming and lazing in the sun. It wouldn't be much different from playing around with her younger sisters and being paid for it. It was certainly worth looking into further.
As Kathleen started to say she was definitely interested in the job, her interviewer spoke. "About the only problem you might run into is that Mr. Long did request that the woman be older, more mature. A mother image, I suppose, as opposed to a sister. Unfortunately we haven't been able to find a qualified woman who is able to leave her own home to live in, so perhaps he'll concede that requirement. If you're interested, I can telephone for an appointment."
"I am interested," Kathleen stated definitely.
"Excuse me a minute while I see what I can arrange." Lorna Scott rose from her desk, taking the index card with her as she left the small room.
Kathleen waited silently, concealing her impatience. As a nurse, she had learned to control her emotions, whether anger, joy or sorrow. The first was not always easy, since the glint of red hair indicated a temper as quick to flare as a match.
It had surfaced often as a child, but with six other children, her parents had not had the time nor the patience to allow her to indulge in tantrums. Generally Kathleen counted to ten, waited until she was alone, then vented her wrath on some inanimate object. For the most part it had provided a successful method for releasing her frustrations.
"Good news," said Miss Scott, stepping back into the office. "I've arranged an interview for you this Saturday at one-thirty."
Kathleen leaned forward eagerly, wanting to wipe away the obstacle in her path. "What did he say when you mentioned my age?"
"Mr. Long is out of the country. I talked to Mrs. Long, his aunt, whom you will be seeing. I didn't have an opportunity to say more than that you were younger than he had requested. But it seems that there've been so few applicants for the position that Mrs. Long is willing to see anyone. She's staying with the girls until someone can be hired. Her only comment was that she was too old to keep up with two active girls." Lorna Scott smiled reassuringly. "I think that bodes very well for your chances."
"It might." Mentally Kathleen had crossed her fingers, discovering that she really wanted the job, providing that everything was as it seemed on the surface.
A slip of paper was handed to her. "Here are the directions to Mr. Long's home. It's out in the country near the coast of Delaware Bay. It shouldn't be difficult to find."
Glancing at the written directions, Kathleen nodded agreement. "I'm familiar with the coast roads. I think I know exactly where this is."