The Billionaire's Housekeeper (Betsy Jones Book 1) - Unedited

The Billionaire's Housekeeper - Chapter 18

Betsy ground her teeth together as she prepared her coffee. The dinner party had been extremely uncomfortable a few days prior but it had not deterred Nicholas's in-laws from returning to visit over and over again in the following days. Despite his reassurances that they would leave as abruptly as they had arrived, the couple appeared determined to stick around.

They were unbearable.

Nick had been kind enough to stay home on the days immediately following but a business trip had taken him away for three days. Three entire days in which she would have to deal with the frosty couple by herself. They hadn't said anything to her outright but their disapproval of her was shown in all of the little actions and gestures. She no longer offered to make them tea as she would for any other guest. It would just meet with refusal and a disgusted sniff.

"How are you holding up dear?" Ms Reed asked, placing a plate next to her coffee cup.

Inhaling the scent of the pastry sat on top of it, the blonde smiled for the first time that morning and let the tension seep from her body.

"I'm doing okay. I just wish they would stop treating me the way they do in front of the children." Betsy sighed. She wasn't upset that Nick's in-laws didn't like her. She could live with that. She just hated that they treated her like dirt in front of the kids.

"You should tell Nicky." Mabel stated firmly, pressing on the blonde's shoulder.

"I can't. It will just create more problems and Nick has more than enough to deal with at the moment."

"That is a ridiculous excuse. Nicky is no school boy. He cares for you. He would want to know."

"I'll think about it."

"And that means you won't be telling him. Don't try and lie to me," the older woman warned before releasing a sigh. "If you won't let Nicholas deal with the problem then you need to be willing to stick up for yourself. Their behaviour will affect the children. You need to speak up before Tommy and Delilah start picking up on it."

Betsy didn't immediately respond. Instead she focused on her coffee cup as she sought inspiration. No matter how much she wanted to avoid the issue, Betsy knew that she couldn't out it off for long. Yet Nick didn't need to hear it – at least not tonight. "I'll tell him when he gets back. He doesn't need any distractions right now."

"You know I could always cancel my plans and watch over the children. You could go and join him. I'm sure he would love to see you." Mabel offered with her wrinkled smile. "I can deal with old snooty pants."

Placing a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, Betsy shook her head. "As funny as it would be to watch you having a showdown with her ladyship, you are not cancelling your plans. Nick would not be happy with you about it." She paused and looked at the older woman, the woman who had become a steadfast ally against the invaders. "I wouldn't be happy about it either."

Ms Reed waved my words away with a smile on her face. "Have it your way. You can call me if old snooty pants becomes too much. I have a mobile phone now."

Betsy smiled and pulled the older woman in to a hug. "Thank you. Now off with you. You should be gone by now. I won't be responsible for you being late."

"I'm going. I'm going."

As she made her retreat, the white haired woman stepped out of the way as Delilah and Tommy entered the kitchen with their grandmother in tow. With one last wave and a scowl at the 'snooty' woman's back, Ms Reed hastened away.

Neither of the children appeared to be particularly enthused at the presence of their grandmother. Instead they were a subdued version of their normal selves. It was awful. They were usually full of life and ready to cause some kind of mischief. Walking straight up to Betsy, the duo wrapped their arms around her and held on tight. Without a thought, her hands drew them closer before she smoothed her fingers through their hair. She could feel the other woman watching them but she focused wholly on the children.