Chapter 6: Playing House

“Do we really need all this?” I asked, staring at the thick contract on Lennox’s desk. After he offered me the job of being Mia’s “mom figure,” I thought there’d be some papers to sign, but this thing looked like it could stop a bullet.

We were in his private office at Hart Enterprises. It was all glass and shiny stuff, with a killer view of the city. Way fancier than the regular offices I saw on my first day. The place had real art on the walls and furniture that probably cost more than everything I owned.

Lennox looked up from his laptop, all serious like always. “Yes, it’s important. This isn’t just babysitting, Ms. Reed.”

“I thought we agreed you’d call me Cathy,” I said while flipping through the pages. “Especially since I’ll be living in your house.”

He sighed and shut his laptop. “Right. Cathy.”

I skimmed through the contract, trying to stay cool while my heart was racing. There were non-disclosure things, salary details (which were very generous), stuff about living at his place… all normal. But then I got to a section that made me stop.

“Role expectations?” I read out loud, raising a brow. “What does ‘acting as Arielle Hart in social situations’ even mean?”

Lennox stood up and walked to the window, turning his back to me. The sunlight hit his hair just right—it looked kinda golden around the edges. “There’s something I didn’t tell you before.”

I put the papers down, suddenly alert. This felt important. “I’m listening.”

He turned back to me, his face tight like he didn’t wanna say it. “My mother-in-law—Arielle’s mom—had a stroke after Arielle died. It messed with her memory. She… she doesn’t remember that her daughter passed away.”

“Oh,” I said quietly, really surprised. That wasn’t in any of our info.

“She’s in a private care home not far from here,” he said. “I take Mia to visit her every month. She always asks where Arielle is.”

Then it clicked. “And you want me to pretend to be her when you visit.”

“Yes,” he said, looking a little relieved that I figured it out. “The doctors say it could affect her if she has to relive the grief of losing her daughter again.”

I nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. “Got it. What about your parents?”

His face got even more serious. “That’s... kinda complicated.”

“So, you’re basically hiring me to pretend to be your dead wife full-time,” I said straight up.

Lennox flinched. “That sounds awful when you say it like that.”

“It is kinda awful,” I said, but my voice was calm. Honestly, this was perfect for my mission. If more people believed I was Arielle, it would help me stay undercover. “But I get why you need it.”

“So... you’ll still do it?” he asked, watching me closely.

I acted like I was thinking hard. “I’ve got a few conditions.”

“Go ahead,” Lennox said right away.

“I want full privacy. My room is my space—no cameras, no monitoring, and no surprise visits.” I needed a safe place to contact Shadowbird.

“Of course,” he nodded.

“I want two days off every week. I can go out and do whatever I want. No questions.”

“That’s fair.”

“And I want to keep things professional.” I looked him straight in the eye. “No more... weird stuff like that night.”

He looked away. “That won’t happen again. I promise.”

“Then yeah, I’ll do it,” I said, picking up the pen. “For Mia.”

He looked really relieved. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means.”

As I signed the fake name on the paper, I felt this weird twist in my chest. I was getting what I needed for the mission… but it still felt kinda wrong, using a child’s feelings like this. And now I had to lie to an old woman with memory problems too.

“When do I start?” I asked, handing the paper back.

“Today, if you can,” Lennox said. “I already told Mia I’ve got a surprise for her.”

---

“You’re really gonna live with us?” Mia shouted, jumping on me as soon as Lennox told her. “For real? Like, forever?”

We were in the big living room at Lennox’s huge house. Mia still had her school uniform on, her braids were messy, and her eyes wider than I'd ever seen them.

“Well, for a pretty long time,” I said, hugging her back. Her little arms were wrapped so tight around my neck I could barely breathe. “I’m staying here so we can spend more time together.”

“Like a mom?” she asked, pulling back to look at me, her face full of hope.

I glanced at Lennox, and he gave me a small nod. “Yeah, like a mom,” I told her.

Mia screamed with joy and hugged me again. Then she turned to her dad. “Thank you, Daddy! This is the best surprise ever!”

Lennox smiled—a real one this time. It made his whole face softer. “I’m glad you’re happy, princess.”

“Can I show Cathy her room? Please?” Mia was bouncing up and down, tugging my hand.

“Go ahead,” Lennox said. “Give her the tour. I’ve got some calls to make.”

Mia pulled me upstairs, talking nonstop. “Your room’s so pretty! It’s got blue walls and a big bed and Grace even put flowers in there! It’s right next to mine, so if I have a nightmare, you can come really fast!”

Her excitement made me smile too as she showed me the upstairs. The east side had a bunch of guest rooms, a little library, and a chill spot with huge windows.

“And this is your room!” Mia said, pushing open a door at the end of the hall.

It was beautiful—way nicer than the tiny apartment I’d been living in. Big bed with soft white blankets, light blue walls, a cozy window seat, and a bathroom that looked super fancy.

“Wow,” I said for real. “This is really nice.”

“Do you like it?” Mia asked, looking up at me.

“I love it,” I said, putting down the small bag I’d brought.

“My room’s right there,” Mia said, pointing to the door across the hall. “And Daddy’s room is allllll the way down there.” She pointed to the far end of the hall.

I nodded while trying to remember how the house looked. “This house is huge.”

“Why aren’t you sleeping in Daddy’s room?” Mia suddenly asked, tilting her head. “Mommies and daddies sleep in the same room.”

My heart jumped. I wasn’t ready for that question. “Well, um—”

“Mia,” Lennox called as he showed up at the door, saving me. “Did you show Cathy everything?”

“Yes, but Daddy, I was asking why Cathy’s not in your room,” Mia said louder. “Emily at school said her mommy and daddy sleep in the same bed.”

Lennox's eyes widened slightly, and he looked a little nervous. “Well, that’s because—”

“Because I snore!” I said quickly. “Really loud! Like a big bear! Grrrrr!” I made a silly growl noise, and Mia laughed.

“You do?” she asked, not sure if she believed me.

“Super loud,” Lennox added fast, going along with it. “Like thunder.”

“I wanna hear it!” Mia said excitedly.

“Only when I’m really asleep,” I said, tapping her nose. “You’ll have to catch me snoring one day.”

She seemed okay with that answer, but then looked confused again. “But where’s your stuff? You only brought one bag.”

“The rest is coming tomorrow,” I told her. “I didn’t have much at my old place.”

“Can I see Daddy’s room?” I asked, thinking it was a perfect time to check out more of the house. And yeah, I was curious too.

Lennox looked unsure, but Mia already grabbed my hand. “Yes! Let’s go! It’s super big!”

We walked down the hall, and Lennox opened the door to the master bedroom. Right away, I saw why he hesitated. The room was super fancy, with big windows and dark, nice furniture—but what really stood out were the photos. Arielle’s face was everywhere. On the walls, on his nightstand, even a huge picture above the bed.

It felt so weird looking at all those pictures of a woman who looked like me. Not exactly the same—her eyes were a bit different, her smile was bigger—but close enough to give me chills.

“That's my real mommy,” Mia said quietly when she saw me staring at the photos. “She’s in heaven now.”

“She was really pretty,” I said gently, feeling Lennox watching me.

“She looks like you,” Mia said.

“I think that’s enough exploring for now,” Lennox said softly. “Let’s let Cathy get comfy in her room. Dinner should be ready soon.”

“Okay,” Mia said, then smiled big. “Can Cathy read me a bedtime story tonight?”

“If she wants to,” Lennox said, looking at me.

“I’d love to,” I told Mia, and she lit up.

---

Dinner was nice. Mia did most of the talking, like always. She had a ton of questions about me living there. Would I take her to school? Could we have girls' days? Would I come to her ballet show next month?

I answered as best as I could while feeling Lennox’s eyes on me the whole time. I wondered if he was starting to doubt his choice to let me into their lives like this.

After dinner, Mia wanted to show me her bedtime routine. Grace helped her with bath time, then she brushed her teeth, and finally it was story time. I read her favorite book twice until she started getting sleepy.

“Good night, sweetie,” I whispered, tucking her in nice and cozy.

“Wait,” Mia mumbled, half-asleep. “Can I sleep with you and Daddy tonight? Please?”

I froze. “Uh… I don’t think—”

“Pretty please?” Mia looked up at me with big puppy eyes. “Just tonight? I won’t kick, promise.”

I looked over at Lennox, who was standing by the door. He looked just as awkward as I felt. But then he sighed. “Okay, just for tonight, princess. Since it’s a special night.”

“Yay!” Mia suddenly perked up, jumping out of bed. “Can we sleep in your bed, Daddy?”

Lennox gave a small nod. “Sure. Go grab your favorite pillow.”

While Mia ran off to get her pillow, Lennox turned to me. “Sorry about this. You can go back to your room once she falls asleep.”

“It’s okay,” I said, trying to sound chill. “Part of the job, right?”

“Right,” he said, avoiding eye contact.

I went back to my room to grab my pajamas. But when I opened my bag, I stopped cold. My comfy cotton PJs weren’t there. Instead, there was a silky black nightgown I definitely didn’t pack. And under it… a box of condoms.

“What the heck, Shadowbird?” I hissed, face turning red. She must’ve done this. Her weird way of trying to “help” me get closer to Lennox.

I dug through the bag like crazy, but there was nothing else to wear. I thought about just sleeping in my clothes.

Then I heard Mia calling from the hall.

“Cathy! Come on! Daddy’s waiting!”

I took a deep breath and went into the bathroom. The nightgown was worse than I feared - silky black material that barely reached mid-thigh, with lace trim around the neckline. It looked more like something for a honeymoon than a sleepover with a kid.

I quickly hid the condoms in the bathroom drawer and looked at myself in the mirror. “Just get through tonight,” I whispered. “Tomorrow you’ll have real clothes.”

When I walked into Lennox’s room, his face said it all. His eyes went wide, he turned red, and then looked away fast. “I, uh, thought you’d wear something different,” he said awkwardly.

“My bag got messed up,” I said through clenched teeth. “This is all I had.”

“I like your nightgown!” Mia said cheerfully from the middle of the big bed. “It’s pretty! Like a princess dress!”

“Thanks, sweetie,” I said, trying to pull it down to cover more of my legs as I slowly got into bed.

The three of us laid there, and it felt kind of weird—Mia in the middle, me staying on my side, and Lennox looking like he wanted to disappear.

“This is the best day ever,” Mia said with a yawn, cuddling up between us. “Now we’re like a real family.”

I looked at Lennox over her head. His face looked a little sad, kind of guilty… and something else I couldn’t figure out.

“Good night, my princess,” he said softly, giving her a little kiss on the forehead before turning off the light.