"Rosanne, is Mike picking you up today?" Peter Van Husen asked as soon as he walked into the kitchen at Schuyler Manor.
"Yes, he is," Rosanne replied in the same pleasant voice she always used no matter whom she was talking to. Peter wondered if Rosanne ever got upset. She seemed to be the most even mannered person he'd ever met and that was pretty amazing considering who she worked for. Peter was in love with Mavis but even he could see that she would make a pretty formidable boss. "Did you want to talk to him?"
"Ummm, yeah, I did," Peter said. He helped himself to some of the oatmeal cookies Rosanne had just put in the antique cookie jar. The waistbands on his pants were getting tight and he could feel a roll forming around his middle. For a moment he contemplated putting the cookies back but then changed his mind. That was another thing about living in Schuyler Manor: comfort food was now a daily requirement instead of an occasional treat.
It hadn't been like that when he lived with Chelsea. Maybe their life wasn't too exciting but it was a lot less stressful than living with Mavis. Not that he planned on going back to his wife. In spite of the stress and the occasional annoyances he felt toward all of the Schuylers, Peter enjoyed living in the lap of luxury.
Peter felt a flash of guilt when he remembered that not only when he leaving his wife behind, there was also a child to consider. Although he tried not to think about it, some of the other officers had been making a few pointed comments about deadbeat dads while staring directly at him. Peter helped himself to a few more cookies. He wasn't going to be a deadbeat dad; he simply wasn't going to be an on-site dad either. He pushed all thoughts of impending fatherhood out of his mind.
Rosanne looked as if she wanted to know what Peter needed to talk to her husband about but she didn't ask. That was another thing Peter liked about the housekeeper; she wasn't nosy. He knew that she didn't approve of Peter's living with Mavis but Rosanne kept her thoughts to herself. Her husband was one lucky man. "He'll be here in a few minutes if you'd like to wait."
"I think I will." Peter popped another cookie into his mouth as Rosanne began to gather together her purse and a light jacket she always wore. The back door opened a moment later and Mike Olson entered the room.
"Ready?" he asked Rosanne before seeing Peter at the kitchen table. "Hey, man! How are you?" Mike held out his hand to Peter.
Brushing cookie crumbs off his chin, Peter stood and gripped Mike's hand. "Good, Mike. How are you? I hear you're moving."
"Where'd you hear that?" Mike questioned.
Peter shrugged. "You know how it is in a town as small as Schuyler Square. Is it true?"
"Yeah, we bought a house from Steve and Dee Dee Cooper."
"The same house Mary Austin lived in."
Mike looked at Peter curiously. "Right."
Peter laughed and tried to sound normal. "I know this is going to sound strange but I used to deliver newspapers to that house and I think I might have left something there."
Rosanne and Mike exchanged glances. "When would that have been?"
"Oh, about twenty years ago."
"So why didn't you go back for it before now?" Mike asked. "You used to live right next door."
"Well, to tell you the truth I kind of forgot about it until recently. Do you suppose I could come over and see if it's still there?"
"Just what is it that you're looking for?" Mike asked.
"Nothing much," Peter said smoothly. "Just something I lost when I was a kid."
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