Sassy Cinderella. Kara Lennox

wedding, and I thought—”

      “You thought wrong.”

      She drooped. “All right. I’ll uninvite the choir. And next time I’ll ask before I issue any invitations like that.”

      “There won’t be a next time.” Jonathan already felt like he’d kicked a puppy. He might as well get the rest of this over with.

      Sherry blinked her green eyes at him a couple of times. “What?”

      “Look, this isn’t working out. You simply don’t fit in here. It’s obvious you can’t manage the children. Yelling at them and then bribing them with sweets is no way to deal with kids. Anyway, I can take care of things myself. I’ve been getting around on the crutches okay.”

      Sherry faced him squarely, her hands on her slim hips. “You turn white as Wonder Bread every time you stand up and totter around on those crutches. You most certainly cannot take care of yourself. How are you going to look after those kids? They move faster than the speed of light.”

      “I’ll manage.”

      “How will you cook for them?”

      “That’s what a microwave is for. It couldn’t be any worse than—” He stopped himself, but she already knew what he was going to say.

      “I got the message. You hate my cooking.”

      “It’s a bit spicy. We’re used to more basic fare. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you for the time you’ve been here, plus a few days extra for the trouble you went to.”

      “I can do better. All you have to do is tell me when you don’t like something, and I’ll…” her voice trailed off when she realized Jonathan wasn’t going to budge. She slumped in defeat. “All right, then. I’ll just finish cleaning up in here, then I’ll pack my things.”

      “Leave the mess. I have a service that comes every two weeks. They’ll be here Monday morning.”

      She slowly set down the plastic cup she’d been holding. She stared at him a moment, eyes challenging, but only for a moment. Then she swept from the room.

      He’d made her cry, he realized. He hadn’t intended to be harsh. He just wanted her gone. Surely even she could see that this wasn’t a compatible employer-employee relationship.