So, I have not heard back from this family. I told them I needed to know by early evening today if they were planning on coming back for their 3 weeks notice time. I would think that if they were, i would have heard by now. At least i had one weeks deposit but honestly i'm happy to walk away from the rest of the cash if it means not dealing with dcm who is clearly pissed. I was going to wait to give notice until Monday when I had cashed my cheque but i really didnt figure they would walk away. they have no family close and have already taken lots of vacation time. Lesson learned.