Housekeeping

by Summer Cooper

  Not that I wasn’t still anxious when it came to Mason, though. I’d decided it would be in everyone’s best interest if I cut ties with Mason before things became too sticky. Jessi was on the road to her happy ending with Trent, and I was happy for her. Just because it worked for her with the eldest Thompson brother, didn’t mean I could wish for the same from Mason, however.

  I’d pretty much used up all my miracles just being healthy. Getting too entangled with Mason could not lead to anything good.

  For one, he was nothing like his brother. Trent acted a lot like his father, something of a workaholic like he didn’t know how to relax. I knew now he was with Jessi, he’d be taking time off now and then. She’d make sure of it, even though he was technically our boss, because she was a caring woman like that.

  Mason, on the other hand… all the staff in the hotel, be they maids, or staff in the kitchen, the lobby, on the grounds… everyone knew just what kind of person Mason was, and it wasn’t the kind of person that you could rely on in a serious relationship.

  He liked to party. A lot. I’d known that already. Heck, I was always there to clean up his messes for him, and several times I got to see just how out of hand those parties could get. In every single one, there was never a time I’d found him fully clothed or without some woman hanging off him. After I slept with him, those images came back to haunt me, and I couldn’t help but regret what I’d done a little bit.

  It had been my decision, but after a long time of deliberating, I realized it had been the wrong one. Mason’s life was one I didn’t think I could live up to, and not just because we were in different social classes and he had way more now than I ever would working on my own for the rest of my life.

  Avoiding him was hard on me. I handled it for a week without actually running into him, and I didn’t know if it was down to luck, or if he was just really busy.

  I made sure to clean his room later, but not too late. And while I worked on his floor, I tried to spend as little time in the hallway as possible, working faster than I ever had before. It was detrimental in that I got to spend more time in the staff lounge and risked him finding me there again, or I landed myself more work for having extra time for other duties before I clocked out. At least Jessi was back and she was always there to keep me company.

  In all that time, I hadn’t caught even a single glimpse of Mason, but it didn’t make me happy at all. I was losing my usual cheer and everyone was starting to notice. So to keep them off my tail, I’d pretend. Fake cheeriness was something I hated because I’d done it so much when I was sick and didn’t want my college friends to know what was going on with me. I went home each night and I wanted to cry myself to sleep. I didn’t know why because I shouldn’t already feel attached to this guy. Before the night we spent together, I’d only caught glimpses of him, sometimes in the nude. It wasn’t like we were close.

  It was for the best. Still, when I trudged into work at the one-week mark of avoidance, it was with heavy feet and an even heavier heart. I was early because I’d woken up early, and when I walked into the staff room, I heard someone humming, and immediately knew it was Jessi.

  “Someone’s in a good mood today,” I called out to the kitchen, heading that way. It was early, so I didn’t need to change into my uniform just yet.

  “Someone’s in a not so good mood today,” she retorted, smiling at me over her shoulder.

  “Are you baking right now?”

  “Yeah. I had the time and you’ve been so down lately. I wanted to make you something sweet. Also, it’s an experiment. I’m trying out some new creations. Matthew Thompson asked for it himself, so I’ve been working myself to the bone coming up with it.”

  That had me perking right up. Usually when Jessi came up with new creations, it could take a while before she was happy with what she wanted to make, and in the meantime, there were plenty of treats to enjoy. Usually, I didn’t indulge myself in too much sugar or desserts, but I never refused one of Jessi’s.

  “Can I try some now? Are you making enough for everyone, or…?”

  “Yeah. My kitchen isn’t big enough for this, and I usually either work at my parent's place or here, but it would have to be past hours and I’d be using the hotel’s ingredients. Trent had everything I needed be stocked up. I’ll be sending some of this up to his office later, and he’ll probably share them with his family. He’ll have to agree before anything can be added to the menu.”

  I sniffed the air a little, already drooling at the scent. There was a hint of mango in there, some vanilla, and I wondered at exactly what she was trying to make. She picked out one of the pastries from the tray with a napkin and held it out to me. It was shaped like a pie, but small enough to fit in my hand with a dip at the top, where icing had been sprinkled.

  “Careful. I took that batch out of the oven just a few minutes ago, so it’s probably still hot.”

  “It feels fine to me through the napkin, not hot or anything.”

  Still, I brought it cautiously to my mouth. Never once had I tasted something Jessi made and not liked it. I’d tried experimenting with cooking on my own sometimes, and it always came out badly, so even if she was my friend, I always approached experiments with caution.

  Jessi was good at her job. I bit into the pastry, and my eyes widened at the burst of flavor on my tongue. There was a fusion of mango and vanilla, and maybe something else in there, then the soft pastry and the sweet icing.

  “This tastes amazing,” I said, chowing down on the rest of it, then holding my hand out for more.

  She laughed. “Well, I would hope so, considering our boss will taste it. I’ve been trying to get a solid recipe for this for the past few days. The first ones…”

  “Weren’t as great?” I guessed.

  Another reason why the stuff she made tasted so good; she usually went through all the trials on her own before having someone else try out the semi-finished product. She turned herself into her own guinea pig.

  “They weren’t terrible but I burnt some of them. Then I ended up eating them anyway because I just hate to waste food and effort.”

  She picked another one for me, then one for herself, and took a tiny bite, chewing with a small frown on her face.

  “It’s not bad… but it’s still missing something. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but I need it to be good enough for the hotel’s standards in case we get another surprise review.”

  “Your food always gets nice reviews anyway. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  “There’s always something to worry about. Everybody’s a critic these days, and I don’t like hearing people didn’t like my stuff.”

  “If this is going to have a lot of sugar, though…”

  “I’ll figure something out for a sugar-free category. There’s only so healthy you can make any dessert, and that one will probably take me longer to work out. Also, I need to take in possible allergies, so I’m watching the ingredients I put in…”

  I watched her in admiration. “You take your job seriously.”

  She laughed. “Of course I do! I spent a lot of time and money to get to where I am. I wouldn’t waste so much effort if it were something I hated. Besides, it’s great when I get to taste my food.” Then she laughed again, a little more rueful as she glanced down at herself. “I do have to worry about my weight with all the pastries and desserts I keep eating.”

  “Exercise more. It’s why I usually walk, though if you wanted, you could try going to the gym.”

  At the word ‘gym,’ Jessi almost looked pained, and I laughed at her reaction. As much as she worried about her weight with what she loved to eat, she disliked the gym. I’d be making time to go myself but I ate pretty healthily, and while I was curvy, I wasn’t quite as plump as Jessi was. She was self-conscious about it but I thought it looked good on her.

  “So,” she said after we’d eaten a couple more. “What’s been going on with you lately? You’re not acting like your usual self at all.”r />
  Now that she’d brought it up, I couldn’t help feeling down again, my shoulders slumping as I let out a weary sigh.

  “I’ve just… been having problems.”

  She smiled. “I realize that. And because you did the same for me, I won’t push you for details until you want to tell me on your own.”

  I gave her a grateful smile back, though it was touched with unease. I didn’t know why I hadn’t told her yet. It had bugged me before when I knew something had happened between her and Trent, and she didn’t tell me about it, but every time I’d opened my mouth to try and broach the subject, I’d say something else instead.

  “It’s not something to worry about,” I reassured her. “It’s just something I need to get over.”

  Mason would not become my whole life. I had a lot that was great in my life without him. Even if he was hot as hell, and just the thought of him made me want to stay in bed some mornings, I could and would move on.

  15

  Mason

  They say that time flies when you’re having fun and drags when you’re not. It fucking did because I felt as if I hadn’t seen Laura in years and it had only been a fucking week. I’d really fallen hard for her. I thought that this sort of shit only happens in those chick flicks Emily watches.

  Even with Trent back and helping out again, there was still too much to do. I hated to admit that I’d valued myself as being a workaholic and I’d been far from it lately. I couldn’t help it if unlike him, I didn’t spend all my time in the office sitting down in front of papers and a computer all day. In the short time I’d covered for him, there’d been plenty of stuff I’d overlooked, so technically, my being so busy was just because I was cleaning up my mess. Still, I didn’t like it.

  I also didn’t like that it felt like Laura was avoiding me. Even when I’d called to have her come to my room, I was informed she was now cleaning my room, permanently. She probably just did it at a time when she knew I wouldn’t be in the room, and though I’d tried to surprise her a few times, I never caught her.

  Fuck, I missed Laura as if a part of me was missing, like a drug addict needing a fix. I hated being fucking needy, but I was becoming just that.

  “This isn’t going to end,” I muttered to myself as I got out of bed and headed for the bathroom, in a terrible mood for the fourth day in a row. Then I sighed. “It’s kinda my fault I still don’t have her phone number.”

  After taking a shower, I got dressed. Since it was still pretty early, I sat in my living room and had some orange juice from the fridge. I didn’t feel like breakfast. I was also waking up way earlier than I was used to and having trouble falling asleep.

  How could one woman have left my world so upside down, and only after one night together? I didn’t get hung up on women, especially ones that didn’t want me again after they had me. From what I remembered, she’d enjoyed our time together, even if she’d been a little subdued afterward. I guessed she was tired, but maybe… Did she regret it?

  No!

  I didn’t know why Laura was avoiding me—and she was, because of the two of us, she was the one who knew how to contact me. I wasn’t going to let things stand as they were. I was used to getting whatever I wanted; and while that was a pretty fucking spoiled thought, it was true, and I wasn’t about to break it just yet. Not now when the one thing I wanted was Laura. She wasn’t an object to be owned, and I knew better than anyone that money didn’t buy affections. She didn’t seem like she’d be swayed like most of the women I met, but I had to try something.

  I’d warned Emily all our lives about making friends with the help, but I no longer cared. If she came to me to snark about it, I would take it quietly and leave her relationships alone. I wanted Laura, and even if we were from different worlds, I was going to try.

  I didn’t fucking care about the age gap, but I had a feeling that she did. It wasn’t like she was seventy or something! She was only thirty-five. Sure, that was still more than a decade older than me, but she hardly looked her age, it had been a surprise for me to hear it.

  “I need some help,” I decided, jumping up from the couch.

  I was done moping around and waiting for her to find me. I was going to take some action. Then I paused, wondering exactly what I could do to get a woman to fall for me. Usually, they came to me of their own free will, but I’d never had to actually woo a woman. Even back in high school and all through college.

  For a moment, I thought of calling my sister for advice. That was a bad idea, and I vetoed it almost immediately. There was Mom, but she was almost just as bad. If either of them found out there was a woman I was trying to win over, not only would they tease me over it, they’d demand and pry to know who it was until I caved. I wasn’t worried about their reactions exactly; I just didn’t want my family butting into my love life.

  Since the family was out of the question, I pulled out my phone and did some searches online to find what I needed. I saw several sites and found a few things on repeat. They were simple enough to accomplish. I switched my searches to local areas, looking for flower shops, candy, and fashion stores.

  Over the next few days, I had things sent to her. I didn’t know her home address, and I didn’t want to abuse the fact that I was the boss’s son and could easily get her information. So all the gifts passed through the staff lounge. I couldn’t spare much time to go there myself at the times I assumed she’d be there, but I could do this much.

  Trent kept working me to the bone, and I kept sending present after present in my new campaign to win this woman over. I never attached my name and tried to make the deliveries as discreet as possible so people wouldn’t talk. She’d be more affected by the rumors than I would be, after all. Flowers, candy, other expensive gifts; everything I thought a woman would want.

  I was mistaken though, because in my moment of frustration and desperation, I forgot how Laura was unlike any of the women I’d ever hooked up with before. She didn’t appreciate any of the gifts, and over the week I’d sent them, they were returned. Every single one. I wasn’t sure what it was she disliked, so I tried changing things up, but still, nothing. She also didn’t send word as to why she refused everything.

  It all left me so fucking frustrated. It was all I could do not to scream my head off.

  “What was that?”

  “Huh?” I blinked as I looked up and for once thought about something else apart from Laura.

  Ah. I was sitting in the office, where Trent had the desk I’d used before brought back in for me. Moving around would probably have been better for my frustration, but I was probably beyond even that already. Only seeing Laura or getting some answers to the mounting questions—most of them varying ways of asking just what it was that she wanted—would get me to calm down.

  “Is something wrong?” Trent said. “You’ve been muttering to yourself over there, and I don’t know if you’re cursing me for giving you too much work, or what. Work that I’m pretty sure you aren’t even doing.”

  I blinked at the desk in front of me, feeling a little confused. He was right. For a moment, I almost felt ashamed. Then I remembered I was Mason Thompson. While this scene was eerily a lot like my times in high school, sitting at my desk with work I was ignoring in favor of looking over my phone underneath it, even back then I’d never felt anything but annoyance at being interrupted.

  “Sorry about that. You’re right. I’m just a little distracted.”

  I let out a sigh, dropping my phone on the desk as I leaned back in my chair, running an agitated hand through my hair.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  My head snapped up, eyes wide as I looked over at my brother. “What?”

  Trent folded his arms on the desk, leaning forward slightly with an open expression.

  “Seriously, tell me what it is. It might make you feel better to talk about it.”

  I snorted. “I doubt it.” Then I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you and I don’t have the relationship where
we share things, Trent. Not personal things, anyway.”

  He shrugged, nodding as he conceded the point. “That’s true, and it’s probably entirely my fault. But I’m still your big brother and I’ve got years of experience on you. I might be of some help.”

  I wanted to tell him that the fault wasn’t entirely his own. A great part of it was Dad’s fault.

  “It’s just… something’s been frustrating me lately. It’s something I’ll work through eventually on my own. I just… have to keep trying, right?”

  “Does it have anything to do with Dad?”

  “Huh?” I repeated with a blank expression.

  Trent had this pensive look on his face that I couldn’t read. I wondered what he was thinking.

  “I was wondering whether or not I should tell you guys. Or even if I should tell you. As far as I know, Kevin is still in the dark. Not that I was trying to hide it from you, I just… didn’t know how to bring it up.”

  I frowned, momentarily distracted. “What are you talking about? What don’t Kevin and I know?”

  Trent sighed, then leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “Well, it’s this thing about Dad. Remember how we were all told he had a heart attack and he wasn’t well?” He paused, so I nodded, prompting him to go on. “As it turns out, that’s not exactly true. Dad is just fine. I heard it, and I didn’t want to believe it, but this is Dad. So I left, and he came to talk me into coming back after that. He told me to keep working because he was enjoying his vacation.”

  His expression once he finished was calm. I blinked at him for a moment, not sure whether or not I should just take his word for it. Trent was waiting for a reaction from me. At first, I didn’t know how I should react, but slowly, it was sinking in for me, and I was not happy with the trick Dad had pulled on us.

  I almost lost it right then and there, despite Trent’s calm attitude. There was a lot of shit on the desk in front of me; some documents I was meant to look through, a computer had been given to me to use. All of it so I could work for my father, who I’d momentarily forgotten as thoughts of Laura took over my mind. It hadn't even occurred to me just how long it had been since I last asked to see him only to be rebuffed.