by Amy Sparling
And now that some of the magic of this place has had time to settle, I’m once again thinking about him.
“Hey Bethany?” I ask, nodding for her to come over here.
“What’s up?” she says, sliding into the seat next to me.
I feel so stupid asking, but it needs to be done. I’d thought Theo’s girlfriend would be one of the other girls working here but Bethany is the only one, and she’s already mentioned being single. “Do any of the guys here have, like, wives or girlfriends?”
She considers it for a minute. “I don’t think so. I guess I’ve never really thought about it,” she says. “Most of them are kind of too old for me to care, and you barely see them anyway.” There must be some tell-tale sign on my face, because her eyes flash with recognition. “Why, do you like one of them?” she whispers.
“I was just curious,” I say with a shrug.
Riley leans forward, putting herself in our conversation. “She was worried about becoming a sex slave,” she whispers.
Bethany laughs. “Oh, no. Definitely not. These guys are great to us.”
“Told you,” Riley says, punching me in the arm. “There is absolutely no reason to think about those guys.”
I give her a tight lipped smile. She knows exactly why I’m asking about the guys, and it’s not because I’m worried about them being perverts. But she gives me this look and I know what it means. I’m supposed to forget all about Theo. I’m supposed to enjoy my new life and forget that he exists.
Easier said than done.
Because now that Theo isn’t dating one of the girls here, and Bethany doesn’t know anything about his personal life, I’m stuck even more clueless than before. What if he doesn’t have a girlfriend?
Why would he have acted like that if he wasn’t trying to stop his girlfriend from finding out about his affairs?
“What’s next on the tour?” I ask in a futile attempt to shove thoughts of him out of my mind.
“The best part,” Bethany says, standing back up. “I’m going to show everyone their bedrooms!”
The rest of the girls seem really happy about this, and they all head back out the theater room and follow Bethany to the staircase. She tells us our rooms are all in the same hallway upstairs.
I walk next to Riley in a daze, unable to pay much attention to what we’re doing. I stare at the rug that stretches across the hallway, covering the hardwood floors. If Theo doesn’t have a girlfriend, then maybe it was just me.
I wasn’t good enough. He didn’t want me forever. He just wanted me for a day.
Chapter 17
The upstairs hallway looks just like the one below it. Plush carpeting sags beneath my feet as we walk down the wide hall, the white stucco walls occasionally decorated with artwork. The whole second floor smells like cinnamon and vanilla, but I don’t see any air fresheners anywhere.
“Let’s see who’s first,” Bethany says. The cheer in her voice and the pep in her step haven’t diminished one bit since she met us at the front door an hour ago. There’s a stunning painting of a monarch butterfly to the left that catches my attention. The brushstrokes are so skilled, it almost looks like the thing could fly right out of the canvas.
“Looks like this room is Cara’s,” she says. The large wooden door has a nameplate next to it, my name carved into the metal. This isn’t some cheap plastic thing like you’d see on a banker’s desk. It’s a real solid chunk of brass with my name carved in large, curving letters. It’s beautiful.
“Go on in,” Bethany says, motioning for me to enter into my new room.
“I want to wait for Riley,” I say sheepishly, looking over at her. “So we don’t lose each other.”
“No worries, Riley is next door,” Bethany says, giving me a wink. Down the hallway is another door to the left, but it seems entirely too far away for there to only be two bedrooms between them.
“Ooh!” Riley says, clasping her hands together. “We’re neighbors!”
“Done on purpose, I’m sure,” Bethany says. “They always put friends together. For the rest of you, your rooms are down the hall. You’ll find your name on the door. My room is at the far end on the left, and you can come get me anytime you want.”
Nia, Jayla, and Olivia immediately leave in search of their rooms. Bethany chuckles. “Well, I guess the tour is over.” She gives me a knowing look and I kind of want to ask how old she is since she acts so much older than she should. “Go enjoy your room.”
“I love you, but I’m dying to see inside,” Riley says. She gives me a quick wave goodbye and then skips down the hallway to her door.
I put my hand on my door knob, which is the same brass as the nameplate. I have no doubt what lies beyond will be a gorgeous bedroom just like the rest of the house. It’s so stupid that I let my brain wander off like this, but I’m suddenly thinking about how great it would be if Theo was on the other side, waiting for me.
One by one, the other girls disappear into their rooms. I watch Bethany’s retreating form as she reaches the end of the long hallway and disappears into her own room. Then I turn the handle and step into mine.
The ceilings are incredibly high, trimmed with crown molding. Where the rest of the house has a Spanish flair, my bedroom is more elegant and classical, like an old Victorian house. My breath catches in my throat as I look around, closing the door behind me. My room is massive. Maybe even the size of Uncle Will’s old house. There’s a king sized bed against the wall, the mattress so tall I’ll probably have to jump to get on it. White satin sheets cover the bed and dark wood night stands are on either side. Across from the bed is a wall of windows that overlook the backyard. I can see for miles in the hill country, nothing but beautiful sloping hills and trees, houses occasionally dotting the horizon. The whole wall isn’t a window, but it’s close. The glass panes stretch from the floor to the ceiling and go about halfway down the room. There’s a tablet mounted into the wall and a curtain rolled up above the windows, so I’m guessing I can block out the outside world if I choose to, but for now the view is gorgeous.
To the left, past the windows, is a sitting area. Two plush armchairs that are wide enough for me and Riley to sit in are turned toward a television that’s mounted on the wall. There’s also a large bookshelf that’s empty except for a few knickknacks. Between the shelves are a door.
I walk over and open it, my stomach fluttering around with nerves and excitement all at the same time.
It’s a walk-in closet with rows and rows of shelves and hanger space. Some shelves are slanted for shoes and others are deeper and wider. There’s a square seat cushion in the middle of the room, a crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling.
This closet is bigger than my entire room back at my old house. It’s nicer than anything the kids at Good Grace group home have ever seen. My heart catches in my throat. A sudden feeling of guilt falls over me because I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve any of it. Once the guys of Rosewater Industries realize I’m not that special of a person, they’re sure to kick me out. Just like Theo did.
With a heavy sigh, I figure I better enjoy it while I can. I head back to the bed and rush toward it, preparing to dive on top of the sheets.
A square envelope with my name on it stops me from leaping into the air. It’s placed on the pillows, and the handwriting is the only sloppy thing in this room.
I sit on the bed and open it. There’s a single piece of cardstock inside, the same handwriting scrawled across it.
Cara,
It’s not too late to leave.
-Theo
What an asshole. The note crumples beneath my fist and I throw it at the wall since there doesn’t seem to be a trash can around here. So he is here. He does know I’ve arrived. And yet he’s avoiding me, choosing instead to send passive aggressive notes trying to get me to leave. Well he can kiss my ass because I’m staying. I’m staying as long as they’ll have me.
There’s a quick knock at my door and Riley b
ursts in before I have time to wonder if it might be Theo.
“Oh. My. God.” Her eyes are so wide I fear they’re going to fall out of her head. “Can you believe this?”
I force a smile, even though Theo’s letter has sucked all the joy from me. “What does your room look like?”
“Pretty much identical to this,” she says. She spreads her arms wide and then spins around in a circle just like on that movie The Sound of Music. “I am so happy we did this,” she sing-songs.
“It is pretty amazing.”
“I might just live in the bathroom,” she says playfully. “Who needs a pool in the back yard when you have a tub like that?”
My brows pull together. “Where’s the bathroom?”
“You mean where’s your bathroom.” She skips backwards and makes a grand flourish toward a door on the right side of the room. I haven’t even noticed it yet. “Here it is.”
She pulls open the door, revealing a marvel in granite and marble. The bathroom, like everything else in this house, is entirely too big. A hot tub rests in the middle of the room, tiled stairs going up to it. There’s a shower without any doors because a long tiled wall curves around until you get inside it. The showerhead is in the ceiling and Riley says it looks like rain is pouring on you when you shower. There’s another tablet in the wall here that plays music, and you can change the temperature of the water and even have calming scented oils added to it. Riley has apparently already played with the one in her bathroom. The vanity stretches the length of the bathroom, with mirrors stretching from one end to the other, and bright lighting that is probably every makeup artist’s dream. There’s another closet in the bathroom filled with plush white bathrobes.
A whimsical chime fills the air. Riley and I look at each other. “Is that your phone?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Sounds like it came from your room.”
The tablet built into the wall next to my door is lighting up. It says there’s an incoming call from Bethany. I rush over and press the answer button.
Her face appears on the screen. “Hey there! I thought I’d give you a call so you can see how this thing works. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Very cool,” I say, although I’m hoping there’s no way for anyone to see through the camera on my end when I’m not on a call. I make a mental note to put a piece of paper over it.
“You can call anyone in the house,” Bethany explains. “Just pick their name from the menu. You can also call down to the kitchen to request food, or call the housekeeping number to order things like groceries or shampoo or whatever.”
“Sounds good,” I say.
“There’s one more thing, and since Riley is there with you, I’ll just tell you both instead of calling her later. We’re having a welcome dinner for you all tonight. Alexo will be here specially so he can welcome you to the clan.” Her face lights up. That’s the second time we’ve heard this company being referred to as a clan, which is kind of weird. “So wear something nice and be ready at seven. I’ll come by and get you all, okay?”
“What if we don’t have anything nice?” Riley says.
“Yeah, this is the extent of my wardrobe,” I say. I do still have the outfit I wore to my interview, but that would be pathetic wearing the same thing twice in a row around my employers.
“No worries, I’ll have housekeeping bring you some things. Later, you can go shopping if you want, but they have a lot of stuff here you can choose from until then.”
When the call is over, I’m so overwhelmed with information that I can barely think straight. They’re going to send up clothes for us like we’re some kind of princess or something.
“How amazing is this?” I say, looking over at Riley. We’re both laying on my bed, staring up at the ceiling while we bask in how amazing our lives are now.
“And to think,” Riley says, “We owe it all to your uncle getting laid.”
“What?” I nearly choke on my own spit.
“We came home that night and had to leave because he was getting it on with his lady friend. Then we went to Good Grace and saw Kyle putting up the fliers. So in a way, your uncle’s sex life was the best birthday gift ever.”
I crack up laughing. If only he could hear that, I wonder what he’d say. But she’s probably right. I’m not sure we would have seen the bulletin board in enough time to make it to the interviews if we hadn’t walked in when we did.
“That’s hilarious and horrifying and let’s never talk about it again,” I say, still laughing.
Riley sighs blissfully and tucks her hands beneath her head. “Can you believe how lucky we are?”
“Nope,” I say, sighing just like she did. “This place is wonderful. Let’s hope here’s not a catch.”
“Actually.” A deep voice fills the room, startling us. I whip around, ready to grab the lamp off my nightstand and beat someone with it, but the man in my doorway is Theo.
His eyes are bloodshot as he says, “There is a catch.”
Chapter 18
The whole world seems to stop. My body freezes, and all I see is Theo. His eyes plead with me; they’re filled with a desperation that doesn’t make any sense to me. Probably only a few seconds have passed, but it feels like ages before Riley breaks the silence.
“You must be Theo.” The tone of her voice conveys a hidden snark that her eyes don’t show.
“I am,” he says, his eyes never leaving mine.
Riley touches my shoulder as she walks past me. “I’ll let you two talk. Cara?” she says, making me look at her. “I’ll be next door when you need me.”
I nod, my throat too dry to talk. The room is silent except for the soft padding of Riley’s shoes on my carpet as she leaves, then the click of the door closing behind her.
“Go away,” I say. My arms fold across my chest, instinctively blocking my heart from the man who hurt it. “I don’t want you in here.”
“Cara…” Theo’s head dips to the side and he runs a hand through his hair. I notice now that it’s messy, unkempt and going in all directions. He’s wearing jeans and his same Converse, with a black long-sleeved shirt that has three buttons down the center of the neck. It hugs tightly to his chest and the muscles over his broad shoulders. It’s like he chose this outfit specifically to drive me crazy.
“Don’t say my name.” I’m proud with how strong my voice is. “Don’t leave me letters, don’t come to my room. Just go.”
“Cara, we need to talk.” He steps forward, and I back up until I touch my bed. I hate that butterflies flood into my stomach at the sight of him approaching me. I hate that he still makes my body react to him no matter how much I try to stop it.
“I don’t want to talk,” I say. Just like the butterflies who betray my stomach, my voice has also left me out to dry. It comes out weak, scared, and sad. “Just go away,” I say, looking out my window. “Please.”
“I’m not leaving until we talk.”
Even when I’m not looking at him, I can tell he’s getting closer because the delicious woodsy smell of his cologne is now all up in my personal space, doing wicked things to my insides.
I grind my jaw together. I can’t let him see me like this, all weak and pathetic. “Fine,” I say, still refusing to look at him. “If you want to talk, then fucking talk.”
“I know you don’t want to hear this, Cara,” he begins, his voice low and honeyed just like the day I met him. “But you really need to leave. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why?” I say, throwing up my hands. I turn to him, facing the guy who broke my heart head on. “Because I’m not good enough? I’m not as pretty as those other girls? I’m just some poor trash from Sterling and you don’t want me sullying your precious mansion?”
“That isn’t why,” he says. He seems like he’s trying very hard to be patient with me. “Also, this house is a rental. None of us own it.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t care to talk about finances.”
“Neither do I.” Theo takes a
deep breath and presses his fingers to his lips before he exhales. “We should sit.”
“I’m not sitting. I’m not moving. Just tell me whatever you want to tell me and then leave.” Disappointment flickers across his chiseled features, but it only encourages me to push on. “I haven’t told your stupid girlfriend, if that’s what you’re worried about. I don’t even know who she is.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Theo says, clearly frustrated. “Haven’t had one in decades, for what it’s worth.”
I look at him disbelievingly. He’s not more than twenty something years old. Does that mean he’s never had a girlfriend? I shake my head, not wanting to let my thoughts derail. There’s no way a guy like him hasn’t had a girlfriend in his life. He’s a liar, just like all scumbags on this planet.
“Look, I’m not leaving, and nothing you can say will change my mind. I come from a total shit hole of a town and this place is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. So even though you don’t think I’m good enough, someone else does, and I’ve been hired, so drop it. Clearly, it’s not up to you.”
“Jesus, Cara,” Theo says, through clenched teeth. “Just believe me. Please. You can’t be here. I wish I could say more, but I can’t.”
I’ve drifted over to the wall of windows now, making sure to keep my back to Theo so I don’t have to see him. There’s something about looking at a perfect specimen of a man that really makes a broken heart hurt worse.
Theo appears next to me, his gaze on the beautiful landscape outside. “You are too sweet, and too kind to be here. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever known, and even if you weren’t—” He pauses, exhaling. “Even if you weren’t, there’s something about you. You are charming and adorable. You’ve awakened things inside of me that I haven’t felt in, well, a long time.”
Tears sting my eyes, and I still refuse to look over at him. Instead, I fix my gaze on a little white house on top of a hill miles away and focus on my breathing.
