Maing Home

Chapter Seven:

The weekend went by slowly now that I had something to look forward to. I still had work-study until Thursday, but I would begin my new job today. I hoped that there wouldn't be too much overlap and I would still be able to study for my last two finals. I had just finished my last final for the day and was getting ready to text Mr. Crawford that I was ready to be picked up. The paperwork he sent was straightforward and Patricia had sent an email this morning that my background check had cleared. I was all set. I pulled out my phone and noticed a new text:

"Where's my money?"

I should have known that he wouldn't give up. I quickly typed out a reply:

"It's coming. I need more time."

That jerk. I needed to figure out a way to get my mom away from him. Or get him away from my mom. Another text came through:

"So buy it. An extra $250 will get you a week."

I felt like slamming my phone down on the sidewalk as I walked, but also couldn't afford the drama right now. Or a new personal phone.

"Fine."

I put away my phone and took out the work phone. It was going to be a lot for me to manage two phones and I debated just putting Mr. Crawford's numbers in my own phone. My fingers moved across the smooth screen as I decided to figure it out later. He replied shortly that Amanda would be by to pick me up, and I tried not to run back to the house. When I packed my things on Sunday, everything fit into three bags. At least it would be an easy move. Jess had also orchestrated a going away dinner for me that night, and it was a good way to say my goodbyes.

I heaved my belongings into the living room as I waited for Amanda to pull up. She arrived sooner than later and grabbed one of my bags without hesitation to carry to the vehicle. We threw my bags into the trunk together and she moved to open the backseat door for me.

I expected her to be quiet again, but was surprised as she spoke to me, "Avery. How are you this afternoon?"

I slid onto the heated leather and reclined with a sigh. "I'm doing good. I just finished with my last final for the day. Only two more to go."

She closed the door and walked to the driver's door. After she slid into her own seat and buckled her safety belt, her eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. "And how do you think you did?"

"I think I did really well, actually. Physics lecture final and I'm a bit of a math whiz. But even if I wasn't, if you know unit analysis, you basically know physics."

She chuckled. "I don't know unit analysis, so I'll take your word for it." She backed out of the drive and began toward the main highway.

After we turned off of the highway south of the city, the drive to Mr. Crawford's house took a turn down many streets I didn't know. We seemed to be traveling to an area much further out of the city and a little bit more remote than I was used to. At first there were houses with plenty of space between them, and then the homes became large expanses of yard between each brick or wrought iron fence. We finally turned to a road where the path was long and lead to a large home with a three-car garage. The driveway was a large rectangle set in front of the home and garage on the side.

The house was made of brick with tall, peaked gables. Decorative coniferous evergreen shrubs were strategically placed to hide the majority of the home from the road and added a touch of greenery to the snowy landscape. She pulled into the garage and parked in a space that I assumed was reserved for the vehicle she drove. I moved to open my door as she exited the vehicle as well. She gave me a smile as we removed my bags and walked up to the entrance.

"You know, it's kind of my job to get the doors for you."

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm not used to that."

"No need for apologies." She hurried in front of me and opened the door to allow me in. We walked through a hallway and the kitchen to the foyer. If the exterior looked like a castle, the interior was much warmer than I would have guessed. Immediately in the main entrance was a sweeping staircase that led up to a catwalk on the second floor. The woodwork was detailed with an heirloom quality. The color made it look like a type of cherry, but I wasn't too familiar with those sorts of things. Wood slats covered the floor, and the shine was so bright I felt as if my face would be reflected in it.

"Your coat?" Amanda stood behind me, waiting for me to shrug myself out of the puffy second-hand store Columbia jacket wrapped around me.

"Oh, sure." I set my bags down and unzipped my coat, letting it slide from my arms as Amanda took it. I toed off my boots.

"If you walk through there, you'll come to the dining room. Mr. Crawford is already seated and waiting to take supper with you. I'll bring your things upstairs."

"Okay. Thanks." I smiled at her, attempted to shrug off a chill, and wrapped my arms around my chest to rub at my shoulders. His house was gorgeous and way out of my league.

True to her word, Mr. Crawford was seated at the dining table with a tablet propped up in front of him and a tumbler nestled in his hand. The dining room was at the front of the house with a large set of windows looking into the front yard. It was already starting to get dark outside, the daylight cut short as we approached winter solstice.

"Ah. Good evening, Avery. Would you care to join me?" Mr. Crawford motioned to a seat at his right.

I quietly sat down in the high-quality chair, afraid to stain the white cushion. One chair was probably worth what I made in a week as a work study.

"Your home is gorgeous."

"Thank you. This is the current house that I'm occupying. I also have one up north and a condo in the metro, but that's a conversation for a later date." He closed the tablet he was swiping on and smiled at me.

His hair was slightly tousled, and he had a five o'clock shadow of stubble on his face. He was dressed in usual dress slacks and a white button down, but with the sleeves rolled up on his forearms. I was taken aback to see him in such a casual state. I hadn't expected him to be so normal. He looked even more inviting than the house. My heart pulled at my brain as I tried to rationalize against fantasizing over him. I swallowed and looked away, unable to stare at him for too long.

There was some noise coming from the kitchen, and I looked over to see a man working at the stove and countertops. After setting a few things down, he rushed over to a fridge and pulled out a bottle, opened it, and poured the contents into a glass. He walked it over to the table.

"Tonic water with lemon." He set it down in front of me.

"Oh, thank you."

Mr. Crawford looked up at him. "Thank you, Clyde. This is Ms. Avery Mitts. She will be staying with us for a while."

He looked down at me and gave me a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, miss."

"Nice to meet you as well. Do you need any help in the kitchen?"

His laugh was rich and bubbly. I immediately knew that I was going to like him. "Oh, no. I'm quite at home and very particular about how I handle the kitchen. Just leave it to me."

I gave him a small smile and turned back to Mr. Crawford as he walked away. He narrowed his eyes at my face, and leaned in as he studied my features.

"What might that be?"

"What?"

He reached out a hand, the sleeve of the shirt climbing to reveal dark hair on his muscled forearm. I couldn't help my tongue as it darted out to wet my lips. I prayed he didn't notice. His fingers pressed lightly on a tender place at my frontal hairline, and I hissed as I jerked away.

The memory of my confrontation with Caleb swarmed my consciousness, and I fought it down. My mom's voice, a whisper in my ear, 'Please don't tell. Don't get me in trouble.'

I lightly palpated the spot. "I must have run into something."

"Oh? What happened?"

"A door. I can be really clumsy sometimes."

"Hm." He didnt seem completely satisfied with my answer.

I quickly tried to change subjects, "So where will I be staying?"

He sighed. "First supper and then I will give you a tour."

"Sounds good." I unfolded the napkin on my plate and set it in my lap like he had done at the restaurant the other night.

He shot me a small smirk before lifting his own and placing it over his lap. Clyde walked over and set a plate down in front of each of us.

"Thank you, Clyde."

"Sir."

"Yes, thank you, Clyde. This looks wonderful."

"Miss." With a bow he stepped away and left us to our meal.

I watched as Mr. Crawford picked up his fork and knife and began to cut into his food. I picked up my own utensils and tried to mimic his actions.

"I see you like to follow my lead with a few things."

Embarrassed, I set my silverware down and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just think that I've had such a very different upbringing than you. I don't know what your expectations are with all of this."

After he finished chewing his bite, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and rested a closed hand on the table. His gaze captured mine and he tilted his head ever so slightly. As he looked up at me with raised brows, I noticed the way it looked strangely sexy.

"You don't have to be sorry. I assumed that there would be some discrepancies and etiquette for you to catch up on. I've hired help to assist you in that particular area. What I would like to see is that you are trying. That's how I know that this arrangement is going to work. Try not to worry and stress about it too much. I do find you particularly charming the way you are." The corners of his mouth pulled up into a quick smile before he went back to his food.

I nodded and gave up with the knife to use my fork to cut through my food. It was a little messier than his method, but it was easier for me to work with. The first bite was an explosion of flavors in my mouth. It was delicious.

"This is really good."

"I'll be sure to let Clyde know. I'm glad you enjoy it."

I took another bite and closed my eyes as I savored the flavors. I wasn't sure if it was because my diet consisted of primarily cheap and easy food these last few months, but I had no idea how I could expect to go back to that when this was sitting readily available to me. When I opened my eyes Mr. Crawford was watching me, his eyes alight with something new.

I gave him a small nervous smile and picked up my napkin to wipe my mouth. "Is everything okay?"

His grin broadened and he turned his attention back to his food. "You're just fascinating to watch. That's all."

I giggled. "Then you should see how I grew up. My home life was so broken." The words were out before I could help it. I felt like a part of my trauma was the 'lack of filter' curse. Word vomit was no stranger to me. I inwardly chastised myself as I felt his energy shift.

"You never did elaborate on your upbringing. What do you think I would find so fascinating about this 'broken home' of yours?"

I swallowed hard and tried to feign a nonchalant shrug. "I'm not sure. I feel like I grew up like any other kid. I worked hard in school. Joined a few sports. I mean, money was a bit tight. It was probably how I was forced into learning how to cook." I pushed the vegetables around on my plate. "When I didn't have time to cook, we often ate boxed macaroni and cheese or leftover specials from the diner that didn't sell." Oh, and my mom had different boyfriends who weren't very nice.

"The diner?"

"Yes, where I worked. It was a small place. I started as the dishwasher when I was thirteen and they let me start waitressing when I was fourteen. They used to pay me under the table until I was old enough to be legally employed."

"And what is the legal age for employment?"

"Fourteen."

"Well, you are right. I'm intrigued. Our lives were quite different. When I was thirteen, I was more concerned about who was holding poker night in their dorm than anything else."

"Your school had dorms?"

He swallowed. "Boarding school. My parents sent us away each year once we turned ten."

"I didn't even know those actually existed. So, you lived away from home?"

"Yes. I lived at the school for most of the year. Came home during summers and rarely during the holidays."

"Why was it rare for you to come home during the holidays?"

"My parents are both very busy people. They have their own businesses to run. My sister and I didn't return home because often there was no one to come home to."

A heaviness in my chest began to form. "That sounds sad, actually. My mom and I didn't have much, but we at least put up a tree with lights and had each other." I shrugged and looked off in the distance as a smile crept up my face. "I remember that each year she would have the couch all made up in front of the TV. There were always Christmas movies on almost every channel, but we would watch rom-coms instead while eating microwavable popcorn. I'll never forget those nights."

"Hm. I've never had microwaveable popcorn before."

I swallowed. "Yeah, that was only until I was able to start work. After that, I was able to buy groceries and that weird little tin thing that you're supposed to hold over a stove burner. Eventually I learned you could just throw kernels into a pot with some oil. It was much cheaper. We didn't have much, but I learned a lot because of it."

"I see. Well, maybe you'll have the occasional opportunity to put your skills to good use while you're here." He took his last bite of food and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

I laughed. "Got a microwave?"

"You know what, I actually don't know." He took a sip of his water and cocked his head. "So, was it to your liking?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Mmhmm."

"Would you like anything else?"

I shook my head. "Not unless you've got chocolate hidden somewhere."

"Clyde?"

Clyde walked over to us. "Yes, sir?"

"Ms. Mitts is requesting chocolate. Do you have anything?"

"I'm sure I can find something." He walked away.

"Just like that, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

I took a drink of water. "You just tell people what to do and they do it. Now it's my turn to say I've never seen anything like that before."

He chuckled. "Yes, I suppose it would be something to behold. I expect those under my employment to obey me. I wouldn't have much use for them otherwise."

I wasn't sure, but that last comment sounded like it was laced with threat. Was he concerned that I wouldn't do what he told me to?

I couldn't help the words as they flew out of my mouth, "So if I don't do as I'm told, you'll punish me for it?"

His head shot up and he regarded me. Shit. I was trying to be playful with it. I tried to smile, but I felt my face twist awkwardly. He narrowed his eyes and gave a small smile back, but it looked just slightly more sinister than his usual smirk.

Clyde brought over a small dish of ice cream with a hot kind of chocolate sauce on top. I couldn't remember the last time I had a treat like this and quickly dug in. It didn't take long before I had demolished it. When I was finished, I wiped my mouth with the napkin and sighed contentedly.

Mr. Crawford smiled at me. "Would you like to take that tour, now?"

"Sure." I placed my spoon in the empty bowl.

He pushed back from the table and rose from his chair. It was so different to see him in such casual attire. It was obvious from the way his shirt hugged his chest that he worked out. I also couldn't help but notice a slight bulge in the front of his pants. He led me through the entrance and to a large open room at the back of the house.

He motioned to his left. "This is the living room."

Studded leather armchairs and sofas were placed strategically throughout. There was an oriental area rug spread in front of a ceiling high fireplace and cherry wood furnishings. There were a lot more warmer colors, kind of like his office.

"Did you decorate the house?"

He shook his head. "No. The décor would be courtesy my sister. I let her have her fun in small ways that benefit me as well. And it keeps her off my back." He winked.

My heart stopped at the small gesture. Holy Hell was he sexy. The breakfast was between the living room and the kitchen. He led me back to the foyer and stopped on the way to show me a half bathroom and the coat closet. We took the stairs up to a small landing where there was a set of double doors to the left and a single door in front of us.

He gestured to the double doors. "These are my private apartments. You'll have to excuse me for my reluctance in sharing them. It's my space for peace and to get away. The only person allowed in is Amy, the housekeeper, and even that is quite limited."

I nodded, feeling only slightly offended. "I understand."

But now I was curious. How big was his bed? Did he like his room completely dark or did he allow the morning light to seep in? What kind of sheets did he sleep in? Were they soft? What would they feel like against naked skin? What would his bed feel like with him in it on top of me? I got the image of him holding himself over me, bending his face to mine in the dark.

"Avery?" He was standing in front of a different single door on the landing, waiting.

I shook my head to clear it. "Sorry, it's been a long day." I forced a smile.

With a nod, he took me through the single door, and we walked into a hallway.

"There are three bedrooms on this side of the house. I would prefer if you stayed in one of them. I reserve the rooms downstairs for guests. This one," he took a door to the right, "has its own bathroom and a walk-in closet."

He stopped at the door as I looked around. The bedroom was easily three times the size of the room I shared with Jess. It was already fully furnished with wood furniture, the sheets and duvet burgundy. There was a chest of drawers in a nook, a sitting area by the large picture window, and a desk. I walked through one of the doors into a closet half the size of my old bedroom.

"Of course, we can change out the furniture. We can bring whatever you like into your space and make it your own. You need only ask."

I walked out of the closet and entered the bathroom next. It was modern with a single vanity granite countertop and a walk-in shower.

"I don't have a whole lot, honestly. The room by the University was furnished when I signed my lease." I rejoined him by the door.

"I understand. Well, if you would like a different style bed or dresser, I will have Amanda take you shopping. There is an furniture outlet not too far away."

I sighed. "That's a really nice offer, but I need to save my money for tuition. I can't be blowing it on expensive furniture."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'll take care of it. We can get you new furniture if you don't like what is already here. I'll gladly pay for it."

I frowned and turned around to look at the room. "What's here is just fine. It's all very beautiful and nicer than anything I've ever had in my life. No need to buy new stuff."

With a small nod he cleared his throat and walked out the door. "Let's look at the rest of the house, shall we?"

I followed him out of the room and down the hall to the next bedroom. It was about the same size as the first with similar furnishings, only this one didn't have a private bathroom. The last bedroom was as big as the living room downstairs without a closet or a bathroom. To get to it, you needed to walk down a hallway with windows on both sides. It felt a bit like the walkway to a tower in a castle.

"This room sits above the garage. I've been told that it can get a little cold, but it is definitely roomy. I haven't made any modifications to it, but if you wanted to make it your space, I'm open to renovations."

"Renovations?"

"Yes. We can add a bathroom and a closet. An office would also be nice if you so wished. Maybe a fireplace to help keep it warm in the winter."

"So you're saying that you would completely remodel a room in your house if I wanted it?"