Dani stood quietly outside the heavy oak door. The brass plaque in the center seemed to almost glare back at her. She never imagined she'd be standing here, about to meet the head of one of the finest Political Science Departments in the country. Yet, here she was, about to stand face to face with J.D.Prescott. She'd read so many of his essays. Published in every noteworthy textbook she'd ever read, he was, without a doubt, the best in the field. When she'd applied for the internship at Easton, she had held out little hope of actually getting her name across his desk. Her undergrad transcript was impressive enough, but Danielle Collins had come from a relatively small mid-west college, not a big Ivy League school. She'd worked hard, and now, apparently it was all about to pay off.
As she walked into the outer office, she was sure her knees were knocking loud enough that she wouldn't have to announce her arrival. She had only stood there a minute before she heard the man's voice from the next room. "Hello? Is someone out there?"
Dani peeked around the corner to Dr. Prescott's office and spoke quietly. "Dr. Prescott?" The man turned and was looked at her. "Yes? I'm Jackson Prescott."
Dani smiled as she extended her hand. "I'm Danielle Collins. We have an appointment." She saw the expression on his face immediately soften as he smiled back at her. "Ah yes. Danielle! Please, have seat." he smiled again and motioned her toward the small leather chair beside his desk. "This won't take but a few minutes. I already have all of your paperwork. I really just wanted a few moments for us to get acquainted before you begin on Monday morning. I take it you've found an apartment and gotten all settled?"
Dani smiled as she spoke. She wasn't quite sure why someone as prestigious as Jackson Prescott would be concerned about her living arrangements, but he seemed sincere in his inquiry.
"Well, actually..." Dani hesitated, and then continued. "I'm still looking for a place to live, but in the meantime I have a couple of friends here that are going to let me stay with them while I look."
Prescott closed the leather volume in his hand, and pushed it back onto a shelf behind his desk, then sat down across from her. "I might have a solution for you, if you're interested. You see, my wife's been looking for someone to help her out around the house. We have no children, so it would simply be a matter of running some errands occasionally, or some light housework if she's going to be entertaining. There's a small, but rather nice apartment above the garage, fully furnished. I assure you, it would take up very little of your time, and you'd have a place to live, rent free."
Danielle was nearly speechless. "Oh, Dr. Prescott, I couldn't impose on you and your wife..."
Before she could finish, he assured her it would be no imposition, but in actuality, she'd be doing them a huge favor. "I'll call home and tell Vicki to be expecting you. Go over and take a look around. See what you think and then decide."
Dani was beaming as she stood and once again shook the man's hand. "Thank you so much. I'll go straight over when I leave here."
Jackson Prescott nodded and reminded her that "no matter how it works out, I'll expect to see you here at 8:00 a.m. on Monday." He wrote the address for her and was picking up the phone as she left his office.
"Wow! I never expected that!" she thought as she headed for her car. She glanced again at the address in her hand. "Hmm, only a few minutes from here. Convenient!" then headed out of the parking lot toward Jackson and Victoria Prescott's home.
Just as she'd expected, Victoria Prescott was the epitome of gracious. Her hair was deep chestnut, and in the afternoon sunlight, it seemed to frame her face with a soft shimmer of colors. She wasn't much taller than Dani, but at 34 years old, her figure was still hourglass and her eyes sparkled a deep emerald green. She was exactly as Danielle had imagined her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Dani. Jackson just called to tell me you'd be stopping by. I'm so glad you're willing to consider my offer. I promise, you'll have plenty of time to study; just a few errands for me occasionally. I won't bore you. I'm sure Jackson already gave you the details"
Dani smiled as she spoke. "Yes, Mrs. Prescott. He explained the position and the living arrangements."
"Please, dear. Call me Vicki. If we're going to be spending time together, I'd like you to be completely comfortable here."
Dani couldn't get over how relaxed she felt with the woman. She'd expected to be a nervous wreck, but there was something about the way Vicki Prescott had greeted her and shown her around the house that had put her almost immediately at ease.
"Ok. Vicki it is. Do you mind if I take a look at the apartment?" Dani questioned.
Vicki Prescott was the perfect hostess as she led Danielle to the garage apartment. "As you can see, you'll have a private entrance. You won't have to go thru the garage. It's just a short flight of stairs and you can lock both doors; top and bottom if you feel the need. But I assure you, you're perfectly safe. Victoria Prescott smiled as she handed Dani a key to the apartment. "Go on in and take a look around. Take your time, dear."
The apartment was small, but efficient. With a neat little kitchen, living room, one bedroom and an extra room that could be used to study, Dani decided almost instantly that it would work out just perfectly. "Oh! This is absolutely perfect!" The young girl was almost gushing with excitement as she strolled through the apartment.
Vicki smiled as she walked with Danielle from room to room. "I'm glad you like it. It's nothing fancy, but if you need a place to live that's reasonable..."
Dani giggled as she turned toward Victoria. "Well, rent free is pretty darn reasonable, I'd say! It'll take me a few days to move my things in. I didn't bring much besides my clothes, books, and necessities. Is there an internet hook-up for..."
Once again Vicki assured her that she'd have everything she'd need to settle in comfortably. "In the spare room, dear"
