"And by all means, make yourself at home." That was the last thing Josh said to Brooke as he got into the limo to take him to the airport. That was three days ago, and Brooke still finds that line very funny.
Brooke had just finished college. She was twenty five years old, and got a late start to college. Being an art major with hopes of working in a larger gallery in the country she often found herself with little to no money. When she saw an ad in the local paper that a caretaker was needed for a small, reclusive estate a few miles outside of town she immediately called the number and asked about the job.
She was told by an older woman's voice that the job would require her to live in the house for one month and to be the caretaker. The owner of the house would be away on extended business. The woman explained to her that an outside caretaker would be needed because the month they had to stay at the estate would be in the middle of the summer, and that is when all of the regular staff would be on vacation. The owner of the estate gave his employees at the estate a few months off during the summer and they went on their way.
To Brooke, this sounded like a dream job. The pay was incredible, didn't sound like there was much to do, and she would get to crash at a small estate that was probably much better than any place that she had ever stayed. Being a smart woman she knew there had to be some sort of catch. She figured a million people would probably apply for this job. The woman on the phone offered Brooke an interview with the owner in a few days. Brooke asked the woman on the phone what the catch was, and the old woman paused and then told Brooke that any questions she had the owner would answer. She did tell Brooke that the owner was very picky about who he selected as a caretaker though.
So in a few days time Brooke found herself in a regular looking office building dressed up in her interview suit and was waiting for her interview. Before he walked into the room Josh, the owner of the estate, looked through the doorway and saw Brooke sitting on the chair, waiting to come in. She was short, about 5'3" or so, and had short, blondish reddish hair. Very smooth skin and bright green eyes. Her build was very thin but athletic. Josh found himself admiring her for a moment or two before he walked in. Unless the words out of her mouth were completely dreadful, she already had the job.
When Josh walked in and introduced himself, Brooke stood up quickly and shook his hand. Josh was a man in his mid to late forties, but looked much younger than his age. The only give away were the gray strands of hair that ran through his raven dark hair. Josh refused to dye his hair, as he felt it was very unnatural and unmanly. He was about six feet tall and thanks to working out regularly kept in good shape. He was deep tan with piercing blue eyes, and Brooke felt as if those eyes were looking right through her when they first met.
The interview went very well. So well, in fact, that Brooke didn't even realize that she was being interviewed. Josh had asked her about herself and her art and they chatted about pretty much everything for the next hour. Everything, that is, except about the job. Finally Brooke took a deep breath and asked about the estate. Josh laughed and told her that he would be honored to have her watch the house for him. She immediately smiled and was very excited, but that voice deep inside her head, the dark skeptic within her, reminded her to ask about what the catch would be. She asked Josh about this and he stood up, frowned, and turned away from her. She became suddenly concerned and he took a deep breath.
"Well," he said "I knew this would come up sooner or later, and it may as well be sooner. I guess you are wondering why there have not been many interviews?" Brooke nodded, feeling her heart beat a bit faster. Josh suddenly looked very serious and sighed.
"Truth is, that estate is my getaway, my shelter. I like to go there when I need to be alone, and to shut myself off from the world. Because of that, the house lacks certain...amenities that most people are quite accustomed to."
"Amenities?" Brooke asked, not realizing that she was going to ask that. Josh shook his head slowly and looked guilty.
"Yes, amenities." He replied. "The house has running water, and very minimal electricity. Only to run the lights and the kitchen wares. Other than that, no electricity at all. That means no TV, no cable, nothing. I have a grand library of books, and a great pool out back, but that's it." Josh turned away from Brooke as if he had just announced that he had stolen money out of a charity's donation fund.
Brooke suddenly realized that she was being teased and she stood up and hit Josh in the arm. Not light either, mind you. Josh turned back and Brooke could see that he had been trying not to laugh the hold time.
"Bastard!" She hissed, and then suddenly realized she should not have said that to her new employer. Josh merely continued to laugh and he pulled out a portfolio from his desk. He opened it and she saw pictures of the estate before her. It was rustic, quaint, and absolutely gorgeous. She quickly forgot she was mad and could only stare at the images.
"So what do you think?" Josh asked while she flipped through the pages. Without looking away from the pictures Brooke replied.