Phoebe couldn’t help but smile a little at that exasperated sound from the cute as hell little girl. She could see how so many people got conned into letting her have her way. Not that she was going to allow it. Kids needed someone to keep them on target. She was a little surprised to see that Peanut was actually good at keeping Jasmine in line. She liked that he hadn’t been harsh. Johnny would have been harsh. He likely would have yelled or called her stupid or even hit her for bothering him. Hell, maybe he wouldn’t have bothered reminding her to do her homework at all. Actually that was the route he likely would have gone, and then when the teacher called him he would have hit her for not doing it. She closed her eyes, trying hard not to let the fears she was having surface. She was damned glad she had run.
A child didn’t need that kind of fear in their lives any more than she did. Her child would never know that fear, she promised him or her, hugging her stomach as Peanut headed back to where she was standing near the door. He gave her an oddly assessing look as he neared her. She moved her arms higher as if she was hugging herself for comfort instead of making promises to the tiny life that was growing inside her.
“I’ll show you to your room. It’s not much but it will do for now. If you need anything you can just ask. Like I said we will get you some things to wear tomorrow. The washer and dryer are in the laundry room right by your room. I’ll show you that too before I head into my room to get a shower and some things I’ll need for tonight. I’ll leave some money for dinner and write down some numbers for you before I leave in case something happens,” Peanut said, heading out the door and expecting her to follow.
Phoebe walked up the stairs behind him as he led her to a room just off the stairwell. He opened the door showing her a small laundry room. She peeked into the room as he entered and pointed to the cabinet along one wall.
“The laundry detergent is in that cupboard along with extra towels, sheets, and wash cloths. Use whatever you need,” Peanut said before shutting the door and heading towards another door a few feet away. He opened it and let her look inside.
“This is my office. I usually lock it, but I’ll leave it open for you in case you’d like to get on the internet. There is a guest account on the computer and it’s okay to use that one. Mine’s got a password so don’t worry about logging into the wrong account because it wouldn’t let you.”
Phoebe frowned as she watched him close the door and continue on to the last room on the landing. She was still holding the clothes he’d given her and feeling a little bit overwhelmed because everything he’d done so far led her to question his ability to protect himself and Jasmine. If she wasn’t a nice person, she could do so much damage with all the things he’d shown her. Phoebe felt a little wary of all the freedom he was offering.
“This will be your room while you stay with us. There’s a lock on the door but please leave it unlocked when I’m not home. If Jazzy needed something I’d like it if she could come in here to get you. She sometimes has night terrors and she’s used to people staying over and sleeping here when I’m not here. She just needs reassurance and a few hugs. Maybe some warm milk to help her get back to sleep.” Peanut was leaning against the door jamb silently observing her as she stood near the bed.
“Okay,” Phoebe replied, realizing he’d paused to get her agreement to his request.
“Great, so I’ll leave the keys to the Kia downstairs on the hook in the doorway of the kitchen in case you need something that can’t wait until tomorrow or if there is some type of emergency. Just remember to call me or one of the guys if something like that does happen. I’ll set the alarm before I leave but if you need to go out shut it off. It’s pretty complicated but I’ll write down some basics. Jazzy knows how to work it if you don’t understand my scribbles,” Peanut said, smiling at her.
Phoebe didn’t know what to think of him. Didn’t he realize she could leave Jasmine here alone and run off with anything of value? Or even take his daughter? He should be damned glad that she wasn’t a thief or some kind of human trafficker. He’d pretty much given her access to his entire life by taking her on this twenty-minute tour. She was worried that something had to be wrong with this situation. Nothing was this perfect. She just couldn’t seem to reconcile the fact that she’d had everything she owned stolen from her about an hour ago with the fact that she’d ended up landing on her feet with a job and a generous boss. She was never that lucky, which meant something had to be wrong. Didn’t it? Maybe not, but she’d have to wait and see.
“Any questions?” he asked, watching her. Phoebe suddenly noticed how nice his brown eyes were and how when he smiled there were little crinkles by his eyes. Phoebe didn’t like the warm gooey feeling that spread through her as she stared at him. There had to be some fatal flaw that she wasn’t seeing. There was no way that he was for real. Maybe he was the human trafficker and he was going to keep her here content and unaware until he had a buyer lined
