David appeared at the bottom of the stairs just as I was ready to push the first suitcase down.
“What are you doing?” he asked and came up to meet me.
“Debating how much noise it would make if I pushed them down,” I answered and pointed at the suitcase.
“Good to see you haven’t changed,” he said, sounding anything but happy about that fact.
“Do you mind getting them down?” I asked. He nodded and lifted one suitcase in each hand. He grunted and put them back down.
“What the hell did you put in them? Your mom’s silver?”
“Not exactly. But you’ll appreciate what’s in them. I’ve been groomed my entire life for the role of a politician’s wife. And the clothes in those suitcases are a part of it.”
“I like that you are throwing yourself into this wholeheartedly. I think we’ll make a great team,” he said and started carrying them down one by one.
“Not sure how they’re going to fit in my car,” he grouched when he passed me on his way down for suitcase number three.
“One of my mother’s staff dropped my car off, so I can take a few as well. Should be fine between the two of us.”
“Guess that could work.”
It had to, because I wasn’t going to come back. Once I was gone, I had no plans on ever returning.
I opened the front door and pulled my car up. David filled my trunk with two suitcases and put one on my back seat. The remaining two went in his car.
The drive to his house took over an hour since he lived in the hills. At least that’s what everyone dubbed them. It was a new development in the middle of nowhere and overlooked a man-made lake. He pulled into his driveway, and I parked next to him. His place was brand new and looked straight out of a catalogue.
“Don’t know if I can fit all your clothes in my closet,” David joked as he lugged one of my suitcases up his porch.
“Since we’re not staying in the same room that won’t be an issue,” I said and followed him to his front door.
“We’ll see,” he answered and walked inside. If he thought this was going to be anything more than two people helping each other out, he would be sorely disappointed.
The inside looked like it had been surgically cleaned. The smell of paint lingered in the air, and he certainly had a penchant for white since there was barely any color in the room. It wasn’t anything like the bachelor pad I expected to see.
“How long have you lived here?” I asked.
“I bought this place as soon as I got back.”
“It’s very clean.”
He smiled at my comment and pointed at the stairs. “Wait until you see the rooms up there. There’s four rooms on the second floor and they all come with their own bathrooms.”
We walked upstairs, leaving the suitcases near the doors for now. “The last door on the right is my room. You can pick any of the other three rooms. Take as much space as you like,” David said and did something akin to a royal wave toward the rooms.
There were two rooms on each side, all spacious and light.
He showed me his bedroom after he pointed out the three guest rooms. He lied when he said he didn’t think my stuff would fit in his closet, because his clothes hardly took up any room. The walk-in was enormous, and two whole sides were still empty.
“In case you change your mind,” he said and nodded at the empty shelves and hanging space.
I ignored him and went back downstairs to get my suitcases. Or rather, I supervised while David carried all my possessions to one of his guestrooms. I didn’t care which one I stayed in, so when he asked where to put my stuff I just pointed to the room on the left that was closest to the staircase and farthest away from his room.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” David said and left me to unpack.
The thought of getting all my stuff out made me nauseous and instead of unpacking, I crawled under the cream comforter and pulled it over my head. Sleep sounded like a great idea.
The ringing of my phone woke me from a disturbing dream that included hairy aliens and a tennis match. I fumbled for my bag that I’d dropped on the nightstand. Before I managed to get my phone out, it stopped ringing but started up again.
I finally found the phone and saw it was Willa who was calling. Fucking finally.
“It’s about time you called me back,” I greeted her.
“Are you okay? What happened? Did Mason do something? I told him he wasn’t allowed to upset you or he would be banned from Sweet Dreams. And Jameson talked to him as well. Why are we having a code red? Are you dying? Did you finally find out what that weird spot on your arm was?”
“The spot on my arm is a birthmark, so no, I’m not going to die from it. And I don’t think Mason took your threat seriously. He fired me.”
“He did what?” Willa yelled. “How? What? When? I don’t understand. How? No, start with when. No, wait, tell me what he said first.”
“He said that I was fired. And it happened yesterday. And I really need you to listen to what I have to say and let me finish before you freak out.”
“That doesn’t sound like something I want to do. Should I get Jameson? I’m going to get Jameson.”
She left to get Jameson while I waited and wondered if I should tell her the whole story.
“Okay, we’re back and you’re on speaker.”
I groaned but made the decision to just tell her what I had done. Kind of like ripping off a Band-Aid. At least she wasn’t close enough to lock me in her
