“This is the basement, obviously, but it’s not finished. I figured a little mess never hurt anyone.” Aiden was turning the basement into a home cinema space, but had put the plans on hold after his diagnosis. Right now, it had turned into more of a storage area for the junk he hadn’t gotten rid of yet.
Marvin looked around at all the boxes that were splayed across the basement and then turned back to Aiden. “Are you sure? I could have this organized in a jiffy,” he said, his eyes taking everything in.
Aiden smiled. He was certainly motivated, which was another quality he would normally admire in someone working for him, but this guy was making it hard to get rid of him. “I’m positive. It’s completely unnecessary, but thank you!”
They went back up the steps and reached the top landing where Aiden flipped off the light switch, then they went through the door, which he closed behind them.
“Anything else before I get started?” Marvin asked.
“Nope. I have some work to do in the den, but feel free to work around me. If you need anything, just knock and come right in.”
Marvin nodded. “Thank you, sir.” He cleared his throat and smiled. “I mean, thank you, Aiden.”
He hurried to the door and left the house, probably to grab what he needed from the van now that he had an idea of what his job would entail. Aiden stood at the door and watched him, a slight frown touched his lips. No, this wasn’t going to be quite as easy as he thought.
* * *
Yeah,waiting for Marvin to slip up was not happening. Aiden was impressed with the man’s work. He’d gone over it all three times and the man hadn’t left so much as a single speck of dust behind. Aiden could have eaten off his floors.
It was almost annoying how good of a worker Marvin was, and saying that made him laugh. Aiden felt like an asshole hoping the guy would fuck up.
But by the following Saturday afternoon, Aiden was getting desperate. It was sad, really. He was literally following the man around hoping to find something… anything. So he was now left to grasp at straws. But just after Marvin called it a day, he found something and did a mental fist pump.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time. It was still a little before five, so he dialed the cleaning service.
“Hello, you’ve reached Parker’s Cleaning. This is Nat. How may I help you?”
“Is Quinn Parker in by chance?” Aiden asked.
“He won’t be back in until Monday. Would you care to leave a message?” Nat asked.
“Yes, please. This is Aiden Cross. Can you please tell him that Marvin won’t work out after all.”
“What do you mean that he’s not working out?” Natalie asked slowly.
“Well, I went through the house after he left, and I found two small dust bunnies behind the entertainment center.” He cringed as he said the words knowing how ridiculous it sounded to his own ears.
“Twodust bunnies, Mr. Cross?” she questioned flatly, the words dripping with disbelief.
“Yes…” What did that make him sound like? He dropped his head into his hand before he went on. “I’m sorry, but I’m paying good money for this service, and I have certain standards that I expect to be met.”
“I see.”
Aiden could feel the coldness that had come through her tone creep down his spine. Although he regretted making such a big deal out of something that he normally wouldn’t have even paid attention to, he was determined to have Quinn here.
He quickly added, “It’s nothing he did, and I don’t want him to have any problems caused by this. He was a great worker and a very friendly person, but I’m just overly particular. I’ll be in need of another cleaner ASAP.”
“Hmm.... Sure thing, Mr. Cross. I’ll speak to Mr. Parker on Monday when he comes in and let him know you called. Is there anythingelseI can do for you?”
Aiden didn’t miss the sarcasm, but he kept his words friendly. “No, Natalie. And I appreciate you being so understanding. Have a good night.”
She hung up without another word, and he puffed a breath from between his lips. What was he doing? Dust bunnies? The more he thought about the conversation, the more he felt it sounded more like he needed a straitjacket.
Well, Monday morning would show him whether his plan was going to work or if he had lost his only chance to get to know the omega and his triplets..”
* * *
After all these years,Aiden and his omega papa continued to keep their Sunday evening dinner ritual going. It was always held at Aiden’s home with him doing the cooking, and after they ate, they would have a drink together, sometimes while watching a movie or football game. Most times, Papa would head home afterward, though there were occasions where he would use one of the guest rooms if he was too tired.
