I lifted a shoulder, fighting a smile that wanted to tug at the corner of my lips.
I wanted to talk to him. The words were right there on the tip of my tongue. But lately,my brain overthought it all when it came to Jasper. My words wouldn’t work for me. But he sometimes caught me talking to Mrs. Lee and Dawn without my knowing. The times I knew he was there, I’d clam up and feel awkward. Embarrassed even.
Surely Jasper knew I had a crush on him at this point. Why else would I act so stupid in front of him? Forgetting how to speak. Dropping stuff when he spoke to me and I didn’t know he was there. Being a klutz once in a while, too.
I didn’t have that problem with Trace. Ever. Although I didn’t speak to him either, I didn’t make a fool of myself then.
Now, Jasper always outrageously pretended to be hurt when I didn’t talk to him. He never once seemed to truly be bothered by the fact that I couldn’t get my voice to work. Which, maybe, was helping.
“I made you some cappuccino.” Jasper tilted his head towards the thermos that was sitting on the counter, steam billowing up from the top and the lid off to the side.
I thanked him before heading that way. His eyes lit up at the motion.
“Good thing I know some sign language. You can tell me ‘morning’ that way!” He then made the motion for that, and I easily copied it, and put it in my memory so I wouldn’t forget.
Surprisingly, sign language was something I could do, and used a few signed words here and there with Dawn when my voice wasn’t working.
“I think I forgot to mention that Jasper has the day off today. I have a doctor’s appointment this morning. Will you be okay to work if we aren’t here?”
I nodded, then took a sip of the drink.
I was more than okay to be left alone. I knew this house as well as my own by now. I just wasn’t a huge fan of Jasper being around when I was cleaning. I tended to take longer, and make a mess of myself more with him nearby.
“We’ll bring back lunch,” Jasper said, giving me a look like he knew I still skipped meals.
I made aKwith my fingers.
I slipped the lid of the thermos on the mug, lifted it up slightly and motioned that I was going to get to work.
I was thankful for the warm drink, as it slightly helped warm me up from the inside out. It wouldn’t last, but it was better than nothing.
***
I was used to being on my own for hours at a time. Dawn’s job on some days lasted well past dark during the winter months. There wereeven days I didn’t see her at all when she was up and gone before I ever woke up.
So working in Mrs. Lee’s house, cleaning the walls with a mop, with no one else in the house wasn’t anything new to me.
I set up my phone with some music, the volume low so I could hear when they got back, before putting on headphones and getting to work. The last of the bedrooms up here were the last things to be cleaned, other than the bathroom, of course. The former would get cleaned today, too, most likely. It wasn’t like I was going out of my way anyways.
The cash that Mrs. Lee had been giving me was currently sitting in my nightstand drawer. I was still as unsure about what to use the cash with as I was the first time she had handed me an envelope filled with bills. It was still way more than anyone needed to give me. Heck, I’d clean Mrs. Lee’s house without being paid.
It didn’t take long to clean the walls and doors of two of the bedrooms. I wasn’t sure what Jasper’s plan would be for these two, since they both had moved their rooms to the first level floor. Mrs. Lee had trouble using the stairs, and Jasper wanted to be closer in case she needed something during the night. That left two rooms empty, except for a number of boxes. I was able to work them around without too many issues.
The bathroom was just as easy to clean with the mop and bucket. I added a bit of different spray cleaner to the floor before scrubbing the tiles and around the corners. It seemed like this room had been cleaned not long ago, but I still scrubbed everything as good as I could, leaving a fresh orange scent behind.
Humming to one of my newest favorite songs, I scrubbed the inside of the toilet, making sure any unseen water stains or rust was long gone. I made a note to find some cleaner that could be used on wallpaper, though. I wasn’t sure if soap and water would work, or be gentle enough for the walls. Although, if there was a room that needed painting out of the entire house, it was this one.
The pattern, though dull from age, would have been dizzying if it weren’t so old. Who thought stripes in a bathroom would be a great idea, because to me, it was the worst idea ever.
Flushing the toilet, I turned to wash my hands In the sink as the song came to an end. But then another good song came on, and I couldn’t help myself to turn up the volume just a tad before washing down the sink.
Lost to the beat of the song, my mind stayed on task. Maybe a bit too well.
I jerked from a gentle touch to my arm, the rag I had been using to wipe between thefaucet and wall splashed into the sink that happened to be filled with water. Which, in turn, splashed onto my shirt, soaking the material
I turned, not impressed, as my heart felt like it was going to jump right out of my chest.
“Sorry,” Jasper held up both hands, palms facing me. “Thought you heard us come in.”
