Or at least itwas, right up until the abduction.
We all guzzle our bottles, grab a second, and strip down to soak in the natural hot springs.We each find a boulder to lounge on and enjoy this last bit of time before Cal leaves with Victoria on their honeymoon, a married man, all responsible and committed and shit.
Cal nods in my direction.“Maybe you’ll be the next to fall, Finn.”
“Me?”I’m frozen with terror.Has he read my thoughts about Emma?There’s no such thing as personal space in this fucking family!
“Now that you have a housekeeper, you can get back out there,” Declan clarifies.“Watch out, women of Earth, Finlay MacLaine is on the prowl!”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
Cal slaps my back.“Take your time, man.You’ll get out there when you’re good and ready.”
“Here’s to being good and ready,” Evander says.
We laugh and clink our bottles one last time.
That’s when I notice that somehow, Special K has managed to slink away from his boulder and the conversation.Out of the corner of my eye, I see him gathering up all of Evander’s clothes—shirt, suit, shoes, underwear—and chucking everything over the edge of a nearby culvert.
And it’s on again.
CHAPTER 10
Emma
My eyes open naturally.No alarm clock.No phone.No fighting neighbors and slamming doors and/or police sirens.
They just open.
I’m confused.Because I’m totally refreshed.I’ve gotten enough sleep.Holy crap, I don’t remember the last time that’s happened to me.
Maybe it never has.
Then I remember where I am.
I’m snuggled under a Frenchduvet—my first—the kind of comforter I’ve only seen in the pages of fancy catalogs.I rub my hands along the huge open surface along my sides.This bed is as big as a swimming pool.The sheets are cool, soft but crisp at the same time.And clean!
I pull the sheets and comforter to my face and inhale the miracle of expensive laundry detergent, dryer sheets, and fabric softener… it’s almost too nice.
I could live in this bed.I could stay in this bed until I was an old lady drawing my last breath.I never want to leave this bed.How can I organize my life so that I never have to leave this soft, safe paradise?
I look around me.I’ve hit the jackpot.I’ve got a beautiful bedroom with the best mattress ever invented.Who knew there were beds like this?I could have gone my whole life without sleeping in a bed like this and never even been aware of what I was missing.
I raise my arms out from under the covers and stretch.Aside from a slight ache in my muscles from yesterday’s walking, I feel great!The sun peeks in through the curtains, and the day is full of possibilities.Sure, Mr.MacLaine wasn’t thrilled to hire me, but I know I can win him over.
I’ll be the best housekeeper he didn’t know he needed.I’ll clean his house from top to bottom and make it run like a well-oiled machine of domestic bliss.And I’ll be Jasmine’s best friend.I’ll play Barbie and Ken with her until we’ve run out of ideas for beach vacations and fancy dress-up dances.I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep this going.
I know a damn good thing when I see it.
I roll out of bed, let my bare feet hit the clean carpet, and open the curtains.I’m treated to a spectacular view of the ranch, of the other homes and a large barn.Behind all of that is a wide meadow and the huge mountains beyond.It’s prettier than a TV travel documentary or a postcard.
I wasn’t far off the mark last night—this really is a real-lifeYellowstone, only the people are nicer.And maybe even richer.It’s true that I haven’t met everyone, but from what I’ve seen, this isn’t a family that wants to murder each other so that they can have all the power and wealth, like the television family.This family seems to love each other.
I have to pee, and I can’t wait to pee in my new bathroom.It’s like a spa, even though I’ve never been to a spa, and I don’t have any idea what a spa might look like.The closest I ever got to a spa was trying to find the ladies’ room in the lobby of Reno’s Atlantis Hotel.A security guard stopped me and told me to leave.Not asked,ordered.
And now… I turn on the bathroom light and step inside.There’s marble everywhere.Marble and glass and gleaming copper and rich wood.I look up to see a large skylight that sprinkles sunshine everywhere.
I don’t need a shower this morning, not technically.I took one last night—hot, hot water shooting out of six different shower heads with a function for steam, which I didn’t even know was possible.I didn’t have to spin around to get wet everywhere!I used the pristine white washcloths and towels I found folded up in a basket.I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed until the exhaustion hit me so hard that I couldn't stand up any longer.
