Actually, Iknowhe’s going to kiss me.
But I’m wrong.
He turns and marches out of the kitchen.I fall back against the kitchen cabinets and catch my breath, staring at his boxer-briefed backside as he walks away.
When he’s out of sight, I bend over and put my head between my knees.
CHAPTER 11
Emma
I say goodbye to Jasmine and her dad as they head out the front door.Then I pull up a tall chair and sit at the kitchen island to sip my coffee.It’s the smooth, expensive kind I’ve never been able to afford.They don’t serve this kind of coffee at the dives where I’ve worked.This coffee is so tasty and rich that it almost doesn’t need sugar, but I add two teaspoons anyway, along with some of the half and half I find in the gigantic refrigerator.
One look in that fridge and any appetite I’d had is gone.
It’s overflowing with half-eaten crap, and some of it could double as a school science project.My first day is going to be a long one.The refrigerator alone will take hours to deep clean.I start doing some of the math in my head.
The home must be five thousand square feet, and the kitchen alone is as big as some of the houses I’ve lived in.And I think it’s safe to say that none of the five thousand feet has had any deep cleaning since they moved in.
I’m beginning to suspect that anything that’s clean and orderly in this house—including the guest room’s sparkling sheets and towels—is because of Phyllis.
But in my long history of doing part-time cleaning in addition to my waitressing work, I’ve developed a way of tackling tasks that tends to impress the client.First, I do a general tidy all over the house.That way, if the client returns at any point, they see that progress has been made.
Once the general tidy is done, I start on anything with a drain and then move to deeper cleaning.
I sip my coffee and take another look at the pages of rules.No opening of drawers, cabinets, closets, and pantries?Right.It might be hard to find cleaning supplies if I can’t open anything that might let me discover where they’re stored.
Whoops!Clumsy me!
I’ve just spilled coffee all over the list.
“Too bad,” I say to the empty kitchen.“I guess I’ll need to ask for a new copy, because I can’t read a single word!”
Taking my coffee cup with me, I go in search of the Cap’n Crunch cereal.It’s my favorite.How Jasmine knew that is a mystery.
Since it’s a beautiful day, I pour myself a bowl and open the windows.There are French doors everywhere in this house, and I’m relieved to see that they come with screens.If we really are in snake country, I don’t want to let them slither into the house.
I step out back with my coffee, cereal, and a handful of paper towels.There are two options for seating.I see a small bistro table with four chairs in a shady spot under a tree near the pool.And I see a large pergola with a table and chairs that could probably seat thirty people.
It’s impressive, but it’s nothing compared to the pool itself.It’s more of a lagoon than a pool.I see a rock platform on one end, and a beach on the other.A large slide is cut out of the rockface.
I wish I owned a swimsuit.I would jump in right now.Maybe it’s for the best, since it wouldn’t look good for the boss to find me in his pool before I even get around to dusting a single television screen.
So I decide to satisfy myself with eating a bowl of cereal at the bistro table under the tree—until I see how dirty it is.It’s covered in cottonwood tree fluff, bird poop, and dust.I use the paper towel to carve out a clean spot, knowing this table will be one of the first things I clean.I like it here, and I want to be able come outside to drink my coffee every morning.
If only for another week.
The birds are keeping me company with their song.Most of them are hidden in the trees bordering the property, but occasionally, I see a bird of prey fly overhead.I can’t tell the difference between a hawk and an eagle with any confidence, but whatever is flying overhead has a huge wingspan.The bird floats on the air currents and scans the land below for breakfast.
I know what it’s like to be looking for your next meal.That was me only last night, when I wandered onto this property.How is it that the hungry and scared Emma from last night already feels like a memory?
I wish I could turn all the ugliness of my past into faded memories.That would sure be a neat trick.
When I finish my cereal, I go back inside to start the day’s work.The first thing I need to do is find the cleaning supplies and get the lay of the land.Though it’s a flat-out violation of the rules, I search through every cabinet and drawer in the cavernous kitchen.Half of them are empty.A few are filled with dusty, unused, extremely expensive china and crystal.
I finally find the one cabinet where they keep the stuff they actually use.There are mismatched break-proof dishes and bowls, acrylic glasses and cups, and a bunch of paper plates and bowls.
I find the butler’s pantry, throw open the double doors, and gasp out loud.
