“The police might be looking for me.”
“Okay.”I nod, waiting for the bad news.
“Okay?That’s it?”She blinks at me in surprise.
“Did you kill anyone?”I ask, and her eyes widen as she shakes her head.
“No!What?The sight of blood makes me pass out.There’s no way I could kill someone.”She shakes like a shiver just went down her spine.
“Okay then, that’s all I need to know.”I shrug as I pick up my fork and go back to my eggs.
“So as long as I didn’t murder anyone you don’t care that there might be a warrant out for my arrest?”
I sigh heavily as I put my fork back down.“Little mouse, you aren’t capable of anything else.”Before she can respond, I hold up a finger.“Number one, you’re not big enough to physically harm anyone, so you didn’t commit assault.Number two, I saw the list you made of the food you ate so you could replace it.If you stole something, I’m guessing it’s because you had a damn good reason.And number three, you’re not sleeping in a car, so clearly it’s not because you hit someone and took off.Outside of shooting someone, I can’t think of a crime you’d be able to commit.”
“I don’t know if I’m offended by this assessment or not,” she mumbles mostly to herself, and I have to hide my smile.
We eat in a comfortable silence before I nod to her almost clear plate.“When you finish that, I can make you some fruit and yogurt to take with us to the office.Then we can start our day.”
“Sounds great,” she agrees, and I watch as a smile tugs at her lips.
For the first time, I see the muscles across her shoulders and neck begin to relax.Then something inside my chest does the same.It’s filled with a warmth that I haven’t experienced before, and I don’t hate it.In fact, I really, really like it.
CHAPTERSEVEN
JULIET
The sleep I got last night was better than I could ever remember having any night before.I thought it would be difficult to let my guard down enough to fall asleep in a stranger’s home.Especially with what I went through with my stepbrother.Yet somehow, the second I closed my eyes, I was out.
Maverick has been nothing but kind and caring and has done everything he could to make me feel safe.When he offered to lock himself in his own bedroom, I almost burst out laughing.
With all that he’s given me, I’m going to prove that I’m worth hiring.I’m prepared to work hard and bust my ass so I can show him how grateful I am.I don’t want him to have any regrets.I’ll do as he suggests for now and save all I can before I find another place to stay.It would be nice to have a small nest egg and not worry about being one paycheck away from being homeless again.
I also want to ask him what my hours are.Would that be rude?Depending on when he needs me to work, I might be able to get a second job.I’d noticed when I entered the gym that the smoothie place next door was hiring.That would be really convenient.
So far, the tasks assigned to me have been simple.It’s spreadsheets and numbers, but I’ve always been good with those.It’s not difficult, but it needs to be done.It’s more tedious than anything, but I took a class on spreadsheets in high school, and I know all the short codes.I’ve even fixed his so they are adding up on their own.If you know how to use spreadsheets, tasks can be completed in a third of the time.
After I’m done with my initial tasks, I debate if I should go and find Maverick and tell him I’m done with all he’s given me.He asked me to stay in his office after he showed me around, but since then, he’s been popping in and out.I can’t help the flutter I get each time the door opens, though I’m trying to temper it.I could crash out hard for this man, but I can’t do that.I’m not going to be one of those girls fawning all over him when he’s been helping me.
Thinking he might check back in soon, I find a few cleaning supplies in the bathroom and start to straighten up his space instead of going to find him.
“What are you doing?”I spin around at the sound of Maverick’s voice as a small scream leaves me.“Shit, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Sorry, I startle easily,” I say as he closes the door.I’ve always been jumpy.
“You don’t need to clean.”
“I was trying to keep busy, and I have no problem cleaning.I can even do your place upstairs,” I offer.“Oh, and I could cook too.”
Maybe that would be a way of pulling my weight since he’s letting me crash with him for a while.
“You cook?”He cocks his head to the side.
“I’ll get a cookbook.”
“A cookbook,” he chuckles.“You don’t have to cook for me, little mouse.”
Between his smile and calling me little mouse, the flutter in my stomach comes back tenfold.
