I don’t think organization is the issue we’re dealing with here. I think what’s going on has more to do with laziness than anything.
And I’m not sure how I’m going to handle that. Titus might end up getting an earful from me tonight when he gets home from work. It’s probably not the best way to start off a working relationship, but if I’m going to be living here—and the free room and board was a big part of the reason I took this job—then he’s not just my boss, he’s also my roommate.
And there’s no way in hell I’m living someplace like this.
“When do you think the housekeeper will start?” I lean to peer at the dishes in the sink. It’s mostly bowls with dried cereal fused along the rim and stained coffee cups. Nothing seems to be growing on them, but it’s still gross.
Deidre’s tight smile falters the tiniest bit. “Soon. Very, very soon.”
Given the number of empty water and protein shake bottlesstrewn across the floor, I’m not sure it will be soon enough. “Can I see my rooms?”
“Yes.” Deidre perks up again. “Absolutely.” She darts off through the house, leading me to the large, open staircase positioned at the center of the structure. “The windows from your space have the most beautiful view of the mountains.”
The upstairs hall curves, circling around the open stairwell. The line of doors off it are all closed, and Deidre gives them an odd look as we pass. I can’t tell if it’s worry or sadness that pinches her features.
Probably fear at how much trash is hiding behind them.
Deidre stops suddenly before we reach the end of the hall. Lifting one hand she points a perfectly manicured finger at a tiny blemish near the ceiling. “I forgot to mention the cameras.”
I squint up at the spot and notice it’s a pretty perfectly drilled hole. “Cameras?”
“Titus and his brothers own a security company, so there are cameras all over the property.” I think she tries to smile, but it looks more like a grimace. “There aren’t any in your room, but they’re in almost every other area of the house.”
Guess Titus is worried his trash will up and walk away if he doesn’t keep an eye on it. “That’s fine. The last place I worked had a lot of cameras too.”
Deidre’s shoulders seem to relax a little as her smile turns more genuine. “I doubt Titus even has them on, but I wanted you to be aware.”
I shrug. If I didn’t run out of here screaming at the state of the house, a few security cameras aren’t going to make a difference.
Is this job turning out to be as perfect as I was hoping for? No.
But nothing ever is.
2
Titus
What the fuck is going on?
I stare at one of the many screens mounted to the wall of my cluttered upstairs office, trying to figure out what in the hell my mother’s up to.
And who in the hell the woman wandering through my house with her is.
My mother’s not in the habit of bothering me. She knows how I am—that I prefer to be alone—and tends to leave me to my devices.
Or at least she used to. Lately she’s been getting a little…
Intrude-y.
She’s taken to showing up unannounced and cleaning my kitchen. Lecturing me about my shitty diet and aversion to leaving my house. But she always comes alone. Never before has she brought a stranger into my home.
Not until today.
The women move around the first floor, going from room to room. While my focus starts on my mother, it quickly transfers to the woman trailing behind her. Long blonde hair the color of sunshine falls past her shoulders from beneath the hood drapedover her head, but it’s difficult to tell much else about her given the way she’s bundled up against the cold.
I try adjusting the scope of the camera feed, attempting to get a better look, but the duo suddenly turns, moving for the stairs. And my stomach drops. I struggle to breathe as they climb closer to where I sit, watching as they walk past the doors I hide behind, before pausing at the end of the hall. My mother moves out of range, making it impossible to see what she’s up to. But what Icansee makes my heart stutter to a stop.
The blonde invading my space pushes back the fur-edged hood that’s been obscuring my view and looks right at me. Even though there’s a camera lens and a display screen between us—leaving no way for her to see my face—I still find myself fighting for air as if she’s standing directly in front of me.
