He wondered what she might be tempted to ask him in return — would he be quitting his job to be a full-time dad? It would be a fair question. Did he just expect her to take that on because she was the woman in this situation?
I don’t. I just can’t give up my job. It’s the most important thing to me. And besides, she can get a job teaching at another school in a few years, but I can’t replace Gold Standard. I’ve got to stick to what I’m doing.
Summer had just started. That should give her a few months to sort out the particulars with the school district. Maybe she had come to the same conclusion. She nodded slowly. “I could do that,” she said. “I suppose that wouldn’t be too bad.”
He smiled. Everything was working out perfectly. “That’s great,” he said. “We can get you moved in on the weekend, if it isn’t too soon.”
The troubled look was back on her face — but she didn’t object, and a sense of satisfaction filled Miles.I knew there was a way for me to get everything I wanted.
“This is where you live?”Chelsea asked, mouth agape as she stared at Miles’s house.
“Is there something wrong with it?” He’d sent a car to pick her up this morning. Her things would be delivered later. Now the two of them stood in the driveway. He’d been ready to take her inside and show her to the part of the house that would be hers while she lived here, but she seemed frozen.
“It’s… huge,” she said. “Who lives here with you?”
“Nobody.” He was mystified. “I told you I wasn’t married.”
“But this house is too big for one person,” she said. “You couldn’t get through every room in this place if you had a year. What do you do with all the space?”
He shrugged. “I find uses for it,” he said. “I can give you a tour, if you’d like. You’ll probably need one, actually.”
“Yeah, just to find my way around,” she agreed. “I might have to leave a trail of breadcrumbs… I knew you were going to have a nice house, but this is… I didn’t even know houses like this existed. I mean, on TV maybe.”
He laughed. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll show you to your wing.”
“I get my own wing?”
“I thought you’d want some privacy. Was I right?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to impose, though,” she said. “You don’t have to give me a wing.”
“I don’t use it. It’s no trouble.”
“I knew you couldn’t possibly use this whole house.”
He led her inside. She turned a slow circle in the foyer, and he gave her a moment to take it in. Miles had never experienced a feeling of awe in this house — it was smaller than the one he had grown up in — but he did know it was nice. It was newer than his father’s home, and he took pride in it.
When she’d had ample time to look around, he gestured to the marble staircase that swept upward to the second floor. She followed him up, then down the hall that led to the guest wing.
“This is your private sitting room,” he said, opening the door. “I’m sorry it’s a little small.”
She stared. “I have a private sitting room?”
“The furniture is new — well, it’s a few years old, but it hasn’t really been used,” he said. “The TV gets every streaming service, but if you need help with it, you can talk to Trudy.”
“Trudy?”
“She’ll be by to introduce herself. She usually does basic cleaning for me, but I’ve assigned her to be your personal attendant while you’re here. I’ll give you the number to her work cell phone, and you can call her for anything you might need. She’ll also handle your laundry and anything else you need while you’re here.”
“It’s like staying at a five-star hotel,” Chelsea marveled.
He hoped she’d find the experience better than that. His last stay at a hotel had been disappointing. “Your bedroom and bathroom are through those doors,” he said. “If there’s anything in particular you’d like, let me know. You should put down a listof specific toiletries you want, and I’ll have them sent in for you, but in the meantime the bathroom is stocked with the basics.”
She nodded. “You really don’t have to do all this,” she said.
“It’s the right thing to do,” he countered. “Besides, I want you to be as comfortable as possible here. I did tell you I would fully support you, both during and after this pregnancy, after all. That extends to providing for all your needs. Speaking of which, why don’t you come and see the rest of the house?”
He took her to the kitchen next. He had intended for that to be a brief stop, but she lingered, examining all the appliances. “How many kinds of coffee does this make?” she asked, bending over to look at the combination coffee/espresso machine.
