“Go ahead.”
She grinned and ran through the doors out into the backyard, bypassing the pool until she reached the playhouse. She opened the door and disappeared inside.
“You got that for her?”
“Yes, had it built a few days ago. They come prefabricated. You basically pick a model online and it’s assembled right off the truck. Only took them a couple hours. It’s cold as shit, so she won’t be able to enjoy it until the weather breaks, but kids like stuff like that, right?”
He shrugged, as if uncomfortable with being so considerate about making his home accommodating for a six-year-old. I thought it was sweet. Here I was again, not wanting to like him but having no choice.
“You really put a lot of thought into having her here.”He searched my face for a second before he responded.
“Is that a compliment or are you being sarcastic?”
“Why would I be sarcastic?”I signed, narrowing my eyes.
“I’m not exactly your favorite person.”
I smiled.“I disagree. With the amount of money you’re paying me, you are second on my list of favorite people.”
“Second?”
“Second, that’s all you can get. The top spot is filled.”
He frowned hard and I wondered if he assumed I had a man. The thought of him being jealous sent a thrill through me.“Who’s first?”
The person who held the top spot, Rylee, came barreling our way and waved a hand to get my attention.“It’s like a real house. Come see,”she signed enthusiastically.
Instead of answering his question, I followed Rylee into the backyard, shivering from the chill that cut through me, making my way to the tiny house. It was clearly meant for a child but the roof was tall enough for me to stand inside. The detail was incredible with hardwood floors and granite countertops. It must be nice to have the type of money accessible to have a real life miniature house assembled in your backyard on demand in the heart of winter.
Everything was decorated to emulate a real house but with plastic furniture. There was a mock kitchen, a living room with a TV setup on the wall that I assumed was real, and play sets of dishes, plastic food, and a table set up for a tea party.
A little girl’s dream.Thislittle girl’s dream. Ryland had gone all out but had the money to do so. Regardless, I was impressed that he’d invested the time. Money didn’t always mean or match effort. Ryland was doing the work and making the effort.
Unfortunately, it was too cold to stay out here, so we made our way back into the house and continued our tour. This time with Ryland. By the time we reached the upper level where the bedrooms were, I was in love with this house and never wanted to leave. If I had to decide on a dream house, this would be it.
Rylee’s room was on one end of the hall, with Ryland’s on the opposite. They were separated by two rooms on each side of thehallway, one of which was mine. Rylee spent all of five minutes in my room, needing to know where she could find me before she got lost in her own. There were art supplies, stuffed animals, and everything a little girl’s heart could desire.
The child in me loved this for her.
“Do you approve?”Ryland signed after he brought my suitcase in and left it by the door.
“Are you seriously asking? Look at this place.”I grinned, motioning around the room.
“It’s nice but that doesn’t mean it meets your approval. There are four other rooms you could choose from. This one was closest to Rylee. Figured you would want that.”
“I don’t think she’s all that worried about me after seeing her room.”
He smiled.“It’s just new. When the thrill wears off, you’ll be back in her top spot.”
“Maybe.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m going to unpack.”
He stared at me for a minute before nodding.“I would like your help choosing the staff since they will be around my sister, but we can work on that tomorrow. I chose a chef for a trial basis. She will start tomorrow. When you’re ready for dinner, let me know and we’ll get something. It’s been a long day, so we can order in if you’re cool with that.”
Staff? I couldn’t even wrap my brain around needing staff but we could tackle the conversation another time. Ryland had money and access, so hiring a staff to make his life easy and more functional made sense. I would bet my ass he didn’t clean this big ass house. I would not object. I was here to live the luxurious life, albeit temporarily, and would not complain.
