by Davis, Alexa
“I was just calling to see if you wanted to play another round of golf anytime soon? Maybe tomorrow, just before the launch? You sound like you could use an afternoon of relaxing, and I could, too. Work is being such a bitch at the moment; I have this fucking terrible case that’s sticking right up my ass.”
“What a lovely image,” I laughed. “I wish you could give me more details, it sounds interesting! But yeah, I would like that. Golf sounds awesome. I’m sure the course needs one more test.”
“Good, good, that sounds good.” I could tell he had something he wanted to talk to me about, but in true Ryan style, it would have to wait. He much preferred face-to-face conversation than talking over the phone. “So I’ll see you Friday afternoon… Oh, how’s your mom?”
“She’s okay.” That worry came back, spiking ice cold into my chest. I couldn’t wait to get back to see how things were going back at her house. “She said her leg was playing up a bit today, so it’s probably good that the new maid started.”
“Urgh, you didn’t hire anyone, did you?” I’d almost forgotten about his opinions until the disgust fell off his tongue. “I can’t believe you did that!”
“Elle is a nice girl and definitely won’t steal,” I insisted. “Trust me on this one. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
“What does Katherine think about this decision?”
“Mom was surprisingly happy. She liked the girl; it was her decision to pick her.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound like Katherine at all.” Ryan began to sound a little worried. “Maybe she’s worse than she’s letting on.”
I could’ve gloated; I could have said I told you so , but I didn’t. This was so much more important than that. All Ryan and I really wanted was for Mom to be feeling much better. “Yeah, so hopefully it all works out. I’ll know more tomorrow when I’ve spoken to Mom tonight, so I’ll let you know then.”
“Perfect, great. I’ll see you then. Bye.”
“See ya.”
Once I hung up the phone, it was hard for me to get my brain back into work mode. Now all I could think about was Mom and Elle, worrying about them all over again. Elle had my number so if anything had happened or if Mom had made her life hell she would have called, but still…
“Right.” I clapped my hands together determinedly, trying my best to focus. One step at a time – that was how I had to tackle this day . “Let’s get this finished, Annie; then we can do the final touches tomorrow morning. Sound good?”
“Sounds good, boss,” she smiled and winked. I needed to ensure that the flirting ended quickly. Even if it was only harmless, I didn’t want anything ever to be misconstrued. “Let’s get this done.”
Chapter Eight
Elle
Thursday
God, this job was like a dream . There was a lot that needed doing in such a massive house, but none of it was anything like what I had to deal with at the motel. There wasn’t any excrement anywhere, no semen-stained sheets, no mysterious blood…just dust. I could deal with dust.
“Sorry my son was a bit quiet this morning,” Katherine commented idly as I worked around her in the best way that I could without interfering with her day. “I heard him downstairs; he didn’t say much.”
“Oh…” That felt a bit of a weird statement to make. “Well, I didn’t expect him to. It sounds like he’s a very busy man…”
“Oh, he is!” Katherine’s eyes lit up with glee as she started to discuss Mr. Trainor with me. I recognized that look well – it was the way my eyes went whenever I talked about Delaney. Proud parent alert. “He’s very busy. He has a string of luxury resorts all across the country, which he started from almost nothing. He’s worked very hard.”
“Wow, you must be very proud of him.”
“Oh, I am. I could have gone either way when his father left. Alex was at such a pivotal age, he could have delved into a negative spiral, or he could’ve made a success of himself. Luckily, he went for the latter.”
I gulped, realizing that Delaney would also have the same decision ahead of her one day, especially if things remained as toxic with Mark as they currently were. “That must have been very hard for you.”
“Oh, you know how it is; you’re going through the same now, aren’t you? You just pick yourself up and get on with it, don’t you? As much as you can.”
I smiled to myself, actually feeling a sense of pride. It was good to know that at least someone thought I was doing a good job, even if she didn’t say it aloud. I could read between the lines and see what she meant. “Yeah, I know what you mean. As long as Delaney is looked after, nothing else matters.”
“One day, I’m sure she’ll grow up just as kind and helpful as Alex has. He’s really been great to me. Even when I snap at him for being a little too helpful, he won’t stop.” She laughed to herself, and I couldn’t help joining in. “He’s like a man possessed.”
“Sounds like you’ve done a very good job raising him.”
“Thank you very much.” She twisted her neck to look at me. “You know, you’ve worked really hard today. If you want to finish now to meet your daughter from school, you can.”
“Oh, I have a babysitter…” I didn’t want to push my luck, however nice the idea sounded. This was my first day, after all. I didn’t want to set a precedent for leaving early. I wanted to save that for emergencies.
“Don’t be silly, get out of here.” Katherine waved her hand dismissively. “You’ve done everything, anyway. The laundry can wait until tomorrow. Thank you very much, Elle. I appreciate everything that you’ve done.”
She appreciates me? That was almost laughable. I was only doing my job; she was the one being kind and paying me a fortune. “Well, thank you, Katherine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As I went to grab my purse from the cupboard where I’d left it, there was a massive smile playing on my lips. It felt nice to leave work feeling refreshed and good. Leaving the motel always came with shame and revulsion. This was something completely different.
This was awesome.
“Katherine…oh.” As I walked back into the living room to say a final goodbye, I was shocked to see Alex standing beside her. His eyes snapped up towards me, and I felt something bolt right through my chest.
Stop it; I cursed myself as a heat flamed in my cheeks. He might be handsome, but he’s my boss. I just can’t do that.
“Oh, erm, hello, Mr. Trainor.” All of a sudden, I felt incredibly embarrassed that I was leaving early. “Sorry, Katherine said that… I was done for the day…”
“Yes, she’s finished,” Katherine interjected. “She’s done plenty for the day; I said she could go and pick up her daughter from school.”
“Right, sure.” Alex bristled, looking uncomfortable. “Whatever Mom wants. Thank you for your work today, Elle.”
“Yes.” I nodded awkwardly. “Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As I walked out the door, my heart hammered painfully in my throat. I felt like a total wreck. All day long I was comfortable with Katherine, she truly put me at ease; but as soon as her son arrived, I felt off-kilter, like the world was titling underneath my feet. I wasn’t sure why. It couldn’t be just because he was good-looking, I’d spent time with handsome men before, and it couldn’t be because I got a bad feeling from him, either. Just because he didn’t speak to me much didn’t mean anything. It was obvious that everything Katherine said about Alex was true, so what was it?
He was different – there was something about him that affected me deeply, and I needed to figure out what that was before I really made a fool of myself.
***
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” Terran commented with a smile at the school gates. “Delaney will be pleased.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I should have called you and told you I was coming. I feel bad that you came, too.” Guilt washed over me; I’d been so distracted that I didn’t even think about it. My brain was utterly filled to the brim with images of Alex
, and I could hardly think about anything else. “Urgh, idiot.”
“Oh, I was at the store across the road anyway; it makes no difference to me. Plus, I like picking up Delaney, she puts me in a good mood before I go to work.” She stared at me out the corner of her eye. “Speaking of which, how was your first day?”
“Oh, it great! Really good, Katherine is awesome. Plus, cleaning her home beats the damn motel easily.”
“And, the handsome boss.” She bumped her hip playfully against mine. “Did you see him today?”
I wanted to keep my feelings inside, but my face gleamed red giving me away completely. “I did see him, but only briefly. He was busy opening up his resort or something.”
“Resort?” Terran’s eyes widened in shock. “Opening soon? You don’t think he runs those Golden Resorts, do you? I can’t remember the name exactly, but there’s one opening soon. Ma…someone at work was going on about it. Apparently, it’s going to be incredible, a real competition to everyone around.”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Maybe. I’m not quite sure what he does, to be honest.”
“If it’s him, then he’s amazingly rich. Like, millionaire status rich.”
It probably was, then. The family clearly had a lot of money to pay me what they were. It was impressive that Alex had managed to build his company up from scratch. I respected that he worked so hard. It made me like him more…
Not that I liked him! Not like that. I just thought he was impressive, that was all.
“You should totally try to get it on with him!” Terran commented a bit too gleefully. “He sounds like a boss that you want to get into bed with.”
“Will you stop it?” I hissed back sharply. “Come on; the kids are coming out now.”
***
“So, how was school today?” I asked Delaney as I handed her a plate of dinner. “Did you do anything fun?”
“We’re learning about space,” she told me excitedly. “It’s really cool. We’re doing the planets… Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, erm… Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.”
“Ooh, that’s cool.” I joined her at the dining table. “You know, when I was your age, there was another planet in our solar system called Pluto. After Neptune, right at the end.” I took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Then the scientists at NASA discovered more dwarf planets, and it all changed.”
“So you had nine, and I only have eight. That’s weird.”
I watched Delaney as she tried her best to process that. It really did confuse her that the world used to be a different place, that there was a time that she didn’t exist. It was adorable to watch her try to come to terms with that.
“How was work, Mommy?” Delaney quickly changed the subject in a heartbeat. “Did you enjoy your new job?”
“I did, thank you for asking. It was great.”
“Maybe I should get a job, too; then I can help pay the bills.”
I rested my hand on hers and gave her a little smile. “Oh, sweetheart, that’s very kind of you. I appreciate that, but I have enough money coming in now. You don’t need to get a job. Plus, I think it’s better if you focus on school, for now, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she nodded seriously. “Yes, I think so. Plus, I don’t want to leave school because Becky is my friend now.” Becky was a girl that she’d had a lot of trouble with at first, but as with childhood friendships, they soon made up over a shared love of tater tots. I had a feeling that actually they would end up friends for life. “She’s having a birthday party soon, and I want to go.”
“That sounds nice. We should think about your birthday, too.”
As soon as I said those magic words, Delaney started telling me about everything she wanted to do for her birthday. Not so long ago all those plans would have been completely out of reach, but now I could actually consider something great for her. My little girl deserved it.
Once dinner was made and Delaney raced from the room to get out her toys, I pulled my phone out from my pocket and did something that I probably shouldn’t have. I allowed curiosity to get the better of me and searched for my boss online: Alex Trainor Golden Resorts.
Did you mean… Alexander Trainor Gold Resort?
I clicked on the first link to find myself staring at a very impressive website. What Alexander owned was something incredible, a true luxury that someone like me could never afford, even with my new wages. Kidney-shaped swimming pools, spas with every treatment possible, golf courses that stretched out for miles… It actually made me sigh out loud.
If Alexander Trainor owned all of this, then maybe he was a millionaire like Terran suggested. That made him even more impressive. He truly was the strongest man I knew. He was inspirational when you considered his background. I hoped Delaney turned out just as tough.
As I accidentally clicked on a link that brought up Alexander’s picture, I stared at him for far too long. It was nice to actually be able to see him without the stress of him looking back at me. When my eyes met his, I felt myself fall apart. This was the best way I could see him. I idly brushed my finger against his cheek, wondering what he felt like for real. It was oh so wrong to think of him in such a way – I was well aware that my attraction was very taboo – but somehow in the safety of my own home, that made it much more delicious.
Just one more minute, I thought as I looked at his lovely face. One more minute, then I need to never think of Alexander like that again…ever. No matter what.
Chapter Nine
Alexander
Friday
Just go, I told myself angrily. There’s no point in hanging around here, Elle is more than settled in now. I don’t need to see her. But I couldn’t make my feet move however hard I tried. It didn’t help that Mom kept inventing things that needed to be done.
I couldn’t help thinking that maybe she wanted me to stay until Elle turned up. I also had a feeling that it had more to do with me just opening the door. I couldn’t quite work out what her motivation was.
“Thank you for bringing all that up to my room,” Mom said with a smile. “So, erm, do you have a lot to do today?”
“Some, but the resort’s almost ready to open. I’m actually headed out onto the golf course this afternoon with Ryan.”
“Ryan!” Mom chuckled and shook her head. “He always pretends that he works his ass off, but I’ve never known a lawyer spend so much time on the golf course without networking.”
“Yeah, that’s true!” I agreed with a nod. “He’s a terrible influence on me. But he must work some to get the reputation he has.” A knock on the door punctuated my words.
“Oh, that must be Elle, do you mind getting the door?” Mom turned her head back towards the television, refusing to meet my eye, only sparking my brain further to think that she was hiding something. I would figure out what she was up to…eventually. “Thank you, Alex.”
“Alright, but I’m going then, so I’ll see you later, Mom, okay?”
“Yep, bye!”
I felt a smile creeping up onto my lips as I walked down the stairs to greet Elle. The happy atmosphere that she brought with her was already seeping in through the door, and I couldn’t wait to actually see her face again. I wanted to actually talk to her a little bit today because I got the impression I wasn’t very friendly last time. I didn’t want her to think I was a dick just because I distanced myself a bit.
“Good morning, Elle,” I said smilingly as I opened the door. “It’s nice to see you again. Mom said you did an amazing job yesterday.”
“Oh, thank you.” She blushed fiercely, making her look so cute it hurt. “That’s kind of you to say, Mr. Trainor.”
Nope, I couldn’t handle it. Mr. Trainor felt too formal in this setting . “Please, call me Alex.” Shit, did I just say Alex? I never wanted anyone to call me that! It must have been because I was with Mom and the name had ingrained into my brain. Still, it was too late to take it back now unless I wanted to sound like an idiot.
“Okay.” She
nodded, almost leaning into a bow. “Thank you, Alex.”
It actually didn’t sound too bad coming from Elle. At least it wasn’t at one of my resorts where everyone would get the idea that they could shorten my name; that would spell trouble!
“Anyway.” I stepped back. “I’ll let you get going. I wouldn’t want to get in the way…”
“Yes, you, too.” She giggled girlishly. “I’m sure that you’re a very busy man.”
We both remained still for a moment, just looking at one another. I felt a million and one things flowing between us, but neither of us said anything. In the end, I actually forced myself to drag my eyes away. I needed to break the moment before it overwhelmed me completely.
“Well, I guess maybe I’ll see you later… Or maybe not, it just depends on when I finish, and you finish.” Shut up, shut up, shut up! “Erm, goodbye.”
I shook my head angrily as I made my way out into the world, feeling like a total idiot. I hated what a blubbering mess I turned into when I got anywhere near Elle; it was killing me. Maybe I needed to avoid her to stop making a fool of myself…
***
“At least the weather is nice!” Ryan declared happily as he twisted his head to look up at the bright sun. “It’d suck if you had to open with the rain pouring down.”
“I know, it is good.” My tone was tight and stressed. I always got this way right before an opening. Even when everything was going well, I feared the day falling apart. With the press, influential people, and potential customers in attendance, I needed it to be perfect. “I just hope it stays this way for the party.”
Ryan didn’t answer because he was so busy concentrating on taking his next shot. I examined him for a moment, wondering why his highly stressful job never seemed to bother him on the golf course. Maybe he was just really good at compartmentalizing the shit in his life – something I desperately needed to get better at.
“So, tell me more about this maid. What’s she like? Is she hot?”
I narrowed my eyes angrily at Ryan. For someone who was so insistent that I shouldn’t hire her because she’d steal, it seemed weird for him to suddenly care so much about the way Elle looked.