by B. Groves
Lily entered the dining hall and tried to stifle a gasp.
Rich colors greeted Lily as she took tentative steps into the room. Dark wood, bright reds, and yellows surrounded Lily as she whispered, “Wow.”
The room wasn’t in immaculate shape, but it looked more kept then the foyer. There was a huge bay window, but like the other windows she’d seen, it was dirty and grimy, dulling the natural light.
A warm and inviting fire burned inside the fireplace to her left lighting up the room with its yellow glow. Two wingback chairs were placed near the fire, and close to an expensive looking dining table that took up most of the space inside the room.
The dining table could fit twenty people comfortably with two heads on either side.
The seat closest to her was set up as if someone was about to sit down and eat. She saw a glass with water and ice, and a covered plate with forks and knives on either side.
I guess he’s hungry, she thought, trying to stop her own stomach from growling.
“Miss Evans. Have a seat. Lunch is getting cold.”
Lily jumped at the voice. She hadn’t realized that someone was sitting in one chair and blocked by one of the wings.
Chapter 3
The Interview
“L-Lunch?” Lily blinked in bewilderment. Was that covered dish her lunch?
She heard a glass clink and noticed a hand swirling around a glass with ice and an amber liquid in the chair.
“I’m sorry, but I’m confused here,” Lily said, placing her hand over her jacket pocket. “Are you Mr. Carlton?”
“I am,” the voice stated. “Please do not be nervous. I have lunch ready for you. I’m sure you’re hungry.”
Why wasn’t he standing up to greet her? Was he ill? Disabled? Both? She hadn’t seen his face.
“Ms. Evans, I apologize for my odd greeting. I am not feeling well today and—”
“I can always return another day that’s more convenient for you,” Lily offered.
“Please have a seat. I’m glad you decided to an interview with me today. We will not take long. I’ve provided lunch,” Mr. Carlton said.
Lily looked around the huge dining room. The doors remained open, so she could run out if the situation went that far.
She frowned and asked, “How did you know I was coming? I didn’t call ahead of time.”
Mr. Carlton adjusted in his seat. “Another candidate arrived this morning, but she left due to an emergency. She explained she would come back a half hour before you arrived. She did not and here you are.”
Lily twisted her mouth not knowing if she believed his explanation about another person not showing to the interview. Who wouldn’t? The money alone should have made a line outside the door for potential candidates.
Lily placed a hand on her stomach. It growled making Lily’s cheeks flare up in embarrassment. She hoped that Mr. Carlton didn’t hear the noise. She hadn’t eaten yet today because of this interview.
“When you sit down, please put your resume to your left,” Mr. Carlton said.
Another odd request, but not unreasonable, Lily figured. It only added to her list of odd situations ever since she received the letter the night before.
Lily eyed the covered dish and thought it wouldn’t hurt. Even if she didn’t accept this job, at least, she would get a delicious meal out of this interview.
She walked up to the table and placed the binder on her left at Mr. Carlton’s request. She pulled out the chair and sat down.
Lily stared at the covered dish feeling uncomfortable about eating in front of her host, but she was famished.
“Do not worry, Ms. Evans, you may eat,” Mr. Carlton spoke up from the chair. “After you’re finished, we’ll talk.”
“Okay,” Lily said.
She grasped the handle not knowing what to expect. She imagined a venomous snake or some other creature would jump out at her if she lifted the cover.
Don’t be silly. The man is feeding you. Don’t be rude.
Still, she thought, she never had an interview where she was offered lunch before. People interviewed over lunch all the time, but in her line of work, that never happened.
Lily slowly lifted the lid, but only a tiny bit. She didn’t realize she closed her eyes until the scent of meat and potatoes hit her nose.
She opened her eyes and removed the cover. Her mouth watered at the sight in front of her.
She had smelled a perfectly rare prime rib that glistened in the light. The sides were a baked potato with sour cream and chives and roasted asparagus. There was a little ramekin sitting next to the prime rib with some kind of white sauce. She lifted to the ramekin to her nose to see what kind of sauce it was and smiled. The pungent scent of horseradish tickled her senses. She loved horseradish, along with Sriracha it was one of her favorite condiments.
“Do you like it?” Mr. Carlton asked.
Lily set the ramekin back on the plate and turned to the person behind the chair. “I don’t know what to say…”
“No need Miss Evans, please enjoy your meal.”
She hadn’t eaten a meal like this in ages. The last time had been when her foster parents scraped up enough money to celebrate her graduation from high school.
She was shocked that her host would provide such an extravagant meal for an interview and for the first time she felt like she was being treated with respect.
Lily looked again towards the chair and heard the tiny clink of glass as Mr. Carlton took another sip of his drink.
Deciding to put away her uncertainties, Lily picked up her utensils and cut into the meat. It didn’t need a knife, she could have cut it with a fork, but she didn’t want to forget her table manners.
She sampled the meat and had to stifle a moan. It melted in her mouth. She practically didn’t have to chew.
Before Lily swallowed her first bite, she was already cutting into her second piece and sampling the potato.
Lily focused on her food. Forgetting her doubts about this interview and attacked the rest of her plate.
After several minutes of silence, Lily placed her water back on the table and realized her binder was missing from where she set it down on her left.
Her head shot up, and she looked from side to side. Paper rustled from the chair. She could see Mr. Carlton reading her cover letter and then moving on to read her resume.
How did he do that? How did he retrieve her binder without her noticing? She still didn’t catch a glimpse of his face.
Lily swallowed her water hard and tried not to choke on it. This interview was getting stranger by the second.
Lily wiped her mouth with her napkin. She lost her appetite and wondered what to do next.
She felt terrible for wanting to leave after her host kindly provided her with her first real meal in ages, but this place and this man were giving her bad vibes, and her insides screamed that she should run far away from here.
“Did you enjoy your lunch?” The deep voice asked from the chair.
“I did. Thank you so much,” Lily said, her body stiffening knowing the questions were coming.
“Then let’s move on to the job,” Mr. Carlton said. “As I’m sure you’re aware, this house needs a lot of work…”
Lily sat still while Mr. Carlton adjusted in his chair. She pondered what he would say next.
“I can’t achieve my goal alone. My goal is to restore the house. Make it presentable again,” he finished.
“This place is beautiful,” Lily said. “Did you buy it recently?”
Lily heard a chuckle.
“No, Miss Evans. This home has been in my family for a long time,” Mr. Carlton explained.
“Oh.” Lily didn’t want to ask any more personal questions. She didn’t want Mr. Carlton to think she was nosy.
“I see you’ve done housekeeping for those horrendous casinos in Atlantic City,” Mr. Carlton.
“Yes, I was there for three years,” Lily said. “When the casino I worked at shut down, I was la
id off.”
Mr. Carlton scoffed and said, “Those places ruined that town. Anyway, you’re working part-time?”
“That’s the only employment I found after my layoff,” Lily said. She hated sounding defensive, but times were tough.
“Are you seeking for full-time or part-time?”
“Full-time.”
“Your resume says you were attending classes. What happened?”
“I had to stop because of my lay off. I didn’t want to go further into debt because of student loans,” Lily explained.
“I can’t offer you reimbursement for your college courses, but if you’re committed to this project with me, I would give you a generous salary to place aside for schooling.”
Lily let out a breath. If she could save her money, she’d be able to attend classes again and complete her degree.
She didn’t want to hope but her mind was already thinking about the future.
“This is a project?” Lily asked. “Do you mean this is only temporary?”
“Yes, but I’m estimating three years. Would that suffice?”
Lily thought it over and remembered the copy of the check Mr. Carlton sent her inside the letter. The salary was far more generous than she deserved for housekeeping.
“I require your full commitment,” Mr. Carlton said. “I can also offer you room and board so you can save your money for your future.”
Lily sucked in a breath. This had to be too good to be true. The money she would save would change her life forever and three years is not a long time to wait for that change. By then, she could attend school, move into a nicer apartment and perhaps land a better job.
But where would she stay? She didn’t feel comfortable staying in this house with this mysterious man.
She thought about it and shook her head. There was no way she would live inside this house with him, it was too weird.
“I want you to do something for me,” Mr. Carlton said.
“Yes?”
“Walk over to the window and tell me what you see.”
Lily pushed back her chair and cringed when it scraped over the wood floor. She hoped she didn’t damage the floor.
“It’s fine, Miss Evans,” Mr. Carlton said from his seat.
Lily nodded and stood up from her chair. She walked over to the window and tried not to take her eyes off the chair where Mr. Carlton sat.
She kept turning her head and glancing behind her, but Mr. Carlton stayed seated as Lily reached the window.
The window hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, but it was clean enough for her to see the back of the property.
The back of the property probably in the past had the most beautiful garden anyone ever set their eyes on, now it was a ghost of its former self with tree trunks lying on the ground, overgrown vines choking bushes, and branches scattered everywhere.
The concrete walkway was cracked and broken. The statue in the middle looked as if someone had taken a sledgehammer and intentionally demolished it with the pieces scattered around it.
The property extended into the forest, but Lily know how far beyond the trees. Fallen trees and other debris cluttered the property. It was a mess, but with time and care, the property had potential to be restored to its former beauty.
“What am I looking for?” Lily asked.
“To your right, at the edge of the forest,” Mr. Carlton answered.
Lily’s eyes widened when she spotted the little cottage nestled in some copse of the trees on the right side of the property.
The tiny house matched the mansion with its red brick exterior and gray shingles. The little cottage looked better maintained than the house. It was small but still bigger than her current living space.
“That’s so pretty,” she whispered.
“That home is yours if you accept the position. When I said I require commitment, I meant every word. It’s rent and utility free. Fully furnished and stocked with basic needs. Wi-Fi can be sketchy when the weather changes, but it works.”
Lily turned around in shock. “You mean I can live there? For free?”
“Yes, Miss Evans along with a generous salary,” Mr. Carlton answered.
Lily opened and shut her mouth but no words formed. She couldn’t shake her apprehension while she stood inside this house, but the offer of living here and working here rent free was tantalizing.
She was so torn about what she wanted to do that her mind went into a frenzy of crazy thoughts.
“I have more questions, please take your seat,” Mr. Carlton ordered.
Without another word, Lily took her place in the chair. That tiny house looked so comfortable and inviting. She wondered if it was as warm and cozy on the inside as it looked from the outside.
Lily sat demurely in her seat and tried not to stare at the leftover food on her plate.
She gazed over at the fireplace was shocked to see Mr. Carlton standing by the fireplace observing her.
She hadn’t realized he had risen from the chair. He’d been as silent as a mouse.
Now that she saw him, she was even more surprised at how young he looked. His face was somewhat obscured in shadows, but enough light shined on him to display his features.
He was average height, with wavy hair the color of rust and baby blue eyes. He wore jeans with a black belt and a neatly pressed white collared shirt. The shirt enhanced his muscles making Lily wonder if he worked out regularly.
Lily hadn’t realized her mouth dropped open until she turned away and embarrassed that she was staring at the handsome and young Mr. Carlton.
She stared directly ahead, but something was nagging at her mind and she tried not to turn to stare at him again. His skin had been awfully pale, almost deathly looking. She remembered he said he hadn’t been feeling well. Is he sick with some kind of disease? He didn’t look thin, though, just pale. It might have been a trick of the light, but she didn’t think so.
“I have some strict rules for this position and I need you to listen carefully then think it over,” Mr. Carlton said.
Lily nodded. She didn’t know what to expect about the rules, but they couldn’t be that bad, could they?
“The hours are 8 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, but I might request overtime. Is that acceptable?”
Lily held back a scoff. When was the last time she had a weekend off? Never.
“Better than acceptable,” Lily said, struggling to keep her eyes off Mr. Carlton.
“I am a private man. I dislike visitors. Your life is yours, but it must stay away from the property,” Mr. Carlton continued.
“That’s not an issue,” Lily answered.
A simple rule. She had friends, but she couldn’t afford to party anymore. She barely put food in her stomach after bills.
“Good.” Lily chanced a look and found Mr. Carlton staring at her. She decided she would meet his gaze to let him know she was willing to follow his rules. So far, they were easy.
“You only have to clean. You are responsible for managing your own breaks and personal time. You do not have to use the kitchen. The kitchen is behind the hallway near the staircase. Inside the kitchen is the cleaning supply closet. It’s stocked with essential equipment, but if you need a special cleaner or tool, I would prefer a note set where you’re sitting right now. Can you handle that?”
“I can.”
“Let’s move on.” Mr. Carlton paced in front of the chair. “These next rules are strict and must be followed. Do you understand?”
Lily nodded. What rules did he want to talk about? Since she was unfamiliar with cleaning in a private setting, she let her imagination run wild with thoughts of torture chambers, ghosts, even keeping a secret room with dead bodies stored inside.
Mr. Carlton turned his gaze away from Lily. She thought she saw a sadness pass over his facial features, but she wasn’t sure. His square jaw tightened, and he took a drink from his glass which had diluted to nothing more than water.
“There are two rooms on the second fl
oor that are off limits. They are my private areas, and they are to remain that way.”
“Okay.”
“You are not to go near them. You do not have to worry about those rooms. You only have to do your job and clean. That’s it.”
“I understand.”
Mr. Carlton turned back to Lily as if had to make her understand the weight of his rules. “Do not go near them, and if there’s a noise… disregard it.”