by Zoe Reid
The car pulled up, and the back door opened. Instead of Dad, Adelle jumped out of the back seat.
“Girl!” I squealed. “What are you doing here?” I ran over to my best friend and hugged her. The heat from the car thawed my cheeks.
Adelle shoved her honey-blonde hair from her face and grinned. “Dad is stuck in Colorado for the week. He didn’t want me to be alone for the storm, so he asked your dad to pick me up on the way home from the airport.”
Daddy rounded the car, and I ran over to him and hugged him too. “What do you think of my early Christmas gift?”
“As much as I love Adelle, I hope you got me something else for Christmas too,” I said to him.
“Harsh!” Adelle whined and then giggled.
“Let’s go inside,” I said, looping my arm with hers. “It’s freezing out here.”
I waited until we reached my bedroom before I told Adelle about Sean. It wouldn’t help to have Mom or Dad overhear that I had an explainable crush on the help.
Dad would probably fire him in an instant and Mom would lock me in the house forever. Little did she know that I wasn’t a nun when it came to hooking up with guys.
“Did you see the guy on the ladder?” I asked Adelle.
“How could I miss him? Why?” She eyed me suspiciously.
“He’s frickin’ gorgeous,” I said. “He’s our new handyman, here until the end of the month.”
“Ohh, interesting,” she said, leaning close. “Are you going to tap that?”
Adelle and I burst out laughing.
“You’re bad,” I said, slapping her arm.
“Well if you aren’t, then leave me his number. I’m sure I could find something for him to fix at my place.” Adelle waggled her eyebrows at me.
I quickly jumped into another topic, wanting to steer clear of her doing anything with Sean. If anyone was going to hook up with him at my house, it was going to be me.
Chapter 5
Sean
When the sun went down, I went outside to check on the lights. I’d already turned them on before stringing, but I wanted to make sure they were even and that none of the bulbs were out. There was a bag with hundreds of extra bulbs, so I wasn’t too worried.
The wind already started to pick up, so I made quick work of checking everything.
Smiling, I knew Mrs. Turner would be impressed with how they turned out.
The house stood out like a Christmas gingerbread house in the darkness. I couldn’t wait to see all the decorations up. I’d have to take a picture for Mom when it was completed so she could see the hard work I did. And I knew it would bring out her Christmas spirit a little more.
With Dad’s recent flare-up, she wasn’t sure if she would bother with a tree this year. That wasn’t going to happen on my watch. She deserved some happiness just like everyone else.
Heading inside, I wanted to ask Paul if he needed any more help before I turned in for the night. I wanted to settle into the guest house and get some sleep before the storm started. I knew I’d be up every few hours checking the property.
I found Paul in his study on the first floor. He was on the phone with someone, so I waited outside of the room until he finished.
The way he spoke on the phone was commanding yet polite. No wonder he was able to hold onto such a lucrative business. I felt a swell of pride working for him even though I wasn’t anywhere near as important as of any of his business employees.
When he hung up the phone, I knocked on the door.
“Come on in,” he said.
“Just checking to see if there’s anything else I need to do tonight?”
“Did you eat?” he asked.
“Not yet,” I said. The last thing I ate was a sandwich that Mary brought to me hours ago. “I’ll get something in the guest house.”
“Not a chance,” he said.
“Excuse me?”
Paul stood up from his desk and loosened his tie. “You’re going to have dinner with us tonight. It will give you a chance to get to know our family a little more.”
“I can fend for myself,” I said, unwilling to be a charity case. From the way they fed me the past few days it almost appeared they felt bad for me. Just because I wasn’t rich or lived in a mansion, that didn’t mean I couldn’t cook for myself.
“I know that,” Paul said. “I like to get to know who I’m working with, that’s all.”
Working with? More like working for, but I wasn’t going to push back too much. After all, he was my boss.
In the dining room, Paul introduced me to his son Gavin, a spitting image of his dad with fewer grays in his hair. Gavin finished off his glass of whiskey before offering me some.
“No thanks,” I said, even though I would have loved a glass. “I need to keep a clear head for work.”
“Suit yourself,” Gavin said, pouring himself another glass.
Paul’s gaze lingered on his son for a moment before snapping out of it.
It wasn’t my place to get in the way of their personal issues.
Mrs. Turner, Brooklynn, and Brooklynn’s friend Adelle came into the dining room shortly after.
Even though I couldn’t take my eyes off Brooklynn, I felt the unappreciative stare from Mrs. Turner. I glanced down at my clothes and realized that I should have changed. All of them were in clean and more formal outfits than what I wore.
Paul didn’t seem to mind, which made it okay for me. I wasn’t about to change myself for these people.
I had to constantly remind myself that I wasn’t one of them, I only worked for them. Though I couldn’t help but wonder if I got the full-time position, would I be expected to join them on a regular basis or not? If so, I’d have to invest in a nicer wardrobe. At the very least to elevate me to somewhere near Brooklynn’s level.
I didn’t miss the way she looked at me, and if I were honest with myself, I didn’t mind it. She froze her little ass outside with me today, and she wouldn’t have done that if she wasn’t interested.
I’d never go far with her, but it was nice to be wanted. I hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
The way that she pranced around me was adorable since she was dead sexy, but that was as far as it could go.
“Let’s all sit,” Mrs. Turner said, glancing at her family.
I waited until everyone sat down before I took my place next to Gavin. It was the only other empty spot, and I wondered if it was customary, or Mrs. Turner caught onto Brooklynn’s flirting.
Brooklynn didn’t seem the least bit worried about the change in places, and I tried to let it go as well.
“I hope being inside has warmed you up a bit, Sean,” Brooklynn said, sipping from her water glass. Her lipstick left a smudge of red across the rim.
“Yes,” I said, glancing at her. “It went along a lot faster with your help.”
“Help?” Mrs. Turner almost shrieked.
Brooklynn rolled her eyes. “I offered to help Sean string the lights.”
Paul’s eyebrows drew together.
“Brooklynn, doing work?” Gavin said, laughing.
I wondered if I got her in trouble, but she didn’t appear pissed at all. “Mom, you’re always telling me to do something with my time.”
“We have a handyman for a reason,” Mrs. Turner spat. “You have no place near any equipment.”
“She wasn’t on the ladder,” I said quickly. “She held the string of lights for me, saving me some time is all.”
Brooklynn preened at her mother.
“I think a little hard work would do you good,” Paul said to Brooklynn.
“Thanks, Daddy,” Brooklynn preened.
We passed around the entrees and filled our plates. Mary made a whole turkey with greens and red potatoes. It was a wealthy persons’ Thanksgiving dinner but on a Tuesday night.
“Brooklynn has yet to encompass her brother’s mindset when it comes to work,” Paul said. “He’s been in line for the company since birth.” Paul barked a laugh. “He used to boss around my
employees as soon as he could talk.”
Gavin cringed. “Dad. Let’s not talk about that.”
“Did you always want to be a handyman?” Brooklyn asked me.
I glanced up, and she had a stalk of asparagus in her mouth. Her tongue darted out and slowly moved up the tip of the vegetable.
I looked down at my plate. Was she making sexual gestures at me with her parents right there or was I losing my mind?
I cleared my throat and looked up to see that she’d already finished the stalk. I had to be imagining it.
“It fell into my lap,” I said, not wanting to get into Dad’s history. “I started working as a ranch hand when I was younger and picked up odd jobs ever since.”
“If you’re looking for more then you could always apply to work with us in the fields,” Paul said. “We’re always looking for more hands.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. I wasn’t about to take him up on that offer. I wanted to be close to my parents in case anything happened. Working here was ideal, but if not I’d find something else in town. “I’ll consider it after the month is over.”
After dessert, I excused myself from the table, knowing that I overstayed my welcome. When I offered to help clean up, Mrs. Turner almost choked on her chocolate mousse.
“Mary will take care of that,” Paul said. “Good night, Sean. I’m so glad you decided to stay with us. It will ease my mind tonight with the upcoming storm.”
“Good night,” I said to everyone.
Brooklynn waggled her fingers at me, and I gave her a curt nod.
Grabbing my coat from the front entrance, I went outside into the blistering cold. Snow already started to fall, leaving a thin layer on the driveway.
I went to the garage to make sure there was enough gas in my truck and the snow blower.
After grabbing my overnight bag and locking up, I went over to the guest house.
The place was the size of my parents’ house and then some. Inside, the tall ceilings and rustic interior made it appear like a carbon copy of the main house. Mom was right; this was going to be a mini vacation for me.
While checking out my new place, I couldn’t get Brooklynn out of my head.
Thinking of her pouty red lips made my jeans tighter than normal. The scent of her still lingered in my mind.
I walked through to the bedroom, unable to control myself any longer.
I pulled off my belt as I dropped to the bed. Digging my hand inside my pants, I wrapped my hand around myself and tugged. I closed my eyes and brought her face to the front of my mind.
I could almost feel the touch of her soft skin against my arm from that morning. I pictured myself on top of her, digging myself inside of her warm pussy. I stroked until I couldn’t hold back any longer. I ended with her name on my lips and the need to do some laundry.
Chapter 6
Brooklynn
The howling of the wind woke me from a restless sleep. Between the sheets of wet snow pelting my window and the gusts of wind making the branches of the trees around the house moan and creak, I didn’t get much sleep.
I rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was only six in the morning.
Ugh! I whipped the duvet off me and sat up. I wasn’t getting much sleep anytime soon.
I dug my feet into the slippers next to my bed and shuffled across the room to grab my robe. The room wasn’t cold by any means but leaving the warm cocoon of my bed made me shiver.
Walking across my room, I grabbed my remote and flipped on the television. Glancing out the window, it took my eyes a moment to adjust to the blanket of white that covered every surface in the distance.
I couldn’t believe it. It was much worse than I imagined.
Across the way, the guest house was lit. I squinted through the snow clinging to my window to see if I could make out Sean in there. The house appeared quiet.
I tightened my robe around me, experiencing another shiver just thinking of him.
The roof of the guest house had at least three feet of snow on top, and one side was covered completely.
The flickering light from the television called to me, so I tore my eyes away from the guest house and stared at the news channel. I liked to sleep with the television on and set on a sleep timer, but not with the sound on.
I pressed the volume button to hear what the peppy news anchor had to say about the storm.
Scrolling lists of closed schools and businesses filled the bottom of the screen. I didn’t have to worry about any of those.
“There are reports of two to three feet of snow already fallen since last night,” the woman said. “Please stay off the roads if you can so that the plows can do their jobs. We expect several more feet of snow to fall throughout the next twenty-four hours. So stay inside and stay warm until it passes…”
I flipped the television off and strode across the room. Now that I was awake, I needed caffeine to sustain me.
Traveling down the hallway, I wondered if Mary was up or if she was sleeping still. I couldn’t be the only one affected by the raging storm outside.
Coming down the stairs, I heard voices and followed them in the direction of the living room.
Inside, Mom and Daddy were on the couch, sipping from mugs. Both of their wide-eyed gazes turned to me.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Daddy asked. His hair stuck out from all angles. Since I rarely woke before eight, I rarely saw him when he first woke. Same thing for Mom. Without makeup, she seemed somewhat normal.
“No,” I said, settling in on the thick leather chair across from them. Glancing up at the television, they were watching the news as well.
“It’s a good thing I can work from home,” Daddy said. “It looks brutal out there.”
“They’re expecting more over the next twenty-four hours,” I said.
“Do you want something?” Mom asked. “Mary made some coffee for us.”
“Yes, please,” I said, grabbing a blanket from the basket next to the chair. I covered myself with it, feeling a soothing warmth settle over me.
Mom turned and grabbed a small bell, ringing it before I could stop her.
I cringed. I always hated that bell, it was as if she were beckoning a dog. Daddy explained to me once that that was just Mom’s way. She was brought up in this lifestyle with even older, traditional values of servants.
Even though I never worked a day in my life, outside of selling jewelry for two weeks in middle school before I gave that up, I would never want to be summoned like that.
Mary entered the room and looked over at me. She held a tray in her hand. “Good morning, Brooklynn.” She placed the tray down and handed me a cup and saucer. Steam rose from the hot liquid inside the cup. The coffee was a lighter brown, and I knew she already added milk and sugar for me. How did she know I was up?
“Thank you, Mary,” I said with a smile. I tried to convey some apology for the way Mom treated her, but Mary had no contempt on her face.
“Please prepare breakfast for around seven,” Mom said. “I doubt anyone is going to be sleeping much this morning.”
“As you wish, Miss,” Mary said and exited the room.
“I heard Sean with the plow this morning,” Daddy said, his eyes still glued to the television.
My ears perked up. “I did see the light on in the guest house.”
Daddy nodded. “He’s already proving to be an asset to this household.”
“Should Mary take something out to him?” Mom asked.
“No doubt she already did,” Daddy said. “She was up before us.”
Too bad my window overlooked the backyard. If I heard the plow, I might have watched Sean this morning. A mountain man covered in snow, it wasn’t a bad thing to wake up to.
“It’s too bad that he’s staying out in the guest house,” Daddy said. “It probably isn’t well-stocked with food.”
“I’m sure he can manage,” Mom said.
Daddy nodded slowly as if he wasn’t quite sure of that.
It wasn’t as if I had a plan to hook up with him, but if there were a chance, it would be better if he was still working for us. I doubted I’d ever see him again if he didn’t.
Daddy stood up, suddenly enough to make Mom and me jump. “I’m going out there.”
“Whatever for?” Mom asked.
“I can’t bear to think of Sean out there without enough food.”
Mom scoffed. “Really, Paul? He’s a grown man. He can make himself some food.”
I was beginning to suspect Mom did see something last night. How could I have been so stupid? Adelle got into my head about hooking up with Sean. I hoped his job wasn’t on the line because of me.
“Bethany,” Daddy said.
I shrunk down in my chair, even though his tone wasn’t directed at me.
Mom waved her hand at him. “Whatever you want to do.”
Daddy left the room and Mom and I chatted about the weather for a little while until light shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It wasn’t as bright since it was blocked by thick gray clouds, but it was enough to see how much snow was outside. Drifts had covered half of the window.
“I’m going to get changed,” I said, standing up.
Mom’s perfectly plucked eyebrows drew together. “Changed for what?”
I tugged at my hair which was wild around my head. “For the day.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Breakfast will be ready soon. You take too long to get ready; it will be cold by the time you come down.”
I frowned. If I made a big deal of wanting to look good for Sean then she would definitely suspect something.
“Then I’m going to wake Adelle,” I said, knowing that I could at least put on some makeup while I was up there.
“Why are you so concerned with leaving? Am I that bad of company?”