Chapter 12

My alarm didn’t go off.

That, or I turned it off sometime between five and the time Gerald knocked on my door.

The plan had been to wake up super early to be fully prepared for when Gerald arrived. I would be showered, have a full stomach, and a list of tasks to get done. Instead, I was still asleep and opened my bedroom door almost completely naked thanks to not being fully awake.

I rushed through my morning routine. A quick shower. Brushing my teeth. Throwing on something presentable. It took half the time it normally did, thank goodness. I hated making him wait for me when I’d been clear about the time to meet.

“I’m so sorry about that,” I declared as I rounded the corner. I slipped my glasses on, then ran my hands over my clothes to make sure I looked decent enough.

It wasn’t like I could take back the moment I stood before him with so little clothing on. More like I wanted to pretend it never happened. We were both too fresh in our new lives for anything to work between us. It would be a disaster to even attempt anything.

The reminder repeated through my mind over and over as I took the coffee Gerald offered with a smile.

“No problem. I understand what it’s like to snooze one too many times. We’re working on your time schedule, so adjustments can be made as you see fit.”

“Logical. I like it.”

Gerald moved around the counter to the fridge. “Have you eaten yet? I could whip you up something.”

I really wanted to say yes. I was rather hungry having just woken up. And technically, it was part of his job. But for some reason, I felt weird about the whole thing. I chalked it up to growing pains, or whatever the workplace equivalent was.

“If you’re cool with it…”

He gave me a lopsided grin. “It’s literally my job, remember? House manager here. I have to make sure you eat.”

Without me telling him what I want, he pulls out all sorts of ingredients to make breakfast. It’s all leftover from my former chef’s last shopping trip. Eggs, bacon, veggies, and milk cover the countertop.

“Omelet or scramble? Those are your best bet with me. I’ve never gotten good with the over easy, though I can work on it if it’s your favorite,” Gerald tells me as he searches the cabinets for something.

“Scrambled is fine. What are you looking for? I can help.” I moved as if I were going to come help, only to stop when his head whipped my way.

“Please stay. Let me do this for you.”

The underlying plea in his voice couldn’t be ignored. I didn’t know if it was because he wanted to prove himself capable or if there was something else bothering him about breakfast. I only knew that I wouldn’t dare trample over his request.

I eased back down in the chair. “This is your rodeo, then. I need to check my email anyway. I took today off at the last minute. I’ll have to go back to work tomorrow.”

Gerald hummed in reply, then shouted, “Eureka” when he found the cutting boards.

My focus turned to my inbox; the distraction necessary so I wouldn’t focus on the man bustling around my kitchen. I sunk into the process as I answered each message and gave instructions to the team for my parts of the group projects we were managing. There were few times we all worked together. Usually only for larger clients. It would be my lucky day that the one morning I took off, a request came in from them.

“Here you go.” A plate landed in front of me. My stomach growled as the scent of bacon hit me.

It wasn’t perfectly arranged or anything like I was used to, but the food still looked amazing. I couldn’t wait to dive in.

“Thank you,” I told Gerald as I shoved a massive heaping of eggs between my lips. Flavor burst across my tongue, stronger than I was used to despite the simplicity of the dish.

At my wide-eyed stare, he chuckled. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Figured I’d start off on the right foot. Good?”

I swallowed. “Great! What’s in there?”

“Sage,” he admitted. At my frown, he went on to explain, “There’s also lots of butter, some salt and pepper, and a hint of Cajun spice. Together they work. I don’t know how. They just do.”

I didn’t know how either. I only knew this was something I could get addicted to.

Gerald cleaned as I ate. I watched him move around; my phone forgotten to the distraction he presented. On the outside, he presented a calm demeanor. He didn’t flinch or look around suspiciously. There was nothing to signal anything was bothering him.

Nothing except his eyes.

Every time I would catch his gaze, he’d look away quickly. I wondered what it meant. Had I said something to upset him? Or was this something else? I’d already removed all the alcohol I’d had, so I knew it wasn’t the temptation there. And I’d offered to clean instead of having him do it. He’d turned me down again, claiming this was another task in his job description.

Funny considering there wasn’t a job description. Hell, we didn’t even have a contract in place.

That thought stopped me short.

“Should we draw up some kind of contract for employment? Are you worried about that?”

He froze. “A contract? What for?”

I shrugged. “To ensure you’re treated properly. And to define your pay. We still haven’t talked about that part.”

“We don’t need to. Most of my pay would have gone to rent. If you’re willing to let me stay here, then there is nothing to discuss.”

“It’s not that simple, Gerald. You need food and money for other expenses. I don’t want you to worry about those things.”

He dried the dish in his hand, then leaned against the counter. I took him in from head to toe as I waited for his response. The man was a distraction I didn’t need. I should have been focusing on getting him all lined out for work, but all I wanted to do was see what was under his tight clothing. It was only fair given he’d seen me first.

Before I could open my mouth to suggest such ludicrous notions, he spoke up. “My phone bill is next to nothing since I don’t use it for much of anything. It’s also a very old model that’s lasted me ages. I don’t need much in the way of clothing, and I don’t really know the city well enough to go places on my own. My friends here would also step in if there was anything I needed anyway. They’ve taken to smothering me with their affection since I showed up. A place to live was literally the only thing I needed. And even before you, I’d had an offer for a spare room until I’d gotten back on my feet. How much you pay me isn’t my greatest worry.”

“What is?” I asked.

“The past repeating itself. That’s my greatest fear. I don’t know if I’ll survive it the next time.”

My phone rang, interrupting the tense moment. “This is Wes.”

“Mr. Joffry, Ms. St. Johan is here for her belonging with the movers. Are we good to send her up?”

I cursed under my breath, then agreed. Hanging up, I turned to Gerald. “That’s Danielle. She’s here early. I’m not even ready yet. I had plans to go through things first.”

Gerald reached across the counter, his hand landing on mine. “Calm down. It’s going to be ok. You’ve got me here, and we can take care of this. We don’t have time to go through everything before she gets here. Why don’t you tell me what is most important to secure, and I’ll get that while you answer the door?”

“Sure. That could work.” I quickly told him the few items and where they were. With a nod, he left me about thirty seconds before the knock at the door came.

I wiped my hand over my clothes once more. Everything seemed to be in place. Almost everything anyway. My feet were bare, which was something I never did at home. Danielle had told me how strange it was in the past. Like I wasn’t comfortable enough to relax or something. I didn’t have time to rectify it, and honestly, I was too comfortable to care. Besides, Gerald hadn’t said anything about it earlier. He didn’t know how strange it was for me to be this way, but still.

Ignoring my own internal debate, I opened the door. Danielle stood in a tight wrap dress and heels; clothing that was definitely not meant to be worn if one intended to pack. Behind her stood four college aged kids with shirts that said ‘College Kids Carry: We’ll help you move’. They had boxes, tape, and a cart in tow.

“Come in,” I offered as I widened the door.

The group marched past me. Danielle tried to act as if she were superior in some way, even though I’d been the one to make her move out. I let it go. There was no reason to get into an argument with her. I was no longer interested in whatever excuses she had. It didn’t matter. I’d moved on the day I’d watched the first incident on my phone screen.

Gerald came from down the hall, a box in his hands. It was taped shut and labeled with my name in big black letters.

“I got everything you mentioned,” he said with an air of authority. He knew he was wanted here, whereas Danielle and her crew were not. I found the idea amusing.

As if she could sense his easy dismissal of her arrival, Danielle questioned, “Who is he?”

“No one you should worry about. He’s mine.” The words felt more powerful than they should have been. Not because Gerald was anything more than my newest employee. It was more like I was declaring him mine in all ways. He was someone she hadn’t touched, a relationship she hadn’t destroyed. Anything she deduced outside of my words was her own choice.

She crossed her arms, then surveyed me from top to bottom. “Where are your shoes?”

I rolled my eyes, a habit I usually kept to myself. “Why does it matter? Shouldn’t you instruct these young men on what you need packed?”

“Boys, go to the bedroom and grab everything feminine.” She shooed them away, then took a turn about the room. “Have you gone back to your old ways, then? I leave and suddenly you’re already switching teams?”

My jaw clenched at her taunt. Danielle never liked that I was bisexual. She said it wasn’t fair that some man could swoop in to steal me from her at any moment. Ironic since she was the one to fuck things up between us.

“I have other things to handle today. Your questions aren’t part of that.” Turning away from her, I faced Gerald. He was watching us closely, his expression bordering on amused. I fought not to laugh at his slow brow raise when I gave him my full attention.

“Yes, sir?” He asked slowly.

The two words sent a jolt through me. Sudden visions of him saying them in a much breathier tone and with barely any clothing on whipped through my mind. I shook my head to clear the errant thoughts.

“We need to contact the movers to come clear the rest of the items today. Be sure to book them for your place too. We’ll also need to settle on a grocery list. There”s more pantry space in the other place. You’ll have plenty of room to fill it however you wish.”

Danielle practically growled out, “What the actual fuck, Wes? Are you two moving in together?”

“Yep. Oh,” I tapped the counter. “I need to make sure you’re on all the approved lists. And you’ll need a card. I’m sure the bank will give me one quickly once I explain it all to them.”

I knew I was egging her on. She clearly thought there was a romantic relationship here. She’d insinuated as much with her comments about my bisexuality.

Gerald took the hints I gave with ease. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to help. I can take care of all this stuff. Do you need to go through more emails? I know you got a late start. I don’t want there to be any issues with your work.”

“That would be great, actually. I’ve got some clients to check in on. Thank you.” I winked at him in plain view of Danielle’s watchful eye. Then I took off to grab my laptop.

Danielle left her spot in the living room to move into the bedroom. I could hear her grumbled words echo down the hall.

I chuckled softly as Gerald made his way around the counter. He came close enough to whisper but not so close for us to touch.

“It makes sense now,” he said.

“It does?”

He turned to look towards the hallway. “Yes. You two wouldn’t have worked long term. She needs to be spoiled. She’s a brat.”

I tilted my head. For anyone else, the term brat would have seemed like a normal, everyday choice. But something about the way he said the word made me think he knew the more nuanced use of the title.

“That’s a fair description. I’ve never been a fan of brats. They weren’t my type.”

His gaze whipped my way. There were questions pouring silently between us. Neither of us spoke a word though, the moment too tense to press further.

He bit his lip. I furrowed my brow. Still, we kept quiet as the sounds of my former life radiated through the previously calm home.

“I’m glad you’ll have a fresh start. Everyone deserves one.” With that, he shifted the subject to the tasks I’d asked of him. I went to work and put all thoughts of anything other than a professional relationship from my mind.