I gave him a small smile and turned back to Mr. Crawford as he walked away. He narrowed his eyes at my face, and leaned in as he studied my features.
“What might that be?”
“What?”
He reached out a hand, the sleeve of the shirt climbing to reveal dark hair on his muscled forearm. I couldn’t help my tongue as it darted out to wet my lips. I prayed he didn’t notice. His fingers pressed lightly on a tender place at my frontal hairline, and I hissed as I jerked away.
The memory of my confrontation with Caleb swarmed my consciousness, and I fought it down. My mom’s voice, a whisper in my ear, ‘Please don’t tell. Don’t get me in trouble.’
I lightly palpated the spot. “I must have run into something.”
“Oh? What happened?”
“A door. I can be really clumsy sometimes.”
“Hm.” He didnt seem completely satisfied with my answer.
I quickly tried to change subjects, “So where will I be staying?”
He sighed. “First supper and then I will give you a tour.”
“Sounds good.” I unfolded the napkin on my plate and set it in my lap like he had done at the restaurant the other night.
He shot me a small smirk before lifting his own and placing it over his lap. Clyde walked over and set a plate down in front of each of us.
“Thank you, Clyde.”
“Sir.”
“Yes, thank you, Clyde. This looks wonderful.”
“Miss.” With a bow he stepped away and left us to our meal.
I watched as Mr. Crawford picked up his fork and knife and began to cut into his food. I picked up my own utensils and tried to mimic his actions.
“I see you like to follow my lead with a few things.”
Embarrassed, I set my silverware down and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just think that I’ve had such a very different upbringing than you. I don’t know what your expectations are with all of this.”
After he finished chewing his bite, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and rested a closed hand on the table. His gaze captured mine and he tilted his head ever so slightly. As he looked up at me with raised brows, I noticed the way it looked strangely sexy.
“You don’t have to be sorry. I assumed that there would be some discrepancies and etiquette for you to catch up on. I’ve hired help to assist you in that particular area. What I would like to see is that you are trying. That’s how I know that this arrangement is going to work. Try not to worry and stress about it too much. I do find you particularly charming the way you are.” The corners of his mouth pulled up into a quick smile before he went back to his food.
I nodded and gave up with the knife to use my fork to cut through my food. It was a little messier than his method, but it was easier for me to work with. The first bite was an explosion of flavors in my mouth. It was delicious.
“This is really good.”
“I’ll be sure to let Clyde know. I’m glad you enjoy it.”
I took another bite and closed my eyes as I savored the flavors. I wasn’t sure if it was because my diet consisted of primarily cheap and easy food these last few months, but I had no idea how I could expect to go back to that when this was sitting readily available to me. When I opened my eyes Mr. Crawford was watching me, his eyes alight with something new.
I gave him a small nervous smile and picked up my napkin to wipe my mouth. “Is everything okay?”
His grin broadened and he turned his attention back to his food. “You’re just fascinating to watch. That’s all.”
I giggled. “Then you should see how I grew up. My home life was so broken.” The words were out before I could help it. I felt like a part of my trauma was the ‘lack of filter’ curse. Word vomit was no stranger to me. I inwardly chastised myself as I felt his energy shift.
“You never did elaborate on your upbringing. What do you think I would find so fascinating about this ‘broken home’ of yours?”
I swallowed hard and tried to feign a nonchalant shrug. “I’m not sure. I feel like I grew up like any other kid. I worked hard in school. Joined a few sports. I mean, money was a bit tight. It was probably how I was forced into learning how to cook.” I pushed the vegetables around on my plate. “When I didn’t have time to cook, we often ate boxed macaroni and cheese or leftover specials from the diner that didn’t sell.” Oh, and my mom had different boyfriends who weren’t very nice.
“The diner?”
“Yes, where I worked. It was a small place. I started as the dishwasher when I was thirteen and they let me start waitressing when I was fourteen. They used to pay me under the table until I was old enough to be legally employed.”
“And what is the legal age for employment?”
“Fourteen.”
“Well, you are right. I’m intrigued. Our lives were quite different. When I was thirteen, I was more concerned about who was holding poker night in their dorm than anything else.”
“Your school had dorms?”
He swallowed. “Boarding school. My parents sent us away each year once we turned ten.”
“I didn’t even know those actually existed. So, you lived away from home?”
“Yes. I lived at the school for most of the year. Came home during summers and rarely during the holidays.”
“Why was it rare for you to come home during the holidays?”
“My parents are both very busy people. They have their own businesses to run. My sister and I didn’t return home because often there was no one to come home to.”
A heaviness in my chest began to form. “That sounds sad, actually. My mom and I didn’t have much, but we at least put up a tree with lights and had each other.” I shrugged and looked off in the distance as a smile crept up my face. “I remember that each year she would have the couch all made up in front of the TV. There were always Christmas movies on almost every channel, but we would watch rom-coms instead while eating microwavable popcorn. I’ll never forget those nights.”
“Hm. I’ve never had microwaveable popcorn before.”
I swallowed. “Yeah, that was only until I was able to start work. After that, I was able to buy groceries and that weird little tin thing that you’re supposed to hold over a stove burner. Eventually I learned you could just throw kernels into a pot with some oil. It was much cheaper. We didn’t have much, but I learned a lot because of it.”
“I see. Well, maybe you’ll have the occasional opportunity to put your skills to good use while you’re here.” He took his last bite of food and wiped his mouth with his napkin.
I laughed. “Got a microwave?”
“You know what, I actually don’t know.” He took a sip of his water and cocked his head. “So, was it to your liking?”
I nodded enthusiastically. “Mmhmm.”
“Would you like anything else?”
I shook my head. “Not unless you’ve got chocolate hidden somewhere.”
“Clyde?”
Clyde walked over to us. “Yes, sir?”
“Ms. Mitts is requesting chocolate. Do you have anything?”
“I’m sure I can find something.” He walked away.
“Just like that, huh?”
“What do you mean?”
I took a drink of water. “You just tell people what to do and they do it. Now it’s my turn to say I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
He chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it would be something to behold. I expect those under my employment to obey me. I wouldn’t have much use for them otherwise.”