AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Part One
“My only love sprung from my only hate, Too early seen unknown, and known too late! Prodigious birth of love is it to me, that I must love a loathed enemy.”
William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
One
Ifeel him before I see him. Some people are special that way. They’re born with extra gravity pulling in the rest of us mere mortals. Regular people don’t have a choice in the matter, same as we can’t choose the laws of physics. And this man? This man is all gravity.
His bronzed form slices through the crystalline water, arms rotating in powerful arcs, muscles taut and flexing with each stroke. If he notices me ogling him from the pool deck above, he doesn’t acknowledge it.
But I can’t look away.
“You aren’t to speak to the twins unless spoken to first.” Mrs. King’s silky voice frays my thoughts as she motions to the man in the water. “And they won’t bother you. They’re very familiar with how to behave around the staff.”
Her words ring in my head and all I can think is, There are two of them?
I follow my new boss across the pool deck to the guest house, my cheeks warming from far more than the summer sun. She’s probably used to people fawning over her twin sons, but that doesn’t make getting caught with my mouth hanging open any less embarrassing. I force myself to focus on her instructions and not whatever that man just did to twist me into knots.
Mrs. King is very thorough, going over every nook and cranny of the guest house, just as she did with the main house, detailing exactly what she expects of me. Basic cleaning, laundry, and dusting daily. Deep cleaning and fresh sheets twice a week. Windows as needed in between the professional window cleaners. Try not to be seen, never be heard, and stay out of the way. If there’s a visible mess anywhere, I’m already failing. And if I do anything to embarrass her, I’m gone.
When she leads me back to the main house ten minutes later, the pool is empty without even a ripple on the surface. I’m a little disappointed.
“Under no circumstances are you to get involved with Ethan or Cooper. If something happens, if they make an advance towards you, anything at all, you’re to tell me straight away.”
I blink at her, stunned that she’d think I’d stand a chance with someone who looked like that Greek god in the pool. “Am I making myself clear? You have my number.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I mumble. Again, my cheeks are flaming, and again, I’m beyond embarrassed.
And a little annoyed.
And a lot caught off guard.
She studies me for a long moment, her eyes roaming up and down my body, and I wonder what she thinks of my unruly ginger hair, or the too many freckles spilled across my pale skin, or the way my second-hand clothing is a tad too big and a lot too old. She pins me with her judgmental gaze and I get my answer––she doesn’t think much of me at all. Her stare is calculating. It’s as if she’s able to see little thought bubbles forming inside of my head questioning: Was that one Ethan or Cooper? Are they identical twins? How old are they? Obviously older than me.
I force the curiosity away.
Mrs. King smiles ruefully, like she’s the prize-winner at my expense. She’s first and I’m last. A nervous itch crawls up my spine. “You’re to start immediately,” she says. “I will be back in a few weeks to check on things.”
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes, I’ve got obligations in Manhattan. My husband and I will come and go throughout the summer, but the boys are staying put.” She purses her lips. “It’s their last full summer here and I’m sure they’ll keep you busy.”
I gape at her. “Keep me busy?”
Her eyes flash with something unreadable. “With cleaning up after them, doing their laundry, whatever they need. Now, get to work.”
She struts away, and I return to the sizable broom closet next to the even larger kitchen pantry for cleaning supplies.
Nothing in the job description said anything about living alone with two twenty-something-year-old men. I wasn’t expecting to be staying here without my new employer actually on-site. That, and I totally got caught checking out her son. Who could blame me though? But more to the point––why did she seem annoyed to catch me doing it?
Ugh, rich people are so confusing, but I’m not here to figure out how rich people operate. I’m here to clean up after them and get paid, so I’d better stop my wayward thoughts right here and now before the anxiety slithers in.
With that declaration in mind, I gather the all-natural cleaning supplies into my caddy and pull my hair up into a messy bun. I set out to tackle the first of many bathrooms, a massive grin on my face because I still can’t believe I landed this job. How many people get to say they’re the live-in housekeeper for one of Nantucket’s nicest beach estates? And while cleaning isn’t glamorous, I’m also barely out of high school. Graduation was mere days ago. I got this gig so fast despite not having much work experience. Two weeks after submitting my application, and a week after the online interviews that I took at my local library, here I am––in over my head and crossing my fingers that I don’t screw up.
My electric nerves settle to a low buzz the rest of the day. I’m used to the anxious feelings lurking in my chest. As much as I hate anxiety, I’ve coped with it since childhood and have learned to function around it.
The house seems deserted, which helps. Even if I’m alone, I’m careful to orbit around where I think people could be. I steer clear of the dining room at dinner time and save the bedrooms for tomorrow. I’m not good with people and never have been, so I’ll deal with them on my second day here.
