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I want to leave, but it would be a wild search. I don’t know where she’s going, and just showing up at random bars to scan them for Breanna is the definition of desperate- something I’m definitely not.
As I heat up two slices of pasta casserole, I decide to be upfront with Sarah. “I’m not feeling so well all of a sudden. I’m happy to pay you for your time, your gas, but I think once you’ve had your dinner, that I’ll need some time to myself.”
Sarah’s eyebrows rise. I’ve never called her over just for dinner. Her eyes flicker back and forth, and I see her making calculations. She accepts the offered consolation prize and heads for the door with her warm plate of dinner.
As I watch Sarah drive away, I can't shake the feeling that this unexpected encounter has set something in motion – a shift in the balance that might unravel the carefully constructed walls between Breanna and me.
Chapter seven
Breanna
Harrison has a long shift today, and I’m supposed to spend the night at his house in case Jaxon wakes up and needs anything. I show up at Harrison’s house at two o’clock in the afternoon.
I wait on the front step, looking up at the large, glass windows, wondering what happened last night after I left. Did Harrison sleep with Sarah? It doesn’t matter if he did. He has a right to a personal life, but it bothers me all the same.
When Harrison answers the door, he looks annoyed. “You can just walk in. I shouldn’t have to stop what I’m doing every day to open the door for you. Jaxon’s sleeping.”
I suck my cheeks in and try not to let my own annoyance show. If I had just walked in, Harrison would have scolded me for not respecting his home. But since I didn’t do that, he had to find another reason to scold me.
I remain calm. “I’ll remember that from now on. If Jaxon’s sleeping, what do you want me to do?”
“Your contract calls for light household chores. There are a bunch of clean clothes in the dryer. Fold them.”
Then, Harrison walks out of the room. I want to call after him “Can you use a ‘please?’” in the same way I would correct Jaxon.
But I don’t.
The house is quiet when Jaxon is sleeping, and I realize that I don’t know where the washing machine is. I start poking around the downstairs and finally find the room. There is a huge empty basket, so I take everything from the industrial sized dryer and dump it into the basket. Then, I take it into the living room, sit on the couch, and start to fold.
Jaxon’s clothes are mixed in with Harrison’s. This is part of my job, and I generally don’t mind doing laundry. But right now, I’m annoyed by Harrison’s ungrateful attitude. My mind races, trying to figure out some way to put him back in his place.
I suddenly pull out a pair of Harrison’s underwear, and my heart starts racing. My palms feel clammy as I try to figure out how I should fold it. As I touch the crotch part to straighten it out, I feel a tingling between my legs.
I imagine Harrison in his towel like he was yesterday, then replace the towel with this pair of black underwear. I close my eyes and force myself to continue folding. The last thing I need is for Harrison to come into the room and catch me holding his underwear and salivating.
He clearly doesn’t care anything about me, and I can’t let him know how much he fills my fantasies.
I ended up not going out last night at all, even though I promised Vivi I would. I just couldn’t bring myself to spend money on drinks and pretend like I’m having a good time when I feel miserable.
Just as everything is folded, I hear Jaxon’s feet at the top of the stairs. He rubs his eyes sleepily, then sees me. “Miss Beanna! You came back!”
“I did!” I try to match his enthusiasm. He hurries down the stairs, his chubby legs moving quickly, then he throws himself into my arms, upsetting his pile of T-shirts on the floor.
I hug him back. “Did you have a good nap?”
“Did Daddy leave? I want to tell him goodnight.”
“You mean goodbye?”
“No goodnight, because I don’t see him until tomorrow. I have to say goodnight.”
Jaxon rushes off to find his dad, and I pile folded laundry back into the laundry basket, heaving it up the stairs slowly.
When I reach the top of the stairs, I see Harrison bent down in front of Jaxon, talking things through with him. “Okay, and I’ll be here tomorrow morning when you wake up. But you’ll have to play quietly because I’ll be really tired from all my work.”
I set the hamper on the hall floor with a thump. “What should I do with your clean clothes?” I ask.
Harrison stands up, and Jaxon runs off to his playroom. “Put it away. What’s the point of folding it if you’re not going to put things away?”
