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Twelve
DELILAH
Moving in with the guys was easy, because I had virtually nothing I wanted to take with me. But emptying my half of the apartment while Traci was out with her boyfriend?
Oh man, it was probably the most satisfying thing I’d done inyears.
We’d been two whole months behind on the rent, and being a big believer in karma I did the right thing and paid my half to the old man upstairs. He was shocked as hell, then grateful, then sad. I gave him a parting hug and wished him well, but not before pointing out the number for the sheriff’s office where he could begin eviction proceedings.
A half hour later I got the phone call.
“Uhhh… where’s thecouch?”
Traci’s voice was so high-pitched and bitchy it could shatter glass. I’d had to hold the phone a few inches away from my ear.
“The couch was mine, so I took it with me,” I’d lied. In actuality I’d gifted it away on a whim, when the donation truck I’d arranged pulled up to take the rest of the things I didn’t want.
“And the coffee-maker?” she’d shrieked. “The dishes? The vacuum?”
“All mine,” I’d smiled, more than halfway to Southhold.
“And the milk, Delilah?” she’d sneered accusingly. “You actually took themilk?”
“Yeah that was mine too,” I’d laughed glibly. “You haven’t bought milk in months, although you and your boyfriend chow down on cereal every morning. You know I’ll always buy it because I need it for coffee.”
The next five seconds of stunned silence was worth all the dairy products in the world.
“So yeah, the gravy train has left the station,” I’d said with a chuckle. “And the milk was on board. Take care, Traci. And good luck.”
My now ex-roommate had grunted something low and unintelligible before raising her voice again. “I’ll be seeing you at work, asshole,” she’d sneered.
“Actually no,” I’d laughed even harder. “You won’t.”
Living with the guys, as it turned out, was even easier. There was rarely more than one of them in the house during the day, and whoever it happened to be was usually buried in manual labor. For nearly two weeks I watched them cut, hang, hammer and sand all kinds of finishes and fixtures, all while supervising whatever outside crews happened to be working.
There was constant internal framing, flooring being replaced, and all kinds of inspections that were post mold-remediation. Apparently the house had been sitting vacant for quite a while. With winter coming the HVAC system seemed to be the primary concern, which was something I incidentally knew a lot about. My father had run his own heating and cooling business up until the day he retired, and had even taken me out on jobs with him as a teenager.
My job right now though was taking care of the children, and it was a labor of love. I spent as much time with them in the house as we did outside, and was given a set of keys to the Audi in case I wanted to take them anywhere. The car was much more comfortable as well as safer than mine, and the amount of freedom made the job so much more enjoyable. I was constantly visiting parks, playgrounds, and indoor play-places the twins might love and have fun with.
Jace was the wild one I spent most of the day chasing after, but as the day wound down he was also the most loving. He’d curl into my arms to snuggle, falling asleep way before Courtney did. This was fine because it allowed me to enjoy some one-on-one time with the little princess. Her creative nature left her content to focus on building things, usually with the same wooden blocks Jace would spend half the day throwing around.
Lucky for me they were both sleeping most of the way through the night. They’d established a well-defined sleep-pattern, and they were old enough now that they didn’t need to wake up for feedings. I still got up to check on them every single night, sometime in the wee hours of the morning. I’d done the same whenever I was tasked with watching my niece and nephew, and old habits like that apparently died hard.
As much as I loved the children though, my favorite time of the day was after they’d been tucked into bed. It was then I could kick my feet up, cuddle into the couch, and get some adult time with one or more of the men who were relaxing with me. Because after ten or twelve hours spent alongside toddlers, you couldn’t help but crave the companionship of someone who could form complete sentences.
Especially when that companionship happened to be as sizzling hot as the guys were.
I tried not to look at first, but in the end it was just too much. These weren’t just my employers, they were roommates now. They were gorgeous enough fully clothed, but now I had to deal with them walking around the house in every stage of casual undress you could imagine. I saw them peel sweat-soaked work shirts from their chiseled bodies, and strut around in boxer shorts with no shirts at all. At first I imagined them doing it all on purpose, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. After all, these were military men. They were used to group showers, close quarters, and had no qualms about walking around naked. If anything they were probably wearingmoreclothes just knowing that I was here now.
And my God, once I’d even seen Duncan walk from the bathroom to his bedroom totally naked, the two globes of his perfect ass rolling like pistons beneath his tanned skin. I’d returned home unexpectedly while he’d been taking a shower, and thankfully for me, there hadn’t been any towels. I’d ducked out of the hall before he noticed, yet before I got a look at the front, though. As much as I would’ve loved to, I figured some things should probably remain a mystery.
At least for now.
Again, pervasive thoughts forced me to shove them away. I was in a great place, a wonderful home. I had two beautiful children to have fun with and take care of, and I was being paid exceptionally well to do it, too. The very last thing I wanted to do was screw that up.
Besides, the guys had all made me feel instantly welcome, and totally at home. More importantly they made me feel like we were equals and partners in taking care of the mansion, as well as the children. I took on a few tasks here and there, mostly dealing with subcontractors and giving them status updates when they couldn’t be there to see what was going on. But I was always thanked, always on equal footing. In a way our arrangement had become a full-blown family, quickly and easily. One filled with fun, laughter, and mutual respect.
It was a feeling I hadn’t felt since Patrice moved away.
