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It’s not terrible. Honestly, I don't even mind, but that in itself is the issue.
I don’t like people in general. I may not be as untrusting as Spencer is, but for the most part, we’ve always stuck to ourselves, especially after what happened with Trent. It’s easier to know who you’re dealing with when you keep your circle small. Women especially have been something we learned to keep at a distance. Most only want us for what we can give them. Jade’s not only unknown but also very much so a woman, yet, here she is, living with us, in our business, and not asking a damn thing of us.
It’s fucking with my brain.
As if the mere thought of her summoned her, Jade walks into the kitchen.
She has her hair wrapped in a towel on top of her head with an oversized t-shirt swallowing her small frame. I’m not even sure she has anything under it, but I don’t let myself focus on that. That’s a dangerous line of thought.
She heads to the coffee pot and pours a cup from the pot I just finished brewing a few minutes ago. She throws in two scoops of sugar and turns to set the cup opposite me on the counter, offering me a soft good morning as she towel dries her hair with a smile.
Some of the water from her hair drips down her neck and slips down her body. I watch as one stray drop moves down her skin, over her collarbone, and disappears as it sinks down between the curves of her chest. She’s leaned forward just the slightest bit as she dries the back of her head over her shoulder. The shirt she wears sits low on her chest. It's obviously not hers based on the size. As she moves, I follow the water drop and get an eye full of the deep burgundy bra she has underneath it. The edges are all lace, the color highlighting her naturally sun-kissed skin. With a start, I pull my eyes away and focus on my coffee as I realize how intensely I was watching that water drop.
Damn it. See, fucking with my brain.
“So, you got stuck with babysitting duty today, Roderick?” She asks me with just a hint of humor in her voice, letting me know she’s teasing.
She’s the only person I have ever met who continues to call me by my full name, even after spending so much time with me. Most people who call me Roderick do so out of respect or even fear. Often times it’s probably both, but Jade isn’t afraid of me. Hell, I don't think Jade’s afraid of many things and probably even fewer people. And while she may respect me, I don’t think she’s the type to show that by using my name. I think she shows respect by allowing us to live, actually. I have no doubt she could kill us if she so decided to, but since she hasn’t yet, one can only assume there's a reason.
“Well, someone has to do it.” I tell her as I sip my coffee, she looks up at me with a smile, and I swear I almost choke. Jade has been at the house for just over two weeks now, and the longer she's here, the more we get to see who she actually is. When she first came here, she was quiet, confused, and hid a lot behind a mask. Very rarely did we see actual emotions from her. Instead, she acted how she thought we would want her to, so used to trying to blend in, but I have no question that this smile is genuine.
“Did you just joke with me, Roderick?” She asks with that smile still in place while I choke down my coffee, praying she doesn’t notice.
“Merely stating a fact.” I tell her, clearing my throat. If she notices my battle to breathe, she doesn't say anything.
“Uh-uh.” She says, her tone skeptical, like she doesn’t believe me, but she finishes her hair setting the towel down on the counter before drinking her coffee in one large gulp.
It’s funny that Spencer decided to be so set on hating her because the more I learn about Jade, the more I find similarities between them.
The fact that they both guzzle down caffeine like it’s a lifeline, no matter how hot it is, being one of them.
She rinses out her cup and grabs her towel before heading back out.
“We need to go out for a few, so meet me in the garage in an hour.” I say just before she disappears. She nods and gives me a thumbs up over her shoulder but doesn’t turn around before she turns and disappears down the hall.
* * *
I hitthe gym for a few before grabbing a quick shower and heading to the garage. Right on the hour mark, Jade walks out the door and joins me in the car. She buckles as I pull out, her head bobbing to a beat I can't hear in her headphones.
Zander let me know that she loves music. It’s something that he has been happy to share with her, and with how often I see her around the house with earbuds in, entirely in her own world with a smile on her face, it appears to be a good thing for her.
The drive takes just over an hour, and while Jade doesn’t say a word the whole drive, I can see the question in her eyes as she looks at the new landscapes around us. We have yet to take her to this side of town, but starting Monday, she’ll be spending a lot of time here.
“Where are we?” She finally asks as we pull up to a gate not unlike the one outside of my parent's house. I put my finger on the scanner outside the window, and the gate swings open. I start down the driveway without answering her.
She turns back to look out her window. The drive to the house takes a little longer than it does at my parent's house, mainly because it’s not a huge open drive like theirs is, but also because it's longer.
Spencer, Zander, and I took a long time to agree on a place to live. Spencer didn’t want something so big and eye-catching as our parents went for, saying it drew attention; he’s not wrong. All of our parents live to show off their wealth, but you can be wealthy without painting a target on your back, and with our line of work, that’s important.
Zander didn’t care about the location so much as the house itself. He wanted something that could feel lived in, rooms with purpose. His house was always quiet growing up, he was often left alone, and while he lived in the same house for years, nothing made it feel like home to him.
I was most concerned with the ability to run business and be where we needed to be, and while we may be a little farther from Hoppers here, we are close to campus, our businesses, and smack in the middle of our territory.
We all had little things we wanted as well. Spencer wanted a surveillance room, Zan wanted an oversized garage for his projects, and I needed a gym and office.
This house was the first we found with what we needed and the potential for what we wanted. While also being down about a half mile from the main road on a path surrounded by dense woods, except for the double-wide driveway we are currently driving on. We’ve owned the property for over two years now and have combed every inch of the property, so we know it like the back of our hands, but I can still appreciate the wonder on her face as she takes it all in. I’m sure we all felt the same the first time we saw it.
The trees finally break a few hundred feet from the house that sits in the middle of our property. If you were to stand in the middle of the open circle driveway out front and take off in any direction, it’s a half mile out each way. A detail that doesn’t matter but is highly satisfying regardless.
