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I walked into the sitting room first, looking around at the soft leather furniture and hand-carved tables within it. There were several full ashtrays and the room hinted at the smoke of a cigar, along with a few dirty glasses. It didn’t appear that it would be that difficult of a cleaning job, but this was still only the first room.
I walked into the kitchen next and was instantly reminded of a small Irish cottage in the middle of the city. Big windows let in plenty of light. The hearth was surrounded with stone, and it continued up the whole of one wall. A big island with a wooden chopping block on top took up the central space. The appliances were top tier but designed in such a way to fit into the space and not like they belonged in the kitchen at a big chain restaurant.
I glanced down the hallway while assuming that there were a few bedrooms, a bathroom, and maybe an office down it. I didn’t see anything that raised my alarms that this would be a difficult job, so I decided to start in the sitting room so that Emma could play with her tablet while I worked.
I set her up on the couch with explicit instructions not to touch anything. She was usually good about it, but I always made certain to remind her of it every time that I took her to work with me.
“Cinderella, Mommy,” she insisted.
“How do you ask Mommy for something?” I scolded gently, but I couldn’t help but smile a little anyway. I was never able to resist when her eyes sparkled with excitement like that. It would always be my kryptonite and I’d have to be careful to make sure that she never figured that out.
“Can I watchCinderella, Mommy? Please?” she grinned.
“That’s my girl,” I smiled. I kissed the top of her head. I picked up the tablet, opened our streaming app, and clicked to the movie. She squealed, and I shook my head with amusement.
I’d gotten so incredibly lucky with her. I watched her for just a moment longer, but eventually it was time to get to work.
“Call for me if you need anything, Emma. I won’t be far,” I called out to her. She nodded, indicating that she’d heard me, but she was already into the opening scenes of the Disney classic. She probably wouldn’t move a muscle until the closing credits, which meant that she’d be good for a long while.
I dug into my things and pulled out a big garbage bag, picking up any debris and emptying out ashtrays along the way. I tried to keep the dust at a minimum, but I knew that it would get all over no matter how careful I was. Once I was done picking up the trash, I walked into the kitchen and put down the garbage. I returned to the sitting room and gathered all the dirty glasses so that I could wash them in the sink. I was just about to turn the water on when I heard a voice from somewhere inside the apartment.
I looked quickly toward Emma, but she was still very much into her movie. I listened for a moment, trying to discern where it had come from. Maybe I’d overheard a line fromCinderella, but I doubted it. I knew all of them by heart since I’d watched it so many times with her.
When I heard it again, I realized it was coming from down the hall. Most of my cleaning jobs were done in empty houses or apartments, but there were a handful of times that the owners were home, so it wasn’t entirely outside the norm.
For some strange reason, this time made me nervous. I had to be there to protect my daughter though, so I’d have to be brave for her. I put all the glasses down as silently as I could into the sink and squared my shoulders back.
With a deep breath, I walked down the hall. The sound of a voice grew louder. It belonged to a man. I furrowed my brow. He was singing. I reached the door at the end of the hall, finding it shut and I pressed my ear against the wooden surface. For a moment, I just stood there, closed my eyes, and listened.
I couldn’t quite make out the words, but I didn’t need to understand them because I could feel them. There was longing and loss, but there was also love and hope intermingled into the tone of his voice.
I opened the door just a hair so that I could hear a little bit better. With the doorway slightly ajar, his voice carried even further. I could hear the water running, so I imagined that he was probably in the shower.
That’s when I realized that I recognized that voice.
It was Kieran Murphy.
My hand clapped to my lips to stifle a gasp, but it still seemed to echo around me anyway. Quickly, I shut the door and pressed myself against the wall, trying to catch my breath. The man who had walked me home last night, delivered groceries to my door this morning, and raised money for me so that I could have the night off with my sick daughter was naked in the shower just inside.
Images of him in his luxuriously pristine suit flashed before my eyes and I couldn’t help but fantasize about what he looked like underneath. The fabric had fit him like a glove, promising the hard planes of muscles underneath.
If only I could just see them…
Last night though, I couldn’t tell what he wanted. There was no indication that he was interested in me or if he just pitied a single mother enough to offer me a helping hand knowing that I couldn’t turn that kind of help away when it came to my child. I usually had a pretty good read on people, but he was different.
Kieran was an absolute fortress.
I stood there for what felt like forever, listening closely for the sound the shower would make when he turned it off. I licked my lips, again caught up in the fantasy of him standing there naked, dripping water down his chest, his back, and even lower than that.
My curiosity only grew from there. What would he think if I saw him that way? Would he like that? Would he hate it?
What would I think?
The pipes groaned as he shut off the shower. The singing stopped and silence reigned for several long seconds until I heard the sound of footsteps in the bedroom. Impulsively, my fingers gripped the door handle again. I turned it slightly before pausing for a single second, but I couldn’t stop myself.
I barged in.
Kieran’s icy blue eyes shot to mine instantly, holding my gaze for a brief moment before my curiosity got the best of me. I looked down.
