AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes opened, and he started to go back on the bed as I guided, but then he pushed forward and asked, “What?”
I blinked at him. “What?”
His brow went up. “Did you need something?”
“I uh…thought you might.” I watched his expression and realized that his shoulder still hurt as he rotated it and winced. “Need some pain reliever this morning. You do.”
“Are you making me breakfast?” he asked and seemed really confused.
“Yes.” I was not going to do that, but sure. Why not?
He dropped backward and was looking at the ceiling. He said, “Yeah. You are moving today.”
I went wide-eyed and asked, “What?”
“To the Bunny House. Tituss was right. I want real breakfast in the morning. I want back massages at night. You living in the dorm there…way too much time away from your responsibilities here in this house.” He looked over at me and said, “She’s probably already here, so you could go learn something if you hurry.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Greta. She’s been making my day after breakfast since I was a kid. I didn’t think she would do that in college, but last year she showed up at the frat house, made me breakfast, and probably contributed to the argument for why we needed this land and space. That place was a mess that morning, and I was so embarrassed. Of course, we had won. It was all the seniors, juniors, and athletes in that house, so…they partied.” He closed his eyes and said, “Thanks, Harpy. Tell her I’m sleeping. I don’t want to see that look of pity she gets when I lose.”
I got out of his bed and realized my clothes from last night were dirty, and I did not want to put them back on. I looked at the t-shirt that hung mid-thigh. His boxers were almost perfect since I had enough ass to hold them up, and he had that superhero build like Tituss. They were not massive or bulky. It was all lean, defined muscles that…snap out of it! “Okay.”
I headed out of there because I needed to stop looking at him, and he was not even attempting to look at me. He was possibly going back to sleep. In the kitchen, I found an older woman setting up the counter. I said, “Hi. I’m Harpy. One of the…housekeepers. Dane—”
“Dane?” she asked and tilted her head. She looked at the t-shirt and laughed and said, “Oh, you mean Ripley! My darling boy.”
I was so stunned by the name and the darling part that I just looked at her and blinked.
“I didn’t like that last one he was with.” She looked me up and down. “You’re not like her.”
“No?” I padded my bare feet across this clean floor and over to this exciting source of personal information.
“No. She would never be seen in an old t-shirt, and…you’re…real.” She indicated with that wooden spatula from my head to my unpainted bare toes and back.
“I’m also not his girlfriend.” I had to admit it though I didn’t want to because she might not tell me as much.
She rolled her eyes and said, “Right. And you didn’t sleep with him last night either. You didn’t pull on his favorite t-shirt and walk out of his room down that hall. Sure. You’re the housekeeper.” She turned and mumbled, but not low enough, “These young people think I’m stupid or blind.”
Well, I tried. “He said you always make him breakfast after the first game of the season, but this is—” She just shook her head and smiled as I cut myself off from saying more. I realized that did not help my case against being his girlfriend when she looked at me again. I shrugged. I added, “He told me to come learn something.”
She smiled then and said, “Smart. He was always such a bright boy. My little sweetheart. He grew up way too fast thanks to—”
She stopped short and then motioned for me to come closer, so I did. She explained the process of making his breakfast, and I followed the directions. This was a good thing because there was no way I would remember it just from watching. By doing this, I would remember how to make this breakfast for the rest of my life. It was how I knew how to massage so well. Anything hands-on that I could take my time learning locked into my muscle memory, and I was excellent at it, for the most part.
She situated the meal on the tray and smiled at me. She said, “He does not like losing, especially when they could win. I think the coach will change quarterbacks the next game, or the boosters might change the coach.”
I opened my mouth then closed it. She shrugged and said, “He’s like the son I never had, even if he won’t admit I am more like a mother than the woman who birthed him.”
“Wow.” I thought that was a bold ass statement to make.
“The other three. Puh. They can keep them. Ripley is special. Take care of my boy. Maybe I’ll see you at one of the house functions.” She did a little finger wave and left out the door.
I picked up the tray and headed back to his room. I opened it to find him getting dressed. He looked at me and said, “I was on my way. She leave yet?”
I nodded. “She thinks I’m your girlfriend…Ripley.”
He looked up at me, and I didn’t like that expression one bit. He said, “You have a name to call me, and it is never that one. Understand?”
