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Violet sighs. "You don't need to pay for your stay with labor. You're not an employee. Rom loves cooking; Rhys loves ordering burgers and pizza. How about you pick one day a week when you can amaze us with your culinary skills?"
I don't like that. I know they're not demanding I pay for anything, but I'm staying free of charge; I should help.
"You're too generous."
"For Christ's sake, do you see me bothering with the kitchen?" Violet grumbles.
"That's different."
She's one of the owners; or married to the owner, anyway.
"Well, I didn't help either before I married Rhys."
"Thank fuck for that," Roman says. "I don't think I've recovered from your mac and cheese, and that was three months ago."
She shoots him the finger.
"Violet's right, no one's weighing your contribution," Rhys tells me. "You're staying here because we like you, and because you're in danger in the dorm. That's all. You should relax. Take it as a break—I'm sure you haven't had the opportunity to simply chill before, and wherever you go next, you'll likely have to cook and clean for yourself again."
A break. He's right. I haven't truly had one of those in…well, ever.
"I don't want to take advantage."
"You aren't," everyone assures me at once.
I nod, feeling ganged up on. If they don't want me to cook, I won't. They probably don't like my cooking.
Or maybe they just don't want you to reduce yourself to a servant like you usually do.
"I should email the faculty again. I don't get why they haven't authorized my extra lock yet."
"It has something to do with safety procedures," says Rhys. "If you're adding your own lock, and something happens to you, the campus security can't get in. Say there's a fire, or you slip and fall in the bathroom. But on top of that, you'd be damaging the door; it can be repaired or replaced, but still. They have to go to the top level for that sort of authorization. And the board is busy."
That makes a lot of sense.
Unfortunately, that might mean that my request will be denied. I thought it was just a formality, and that it would eventually be approved, but when he puts it that way, doubt claws at my insides. What will I do if they say no? I can't stay here forever.
Violet must have guessed exactly where my mind traveled to, because she says, "It’s May next week; the finals are in two weeks, then the term's over. How about you just stay here until then? We'll revisit the issue after the summer."
I shake my head. "I'm staying this summer. I enrolled in summer classes."
"Perfect. You can house sit. We'll be gone most of June and July, and leaving a house empty is never a good idea. If you don't mind pet sitting, we could even leave the cats, rather than lugging them all over the place for two months."
If she'd just offered me the place, I would have balked, but she's thinking about letting me pet sit. And cats truly don't tend to like leaving their territory unless they're used to traveling—these two certainly aren't.
"We'll pay you," Rhys is quick to add.
"Out of the question," I immediately protest. "If you're letting me stay in your freaking mansion all summer, the least I can do is take care of Orion and Louis. And Blue, if need be."
"Nah, I'm taking her with me," Roman says, fondly looking at the adorable pooch. "We're doing Rome, then Paris, then London."
I don't mention I've never been out of the state, let alone to another continent. "Nice."
"You might have to move up a few floors," Rom says. "I think Cam and Morgan will likely pop over with their little one in tow at some point. They might stay at the Hunt house, but you never know."
I forgot I was staying on the elusive couple's floor. "Of course. I can move today; I have an hour to kill before work."
Violet shakes her head. "That's not necessary. Morgan is as big as a house and Camden would never let her fly in her state—we'll do it some day when we're all free to help you carry stuff, all right?"
