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"Your just in case bandages?"
"For Mr. A," she said. She was such a sweet kid.
"OK. Let's bring them. We'll see if Mr. A needs them."
Since Mrs. Saddler was still recovering, Mona was going to be picking up Paula around midday. Now Malcolm had to let her know about the change of plans, that she would be picking up Paula from Derrick's house. "Ooh, fancy," she texted back when he gave her the address. Malcolm had never been there himself and he was very curious.
Malcolm drove them to Derrick's house, a mansion surrounded by a garden that was going to be lush and beautiful in a few months. The place was imposing and Paula eyed it like she didn't think they could be in the right place.
"What's this place?" Paula asked as Malcolm got her out of her car seat.
"This is Derrick's house. Big isn't it," Malcolm said and Paula nodded.
They found the big front door ajar and they went in. Derrick was nowhere in sight but Malcolm had already texted to say they were there. Now he was taking off Paula's coat and hanging it up on a coat rack along with his own.
The house wasn't what Malcolm expected. It was nothing like the cold, modern décor of the offices. It was grand and beautiful with a more traditional style. Though the floor wascream colored marble that extended up a grand staircase, it was so much warmer with a lot of wood and stylish, neutral colors everywhere. An open door to a living room showed him a plush carpet and comfortable, though probably hideously expensive furniture.
It all looked nice and inviting to Malcolm, though oversized, but Paula was apprehensive until she saw Derrick hobbling over to them with the aid of a single crutch. "You have a boo-boo," she said to him as he greeted them.
"It's nothing serious," Derrick told her. "I'll be better in a few days."
"Let's show him what you brought him," Malcolm said. He helped Paula fish out the box of colorful bandages and then she held it out to Derrick.
"Are these good for a sprain?" Derrick asked her.
Paula looked at Malcolm questioningly. "They are very good for a sprain," he assured her.
Now Paula instructed Derrick, "You put them on your boo-boo."
"I will. Thank you so much," Derrick said.
Derrick led them down a long hallway. "I was thinking that Paula could use the reading room to play in and color." He said to Malcolm then showed them to a room that was surprisingly pretty and didn't seem like his style.
"You read in here?" Malcolm asks as Paula admired the room decorated in pale blue and rose gold.
"No, I never use this room. That's just what the real estate agent called it. It came furnished like this and I've been meaning to have it redecorated but I don't know what I would use it for. Now I'm glad it's like this. It's just right for Paula."
"I think it's a bit much for Paula, but she does seem to like it," Malcolm said. Paula loved the pretty room. The room wasn'thuge so she felt more at home there. Malcolm watched her start to unpack her things, and he felt at ease leaving her there.
"We're close by," Derrick told him and showed him to his office two doors down from the reading room.
The serious, masculine decor of the office was pretty much what Malcolm expected based on the rest of the house. Shelves of books, a big modern painting that might or might not have been of a bridge over a river. The imposing desk was in front of a huge window with a view of the garden and its mix of evergreens and bare branches.
"I think we can both work from here," Derrick said and went to sit at his desk.
"Are you supposed to keep the ankle elevated?" Malcolm asked him. "Maybe you should sit on that sofa with your foot up."
"An injured ankle doesn't mean you get to boss me around," Derrick said and gave Malcolm a wry smile.
Malcolm sighed. "That big staircase out there, is that where you hurt yourself?"
Derrick narrowed his eyes at him. "It is. How did you know?"
"Just a lucky guess."
"I was being careless," Derrick said with a shrug. "Preoccupied." Now he was eyeing Malcolm significantly.
He almost asked Derrick if he was thinking about him or maybe accusing him of being responsible. Instead he told Derrick, "You're lucky you didn't break something."
