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PHEBE
Ican’t believe a week has already passed since I arrived here. By now, I’m used to the routine; every morning, Jeffrey and I inspect the houses together. That’s as far as our interactions go. He acts as though I’m invisible, and I do my best to pretend that it doesn’t bother me. The only things that brighten my day are my calls to Michael, Mabel, and Aunt Maryann. They are the only ones who help me distract myself from everything.
As I head to the living room after breakfast, I hear voice. I roll my eyes, imagining Mildred and Jeffrey arguing once again. Mildred has been using every opportunity to prove to me she has Jeffrey, even though it’s clear that I have no connection with him. Her insecurities are obvious and it’s annoying. I mentally prepare myself for a show, but I’m surprised to find Jeffrey alone with his phone pressed to his ears.
“You told me you were going to cancel,” he says to whoever is on the other end.
“Oh, so now I’m being selfish,” he adds. I glance around, wondering where Mildred is.
“You know what, suit yourself,” he tells the person he’s speaking to before ending the call. For the first time since I saw Jeffrey again, I’m able to read the emotions on his face. He looks disturbed as he makes his way toward me. I watch him with wide eyes as he stops in front of me. He has a frown on his face. I can sense that there is something amiss.
"Are you done with breakfast?" He asks and I nod.
"Great. Let’s get going," he says. We spend the whole afternoon going to houses. Jeffrey was quiet throughout. It feels like I’m doing this alone. I'm relieved when we check the last house and it's time to call it a day. We get into Jeffrey’s car, and he starts driving. I keep glancing at him wondering what’s going on in his head. I'm surprised when we take an unfamiliar route.
"What’s going on? Why aren’t we headed home?”
"I figure you must be famished by now since you haven’t eaten since this morning. So, I thought we should have lunch," he says. It doesn’t make sense; Jeffrey has never bothered with things like this since we started visiting the properties. Why start now?
"Lunch with you?" I ask in surprise.
"Yes, is anything wrong with that?" He asks with a hard frown.
"No, it's just surprising," I tell him, but he doesn't say a word.
"For one, I wonder what Mildred will think about this," I say.
"She left this morning," he says, and I raise my eyebrows. That's my cue to be quiet. We reach a restaurant and soon settle in.
“I hope you’re enjoying your meal?” Jeffrey asks. I almost gape in shock. Seeing him show care and concern alarms me.
“Yes, I am, sir,” I reply as I try to finish up my croissant. The food is delicious and right on time. I was famished before Jeffrey offered lunch.
“Please, forget about the sir. You can call me Jeffrey,” he says, and I freeze.
“I…,” I start to remind him how he insisted on us not being on a first name basis. Our hands brush on the table. I freeze as electricity runs through my spine at the contact. The feeling is so familiar that goosebumps cover my skin.
“Phebe,” he says. My mind races at the deep rumble in his voice as he calls my name. I can feel myself shivering from the intensity of all this. My nipples strain against the white top I’m wearing. Thank goodness for the bra, or else it would be visible to him.
“I need your help,” he states. I give him a puzzled look before I say,
“With what?”
“I need to seal a deal, but there is a man who seems to be the stumbling block. Hyde, he also wants to get the Deal. Mr. Lucas, who oversees the deal, is a traditional man who believes in family and all that stuff. Dwayne knows this and wants to sabotage all that I’ve worked for,” he says.
“Okay, slow down. That’s a lot of information in one go,” I interject him. He raises his hand in surrender but remains silent. I observe him while I process his words. I’m starting to get an idea of where this is heading.
“Let me guess, you don’t believe in it?” I inquire.
“I once believed in family, but I don’t believe in the whole love thing and happily ever after anymore. I don’t intend to go down that lane,” he says with a pointed look.
“So, what do you want from me?”
“I thought Mildred would be around for me to introduce her to him, but she had a last-minute thing to attend to this morning.”
“Oh, I see.” It hurts me that if it wasn’t for Mildred’s absence, he would have remained cold to me. I ensure my expression remains blank.
“How do I come into this? How can I help you?” I gently ask. Jeffrey stays silent for a while before he leans forward.
