I was a schoolgirl again, staring at boys I thought were cute. Except this one was off limits. He was my boss. I couldn’t break the trust that had been placed in me and overreach. Besides, he probably had his choice of supermodels and celebrities. What would he want with a plain girl like me?
I wandered back to my bedroom, staring at what few pictures I saw littered about the house. The odd part of it all was that all the pictures were of him and his son, or him with any number of famous people. There was nothing of his wife around the house at all.
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head, hoping they wouldn’t keep me up tonight.
I left my balcony door open just slightly to let in the cool breeze. The bugs chirped and the frogs croaked, and the wind whipped the delicate curtains around just slightly.
I felt relaxed. I felt at home.
5.
William left before I woke up, and Kevin was taken to school by Bill. My morning had suddenly become incredibly boring. I wanted to head back to the city and perhaps do some shopping, but there wasn’t anything I really needed. And until I got paid, I didn’t have any money to my name.
The pool called me all morning, and despite not having the proper attire for lap swimming, I figured I’d give it a shot all the same. It was not as though anyone would be ogling me when the closest house was miles down the road.
After a simple breakfast, I changed into the swimsuit I had felt so awkward about the previous night. It covered me well enough, but I felt like I was giving everyone an eyeful when I walked past. It was a simple black affair with purple accents. I’d had to tie the bottoms tight so that they wouldn’t fall off while I had bathed in the Bahamas, and it was no different here.
I grabbed a towel from my personal bathroom on the way down to the pool. Most of the other staff was about the house, cleaning or preparing lunch. I felt out of place walking around in a bikini.
The chef paused and stared as though I were standing in a spotlight. I covered myself with the towel and continued on my way.
The pool was the perfect temperature for the hot, late summer day. I slipped in quietly, leaving my towel on a nearby sun chair to wait.
It was great being in water again. I even started to swim some laps to loosen up my muscles. After a few laps, I realized how long it had been since I’d swum. I was lacking my old endurance, and after realizing that, I wanted to get it back.
That was how I spent the following two weeks. Kevin was the same kid from when I first met him. He was easy to take care of, but he still wouldn’t tell me why he had picked me out of all the other possible candidates—even though I asked him almost nightly what had been going through his mind.
Every day I would spend my mornings working out in the pool, and every evening I would spend time with Kevin, helping him learn and playing along with his little games.
It was surprising when William, a little tanner than when I met him, returned from his trip.
“You’re looking healthy,” I said with a sense of humor.
“I’m not much for golf, but apparently the people I’m trying to do business with are.”
“That sounds just awful,” I said condescendingly.
He gave me a stern gaze, and for a moment I regretted being condescending, but then he let out another loud belly laugh like before, calming my nerves.
“You look different. Have you been working out?” he asked.
“I’ve been doing laps in the pool. I forgot how much I liked to swim,” I said.
“Well, then maybe you should go for a swim with me tonight.”
Part of me wanted to tell him no again, but he still had that intimidating presence that made me nod the affirmative.
“Great! I have some work to finish before Kevin gets home,” he said, and then he walked off.
I continued with my daily habit, and when Kevin returned, William came to greet him at the door with presents. He’d brought back a small stuffed animal that looked like the Loch Ness monster. Kevin giggled and ran off with his new prize.
“I’d love Scotland more if they were willing to listen to my offers,” he said.
“So that’s where you went?” I asked.
“I’ll take you and Kevin next time if you’ll both behave.”
I smiled wickedly at the comment. He was making fun of me, I thought.
“I think we can both manage just fine,” I said.
“Great. I have a trip coming up a week from now, and it would be great if you’d join me,” he said.
“Kevin as well, right?” I wondered.
“No. Just you,” he said. “Of course Kevin is coming too.”
“For a second I thought you were asking me on a date,” I said.
“No. Not a date. Just a really expensive, working vacation. Besides, I’m sure you’d enjoy Germany and Italy,” he added.
“With an offer like that, how can I say no?”
6.