I sit on the bed and try to discreetly smash the pillows down. Despite my efforts, they keep puffing back up.
“You can throw those off the bed if you want,” Drew tells me with an amused look on his face.
I turn to him. “I only need one. You want the others?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. I’m good.”
I put three of the pillows on the floor next to the bed and lay down. I pull the comforter up to my chin and stare at the ceiling. What do I do now?
“What are you reading?” I ask Drew, making an attempt to be nice.
“An article about oxygen chambers and their potential benefits to athletes.”
“Oh.” I’ve got nothing to add to that conversation.
I lay silently in the bed wondering what to expect. After a few minutes, Drew closes his magazine. He leans over and shuts off the lamp on his bedside table. The room becomes pitch black. My body tenses as Drew gets under the blanket next to me.
When my eyes fully adjust to the darkness, I can see the stars outside Drew’s bedroom windows. We lay quietly side by side. I have never been this uncomfortable in my life.
“This is weird,” Drew says, breaking the ice.
I chuckle. “Yes, it is.” I roll to my side. “Maybe we should cram ourselves into a confined, elevator-sized space,” I joke.
I can barely make out his face in the darkness, but I’m sure Drew smiles. “No thanks.”
“Do you want me to hum like I did when we were together the other day?”
Drew shakes his head. “I just want to lay here for a minute and decompress.”
“Okay,” I say before lying flat on my back again.
My eyelids grow heavy. The darkness of the room, coupled with the comfort of Drew’s bed, makes me sleepy. I’m about to doze off when I hear some tussling beside me. My eyes pop wide open when I feel Drew scoot closer to me. Our arms are touching, but he isn’t doing anything inappropriate.
“You smell nice,” he tells me in a soft voice.
“Thanks. Must be my shampoo.”
“Vanilla?”
I smile. “Yes. Vanilla bean. I’m glad you like it. I’m contractually obligated to keep using it.”
This makes him laugh lightly. “True.”
Without thinking, I close my eyes and start humming. Drew doesn’t tell me to stop. Before I know it, I’m fast asleep.
Chapter Four
I grumble when my cell phone alarm wakes me up the next morning. I extend my hand to grab my phone off the nightstand, but come up with nothing but air.
What the heck?
I sit up and look around confused. It takes me a few seconds before it dawns on me - I’m in Drew’s bedroom, not my apartment. I glance over my shoulder to see if my alarm woke up Drew, but he’s not in bed.
Crap! He didn’t sleep well last night. Day One, or should I say Night One, on the job and I failed.
I stumble out of bed and clumsily rummage through my purse searching for my cell phone. I gripe to myself as it continues to blast the alarm tone. No one will ever accuse me of being a morning person. I finally locate my phone and turn the alarm off. It’s 8 a.m.
The sun is shining into Drew’s room and the sky is clear. The light in Drew’s closet is off and there’s no sign of him. I can’t believe I didn’t wake up when he got out of bed. I figured I’d sleep terribly my first few nights here, but I slept like a rock last night. Must be the expensive mattress and bedding.
I’m happy to see Drew didn’t lock up his closet like Fort Knox. He must not think I will steal his stuff. Either that, or he’s got cameras in here. Paranoia takes over and I glance around the room. Cameras these days are so small, I’d probably never spot them. As long as there aren’t cameras in my bathroom, Drew can have all the security he wants. I’m going to be on my best behavior.
Once I’m done wondering whether my boss is a peeping tom, I get ready for school. I’m depressed as I hop in the shower. Drew doesn’t seem like a patient person. He’ll probably hand me my walking papers the first chance he gets. As weird as this situation is, I’m incredibly disappointed. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. And I blew it.
I pack my dirty clothes and make the bed before I head downstairs. I hear people talking in the kitchen and I’m surprised to hear a female voice in the mix. I peek into the kitchen and see Art sitting at the table with a middle-aged, African American woman. They are chatting over coffee and watching the morning news.
Art greets me with a smile. “Good morning Julie!”
I give him a little wave. “Good morning. I’m on my way out.”
Art tsks. “Nonsense. Join us my dear. You’re just in time for breakfast.”
My plan was to get out of the house before Drew can fire me. But I don’t want to be rude. Art is trying hard to be nice.
Art’s female companion stands up and shakes my hand. “I’m Rose.” Rose is wearing an all-white outfit similar to the one our head chef at the restaurant wears.
“Nice to meet you Rose. I’m Julie.”
“Rose is the head of food and beverage sales at the arena. She is also the Team Nutritionist,” Art tells me.
“That’s awesome,” I say.
Rose smiles. “Drew pays me a little extra on the side to come over a couple days a week to prepare meals for him. A lot of the players do.”
Must be nice to have someone prepare your meals. I’m lucky if I have time to warm up my Pop Tart before I leave for school.
“I’m making breakfast for the Waters boys this morning. What can I get you?” Rose asks me.
“You don’t have to do that. Really.”
Rose puts her hand on her hip. “Come on girl. Give me something.”
I shrug. “I’m not picky. I’ll have whatever Drew and Art are having.”
Rose and Art laugh. I must be missing an inside joke.
“I already ate and you don’t want what Drew is having,” Art explains.
“I’m good with anything,” I insist.
Rose and Art exchange a glance. Judging by the look on their faces, I should have said I wasn’t hungry.
Rose walks toward the refrigerator. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”
I glance up at the television. “This is going to sound silly, but was this here last night? I don’t remember seeing a TV.”
“Watch this,” Art says. He picks up a remote and hits a big red button. The television not only turns off, it recesses into the wall. I watch in amazement as the wall panels surrounding the television close in on each other. Soon, the TV is completely hidden and the kitchen wall is flat.
“That’s amazing!”
Art chuckles. “One of Drew’s gadgets.” Art hits the button on the remote again and the television re-emerges.
I take a seat at the table and watch Rose crack eggs. “Can I help you Rose? I feel bad sitting here while you make my breakfast.”
“I appreciate the offer Julie, but I got this.”
“Alright.” Now what am I supposed to do? I feel so out of place.
Art sips his coffee. “How was your first night?”
“Fine.” I pick at my nails as I ask, “Where is Drew?”