"Wow, this is like the library in Beauty and the Beast." I spun around, looking at everything that he had.
"You have the equivalent of several libraries in here."
He shrugged. "There's nothing to do here but read. Take anything you want to read."
I looked around and picked up a book and nearly dropped it. "This is a first edition of Great Expectations."
"Yeah, my dad was really into old books."
“What an understatement. These are priceless. I'm afraid to touch them."
"Don't worry about it. It's not like anybody really comes in here. I mean, except during the winter, of course." He coughed. "We'll get some books and read them by the fireplace."
"Fireplace?" I gripped Great Expectations more tightly. "You have a fireplace?"
"Yeah. Come on. I'll show you our living room."
It was like something out of an old Norman Rockwell painting. I could practically see the fluffy cat sitting on someone's lap on the cozy, faded couch. There was a red, wooden rocking chair in the corner.
A fire roared and crackled in the front of the room. I could see that it was an echo of the family that once lived in this house. It was a huge fireplace from back when there was no central heating. There were blankets on the couch, and Jimmy handed me one.
"Here. Bundle up. You can take the couch. I'll take the armchair."
I wrapped a blanket around myself, and I lay on the couch. I read Great Expectations by firelight and the glow of the small lamps in the room. I liked the smell of the wood burning.
"This is so cozy."
"It's just what we do in the winter."
I felt the room settle around me like a big, warm blanket. Considering how cold it was outside, this little oasis of warmth was nice. I felt like a cat curling up contentedly in a patch of warm sunlight. In another life, maybe I could be the kind of person who lived here. Jimmy was a good man, and he might make a good father. We'd have little kids that we'd put in a play pen near the fire, but not too close. We could read out loud. Then I realized something.
"Where is your TV?"
"I don't have one."
I shook my head. It shouldn't surprise me at this point. A house with no Internet, no air conditioning, and no TV might as well be in the Stone Age. This was a different planet.
I read through Pip helping Magwitch escape, then my eyes drooped. When I yawned, I said, "I'm tired. I'm going to head upstairs."
"Okay. I'll see you in the morning."
I walked up the stairs. I felt hair prickle on the back of my neck. At the foot of the stairs, I turned around. He was still sitting in that armchair, looking at me back with naked hunger. He looked like he could eat me up. Our eyes met. I fled up the stairs.
Morning
Amelia
The next morning, I awoke to the smell of bacon wafting through the house. I got dressed quickly without putting on any makeup or brushing my teeth, and I went downstairs. I wanted to eat the bacon before it was all gone, and I was willing to risk a cavity or two in order to get it.
There was a plate next to the stove with a paper towel to catch all the grease. He was still frying the last of it. I tried to pick up a slice, but he maneuvered his body so that he was in the way.
"Wait for breakfast. You can set the table again, though, if you want."
I pouted, but he just smiled at me. It was hard to be mad at someone who cooked a delicious breakfast for me. I set the table, and I waited for my bacon.
I saw him crack a dozen eggs into the bacon grease.
"I can't eat that many eggs," I warned him.