I’m instantly afraid. There shouldn’t be anyone visiting us, especially now, especially a man. Mom doesn’t have any male friends, and neither do I. The landlord is a man named Martin, though…maybe it’s him?
“He—hello?” I call out timidly.
“Hello!? Desiree? Can you come down here?”
My heart leaps as I recognize the voice.
Caleb.
This is not okay. This is so not okay. A hot wave of anxiety starts at my toes and doesn’t stop until it hits my cheeks. Even my ears are tingling as I swing my legs out of bed and stand. The images of what happened yesterday hit me like a slideshow…
…his eyes…his chin…his lips…
I don’t even know what to do. I want to hide.
Why did I even say anything!? I should have just stayed quiet!
“I know you’re there,” he calls out. I can tell he’s smiling. “Why don’t you come downstairs?”
“I—I’m not dressed!”
“Even better,” he laughs. “Just get your ass down here.”
Grumbling to myself, I stumble into a pair of sweat pants, brush my hair back with my fingers, and make my way to the front door. I look terrible, but what does it matter? I’m just going to tell him to go away and that I can’t take the job.
Yes. That’s what I’m going to do…
I take a deep breath and pull it open and find him standing there wearing a simple pair of khakis with a white T-shirt and a pair of black sunglasses, his hair slicked back.
Wow, he looks like a model.
“Still asleep?” he asks. “Early bird gets the worm.”
“I have to admit, Caleb, I feel a bit like the worm right now with you showing up at my house unexpected and unannounced. How…did you even know where I live by the way?”
Caleb waves his hand dismissively. “Oh, you know the Internet. You can find anything out these days. But let’s not focus on that right now. I know about your problem and I’m here to fix it.”
“My…problem?” I ask hesitantly. I should be totally creeped out right now, but my biological urges are on overdrive. He’s just so insanely handsome. I can hardly believe he’s even talking to me.
“The eviction.” He smiles as though we were discussing the latest movie we saw this weekend. “I know about it, and I’m here to help.”
My jaw drops as my brain goes into another spin. “So…not only do you know where I live somehow…you also know that my mother and I are being forceclosed on?”
Caleb smirks and shrugs. “Look, I’m here to offer you the job again,” he says. “That’s twice I’ve offered now, and that’s something I never do.”
Something about the way he’s looking at me makes me suddenly aware of the fact that my hair’s a mess and I’m not wearing any makeup.
Or a bra…
Caleb has obviously noticed that as well, as I watch his eyes flick down to my chest before returning to my eyes.
“It was your old man’s house, right?” Caleb asks. “Take my job. Come be my driver. I’ll give you the salary I promised, ten grand, and I’ll pay off your house and his medical debt. Think of it as a signing bonus.”
“And what do I have to do for this signing bonus?” I ask.
Caleb’s eyes flash and any doubt that was still in my mind about what he really wants is completely washed away. But his response actually surprises me.
“Desiree, I would never make you do anything you didn’t want to do,” he says with a boyish smile that works its way into my chest. “But after you spend time with me, you will want to.”