I glanced at the sink.
“So I cook?”
“Yes.”
“Clean?”
“Yes.”
“Laundry?”
Carol nodded.
“And you’ll help with groceries, errands, and whatever else needs doing.”
“And if I don’t?”
Mason laughed once.
“You don’t get to live here for free.”
I nodded slowly.
“Fair enough.”
Then I walked to the sink, turned on the faucet, and washed the grease from my cheek.
Behind me, Mason said, “See? That wasn’t so difficult.”
I dried my face.
“No.”
Then I walked upstairs.
Our suitcases were still sitting beside the bedroom closet.
We had originally planned to leave for Hawaii three days later. Mason had insisted we spend those first few days at his parents’ enormous suburban home before traveling.
He called it “family bonding.”
Now I understood why.
I zipped open my suitcase and started packing.
Passport.
Birth certificate.
Laptop.
Chargers.
Medication.
Clothes.
A folder containing my professional certificates.
