Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80986 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
“And empty the trashcans,” he said. “And just general tidying up. We’re not slobs, but we have more important things to worry about than making the bed.”
My heart sank. I didn’t mind working hard, but I didn’t see how I could hit six rooms, the grocery store, and make dinner in the next six hours.
“You know where the cleaning supplies are?”
I nodded. I’d found them yesterday.
“Then get to it and come find me when you’re done.”
“Will do,” I said, trying not to let my irritation show. Bennett a way of barking orders that made me feel subservient.
But I was a servant, wasn’t I?
One that needed to get to work ASAP.
6
HAILEY
Because I was a little apprehensive at knocking on doors and going in the guys’ rooms, I started with the study Bennett had mentioned. I lugged the vacuum and a bucket full of dust rags and cleaning sprays in there and had a look around.
There were rows of bookcases filled with textbooks on all sorts of subjects. Law. History. Science. Most looked old, and that wasn’t too surprising, because a lot of texts were online these days.
And all looked dusty, so I started there.
Then I cleaned two tables that looked pretty much like the one I’d used at the library today. There was also a leather couch, and I spotted a bowl of hard candy on the console table behind it. My stomach rumbled. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. But when I reached for one of the individually wrapped candies, I froze.
It wasn’t a bowl of hard candy. It was a bowl of condoms.
All individually wrapped, and at least fifty of them. What the hell kind of studying did those guys do in here? Then again, there were those wild parties they were known for.
I quickly dusted the console table, vacuumed, and then left the room, dragging everything with me. I walked the length of the hall until I spotted a door with Theo’s name on it. That seemed like a safe place to start. I knocked, and when there was no answer, I tentatively opened the door. And walked into a calm and peaceful sanctuary.
His room was clean, stylish, and somehow masculine-looking, which didn’t detract from the sense that it was a safe space in a house full of craziness. There was a big bed with a heavy wood headboard. Then there was a built-in wardrobe along one wall. It was painted an olive green and his clothes hung neatly on the two rods.
The woven rug had notes of green and brown in it, and it complemented the plants that hung from overhead hooks and sat in the windowsill. And it wasn’t just the colors that worked together. Somehow the textures did, too. The chunky crocheted blanket strewn across the corner of the bed went well with the rug.
Who knew that a college guy could create such an oasis?
I moved further inside, glancing at the framed drawings on the wall. They were of famous places—one was the Colosseum in Rome and the other one was some kind of cathedral.
The desk in front of the window was slanted, and as I moved closer, I saw a blueprint on it. Then it hit me—it was a drafting table. Oh yeah, Theo was studying architecture.
It surprised me how nice it felt to be in his room. I wanted to curl up on his bed and take a nap, but I knew I couldn’t.
I vacuumed and dusted, but there wasn’t much else to do besides empty the trashcan into the bag in the hall. Before I left, I couldn’t help returning to the drafting table. There was a pile of oversized papers on it. The top one had a sketch of some kind of large building.
Carefully lifting the corner, I looked at the next sketch. It appeared to show the inside of the building, with rows of seats. It was some kind of concert hall. Had Theo designed that?
Other sketches showed the outside of the building. It was located along a small river, the walls of the structure seeming to curve to match the banks. It was hard to imagine that someone his age could have that kind of talent and vision.
Reluctantly, I gathered up my supplies and left the beautiful little room. Matt’s was next. He was the guy I’d seen with Ian last night. His room was kind of about what I was expecting. Not too clean, not too dirty. It didn’t take all that long.
Who did that leave on this level? Ian and one guy I hadn’t met yet. As I walked down the hallway, I heard noises—it sounded like more video games—coming from a room on my left. The name on the door was Nelson. I decided I’d clean Ian’s room next and then circle back to him. Maybe by that time he’d be headed to class.