Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Annika was all smiles as she sank deeper into the big, claw-footed tub.
The warm water was like a hug and the bubbles piled high around her made her feel safe and protected.
For a moment, she was afraid as she recalled the warning about a ghost that roamed the house. But then she remembered the entity was said to be friendly. Plus, she wasn’t sure she even believed in spirits and things of that nature.
Right now, she wanted to live in the moment. No reason to waste energy on theories and mysteries. She might never get a chance to experience something like this again. Why not make the most of it?
“I sure wish Ollie was here to see this,” she said quietly.
She wondered what the odds were she could find him tomorrow when she left the mansion.
That thought made her want to cry. Sure, she wanted to find her stuffie. But the idea of leaving was enough to nearly drive her to tears.
Like trying to forget the possible ghost, she worked hard to shove those notions from her mind.
Tomorrow might find her back in a makeshift shelter in an alley. It was best to soak in every moment in the safety of the mansion she could until then.
“Knock, knock,” a voice called.
She looked at the door but didn’t see anyone there. A shadow on the ground, however, told her someone was standing nearby, not entering as to respect her privacy.
It sounded like Iris.
Annika inspected the tower of bubbles that surrounded her and called out, “Hi. You can come in. But you might not be able to see me.”
She waited until Iris had stepped inside the bathroom before giggling and adding, “The bubbles swallowed me! I, eh, went a little heavy when I was pouring them into the bathtub.”
“I do that, too!” Iris said with a grin. “It’s the only way to take a bubble bath.”
Annika giggled some more. She could only imagine how it looked—a wall of white foam with one face sticking out of the middle, like a human/bubble-hybrid creature.
“I was just checking to see if you need anything,” Iris told her.
Annika shook her head. “No, thank you. I have more than I need. And thank you for letting me borrow some of your clothes. If you show me where the washing machine is, I’ll clean them before I go tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Iris said. A wry grin split her lips and her eyebrows raised as she said, “But I’m not so sure you’re leaving tomorrow."
“Why not?”
Iris stepped closer. “Well, you’re welcome here as long as you want to stay.”
Annika waited, getting the sense there was more.
A moment later, Iris went on. “Plus, I’m not sure Matteo will let you go. I’m don’t mean in a creepy way. I’m just saying… he’s crazy about you. He knows you’re his babygirl. I don’t think he’ll let you walk out of here if he can keep you from it.”
Annika gasped. What on earth was Iris talking about?
It was true that she’d felt a spark earlier when she’d landed in Matteo’s arms. Just that brief interaction had sent her imagination spinning wildly.
But it was all just the fantasies of a lonely girl. Right? Just because she literally fell into his arms didn’t mean that he was her Daddy.
Or did it?
She felt so calm around him. All the fear vanished. Years of life on the streets and the hardships she’d faced seemed so insignificant when in Matteo’s presence.
“Well… I don’t want to impose,” she protested.
In truth, she didn’t really know what else to say. She had lots of conflicting emotions at the moment.
“Seriously. It’s not a big deal.”
Annika watched as Iris stepped closer. There seemed to be something else she wanted to say.
It took a few seconds, but finally the other woman spoke.
“I had a really tough time before I met Jack. Things were… hard… to put it mildly. But I realized Jack really cared about me. So do the other people in this house. That’s not why I’m here.
” Her whole face lit up. “I’m here because I’m madly in love with my Daddy.
But as a bonus, I found a family.” She scrunched up her nose, then added, “It can be hard to let go and let people care for you. But I promise it’s worthwhile. For whatever that’s worth.”
She turned to walk away but stopped just before she was out the door. Casting a glance over her shoulder, Iris added, “Dinner’s almost ready. But take your time in here. And we have a very special surprise for you. I think they said the ETA on it was about ten minutes.”
“Thank you, Iris,” Annika said softly.
Once she was alone, she sank deeper into the bubbles and pondered the conversation.
Surprise? What did they have planned?
But more importantly, what was all that Iris had said about Matteo? Did she know all that to be true or was she just speculating?
Annika had caught some of his glimpses. She’d noticed the affection in his eyes. But she’d chalked it all up to her imagination. There couldn’t be any way a hottie like him wanted a poor girl from the streets like her.
Right?
She didn’t have the answers right then. Something told her time would tell, though. Maybe she’d know soon enough.
The thought excited her more as she sank just a little deeper and enjoyed the sensation of the warm water for another moment.
She’d get out in a minute, towel off, and go see what her surprise was.
But until then, she’d close her eyes and dream of being held by Matteo.
It would feel even better than the heavenly bath.