Chapter 12
Daniel
I want to take the entire day and spend it with Amber. But I can’t forget she has a job to do. It’s easy to want to though. I’m having so much fun with her. I couldn’t let her go in the kitchen with me though, because everyone there knows me. It would have looked suspicious.
Amber didn’t seem to question that I needed her to wait outside, and hopefully she assumed it was for sanitary reasons.
I know she’s going to love the sitting room. It is perfectly decorated for Christmas, with a silver and blue Christmas tree in the corner, and a beautiful fireplace, along with tasteful decorations scattered throughout the room. It’s one of my favorite rooms. Mostly because of the big picture windows that go floor to ceiling along two walls, giving a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance from one side and the town of Christmas Tree from the other.
I can’t wait to see her reaction.
“Here we are,” I say, trying to figure out how I’m going to hold both plates and also open the door.
She saves me, opening the door and holding it so I can walk in first. This goes against every grain in my body, but since I’m holding the plates, I can hardly insist that she go.
Regardless, it gives me the perfect position with which to watch her face as I turn around and watch her come in.
She does not disappoint me. She is awed by the windows first. “What an amazing view of our mountains,” she says, her voice a little hushed. “You can see the town too!” she says, her gaze going to the other windows.
Then, she slowly turns around, her eyes touching everything in the room. “It is absolutely magical in here.”
It’s a room for family only. Guests are not allowed on the second story, unless they’re staying overnight, of course, and workers are absolutely never allowed unless they have some kind of business up here. But Amber is special. I know I haven’t known her for very long, but sometimes it doesn’t take very long before you know a person’s character and the kind of integrity that they have.
“I’ve been thinking about this room and how much you would love it when we started decorating. I knew that would be your reaction,” I say, trying not to gloat.
“You are right on. Although, who doesn’t love beautiful things? And this is just picture-perfect.”
I smile at her praise and at the obvious enjoyment she’s getting from looking around the room.
I nod at the loveseat. “Would you like to sit there?”
She nods, gives me a bit of a shy smile, and goes over and sits down. She hasn’t been shy with me at all, and I’m not sure what to make of that.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be in here?”
I forgot. She thinks I’m part of the help. I feel like maybe I should tell her the truth right now, because I don’t like to continue in a lie. But will it change things?
I don’t want her to treat me any differently because of who I am. My brother is the one who’s the billionaire, but I am a pretty solid millionaire, and even without my job, I could live comfortably on my investments, and by comfortably I mean in luxury, for the rest of my life.
I guess I like the fact that she thought I was just an employee. And she likes me anyway.
“I’m sure. I have permission, and for this room in particular.” Everyone in the house knows that this is my favorite room, and I often use it as my office. I seldom get bothered. It’s quiet and away from most of the foot traffic in the house, since almost everyone else prefers to be somewhere where they can see people coming and going.
She sits down on the loveseat, and I hand her her plate, pulling the cold water from my back pocket and putting it on a coaster on the coffee table beside her.
“Is it okay if I sit beside you?” I ask, not wanting to crowd her but not wanting to sit across from her either. I don’t want to push her too hard too fast, but surely she knows that I’m besotted.
“I’d love that,” she says easily, and I noticed that she does not move over at all.
I kind of feel like she is happy to sit beside me too.
I set my water down, pull out the silverware, and then sit down beside her, careful not to spill my plate. I don’t even know what Flora put on it. “I just asked them to give me something of everything that they wanted rid of or thought we’d love.”
“That’s pretty broad,” she says, laughing.
“They wanted to send me up with salads too, but I couldn’t carry it all.”
“I would have helped you,” she says, and I feel bad again. I could just come clean right now. A part of me says that nothing good ever happens when you keep secrets back, and if you want to be in a relationship with someone, you have to be honest. Another part of me says I’ve been burned so much by women wanting me just for my money that I’d like to keep it close to the vest for just a little bit longer. That’s the side that wins.