Chapter 3 #3
We approach a door at the end of the hall, and Skye pulls out his little fob once more. “The elevator doesn’t go all the way up to your room,” he says apologetically, but I wave him off. When you’ve lived in as many walk-ups as I have, one flight of stairs is nothing.
The light on the panel changes, and Skye opens the door. There’s a small clear space, then a flight of stairs. Light is flooding down them, but I can’t see the source.
“Light switch here,” Skye says, flipping it on and off, “for after dark. There’s another at the top of the stairs.” He starts up, and I follow him. The source of the light becomes apparent halfway—it’s a big-ass skylight.
We reach the landing, and Skye opens the door on our right.
It’s a neat little room with twin beds. There’s a shirt strewn over the end of one bed and an overnight bag on the floor.
An open door in one wall shows a small bathroom.
“Temporary accommodation for any staff who have to work late or stay over because you’re having a night off or get sick or something.
Kieran and I have been trading off nights recently. ”
“Not for much longer,” I promise. I can’t believe how excited I am about babysitting a bunch of hotel guests and shuffling paperwork. If my room is as nice as the one he just showed me, this will officially be the best job I’ve ever had.
“That’s storage,” he says, pointing to the door straight ahead and then turns to the door on the left. “You’ll have a key for this, but we haven’t been locking it since Adele left.” He opens it, then gestures me forward.
I’m expecting another bedroom, maybe a bit bigger than the one he just showed me, since it will be my full-time home, after all.
Instead, I walk into a full-size studio apartment.
And when I say full-size, I mean I’ve seen actual two-bedroom places smaller than this.
It must take up most of the attic space.
There’s a king-size bed, two nightstands, a six-drawer dresser, and a double closet.
At the foot of the bed is a chest with a padded top, doubling as a seat and more storage.
Along one wall is a kitchenette, including a four-burner hotplate, small oven, microwave, and fridge.
Not just a dorm fridge, either—it’s not huge, but it’s full-sized.
The only luxury missing is a dishwasher, and I’ve never had one before anyway.
There are cupboards above and below the wall of appliances, and also a small island with a sink and about two feet of counter space.
An overstuffed, squashy-looking three-seater couch faces a wall with a flat-screen TV on it, the coffee table between them holding a remote control.
Over by the dormer windows are a plush armchair and ottoman.
The floors are a warm-toned wood, with soft-looking rugs under the couch and bed, and there’s just so much space. Nothing’s crammed together.
To top it off, a massive skylight overhead floods the whole space with bright sunlight.
I’m speechless.
Skye’s not, though. “So, the instruction manuals for all the appliances are in the top drawer of the island, but they’re pretty user-friendly. This panel here,” he points to an electronics panel beside the door, “is for the air-conditioning and the blinds for the skylight.”
“It has blinds?” I manage, tipping my head back to squint up at the pitched roof. Sure enough, it looks like there’s someth—
With a quiet whirr, the blinds begin to descend, slowly dimming the light in the room. They get to halfway before reversing direction, and I glance over at Skye.
“I’ll show you how it all works,” he promises, “but I swear, it’s easy. Adele told me she usually only closed them on really hot days and really cold nights, but you’ll work out what you prefer.”
“Sure,” I agree, because what else is there to say?
“If there’s any furniture you want to bring with you, we can move this stuff into storage.”
“That’s fine. Easier to just sell mine. None of it’s worth much.” Definitely not the cost of moving it. This is all much nicer.
“Great, that’s easy! Let me show you the bathroom.”
Obediently, I follow him to the door in the wall next to the kitchen and through into a bright, airy bathroom—thanks to another skylight. There’s a walk-in shower stall, a big soaker tub, a vanity with plenty of storage, a sleek white toilet, and—
“Is that a washing machine?”
“Washer-dryer combo. The owners figure it isn’t fair to make the guest liaison schlep all the way to the laundromat in town, and since we send the estate’s laundry out to be done, it’s not like there’s another washer in the house.”
I start to laugh. I can’t help it; the chuckles bubble up out of me. Skye must get it, because he just grins at me.
Then he says, “Trust me, dude, you’re going to earn this. We get some pretty demanding guests. And the ghosts are like toddlers sometimes.”
“Worth it,” I tell him, turning in a circle to admire the fresh, clean bathroom.
“We’ll see. Now, before I forget, you may have noticed there’s no bedding.
That’s on you. So are towels and kitchen stuff.
You’re also responsible for keeping the place clean, and the employment contract you’re going to sign says it has to be in good condition when you move out, or you’ll forfeit your last two weeks’ pay, so if I were you, I’d take pics of any scuff you see before you officially move in. ”
I’ve dealt with dodgy landlords who wanted to keep my security deposit before, so I know what to do. I doubt Kieran and the owners will be that bad.
“Got it.”
“If you can’t be bothered with the cleaning, Keisha will do it for you for thirty a week. She’s one of the housekeepers, and she can always use the cash.”
I’m hesitant to pay someone else to do what I’m capable of managing. Maybe when I’ve settled in and my bank account has some padding. “I’m good for now, but I’ll talk to her if I need to.”
“Any questions?”
I step past him into the main room again and look around. “Can you pinch me, please?”
Laughing, he walks toward the door. “Come on. Let’s see if Kieran’s ready to show you around the grounds.”