Michelle was on her feet and holding her. “Are you all right, Mrs. Hayes?
“I just felt a little woozy there.”
“Sit down.”
“No child. I just probably need to take my medicine.”
“Where is it? And what are you taking meds for?”
Mrs. Hayes placed a cool hand against Michelle’s cheek. “I have all kinds of ailments. The doctor keeps me supplied with medicine. It’s at the guesthouse. Perhaps if you could run down and get it for me.”
“I have a better idea. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? And I’m not going to take no for an answer,” she added, steering her across the kitchen and out the door. “If I could, I’d sling you over my shoulder and carry you, but since I’m so skinny, you have to walk. Just hold me tight.”
Mrs. Hayes protested all the way to the guesthouse, but after making sure she took her medicine and propping her up on her sofa in front of her plasma TV, Michelle came back to the main house with a smile on her face.
But that smile slowly faded as she walked down the second floor hall toward the master suite. She’d promised Mrs. Hayes that she would make Erik’s bed and put out fresh towels for him. An army of butterflies took flight in Michelle’s stomach. She had been living in this house for almost two months and she’d never ventured into the master suite. On several occasions, curiosity had lured her in that direction, but each time she reached the door, she’d stopped. She always felt as if she were snooping, which in fact she would have been, seeing she had no reason to enter the private quarters that man shared with his late wife.
Now here was a legitimate chance to satisfy her curiosity. After work, Erik was flying up to Granite Falls to see Danielle and wouldn’t be back until late tonight. She would be in and out before he came home and he would be none the wiser.
Taking a deep steadying breath, Michelle opened the door and stepped into a fully furnished cozy lime green and beige sitting area. A book lay on the table beside the sofa. Curious to know what he was reading, she went over for a closer look. The Kite Runner. She smiled. She’d read that book a while ago. She supposed he was a little behind in his reading.#p#分页标题#e#
Leaving the sitting area, she walked into another room where the only furniture was a double king-size unmade bed with an ivory marble headboard that extended into two nightstands on either side. The bed was situated in the middle of the room under a skylight. Michelle didn’t even know they made them this big. She stepped inside and her bare feet sank with ease into the soft carpet as her nostrils picked up the heady scent of Erik’s cologne.
She glanced around the softly painted room, noticing that the inside walls were mirrored, allowing a full view of the bed. Feeling an awakening blush come, she instantly flushed the images from her mind.
You’re here to make the bed.
She walked toward an archway that opened into two separate walk-in dressing areas complete with built-in bureaus and drawers. She took a swift peek inside the Hers and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the rows and rows of clothes and shoes lined up against the walls. A purple silk robe was draped over a chair in front of a silver and white vanity, and a pair of black pumps lay on the carpet beside it—one overturned on its side. Michelle wondered if this was how Cassie left her dressing room the night she died.
Poor Erik. He was really living in the past.
Michelle backed away and walked through into the bathroom—a spacious gold and ecru refuge of supreme tranquility. A large glass-encased shower stood in one corner next to a long slab of marble with two sinks. A sunken Jacuzzi with three steps leading up, then down into it, sat under a low window.
The tub in her bedroom was gigantic, but God, what she wouldn’t give to be able to soak in this giant whirlpool covered to her neck in bubbles.
You’re here to make the bed, Michelle.
She cased the room then went over to what looked like a linen closet. She opened the door and stared at shelf after shelf of neatly folded towels and sheets in assorted colors.
She pulled out a set of navy blue towels and draped them over the towel rack next to the shower. She ran her palms slowly down the soft, fluffy fabric, knowing that later this evening Erik would use it to dry off the most intimate part of his anatomy. A wicked smile curled her lips at the thought, and feeling a sense of wantonness overtake her, like a kitty on catnip, Michelle picked up the towel and began rubbing it all over her face.
“Michelle, what on earth are you doing?”
Michelle clutched the towel to her chest and froze. A hand seemed to tighten around her throat, cutting off her breath. She couldn’t move. She wanted to die, to melt into the marble under her feet, never to show her face again.