Raina tilted her head and paused. “No, Demi… I’m wondering how someone could have hurt a girl as sweet as you. And I want you to know, if you ever need to talk about the music from Nashville… I’m here to listen.”
My chest tightened, but this time it wasn’t from fear; it was from the fact that I could tell she really cared.
About me.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
The next morning, I woke up peacefully. Not with an aching back or dizziness from blood loss, not with trepidation and dread. I woke up because the sunlight was trickling in through the curtains and shining blissfully against my face, warming my cheeks.
I didn’t want to move. I was under the most comfortable goose-down comforter and laying on sheets that had to be three-thousand thread count. Was that even a count for sheets?
I didn’t have a phone, so I had no clue what time it was. My interview was promptly at noon, and I needed to do some damage control, considering I looked like well, a girl who had lived in a motel, under bridges, on park benches and city buses. I was sure after last night’s nervous breakdown, my eyes had to be swollen.
Quickly peeling myself out of bed, the plush carpet felt luscious against my rough feet.
I was wearing silk, navy blue pajamas that Raina had given me. I had only been to hell before, so I was positive this had to be heaven. What most people don’t understand is that poverty and fear are two of the worst things a human has to live with. When combined that means they are in the lowest and darkest parts of a valley that is killing them every single day.
I brushed my teeth, washed my face with some fancy dermatology skin care line, and changed into the black leggings and oversized sweater that was folded inside of the bathroom.
Everything felt like butter against my skin as I went back into the bedroom. My goodwill bag was sitting on the small corner desk. I could just wear what I bought and not take Raina’s clothes, or…
I could embrace this once-in-a-lifetime kindness and just pray the outfit from a rich doctor could persuade another rich doctor to hire me to scrub his toilets.
Leaving the guest room, I looked from side-to-side. The hallway seemed never-ending, and I figured no one was awake yet.
Tiptoeing down the stairs, I froze mid-way.
Jax was wearing a white painter-style jumpsuit with the same strange white sandals, and he was on his hands and knees, slowly painting the banister with white paint.
Clearing my throat, I stood awkwardly.
“Demi, good morning.” He was taken aback, and quickly began cleaning up his paint supplies.
“Good morning. Please don’t stop; I’ll just go back to my room.” I felt flustered and immediately uncomfortable.
“No, no. I’m done. Kai loves to take crayons…” He pointed to a spot. What’s strange is that the banister was black, but he had begun to repaint it white.
It didn’t even match with the aesthetic of the home, which was mostly jewel tones and deeper colors.
I forced out a small laugh, as if I knew what a toddler was like, though I had no experience with children at all.
Honestly, I actually couldn’t stand them. I didn’t find them cute, cuddly, or sweet; I just thought they were kind of annoying and perhaps the thought of their guiltlessness frightened me.
“I grabbed your stuff from the… motel.” Jax stood and smiled at me. He was probably six foot four, buff, with dark brown hair and deep green eyes.
I felt embarrassment build inside me as I pictured this really handsome man walking into the Super 7 motel where my Twinkie wrappers and wine bottles were lingering shamelessly. And the blood. I cringed as I thought of the blood stains all over my sheets.
“Thanks.” I looked down and walked behind him down the stairs.
“No problem,” he replied and quietly disappeared. I made my way to the kitchen and glanced at the time.
It was 7:10 a.m. A moment later, Jax reappeared but again, I noted how I didn’t hear him coming with those thick-padded shoes. He began washing his hands, the white paint dripping off into the sink, pooling into a milky mess until the water ran clear. He obsessively cleaned under his nails with a sponge before turning the water off.
“I ordered everyone some egg white sandwiches. I hope that’s fine with you; it’s usually our go-to.”
Yep, they never cooked.