Page 31 of 10,000 Hours With A Rich Menace

The marble floors were so clean you could eat off them. They were sparkling as we walked into the house.

“He doesn’t mind shoes downstairs; however, no shoes are allowed on the second and third level. Well, the third level is off limits to you… it’s his bedroom, office, and his sanctuary.”

“Noted.”

“Mess… he hates a mess, Stevie. Legit will flip out if he sees crumbs or anything. The man has a way he does things. In the fridge, everything has an order, and he makes sure of it.”

As I half listened to Jeffie running everything down, my stomach felt uneasy. It was so much, and I was suddenly feeling overwhelmed by it all. She spoke so quickly and kneweverythingthat he liked and didn’t like.

If her telling me everything wasn’t enough, I nearly passed out when she slid a door open off the kitchen, and there was a full room dedicated to fridges.

Yes, plural.

This man had a wall full of industrial refrigerators, and they were all color coated. One had every green fruit, vegetable, smoothie, and drink color coded, and neatly put. Then another had a bunch of red smoothie drinks in it, along with red apples, because God forbid we put a Granny Smith in there.

“You can help yourself to anything that you would like… just make sure you don’t mix things up. Colors go with each other, and then…” she walked over toward the other side and slid another door open, and my eyes nearly fell out of my head.

It was a candy store.

A literal candy store filled with different variations of candy. I was no longer worried about everything that Jeffie had run down to me, I was focused on all the candy and snacks she had shown me.

“I know this is a lot, and I do plan to run everything to you. Just wanted you to have some of the knowings of living with Menace Caselli.”

“Some?” I blurted.

Jeffie laughed. “I know, I know, it is a lot and that is the reason I no longer live with him.”

“You used to live with him?”

She waved me off. “Years ago, when we were younger… me and Menace practically grew up together.” I watched as she checked her watch. “I have a meeting to make for this ball in Monaco… we’re hopefully finalizing the last details, and I can’t miss this one. Let me show you where you’ll be staying, and the driver has brought in your suitcase and cell phone.”

I followed her through the museum of a house. It looked unlived in and perfect. There wasn’t a pillow or carpet out of place. As we made our way through the house, I started to see if I could spot something that is out of place.

I never did.

Jeffie opened one door to the double doors down the hall on the second level. “This is my room?”

She smiled. “Yes… maybe one day you both will want to share one room.”

“Yeah, no thanks,” I muttered and walked past her into the room, taking in the hues of beige, cream, and mauve. The tufted wall behind the plush bed filled with bedding that matched the entire room had me in awe. The plants in the corner were fake, still, it added to the decor of the bedroom.

My room was right off the backyard, so there was a sliding door and a glass balcony I could utilize. From where the house sat in the hills, you got a full view of Staten Island, and the Verrazano bridge in the distance. It felt like we were royalty looking down on the kingdom.

The driver came into the room and handed Jeffie something. She thanked him and gave him an ETA on when she would be done and ready to leave. “You’re leaving me here alone?”

“You’re not alone… my assistant is here as well. She’s interning right now, and the goal is for her to be able to fill some of my roles when I decide to step back some.”

“Hmph.”

“You are probably tired and want a shower…I know this is all a lot and happened so fast. I can also tell that you are overwhelmed as well. Call your cousin and everyone who has been looking for you.” Jeffie handed me my phone and I slowly took it while sitting on the edge of the bed.

“We’re supposed to get married and then live life together… for how long?”

Jeffie sat down beside me and put her hand on my shaking leg. “Me and Skyler talk… a lot. I know life hasn’t been easy for you since you lost your mom, Stevie. Don’t think about how long you’ll be married, look at it as a way to reset. Focus on you and the things that you love… reinvent Stevie and find that sparkagain. Yeah, sure, you’re sharing a home with a stranger, but I can assure you that you’re safe with him.”

I released the tension in my shoulders and swiped away a tear. When she mentioned my mother, something inside of me broke. I don’t know why hearing Jeffie mention my mother caused me to break down.

“I always find myself in some foolishness… none of this would have happened if my mother was here.”

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