Page 10 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

“No worries, dear. We have plenty of time,” Joy replies with a warm smile as she walks back over to her desk. “I’ll put some sheets and towels in the washer for you. Oh, and here are your clothes.”

“Thank you,” I reply as I take the bundle of clothes and put on my shoes before turning to follow Eric.

He leads me through the hallway and into his house. I frown because he said guesthouse and this is most definitely not a guesthouse. But then he takes me down another hall, past a living room and a study. He opens a door and I find myself on a covered porch. There’s a small pebbled pathway out to a little house. I guess I didn’t see it because it was behind the barn and is much smaller than the barn. It looks like a miniature version of the big farmhouse. It’s adorable.

He opens the green front door and we step inside. There’s a small living space to the right and a kitchen to the left. I see a door in the back of the kitchen. A stairway breaks up the two spaces and is right in front of us.

“It’s not big, but it has everything you need,” he starts. He opens a drawer in the kitchen and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “Wi-Fi passcode is here, the door passcode to the main house is here. You’ll need that to get into the office. There’s a small stacked washer and dryer in that closet or you can use the one up at the house. The bedroom loft is upstairs. I can give you directions to the grocery store if you need them. And…I can’t think of anything else. Do you need help bringing stuff in? Did you bring stuff with you?”

I nod. “I have a few suitcases,” I state.

“Well, let’s go grab them. I’ll let you get settled today and we can start work at nine a.m. sharp tomorrow,” he says as we walk around the house to the parking lot in front of the barn.

Eric takes both suitcases and I grab my oversized purse. I’ll need to figure out how to turn in the car I rented. I only have it for a month. Shrugging, I decide to contemplate that later as I lock the car.

Eric chuckles. “You don’t need to do that,” he says as we walk back to the guesthouse.

“Huh?” I ask as I stop and look around us.

“Trust me, there are motion sensor cameras around the property, including at the driveway, and Storyview Falls’ worst crime since I’ve lived here is when some teenagers toilet-papered the high school. So, you’re safe. Feel free to lock it, but I just wanted you to know that if you forget or something, you don’t need to worry,” he explains as we walk back into the little house I’m calling home for the foreseeable future.

“Good to know,” I say with an air of skepticism because no place is crime-free, that’s crazy.

Eric shrugs as if to say, your call. “I’ll leave you to it, then. Oh, here’s my number,” he says as he holds out his hand. I frown for a second until I realize he wants my phone. I pull it from my pocket and place it in his large hand. I almost want to laugh because my phone looks like a kid’s toy in his palm. I swallow as my eyes trail up his body. Eric is large, like all of him. Without meaning to, I glance at his package and then quickly look away as I realize I was just thinking about my new boss’s dick. Get a grip, I think to myself. He hands me back my phone.

“There. I just texted my phone, so we’re all set. Call me if you need anything, or just come on into the main house.” He pauses and pulls out his phone, typing away before looking back at me. “I just sent you the address of the grocery store in case you need anything. It’s not huge, but it has all the main staples.”

Nodding, I glance at my phone as I see his text come through. I probably should go figure out what I need.

“Great. I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Ariana,” he says as he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

I look around before heading upstairs. The loft is small but large enough to house a very tiny closet, a chest of drawers, one small nightstand, and a full-sized bed.

I groan. Will my clothes even fit in here?

I call Katia.

“Beotch! Are you there? Tell me everything!” Katia answers.

I laugh. “I’m here. And guess what?” I say.

“What?”

“I got the job!” I squeal, suddenly feeling excited.

“O.M.G. That’s awesome! Is the town like the movies? Is Eric as hot as I thought he was? Did you do something small town-y like rescue a Christmas tree farm? Tell me more,” she replies.

I giggle. “I did stop at the pharmacy for directions. It was so cute. And the farm is…I love it. Well, except this pig…” I proceed to tell Katia every part of my adventure so far. She’s quiet for the most part, which is unlike her.

“So, you’re, like, living on the farm?” she asks, her voice half-disgusted.

“Well, I guess I am,” I reply.

“Ewww! But there’s like animals and bugs and actual shit. I would triple-wash your hair tonight and then give it a full conditioner treatment,” she suggests.

“I suppose. I need to go to the grocery store. How do I do that?” I whisper as I change into real clothes because I cannot go out in these clothes.

“How the hell would I know?” she replies.

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