Page 363 of Filthy Elites

Once we’re both snuggled up beneath the covers, I feel safe.

I know it’s an illusion just like Dare was because he’s still out there, and he’ll be back. But for now, I feel safe with Hannah, and I just want to enjoy it.

“Do you wanna be the little spoon or the big spoon?” she asks lightly.

I smile. “It’s up to you.”

“You could probably use a big spoon today, huh?”

“I don’t care. I’m just glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too,” she tells me.

I smile, reaching out to touch her face.

She smiles back, and then I close my eyes.

It only feels like a moment that my eyes are closed, but when I open them again, it’s much brighter outside and the house smells like banana muffins.

I’m groggy, but I roll over and check the time.

It’s after two, so I drag myself out of bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I stumble out into the hall.

More lovely smells hit my nostrils. I sniff the air, frowning with confusion as I walk down the hall and into a cloud of cleanliness.

Every single thing in my house has been straightened. The floors have been vacuumed or swept and mopped. Every surface shines, every messy pile of bills has been sorted and neatly stacked. Even the doorknobs appear to be shinier and brighter.

My mouth hangs open as I look at Mom sitting on the recliner with a bowl of soup I didn’t make.

“What…?”

Hannah comes around the corner, an apron wrapped around her small waist, her hair tied back in a kerchief, and a mask on her face. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she says brightly. “I made soup and fresh bread. Are you hungry?”

I didn’t think I was, but my stomach rumbles. “It sounds like it.”

She chuckles and heads for the kitchen, turning on the faucet and washing her hands at my sink. “I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Hannah, this…” I look around again, at a loss. “You cleaned my whole house.”

“It’s not a big deal. Your house isn’t very big.” She freezes, horrified. “I didn’t mean it like that. Your house is adorable. I just meant I’m used to cleaning a giant house, so this one was honestly no problem.”

“You did not have to do that.” I’m so grateful, I want to cry, but I’ve done enough of that for one day. “Thank you so much.”

“Really, it was nothing,” she says, reaching into a top cabinet for a bowl like she’s lived here her whole life. “I wasn’t sure what all they might have touched, so I just cleaned all of it.”

I walk over to Mom, absently touching her shoulder. “Do you feel okay?”

Mom smiles and nods, putting her hand over mine. “You have the nicest friends. And this one can cook, too. This is the best soup I’ve ever had.”

I smile, looking back at Hannah. “She’s magical,” I agree.

Hannah flashes me a smile. “I made your muffins, too.”

“Remember how I asked you to marry me? Have you given any more thought to that?”

She laughs, her cheeks turning rosy.

Mom doesn’t get the joke, but joins in anyway and inadvertently ruins it. “I think Dare might have something to say about that.”

---