Page 24 of A Thin Line

Again, I was blown away. This was unlike any garage I’d ever seen. There were five other cars inside and a riding lawnmower and other yard equipment against the far wall, and there was plenty of space between each vehicle. Why would anyone need six cars? Did these all belong to him?

As if he could sense my astonishment, Whittier said, “There’s another garage on the west side.”

I nodded but I didn’t ask if it was the same size or how many cars were in there. Already he was flaunting his wealth, no doubt to make me feel inferior.

“This way,” he said.

“What about my—”

“Gregory will bring your belongings in.”

Nodding, I followed him to a door and walked inside. We took a short flight of stairs into a wide hallway and I soon realized this was no ordinary house.

It was a mansion, thousands and thousands of square footage. The little cottage my father and I occupied could have fit inside Whittier’s home hundreds of times. As we walked past several rooms, I felt unable to get my bearings. Instead of feeling awe as I had earlier, I felt like an ant, insignificant to a degree.

But I also felt something else: I didn’t belong here.

Now I was completely out of my element. Like what I imagined would be how I’d feel my first time on a boat, I was disoriented and shaky. We’d already walked past more rooms than were in my house. What were they all used for?

Finally, we arrived in a room that felt familiar—a large kitchen. It was bright, mostly white, with elements of brick, thanks to the fireplace at one end, and had a rustic feel, thanks to the giant wooden table. The huge island near the appliances was no doubt a well-used workspace—and even it was bigger than my kitchen at home. I figured he probably had several staff who worked in here but I again wondered why. If he lived alone—

Then I realized I’d been assuming an awful lot. Even though he’d given the impression of being a bachelor, he might have a family living here—wife and children. And I didn’t know much about the wealthy, so I also understood that maybe all the Whittiers lived here. Even though I hadn’t seen the entire building, I already knew dozens of people could live here and perhaps go days without seeing each other.

“The help is gone for the night, but would you like anything anyway?”

The help. Yeah, that meant there were lots of people serving him—and I was about to join them. At this point, I only hoped they would be kind and helpful to me as I adjusted to this new life.

I wasn’t hungry. “I wouldn’t mind a glass of water.”

With a nod, he walked behind the island and opened a cabinet full of assorted glassware. Then he walked to the refrigerator and held the glass in a recess, pressing a button so that water flowed in, filling it quickly. I stood frozen in the center of the room, so he walked back to me with the glass. “You can help yourself to water any time you like.”

I didn’t want to say it, but the words came out of my mouth anyway. “Thank you.” With that reminder, I almost refused the water, but I was thirsty. When I began drinking it, he walked back to the cabinet and retrieved another glass, repeating his earlier motions, drinking water himself. I heard soft footsteps behind me and turned, realizing they weren’t so soft after all. They were echoing in the hallway and soon Gregory walked past the kitchen, his arms full of the things I’d brought with me.

“It’s late, but I’ll show you around enough that you don’t get lost in the morning.”

As I finished the water, I considered reminding him that it was already morning and decided against it. I was so tired that I knew I couldn’t be trusted. Any more snark left in me needed to wait until I’d slept. As an afterthought, he said, “Breakfast is served at seven. If you drink coffee, it’s usually available by six.” Again, I bit my tongue. I could always make my own coffee—if I were given permission to do so.

“Where should I put my glass?”

“Did you get enough?”

“Yes.”

“Just leave it on the table. Edna will take care of it in the morning.”

I placed my empty glass next to his and followed him out of the room. As we entered the hallway again, he pointed to the left. “The dining room is there.” I couldn’t see it, though, because the lights were off, as were most of them in the mansion. The hallway light was bright enough that it spilled into many of the rooms we passed, but I still couldn’t make out what was in them. Tomorrow might be different—but I didn’t know how comfortable I’d feel exploring.

Then again, there was the question of my job. Maybe I’d see all these rooms on a regular basis.

We entered a wide open space that curved into another area that I couldn’t see. It wasn’t a ballroom although it seemed big enough to be one. Instead, there was one pedestal I could see with a beautiful large black vase holding a luscious green plant, its leaves spilling over the sides. Ahead was an enormous staircase, and I followed him up the white marble steps, again feeling down to my bones that I was a stranger in a strange land.

I didn’t belong here.

Most of my life, I’d found myself feeling uncomfortable to a degree in most situations—but it was a sensation I’d gotten used to. What I felt now was far different, and I knew it was because I didn’t have a home to go back to. This was where I’d be living—sleeping, eating, bathing, breathing—and nothing could happen that would make me feel okay about it.

When we arrived at the top of the stairs, I took in everything I could. From this vantage point, I could see down, and the cavernous space below was what I would soon learn they called the antechamber. It was a term I thought I’d read before but I really didn’t know what it was. The space was bigger than the house back in Winchester and it was mostly empty. Even from up here and bathed in shadow, the white floor gleamed. But most impressive was the lovely chandelier that hung from the ceiling above this floor. If it had been on the floor and I’d stood next to it, I would have been dwarfed.

I had to stop staring because Whittier continued walking. Up here, large paintings adorned the walls. The hallway followed the wall and connected another staircase on the right at what appeared to be the front of the house, but he led me to the left.

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