Page 19 of Mine to Love
“Alright, then. I can’t argue with that. I’ll have the paperwork ready for your signature, as well as a detailed depiction of my day-to-day and all the other things you’ll need, waiting for you on the kitchen island by the time you wake up.”
“Sounds good.” She moves past me toward the staircase.
“Goodnight, Darcy,” I say, turning to watch her as she walks away. “And sweet dreams.”
She stops then and turns to face me. She looks at me with parted lips. A tiny wrinkle forms on her forehead. It’s then that she says, “Goodnight, Gio.” And with that, she continues upstairs.
17
After getting verylittle sleep and somehow waking on time and get dressed without waking Delilah, I inspect myself in our bathroom mirror. So as not to wake her, I grabbed the first casual pieces I could find—a sage-green linen button-down and a pair of light denim shorts. I’m not sure how I feel about it.
While the baggy, long-sleeve half-tucked into my shorts is nice, mostly because it covers my body without sticking tightly to my skin, the denim shorts are very short—too short. My eyes drift down my body, and I scrunch my nose as I spot the dimples on my thighs. I’m not used to seeing my body like this. I never wear dresses this short, and I never wear shorts at all. But they were the first thing I grabbed. And it’s not like I have time to change. And, I mean, theyarecomfortable. They’re stretchy and soft and with the New Orleans heat, they’re probably my best option anyway. I just…
Sighing in discontent, I shift my attention from my thighs to my face and use my new makeup to even out my complexion and lengthen my lashes with mascara. Then I pile my hair on top of my head in a bun, leaving a few wavy strands dangling around my face. There, that’s all I have time for.
Making my way from the bathroom, I give Delilah one last glance as she continues to sleep safe and sound. Seeing her gives me a little boost of energy and a healthy dose of perspective. I may not love my body, but I am thankful for the clean clothes, the comfortable bed, and everything else being here has offered us. Now, it’s time I earn my keep.
Quietly, I ease out of our bedroom and head downstairs. Gio said he’d have some things waiting for me on the kitchen island. As I reach the end of the stairs and head toward the kitchen, I see them. “What?” My shock verbalizes as I see a spare set of keys to the Range Rover and the Black Card with Gio’s name on it, not to mention the cellphone. I grab it and turn it on, finding it a blank canvas for me to do with what I please save for the few pre-programmed numbers. There’s a contact for Gio, Damon, Ana, some place called The Compound, and a final contact for someone known only as Dr. R.
This is all so strange, but somehow satisfying. I don’t enjoy feeling trapped and like I’m at the mercy of the man with the purse-strings. And, while I don’t necessarily feel that way here, Gio giving me access without my asking means a lot to me and definitely makes me feel more comfortable.
The handwritten note just under the credit card says:
Darcy, these items are for your use—personal and professional. Use the credit card for household expenses and for whatever you need or desire. The money you earn here should be to build a stable future for you and Delilah, should you ever choose to leave New Orleans. But while you’re under my roof, I will provide for the two of you.
If you’ve checked out your new phone, you may have found the numbers for a few of my closest contacts. If you’re ever off-property and in trouble, I should always be your first call. But, if you’re in the French Quarter and in a bind, calling Damon or The Compound will get you a faster response. Dr. R is the family’s go-to doctor. He makes house calls and will take care of any ailment—small or large.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Oh, and the code for the main gate changes every week. Should you need to leave the grounds this week, it is 789145.
“Wow.” And I thought going shopping with him was a lot. I wonder why the code to the gate changes so frequently. That feels a little excessive. Then again, I know very little about Gio and nothing about his business. Perhaps it’s entirely necessary, and that thought is unnerving. So, I do my best to ignore it and focus on the positive.
While I hope there’s no trouble on the horizon, it’s nice to know I have people I can call. Although I doubt Damon is jumping up and down to hear from me. He didn’t seem like my biggest fan yesterday and besides, he and Ana have their hands full right now.It isnice to have her number though. Perhaps she and I can talk more once I get settled, once we both do.
I then direct my attention to the brief, one-page contract which Gio has already signed. Hmm. His signature is nice—a slender, slanted cursive. Quickly, I read over the terms, and nothing triggers any alarm bells. It basically says I’m tohandle the interior duties of the home. Apparently, there are groundskeepers for the exterior and hauling off the garbage. That’s good to know.
The salary is as he said $15,000 a month to be paid on the last day of the month.Gosh.I can’t imagine $15,000, let alone $15,000 per month. I’ve never had access to that kind of money. Before I married Clive, I was only in the workforce for about a year. I’d started waitressing during my final year of high school and then switched to bartending right after I turned eighteen. But, when we married, he made me quit my job and get rid of my personal checking and savings accounts. I became fully reliant on him. Seeing as I didn’t have much money to begin with, I didn’t mind. I actually thought it was kind of sweet that he wanted to take care of me. But that was my naivety. He just wanted to control me. Managing this kind of money will be new for me. I don’t even have a bank account.
It’s then that it hits me what Gio said about providing. He’s left me his credit card to use as I see fit. And, based on all the stuff we bought yesterday, I’m guessing it has no limit. He’s either got an even more obscene amount of money than I originally thought or is placing a lot of trust in me. Perhaps both. But, either way, I won’t really have to manage my money at all. I can just save it and, like he said, build a brighter future for Delilah and I, which is all I ever wanted.
It occurs to me that Gio is doing exactly what I thought Clive would do. He truly is providing—from the clothes to the credit card to simply giving me the tools to move about the world at my will—and he’s doing it all while encouraging my independence and he’s not even obligated to. That thought makes me smile. And it’s with that smile that I continue reading through the contract.
There is a space prompting me to select how’d I’d like to receive my payment. Seeing as Clive and I aren’t technicallydivorced, I decide cash is best. While I don’t plan on ever filing for divorce because that would just reveal my location to him, I still don’t want to risk having any assets he could claim if it ever came to that. I use the pen to put a little check mark next tocashand continue reading.
It says the position includes health insurance and is guaranteed for one year. If desired, the contract may be re-negotiated after that point. That clause helps to settle some of the nerves still lingering from last night. Basically, he’s not going to fire me and kick me out on a moment’s notice. That’s nice to know. It also says the working hours are flexible, which I initially find confusing. Though, seeing there are a few other papers for me to review, one of which details Gio’s daily schedule, I assume the flexibility just means as long as I get my work done in a timely manner, the exact hours aren’t important. I suppose that flexibility is nice, considering I will have to spend some time with Delilah during the day. I started homeschooling her in Montana a year ago and I’d like to continue that here.
Approving of the contract, I sign it, and then look over the rest of the documents which include Gio’s daily schedule and a recipe for his morning protein shake.Shoot, I better hurry and get started on that before he gets down here. But, unable to resist, I glance at his schedule first.
Rise—5:00 a.m.
Pre-Workout Shake—5:30 a.m.
