When Chandra woke the next morning, it was to the sound of rustling papers. She fluttered her eyes open, feeling a little more than disorientated. She gazed long and hard up at the ceiling, wondering why she didn’t recognize the beautifully ornate designs of birds and butterflies and flowers.
Where am I? she wondered contritely, suddenly very aware she wasn’t in her own room.
More rustling of papers.
Chan was curious. She squinted her eyes as she turned to her right. There, sitting comfortably in bed, was Lilly. The little girl was already up and reading the book they’d started last night.
Chan shot up immediately. Oh my God! She’d fallen asleep right there in Lilly’s bed, and in Sam’s house of all places!
She panicked and scrambled to make sense of what had happened.
Lilly saw her sitting up and smiled. “Hi.”
Chan cleared her throat. “Hi,” she replied. “Is it morning?”
Lilly giggled. “Hmm. You fell asleep, too.”
Chan sighed. “God, I must have just dozed off.” She touched her forehead. “What’s happened to my sisters?”
Lilly shrugged.
Chan got out of bed. “I need to clean up and then make a phone call. I must look horrible. I can’t believe I slept in my dress and everything.”
Lilly giggled again. “Your dress is all wrinkled, like mine.”
Chan eyed the girl and smiled. Lilly’s dress was indeed all messed up, and her hair was a fuzzy mop.
Suddenly, Chan was curious. “Lilly? Who helps you get ready in the morning?”
“Daddy,” she said. “But he’s awfully bad at it. He doesn’t know how to do my hair nice like you do.”
Chan folded her arms across her chest. “How about I help you with it today?”
Lilly smiled with delight. “Really?”
Chan nodded. “Come on.”
Lilly jumped down from her spot on the bed. The two clasped hands, and Lilly led Chan into the en suite.
This is nice, Chan thought once they were inside the bathroom. Lilly was one lucky child to have all this luxury to herself. But then again, she didn’t have a mother, and Chan definitely knew how hard that was.
For the next half hour, Chan helped Lilly clean up, drawing her a bath and then washing her hair and face.
“Sing with me?” Lilly asked.
Chan was pleasantly surprise. “Sure. Teach me.”
Lilly taught Chan her made-up song, and Chan learned the lyrics. Then they sang together as Lilly splashed about in the bathtub.
Once Lilly was all prettily dressed and her hair combed out, Chan asked, “Do you have a spare toothbrush?”
Lilly nodded. “Are you going to have a bath as well?”
Chan nodded. “I feel very sticky, and…” She sniffed at herself. “I think I don’t smell nice.”
Lilly giggled. “Okay. I’ll take you to another bathroom. It has spare toothbrushes and adult towels.” With that, she led Chan out the door and into the corridor.
Suddenly, Chan wondered where Sam was. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him.
“Lilly? Where’s your dad?” She couldn’t help herself. She simply felt the need to know where he was and whether she’d see him before she left. A part of her wanted to see him, yet another part didn’t. Why? Because she knew she looked horrible this morning and didn’t want him to see her thus.
“I think he’s at the gym. He goes to the gym every morning. Very early,” Lilly replied.
Chan frowned. Sam was at the gym? Why did he leave Lilly here all alone just to go to the gym? Surely, it must take at least fifteen minutes to half an hour driving to get to the closest one. But then again, there was Marian, the housekeeper. Ah, so Marian must start work very early. And on a Sunday as well.
“What time does Marian start, Lilly?” Chan asked to quench her thirst for this family’s information.
Lilly shrugged. “Very early,” she said, opening a door. “She cooks us breakfast.”
Chan sighed in relief at the information. So Marian was already here by the time Sam left for the gym. Thank God.
That man really thought of everything, didn’t he? She scoffed at herself. He was a billionaire. Of course he thought of everything, very responsible and logical, too.
They came into one of the grandest bedrooms Chan had ever been in. It was very much like the ones in the home and garden magazine where posh houses and bedrooms were regularly featured in articles. There was a king-size bed in the middle with a mahogany frame. The colors of the duvet were, in line with the entire house’s décor, warm brown and earthy tones. There was a comfy sofa and chairs in one corner with a coffee table. Not to mention that spectacular view of the beach and ocean beyond. Chan noted the doors to the left. It had to be the en suite and walk-in wardrobe.
“Wow! This bedroom is nice.”
Lilly asked, “You like it?”
Chan nodded. “Hmm. I like it.”
“Then you can sleep here when you come over to stay next time.”
So this was one of the guest bedrooms, Chan decided. Marian had told her and her sisters there were at least seven bedrooms in this house. Seven bedrooms for two people. That was a lot of spare bedrooms.
They were in the bathroom now, and once again, Chan was awed. Marble floor with marble basins and a multi-head shower. This room took her breath away. So elegant.
“Next time, huh?” Chan chuckled. “You want me to come for a sleepover next time?”
Lilly nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
Chan tousled Lilly’s hair. “All right. But my sisters will be joining me as well. I bet they can’t wait.”
“Me, too,” Lilly said.
“All right. Do you mind waiting in your bedroom for a bit? I won’t take long.”
Lilly nodded and then left.
Alone, Chan proceeded to find herself that spare toothbrush. She scanned around with interest and then opened a cupboard door. She noted in surprise the many men’s items residing there. Maybe Sam had too many to put in his own bathroom. Or maybe this bedroom was meant for a male guest. Good thinking, Sam, she thought with a giggle. You provide your guests with all the essentials.
Finally, she found a couple spare toothbrushes and toothpaste. She took one of each and ripped open the packaging. Then she started brushing her teeth. As she was doing so, she glanced at herself in the mirror. God! She looked horrible. Long, tangled bedroom hair. Face unwashed and pale. And she smelled. She really needed to shower. Pronto!
After she’d finished brushing her teeth, she raided the cupboard some more. She founded some other stuff she might need later. Turning on her heel, she headed over and started the shower. Cold water sprayed out, and she jumped back. She turned the dial to the hot section and waited a few seconds. When it was warm, she quickly took off her dress and underwear and gleefully jumped in.
Warm water pounded down on her from above, and she sighed with pleasure. God, she felt so good. She stayed there for at least ten minutes, taking her time and enjoying the moment. Then, of course, she saw the shower gel. Heck, it was for men, but she didn’t care. She grabbed it and began using the gel to clean herself. By the end of it, she smelled a little like a boy, but at least it was better than smelling like sweat.
Once she was done, she turned the shower off and headed out.