“It sounds perfect,” I said with a smile. “When can I start?”

I left Mrs. Cooper’s office feeling better than I had in a very long time. Things were looking up. God was starting to answer my prayers. With a job like that, I’d get to spend time with Little Jimmy and possibly go back to school.

I brought home pizza as a surprise for Mom and Jimmy. When I walked in the front door, he jumped out with his dinosaur mask on, and I pretended to be afraid. He giggled as he hugged my leg.

“It’s okay, Mommy. It’s me, it’s me!”

We all sat in the living room, ate pizza, and watched dinosaur movies. Once Jimmy fell asleep on my lap, I lifted him and took him to our bed. We shared a room and the room was big enough for two beds, but all I had was my small full-sized bed from when I lived at home. At least Dad had let me take that.

Some nights, I’d relax in bed and sift through my memories. My bed always reminded of the time when Finn had spent the night with me. It was a bittersweet memory that started out making me feel better, but then I’d get angry all over again and I’d end up in an even worse mood.

The truth was I was lonely. Other than Mom and Jimmy, I had no friends, and even though there were some men who flirted with me, I couldn’t bring myself to date. Even thinking about being sexual with another man made me feel sick to my stomach. Finn was my only, and as far as I was concerned, I got the best part of him. Every time I looked at my baby boy, I knew I could never regret being with Finn, even if he’d broken me beyond repair.

I started my new maid job three days later. Mrs. Cooper had informed me that the owners of the condo I was cleaning were almost never home, which made me even happier. The last thing I wanted was to clean someone’s toilet as they watched me.

The condo was massive with contemporary furniture like you’d see in a dental office and abstract paintings of different instruments all over. The kitchen was covered in stainless steel and granite, and the five bathrooms were all bigger than my entire apartment.

Why someone would need so many bathrooms and bedrooms was beyond me, but once I started cleaning, I realized there were quite a few people living there. Each room was well lived in and dirty as all get out. Actually, considering how rich the apartment looked, it was pretty filthy—like maybe a bunch of men lived there.

I didn’t get the entire place cleaned the first day, so I was extra happy that the owners didn’t seem to be returning anytime soon. I’d return each day to an empty condo and continue to clean, making it further and further every day. After four days, the place was spotless.

By the fifth day, all I had to do was the laundry that was left over. It was all men’s clothes, but by then, I’d already figured out that I was cleaning for a household full of guys. Maybe a sports team or something like that? There weren’t any personal pictures lying around. Nothing letting me know what the people looked like or whether or not they had families. It was kind of spooky, but I didn’t care. As long as the check came every Friday and I could pay my bills, I was happy.

I folded all the towels in the laundry area and began to put them in the linen closets located in every bathroom. When I made it to the gray-and-black room, which is what I’d named it, I had an armful of towels and a happy smile since I knew it was payday and I’d have enough money to stop and get Jimmy the stuffed dinosaur he’d been wanting.

I could hardly wait to see his face when I came through that door with that thing. It was expensive, but my baby deserved it.

The sound of water sounded somewhere and I stopped. The agency had warned me that the owners would be returning, but I hadn’t seen anyone yet. I felt relief knowing that I was almost done and that I wouldn’t be stuck cleaning while they were there.

I raced across the room and straight into the bathroom with my arms full of towels. I wanted to hurry and get out of the condo and on my way home. I expected the room to be empty since the running water sounded as if it were coming from the kitchen.

I screamed loudly and dropped all the laundry when I ran straight into a naked man. My cheeks lit up with a red rush of fire. The embarrassment made me dizzy, so dizzy that I was afraid I might faint as my eyes took in his naked chest and lower half, but it was when my vision clashed with Finn’s shocked blue eyes and dark features, that I went crashing to the floor.

Twenty

Finn

I could hardly believe my eyes. For a brief moment, I wondered to myself if I was still high from the last shit I’d smoked. I was shocked that I almost didn’t catch her when she fainted right there on the bathroom floor. My hand kept her head from smashing into the expensive flooring.