Snafu

Museum Pieces - Part 2

She led Cole out of the great room through a door toward the front of the house. It opened into a small hallway with three doors, one of which led from the great room. Another led to a study.

"The library," Jessica called it. And it was a name that rang true. All the walls were composed of built-in shelves, except for where there were windows and another sizeable fireplace. Above the mantle hung a painting of a ship on waves so realistic that Cole licked his lips and swore he tasted sea salt.

In comparison to the wide-open great room, where the seating and piano were spread around with much open hardwood between them, the study was practically cramped. But it was extremely cozy. On either side of the fireplace were two armchairs, across from which sat a desk which dominated the room. It was a giant thing that must have been brought in before they closed the roof, all solid carved wood that could never have fit through the door or the windows. Behind the desk chair were two floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking flower beds and the side yard.

Cole was not much of a reader, but he looked around curiously anyway. The shelves were not just filled with tomes of encyclopedias or whatever he imagined these pretentious studies usually contained. Quite a few contemporary novels were mixed in, their brightly colored spines peeking out from among more reserved volumes. Apparently, Gideon liked to read. One book sat on the desk, a bookmark sticking out of the top to hold Gideon's place. Cole reached for it to see what he was reading, but Jessica cleared her throat.

He glanced at her pinched expression and pulled his hand back.

"Gideon likes to read?" He asked.

"Yes, he does."

He frowned out the window and squeezed the strap of his bag. He wanted to ask if she had some kind of problem with him or if she was just protective of the house but was too much of a coward. Gideon may have told him that he could look around, but if she was going to give him the stink eye, he would stick to the guided tour.

"Does he often have visitors here?"

"No, he does not."

Cole nodded. Jessica held her hand out to guide Cole toward the other door out of the room. He pushed it open and stepped into the foyer, then looked back and realized it was the door Gideon had pointed toward when he said Cole could watch TV in his bedroom. This meant that somewhere along the line, Jessica had skipped showing Cole the master bedroom. He watched her close the study door and then followed her up the steps without a word.

"The upstairs is just guest rooms," she told him when they reached the top.

"Which are never used because he does not often have visitors," Cole supplied.

"Yes," she agreed and they walked down the hallway past all the closed doors which led to empty guest rooms and linen closets filled with that never got used. Then they reached the room he slept in the previous night. "This is your room."

"My room?" Cole raised his eyebrows. "Not just one of the guest bedrooms that I can stay in for the night?"

"Your room," Jessica repeated. "As Mr. Barta's husband, you are not a guest."

Cole wondered how much she knew about their situation. She had not been surprised to find him or his bag in the house, so Gideon must have spoken to her at some point. He went into the room and looked around at the bare walls, the hospital corners on the bed, and the empty closet. He set his bag down on the end of the bed and thought about how the only clothes he had in it were ridiculous little straps of fabric and the single change of clothes that he wore to work yesterday.

"Where does Gideon sleep?" He asked. "He told me I could watch TV in the master bedroom."

Jessica's lips turned down. Cole resolved to stay out of her way as much as physically possible while he stayed here, including never leaving a mess or any of his belongings lying around anywhere ever again.