Hand In Glove

Chapter 9

Saturday morning, Chloe was dressed and out on the porch by a quarter past eight. She had brought all her stuff down and waited. She was excited and nervous at the same time. The morning air was icy cold and she could see her breath. It was now October and the days were getting shorter and darker. If not for the rapid beating of her heart, she would be shivering, standing there all alone.

Soon enough, a car turned in off the street. It wasn't the Mini Cooper she was expecting. It was a dark blue BMW. She leaned forward to get a better look at the suspicious vehicle when it stopped in the driveway. To her surprise, Ashton stepped out and waved her over. She turned to grab her things but he soon came along and took them from her.

"Is this it?" he asked, surprised.

"This is it I'm afraid. Who's car?" she asked, curious.

"I assumed we might need a bigger car today but I guess the Cooper would've been fine," he explained as he took her things and placed them in the trunk. Her suitcase and art supplies looked quite insignificant in the large space. It was kind of sad really, she thought to herself, the raindrops stirring her from her musings. "Well, Chloe, if this is it, let's hit the road. I've got a busy day ahead of me." He opened the passenger door for her. She took a deep breath and entered the vehicle. It had that distinctive new car smell. It was hard not to be impressed by the snazzy interior.

Feeling somewhat melancholy as they drove along, Chloe sat thinking about her time at the dorm and how quickly the two years had slipped by. Glancing over at Ashton, she wondered what the next two years would hold for her.

The rain was coming down heavily now. Not having slept very well in anticipation of her move, Chloe felt her eyes getting heavy and since Ashton preferred silence, she let them rest.

She woke up with Ashton reaching over her, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Come on, it's pouring out here."

Feeling useless, she nodded and forced herself up and out of the car and into the house. Ashton followed her in. They were both drenched.

"Quick, get changed and I'll meet you back downstairs," he said as he darted around her.

Chloe looked around for her suitcase. She found it in her room. Ashton must have placed it in there while she slept in the car. Again, she was surprised to see the furniture had all been neatly arranged, the paint dry. The bed looked quite inviting but for the fact, there were no sheets yet. Of course, she hadn't even thought of that. He'd thought of everything else. The least she could've done was remember one small detail like bedsheets.

She heard Ashton rushing down the stairs and realized she hadn't even opened her suitcase yet. Quickly, she reached in and grabbed a dry pair of jeans and a t-shirt, changing faster than she had ever before. Glancing fleetingly at her reflection in the mirror, she stepped out of her room.

She found him leaning up against the kitchen counter. Quietly approaching him, Chloe waited. Ashton slid something over to her under his hand. It was a debit card.

"This is yours. I'll be depositing your salary into this account. I have advanced you one month's pay to get you on your feet." He slid another card in her direction. "This is a credit card. It's to be used for expenses, groceries or whatever you think you might need to do your job." Again, he slid his hand over and revealed a set of car keys. "These are your keys to the Mini. I'm assuming you have a driver's license."

Chloe reached out and took the cards and keys. "Ashton, I don't know what to say except thank you and yes I have a driver's license. I'll try not to use the car too much so as not to inconvenience you," she said, stunned at his generosity.

"Go ahead. Use it whenever you like. I have my new car now, so no problem. I needed something a little bigger anyway."

"Oh, yeah, the shiny new BMW, very impressive, not to mention expensive. The songwriting business must be quite lucrative these days. I will be sure to look after the Mini for you," she said, happily skipping away with the cards and keys in hand.

"Yeah right, I guess selling out every once in a while has its rewards," Ashton said in a self-deprecating manner.

Hearing his comment, she couldn't help but return to his side. "You really are the quintessential tortured artist, aren't you?" she asked, smirking at him.

He couldn't help but smile at her goofy grin. "Yeah, I should just suck it up. Now, I've got a lot to do. If you'll excuse me, I've got a show to gear up for. I'll be upstairs if you need anything. Take the rest of the day off and get settled in. Tomorrow you're on the clock," he said abruptly and started for the stairs. "Oh, one more thing, welcome home, Chloe," he shouted as he ascended the steps.

Chloe stood there shaking her head, staring after him. She couldn't get over all that had just happened.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she started unpacking her suitcase. It didn't take her long since she didn't have much to unpack. In fact, there were more drawers than clothes. Maybe she'd have to go shopping. Suddenly, she couldn't help but feel the need for some new clothes. Why not? Everything else was new.

Next she took on the task of unloading the kitchen supplies they'd bought the other night. All this organizing eventually caught up with her.

Exhausted, she lounged on her new bed for a minute to take a quick break. Her eyes grew heavy and, sure enough, she drifted off to sleep.

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To be continued...

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Hand In Glove

Copyright © 2014 by Maria Bernard. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-9731474-5-2

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