Page 8 of Idaho

"That would be great. Thomas can get most of it, but the bigger things would be better with two people."

"Is Thomas your boyfriend?" Her eyes sparkled with glee at the thought of me having a lover.

I had a feeling Jo was a romantic. Which meant I was in good company because for so long, I'd dreamed of meeting a handsome man and having him sweep me off my feet. So far, that hadn't happened, much to my dismay. "No," I said with a laugh. "He's..." I hadn't considered how to explain Thomas's place in my life. I couldn't very well tell everyone he was my bodyguard. "He's my cousin."

It was a lie, but I didn't know what else to say. "He's visited America before, so he came along to help me settle in."

"Oh. Okay," she said, sounding a little disappointed. She shook it off fairly quickly. "Well, in the meantime, I don't have class for another hour, so let me know if you need anything." She got up and picked up an envelope that was sitting on the coffee table. "This is your key."

"Thank you," I murmured, opening the envelope and looking down at the little silver house key. "I'm going to go get the first round of my things." I stood up as well and Jo wrung her fingers together.

She seemed to make a decision and she pulled me in for a hug. "I'm happy to have you here, Eva. I hope we can become good friends."

"Thank you," I told her, my eyes misting over. I didn't have friends. Or boyfriends. And at twenty-nine years old I was lonely and tired of only ever hanging around my family and our staff. My youth had nearly been taken from me, always attending to my father's needs. I felt like life was passing me by, and being here might help me get back the years I'd lost. I needed to get to know new people and begin to live. This was the first step toward my new life.

Moving my things in went smoothly. I got to meet my second roommate, and Brittney was just as sweet as Jo. They were both young and peppy and it was exactly the kind of environment I needed to be in. Brad, Jo's boyfriend, showed up on time and he and Thomas easily moved in my bedroom set from the moving truck I'd rented.

Brittney's boyfriend, Paul, showed up near the end of the moving, apologizing for missing the opportunity to help. I was amazed at how kind these people were. I was used to people helping to do nearly everything in the household, and outside of it, that my family needed, but they were paid to do so. Not that I didn't say thank you anytime one of the staff did something for me, but still these people doing me favors just because I needed the help felt different.

"We're going to go out to a bar," Jo told me, giving me a smile. "Would you like to come?"

I shook my head, but returned the smile. "Thank you, but I need to get settled." I had my first class early in the morning.

"Okay! We'll see you later," she said with a wave. They left the house and piled into Brad's car.

I had followed them out the door, and now leaned against the frame, watching them drive off. Turning, I put my hands on my hips. "Well, thank you so much for moving my stuff for me, Thomas."

He looked uncomfortable. "Of course, Lady Desmet." I frowned, but didn't get a chance to correct him. "I can sleep on the couch."

I chuckled and shook my head. "I'm paying to live here, not for both of us to live here."

"Your father isn't going to like this," he cautioned.

"And that's why we're not going to tell him," I warned. "Please?"

He sighed, looking around. "I can't leave you here alone."

"Why not?" I gave him a charming smile. "What's the worst that could happen?"

He glowered at me, but eventually let me shoo him out the door. I locked the bolt at the top of the door and soaked in the silence. I was never, ever alone. I let out a squeal and did a little dance in place inside my new home. The move would have had my mother scolding me and my father telling me, 'be a lady.' That was the beauty of my plan. There were no parents. No expectations. I was here on my own and could do anything I wanted. This was going to be so much fun and I couldn't wait to start.

CHAPTER 4

Eva

Athump had my eyes flying open as I searched the darkness for any threats. My heart thrummed in my chest. The prospect of being alone in my new home for a few hours had been exhilarating, at first. Now, in the dark of night, I started to doubt my decision to live here without anyone around to protect me.

A giggle made me relax a fraction. I was pretty sure ax murderers didn't giggle. Getting out of the bed, I crossed the room and flicked my light on. Opening my door, I smiled when I saw Jo. She and Brittney were creeping through the dark hall and had bumped into a hutch that was sitting there.

"Sorry!" Jo gasped, covering her mouth again to smother the laughter. "We were trying to be quiet."

"That's okay," I told them, moving forward to help steady them. They both smelled of alcohol. "Where's Brad and Paul?"

"They wanted to stay longer," Brittney told me with a twist to her lips, "but we were tired. We caught a ride home."

I nodded as I led them to Brittney's room first. Moving efficiently, I pulled off her high heels as she flopped backward onto the bed. I tugged the covers out from under her and then tucked her in. By the time I was done, Jo had curled up on the end of the bed and was fast asleep. Shaking my head, I took another blanket off the nearby chair and draped it over her.

Going back to my room, I got back into bed and settled in. When the sound of shattering glass woke me next I wasn't sure how long I'd been asleep. "Are you okay?" I called out to the girls. There was no response. Blinking hard to clear the grogginess, I slipped back out of bed once more.