Operation: Austin

Chapter Four Part Two

As they carried packages to the guest room, the first door on the left in the wide hallway led to a large laundry area with multiple washers and dryers. It had a door out to the garage and another on the far end to the outside. In the laundry was also a bathroom with a shower, and a waist-high dog bath.

“Things get muddy on a farm,” he explained with a grin, before resuming their trip to her room.

From the laundry, they turned down a long hall with windows on the left and bedrooms on the right. The next door, to the right, led to the main guest suite, with a sitting area, a bath, and a walk-in closet. They put the bags on the king-size bed, and Paige walked through the room, into the bathroom, then into the large walk-in closet. She turned to him.

“This is the guest room? Wow! Why do they ever leave?”

He laughed at her bewilderment. “Well, this is one of five guest suites in the main house, and there are more rooms in the loft above the shop. People leave because they know if they stay around too long, Carla puts them to work! This is normally John and Layla’s room. She keeps some clothes in the closet because they are here a lot; everybody else stays on the other end of the house.”

Carla had come into the room behind them, carrying more bags; Gary smiled at her. “Carla, could you please help Paige hang up her clothes while I bring in the things from the trunk?”

He called Jax, smiling as he walked out. Carla and Paige were already pulling clothes out of the bags, acting like schoolgirls getting ready for the dance. With what went in the closet and the chest of drawers, it was going to take them a while to get everything put away and hung with the tags off. After bringing in the rest of the clothes, he went to the kitchen and grabbed a Modelo Especial out of the fridge. Taking a strong swallow, he headed down the hall to his suite. As he passed Paige’s room, he heard Carla exclaim, “Oh, Chica! That looks so good on you! Yes, wear that one for dinner.”

The girls were trying on clothes, so he figured there was time to shower and get dressed; it sounded like shorts and no shirt for dinner wasn’t in the script that night, so he should figure out what to wear. He rarely worried about that at home unless he was entertaining business clients, and usually, he took them to one of the Caribbean spots. He chuckled and thought to himself, I guess I’m entertaining tonight!

On his way down the hall, he walked past his room and went into the office to check for messages. There was nothing urgent there, and nothing more from Don. Gary went back to his room to shower and dress. He was going to enjoy an evening with Paige. Tomorrow could wait.

His bedroom suite was large, with an enormous bed and an additional 800-square-foot closet and dressing area. Inside the dressing room was a vanity table with wrapped-around mirrors and lights, but the closet was mostly empty, and the table had never been used. His bathroom was equally spacious; there was a double-sink vanity on the left, and a large open shower on the right with multiple showerheads and body sprays. On the far end of the bathroom was a toilet closet.

By the time he was done showering and dressing, Carla had finished cooking and was back in the kitchen. She had done the fajitas on the large gas-fired grill, which sat alongside the wood-fired pizza oven, at the other end of the pool. Everything smelled fantastic; Carla was the best cook Gary had ever known and could make just about any cuisine you could name. He sat on a stool at the kitchen bar and watched her finish the prep.

“You look nice, Gary. I’m not used to seeing you with so many clothes on,” Carla teased. Then her tone changed. “She has so many bruises, Gary.” She looked at him with the eyes of a concerned mom. Her daughter was nearly the same age, and she was transferring her motherly feelings to Paige. “I don’t want to know what happened; it had to be a horrible thing for her.”

He knew Carla had given Paige a going-over without being too intrusive. “Did you see anything we need to worry about?”

“No…,” she was pensive, “but you need to be careful with this one, Gary. I see the way you look at each other.”

“I know,” he replied. “I’ll be careful. I don’t want her to be hurt.” He was thinking about the way a victim can bond with a liberator. It was a vulnerable time for Paige.

“Hah!” Carla scoffed. “I wasn’t talking about her being the one to get hurt. This girl touches your heart. You don’t usually let them inside your world. They don’t come here; you help from far away, just take care.”

As she made that comment, Paige came into the room wearing a mid-thigh-length pink-and-red floral-patterned slip dress with spaghetti straps. From her bra straps, he could tell she was wearing a baby-pink lace bra she had bought to match the dress. Even the sight of her shoulders raised his heartbeat. She wore her new wedge pumps and some of her new jewelry. With deep bruises on her arms and legs, it took both confidence and trust to wear that dress in front of him. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and kiss her; he wanted to take it all away. Fearful that lust was written all over his face, he tried not to be obvious.

“You look amazing,” he managed to finally get out as he pulled out a stool for her to sit at the bar. Carla looked at him with a knowing look; her gift at reading his face told her everything she needed to know about how Paige affected him.

As she sat on the stool, Paige smiled at him and touched his hand. “Thanks, Gary. That means so much to me. I just want to be normal, and I’m afraid I never will be again. Seeing how you look at me helps.”

A woman knows when a man finds her attractive. It is clear in their body language and the way they touch their hair. Paige had that look. It was evident in the way she held her head and shoulders when he looked at her; even as hurt as she was, she knew she could still attract Gary.

“Carla, can I help with dinner?” she asked.

“No, Gracias, Chica. You two just need to decide where to eat.”

Gary went to the fridge and opened the door to offer Paige a beer. “White wine, please?” she replied.

Carla gave him the stink-eye.

“Relax, Mama,” he said reassuringly. “She’s a big girl, and nobody’s driving.”

Paige was only a year older than Cristel, who was not allowed to drink. An obvious association and comparison came to Carla’s mind.

Paige was watching all of this, and she giggled. “Don’t worry, Carla. I’m okay with a glass of wine. I won’t let him get me drunk.”

“Humph,” Carla snorted. “I’m going home now; you two enjoy your dinner and leave the dishes for morning.” As they gathered the food onto a tray and headed to the courtyard, they thanked her and wished her a good evening.

The afternoon had been warm, but it was starting to cool as the sun slid into the desert hills to the west. This made the evening perfect for relaxing outside. Gary could not remember a better time as he and Paige sat together, enjoying the evening.

A Sade mix was playing on the sound system, the food was fantastic, and the drinks were relaxing. Afterward, he could not even remember what they talked about; it was just two people bonding over a perfect evening by the pool under a setting sun. Magic was in the air, and they both felt it.