Page 17 of She's Mine

I jogged to catch up with Alyssa, and called out, “Lawrence, we’re here,” just as the two of us stepped into the massive, ultramodern kitchen.

I’d spared no expense in terms of appliances or decoration, and Lawrence -- with his long, dark hair tied back in a ponytail -- looked right at home as he stood in front of the cooker.

“Hey, David. It’s good to see you,” he said, stepping away from the frying pan for a moment to shake my hand. “And you must be Miss Blythe?”

“Alyssa, please,” Alyssa insisted, as she offered Lawrence her hand.

“I’m preparing chorizo and scallops risotto for dinner,” Lawrence said, moving back to the stovetop. “And Mavis has ensured the master suite, and the biggest guestroom have both been made up with fresh linens.”

“Excellent, Lawrence. You and Mavis have my utmost thanks for getting here so quickly.”

The chef smiled. “It’s nice to see you again so soon, even if itisin less-than-ideal circumstances.”

Knowing I could trust Lawrence and Mavis with my life, I’d filled them in on the situation, so that they knew what was expected of them while Alyssa and I were here, and how important security was.

I knew neither the chef nor housekeeper would let me down.

Turning to Alyssa, I said, “It sounds like dinner won’t be long. Why don’t we bring the cases in later, and I’ll give you the tour now.”

Smiling, Alyssa replied, “That sounds perfect.” She turned to Lawrence, and bid him goodbye, before I led her out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

She gasped as we stepped into the room where two of the four walls were made completely out of glass and looked out onto the deck and surrounding forest land.

“Oh my God! This place is amazing. Is that a hot tub I see?”

“It is, and you haven’t seen anything yet,” I replied, with a carefree laugh. Being at my compound by Lake Arrowhead always made me feel relaxed, and I knew -- despite the circumstances that had led us here -- Alyssa and I were going to have a great time together.

“We can eat outside if you want, the weather is still good.” I opened the patio door and led Alyssa out onto the deck -- where along with the hot tub she’d already spotted -- was a grill and outdoor dining area. A bit further along the deck was a comfortable seating area and firepit, and then, just within view was the outdoor pool.

“Oh my God. You have a pool?!” Alyssa giggled with delight as she raced across the deck to the pool. Her excitement grew as she realized that the cabin, in fact, hadtwopools. One outside, and open to the forest land around us, and the second, indoors so that I could go swimming even in the middle of winter if I wished.

From the outdoor pool, I led Alyssa back into the house, but from a different entrance, passing by the indoor pool and then into the gym.

From the gym, I led Alyssa downstairs to the basement. With every step we took, Alyssa’s eyes grew wider and wider. “This place is amazing,” she said, as we entered the home cinema, which had a 120-inch wall-mounted TV, and surround sound.

“This is my safe haven,” I told her. “It’s where I come when I’m not working, to relax and escape from the world.”

“Thank you for bringing me here. While I wish me and my family weren’t having to hide from the Bloodline, if wedohave to lay low, I can’t think of anywhere better.”

“Come on, there’s more to show you yet.”

I led Alyssa from the home cinema to the gaming room, where I had all the latest consoles, as well as a collection of retro arcade machines.

“I bet you can’t beat my highest score on Tetris,” I teased, turning on the machine to display the leader board, and my top score of 404,738.

Grinning, Alyssa replied, “I like a challenge.”

We made our way up from the basement, back to the ground floor of the complex, and turning in the opposite direction of the gym, I led Alyssa into the main sitting room. Inside there was a slightly smaller TV than in the home cinema, as well as a number of bookcases filled with all my favorites, and a couple of laptops, just in case.

But what caught Alyssa’s eye was the gallery wall above the fireplace, where I displayed my favorite photos of me, my family and friends throughout the years. There were pictures of me and my mom enjoying holidays together at the cabin, as well as ones of me and my best friend Johnny enjoying extended summer vacations here.

“This is your mom, right?” Alyssa asked, pointing at a photo from about two years ago, before Mom had gotten sick. It was the last holiday we’d spent together at the cabin, as these days she hardly felt well enough to leave LA. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

Everyonealways commented on how alike me and my mom looked -- we had the same dark hair and eyes. Of course, her features were more feminine, but it was instantly obvious we were mother and son.

Alyssa didn’t ask where my dad was in any of the pictures, and I was glad of that. Instead, I led her into the hallway and then upstairs to the second floor where the bedrooms were.

“Each room has its own ensuite,” I explained. “And there’s a small restroom downstairs, as well as showers if you’ve been using the pool or gym.”

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