Page 63 of What's the time, Mr. Wolfe
He showed me into a snug that doubled up as a home office, there was a downstairs loo which was about the size of my bathroom. We walked into a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry and utility room off to the side, then through to a huge sunroom.
“This is amazing,” I said, walking to the doors. I opened them onto a terrace and looked down his garden. There were woods at the end, and I shivered. It looked familiar.
“There is nothing scary out there, Ruby,” he said quietly as he stood behind me.
“It looks like the woods of my dreams.”
“All woods look the same. I hunt out there, I’ve walked every inch of it.”
“What do you hunt?”
“Deer. Rabbit, sometimes. Whatever takes my fancy.”
I didn’t like the thought of hunting animals for fun, if he ate the meat, however it didn’t bother me.
“We’ll take a walk over the weekend. Now, let me show you the rest of the house.”
There was a formal dining room which he said had never been used and invited me to think up a way to use it. He preferred to eat at the breakfast bar that looked out through the sunroom.
Upstairs, I’d been to his bedroom, of course, but there were three further bedrooms, all en-suit and with dressing rooms.
It wasn’t the largest house, but certainly not small either. It was perfect for him. The colour scheme suited him, too. Muted greys and taupes coupled with off white marble floors. It was his dressing room that I had the most envy for. He had picked up my bag and when we walked into the room, he’d set it on a central table. It wasn’t just a table however, it had drawers underneath and the top was glass. Under the glass were watches, a large selection.
“One for every week of the year?” I joked.
“Nope, investment pieces most of them. I don’t trust my money in banks,” he laughed as he spoke. “I’ve made some space for you,” he added.
One side of the room was bare. “I don’t think my couple of t-shirts, a pair of jeans, and a pair of trousers warrant all that space,” I said.
“Maybe you can move some other clothes in here,permanently. Then you haven’t got to drag this bag back and forth.”
“I don’t have enough clothes to double up, but thank you.” I reached up on my tip toes and kissed his cheek.
I unpacked my bag, all the contents except underwear fitted on one shelf with two items on hangers. I stood back to admire my handy work.
“They look lonely,” he said.
“I’m sure they’ll cope.”
“I’ll fill the space if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to, and neither should you. It’s a waste having two lots of clothes. Now, were you going to make me a coffee since you’re the host?”
He chuckled and we walked back down to the kitchen. He fiddled with a coffee machine, and I was presented with a latte. He sat beside me.
“What do you want to do this weekend?” he asked.
“I don’t know, other than the obvious.”
I smirked at him, and he raised an eyebrow.
“Explain, Ruby,” he said.
“I want to explore some things. You said you have books I could read. Maybe you could do that with me.”
I was desperate to overcome my awkwardness, but I knew the pitch of my voice had risen.
“I like the sound of that,” he replied. “When do we start your lessons?”
