Hand In Glove

Chapter 18

"Home sweet home," Ashton whispered, opening the car door in the driveway. Of course, Chloe had slept most of the way home from the airport. He shook his head and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Chloe? We're here." About to give up and carry her in, he laughed at what the neighbors might think, seeing him carry her in the house so many times.

Let them think whatever they want. He smiled to himself as he got out and circled around to the passenger side. He carefully lifted her out of the car and carried her into the house, dropping her down gently on her bed. Oblivious, she rolled over on her side and sighed contentedly. He went back out and retrieved their bags and shut the door behind him. He then went upstairs to rest, figuring it would be a good idea to get a nap in while things were quiet.

Thursday afternoon, after lunch, Chloe drove the Mini to the bank. She thought she would go shopping for some much-needed new clothes. It had been too easy to get comfortable wearing the same old ratty jeans and sweats back at the college dorm since that's what everyone seemed to prefer.

She checked the account Ashton had opened for her only to be shocked at the amount he had given her. There must be a mistake! There was way too much money in the account. She remembered him saying that he had forwarded one month's wages, but still, this couldn't be right. It was more than she would have made in six months at her job with the college. She'd have to clarify this with him later. Withdrawing a couple of hundred dollars, she'd have fun in the meantime.

She made it home with an hour to spare before dinner. She entered the house and heard the familiar whir of the treadmill. She would wait until dinner to talk to him. She took her bags into her room. She was quite excited about her purchases. She had managed to find some very stylish outfits. She figured she'd need them if she were to be hanging with Ashton's crowd, even if just around the house.

She bought some casual clothes and some dressier numbers, just in case an occasion were to come up. She got high-heeled boots and quite a few pairs of pumps. Hopefully, they would help even out the height difference between her and Ashton, if only just a little. Oh yeah, and a whole bunch of fancy new underwear and bras. She couldn't chance granny panties getting mixed up in his laundry. That just wouldn't be good. She laughed at the thought.

Tearing herself away from her new things, Chloe raced into the kitchen to start dinner. Tonight it would have to be something simple. She only had half an hour. Thinking quickly, she filled a pot of water to boil and opened a jar of tomato sauce. She defrosted some ground beef, rolled it into balls and dropped them in a pan. By the time Ashton sat himself down in his chair, a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs greeted him.

"Enjoy!" She exhaled, sliding into her chair, exhausted.

"Wow, have you been running a race or something? You're all red and sweaty," he commented between forkfuls of food.

"I'm sorry. I was running a little late so I had to rush to make dinner. I hope it tastes okay," she said, racing for the bathroom. He wasn't kidding. She splashed cold water on her face and returned to the kitchen. "I was out longer than I thought I'd be."

"It tastes great, Chloe, relax," he said as she sat eating quietly. "So, where'd you go?"

"Just shopping for some clothes and stuff for myself," she said as he smiled indulgently, rolling his eyes. "By the way, Ashton, I went to the bank. You must have made a mistake. I checked my bank account and I was surprised with what I found."

"If it's not enough, just use the credit card. It's all good," he said, sitting back in his chair.

"No, actually, it's way too much. You said you had put one month's wages in. But to me, it looks more like six month's worth." She showed him the bank receipt.