Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Zoe was a great mother, and is your part-time employer, for quite a while now. Emily was an even greater kid; throughout the last couple of years, you have gotten to know her very well. She could depend on you and trusted you completely. That's why, even as she was staying at her dad's place, 'the infamous' Cal Lightman, she requested you to come to stay with her, and of course, you obliged. But, God, by infamous, you really meant infamous. Both Zoe and Emily had loads to say, it seems that's just the reaction he provoked in people. Honestly, at this point, you could hardly determine whether he is a protective, doting if not a bit nosey, father or a self-absorbed charismatic, compulsive liar. Though what really stuck for you was the tidbit Zoe had shared with you once, while she was hammered, that he was great in bed, going into heavy detail you might add.
Anyways, it’s safe to say you were excited to see how the man lived.
You had been sitting a few different kids since you began at 19, but truth be told Emily’d been your favorite from the first time you met her, she’d been so small and hiding behind Zoe, but as you smiled and introduced yourself she’d let up and with a beaming smile asked fíf the two of you were going to be friends now. You’d said yes then to appease the little kid, but now when she was 12, almost 13, and you’d known her for so long, you could confidently say that you were friends, or even more so like an older sister. Both Zoe and Cal work a lot, and they try their best, they really do but she truly did need someone who was consistently there, always ready to pick her up, without judgment, and get her out of whatever she’d gotten herself into, and by God, she got herself into a lot. The first time she got a late-night call from her had been… about three years ago now, it’s all a little hazy. It was around 4 am and she called you crying saying that she’d lied to her mother, not her father- for obvious reasons, and gone out with some older high-school students while claiming to be sleeping over at a friend's house. Those girls were such bitches, dragging Emily into that college party threatening her with telling on her, to get her to agree. You are not a confrontational or typically aggressive person, but when it comes to Emily’s safety it had to be done. You didn’t yell at them, that would make no fucking difference to them anyways, no you asked Em for their full names and Instagram handles, and used both to find their parents. Em testament to what happened in combination with the pictures she got from the girls, all sent to the parents, it’s safe to say they got what they deserved- last you heard from Emily, they were all, except one who is now at a boarding school, grounded for all of the things that came to light back then.
So although the whole ‘going to another house, outside of normal work hours and furthermore over the weekend’ is an unorthodox arrangement. A true first in your four years of sitting. It wouldn’t be a total lie to say that you were willing to sacrifice your entire weekend for Em, but if you were being completely honest, you could, as you sat in the bus, on the way to his house, that your interest in Cal, didn’t sweeten the deal. It suddenly hit you that you’d gotten his number from Zoe, just in case. not that he was going to be home at any point, but simply because he’d for the time being be the parent closest, in case of emergency, as Zoe was out of the country. It was tempting, so very tempting, to text him. You could easily make up an excuse. Em, wouldn’t be home yet, it being Friday she was still in school until 4, and wouldn’t be home until 5, so you’d have the house to yourself for those few hours. This would be the perfect excuse since the door was locked, obviously, Em had told you in advance where to find the spare key, but who’s to say you didn’t forget? It could’ve easily slipped your mind- or not, he would see right through you. World famous expert in deceit, and all.
The phone was hot in your hand partly due to the extensive use, blasting loud music from your headphone for the first hour of the ride, and partly due to the sweltering heat. 100.40 degrees Fahrenheit is no joke, luckily Emily said that they’d recently had a pool installed and you couldn’t fucking wait. As for the phone in your hand, still overheating your fingers were hovering over the keys. It would be simple, really you mused, right as you were about to type the first letter, of what no doubt would be a bizarre message, the speakers splutter to life. Alerting you and the rest of the passengers on the bus that your stop was coming up, the announcement did the job of pulling you out of your stupor, and you realized just how stupid it would’ve been. Thank the stars for the good timing.
With your overnight bag over your shoulder, you walked up to the front door you noted that your legs were slightly shaky. Ridiculous, honestly. Why the fuck would you be nervous? For Pete’s sake. You are a grown woman- grow up. The walk from the bus stop to the house had been a piece of cake, with a bit of help from google maps, there was absolutely no reason these 15-ish feet should be this difficult to conquer. All you had to do was walk up to the front door, and pull the spare key out of the smallest potted plant on the lefthand side of the front door. Deep studying breath, summon up the courage and determination and just get to it. The handle clicks quietly down and you push the door open.
You are immediately met with the smell of…sage? That must surely be Ems's influence, she’d amassed an interest in spirituality and her current area of exploring was burning different types of sage, and collecting beautiful rocks of different kinds. You’d even bought her a few on her last birthday. Amethyst, Blue Lace Agate, and some Black Tourmaline apparently help with stress. (She’s been quite stressed because of the weird state of her parent's relationship, and especially the constant danger her father was in.) Aside from the notes of sage, the scent of leather and old pages hit you as you walked further into the house- most likely coming from the fully decked-out library next to the den. There was a gorgeous deep brown leather reading chair, next to the window and fireplace and two small matching couches along with four ceiling-to-floor bookcases. Was it your dream house? Yes, sir. Are you highly jealous of Emily right now, also yes? The rest of the decor is quite spartan, aside from different cultures' art and artifacts scattered along more bookcases and hung on the walls. Spartan, but certainly not unwelcoming. The tones of what took up the space were earthy and warm, and you felt right at home.