Mine.
Naomi Cabot put her hands on her hips as she looked in utter satisfaction at the old manor.
All mine.
Alright, technically it wasn’t. It belonged to the family. But no one had bothered to look after it for generations and she just happened to be in need of a place to stay. Her face fell as she thought back of the house she’d had to leave.
Damn that man. She scolded Allan inwardly. From one moment to the other it had been enough. She could not take it anymore. His admiration and attention had turned into serious control issues. When he had tried to isolate her from her family, her alarm bells had finally gone off, realizing how far he already had gone in controlling every minute of her life, ever step she took.
She had packed her bags when he’d been at work and left.
No note.
Her phone disabled.
Just...left.
All alone, scurrying back to her parents at the solid age of 25 where most people finally got it together.
Woops.
Not her, it seemed.
It felt like such a relief to be free of his constant demands! Finally she could dress like she wanted, feel good about how she looked, even if some might consider her a little on the heavy side. She *liked* her hips, thank you very much! Besides, she was a pretty good coat-hanger for the fancy retro dresses she adored. The ones she’d had to get rid of because Allan thought they made her look cheap.
Ones she was definitely going to get back once she got a properly paying job after her psychology studies fizzled.
Allan again.
He was going to provide, after all.
Ugh. She shivered. How on earth had she gotten that guy to take over her life so easily? Was it the charming words? The compliments in a world where women were often overlooked? Whatever it was, it had worked. He’d had his fun.
And now she was free.
Shit, is that a stork’s nest? Naomi blinked. It definitely looked like something big-birdish had taken up residence on top of the old chimney. Well, that was something to take care of at a later time. There was so much to take care of with this poor house. Her hands were just aching to get started. Incredible how nobody had wanted to before!
A good thing the servant’s house was still in relatively good condition. With a caretaker on the grounds to ensure the property would not be abused by whoever happened to pass on by the little cottage was even blessed with the rudimentaries of internet.
Thou shalt not want....if there is internet. She grinned, once again overjoyed with the fact that her mother had allowed her this little project to get back on her feet.
Well, little?
It was huge!
Awesome!
She stepped inside through the lovingly decorated door. Dust whirled up as the leaves from the porch were blown in, some getting stuck in her fiery red curls. Whatever that caretaker had done, was not much other than keeping people away, because it smelled...old. Naomi giggled at the ‘ghostbusters’ sign hanging on the door.
“Really? That’s your trick to keep people out? Wow...” She tore the sign down and crumpled it up. The hallway lay before her, the beautiful open stairs leading up from the middle of it. Her mouth dropped. It was even more regal than she had expected.
With careful hands she moved over the balustrade. The woodwork was gorgeous, grapevines cut into the pillars and all. Whoever had worked here, had truly loved what they were doing. Her green eyes moved over her new surroundings. No way the young woman was going to be able to take care of this on her own. She’d need to call in help, if only to establish how safe the structure still was. A good thing her parents had allowed her to use the house fund for that.
With their permission for each penny she spent, of course.
But still.
With her meager pay check from the book store where she worked to make ends meet she’d not get very far. She loved the shop, no doubt, but...had she actually finished her studies, she would have been able to get a much better paying job!
A little sigh escaped her.
No use holding on to the past.
She needed to get her feet into the present.
And build herself a damn fine future.
"Hiya, house." She whispered in awe. "Can I please come live here?"
Naomi Cabot put her hands on her hips as she looked in utter satisfaction at the old manor.
All mine.
Alright, technically it wasn’t. It belonged to the family. But no one had bothered to look after it for generations and she just happened to be in need of a place to stay. Her face fell as she thought back of the house she’d had to leave.
Damn that man. She scolded Allan inwardly. From one moment to the other it had been enough. She could not take it anymore. His admiration and attention had turned into serious control issues. When he had tried to isolate her from her family, her alarm bells had finally gone off, realizing how far he already had gone in controlling every minute of her life, ever step she took.
She had packed her bags when he’d been at work and left.
No note.
Her phone disabled.
Just...left.
All alone, scurrying back to her parents at the solid age of 25 where most people finally got it together.
Woops.
Not her, it seemed.
It felt like such a relief to be free of his constant demands! Finally she could dress like she wanted, feel good about how she looked, even if some might consider her a little on the heavy side. She *liked* her hips, thank you very much! Besides, she was a pretty good coat-hanger for the fancy retro dresses she adored. The ones she’d had to get rid of because Allan thought they made her look cheap.
Ones she was definitely going to get back once she got a properly paying job after her psychology studies fizzled.
Allan again.
He was going to provide, after all.
Ugh. She shivered. How on earth had she gotten that guy to take over her life so easily? Was it the charming words? The compliments in a world where women were often overlooked? Whatever it was, it had worked. He’d had his fun.
And now she was free.
Shit, is that a stork’s nest? Naomi blinked. It definitely looked like something big-birdish had taken up residence on top of the old chimney. Well, that was something to take care of at a later time. There was so much to take care of with this poor house. Her hands were just aching to get started. Incredible how nobody had wanted to before!
A good thing the servant’s house was still in relatively good condition. With a caretaker on the grounds to ensure the property would not be abused by whoever happened to pass on by the little cottage was even blessed with the rudimentaries of internet.
Thou shalt not want....if there is internet. She grinned, once again overjoyed with the fact that her mother had allowed her this little project to get back on her feet.
Well, little?
It was huge!
Awesome!
She stepped inside through the lovingly decorated door. Dust whirled up as the leaves from the porch were blown in, some getting stuck in her fiery red curls. Whatever that caretaker had done, was not much other than keeping people away, because it smelled...old. Naomi giggled at the ‘ghostbusters’ sign hanging on the door.
“Really? That’s your trick to keep people out? Wow...” She tore the sign down and crumpled it up. The hallway lay before her, the beautiful open stairs leading up from the middle of it. Her mouth dropped. It was even more regal than she had expected.
With careful hands she moved over the balustrade. The woodwork was gorgeous, grapevines cut into the pillars and all. Whoever had worked here, had truly loved what they were doing. Her green eyes moved over her new surroundings. No way the young woman was going to be able to take care of this on her own. She’d need to call in help, if only to establish how safe the structure still was. A good thing her parents had allowed her to use the house fund for that.
With their permission for each penny she spent, of course.
But still.
With her meager pay check from the book store where she worked to make ends meet she’d not get very far. She loved the shop, no doubt, but...had she actually finished her studies, she would have been able to get a much better paying job!
A little sigh escaped her.
No use holding on to the past.
She needed to get her feet into the present.
And build herself a damn fine future.
"Hiya, house." She whispered in awe. "Can I please come live here?"
