The Bad Boy is Mine

Chapter 3

The pic on the side is of Rylee.

When I pull into my parking spot, Mom's car is gone.

Sighing, I storm upstairs, ready to fight Adam if he comes at me again, but the house is silent.

I walk around.

A note is on the counter.

Rylee,

Sorry, I wasn't going to let Adam hurt you again. We left. I love you.

-Mom

I throw the note in the garbage, pissed, and then I take a hot shower, and then I sprawl out on my couch.

I'm done with life.

I'm done with everything.

When I was seven, Mom cheated on Dad.

Dad is my favorite parent. He still is.

I sigh, and slowly, my system begins to shut down, and I fall asleep.

****

I graduated from Interior Design school three weeks ago.

I put an advertisement up for someone who needs their house redecorated and I drive all around the city looking for a job.

My phone starts ringing.

It's a number I don't recognize.

I pick it up and press answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi, please tell me this is Rylee Digby."

"This is."

"Oh thank god. I'm Emily Stone. I have a house and it's nice with new roofing and a wonderful layout, but...I mean, it's hideous inside. I'm horrible at decorating it and I could really use some help."

Just then, Try by Pink comes on the radio.

"I mean, I have enough money. I can pay you a thousand a day."

"A day?" I gasp. "Oh goodness, that's a lot of money."

"No, I insist. I saw photos of your work and I really love your style. When are you available?"

"Um, whenever. I mean, I just got fired from my old job so this is actually my first time doing this as a job."

"Wonderful, can you meet me at my house in say...an hour?"

"Sure, what's the address?" I ask.

"140 Prospect St, Providence, Rhode Island 02906."

I write it down.

"Alright, I'll be there."

"Okay." She hangs up.

Holy shit.

I need to get out of my t-shirt and jeans.

I drive home and take a shower and blow dry my hair. I put on a white formal tank top, black skinny dress slacks that make my ass look wonderful, and black heels.

I curl my hair quickly and roll on deodorant, and then I grab my purse and rush out of the house.

I put the address into my GPS and drive to her house.

I park on the street because it's gated.

I'm nervous. I hold my phone and get out.

The women comes out.

She's young, easily my age, twenty three.

Her brown hair flows to her rips and she wears a black dress.

"Rylee?" she smiles.

"Yes." I shake her hand. "Your house is beautiful."

"In the front it is." She smiles. "It's the inside and the backyard that's the problem."

"Well, let's see it then." I say.

She leads me up the path and opens the door.

My eyes widen. She laughs at the look on my face.

"It's very..." I think of the right word. "1700's."

"I know." She laughs.

There's a hideous coral color on the walls, but it's like a marble coral.

"Anthony!" Emily calls.

A very attractive guy with brown shaggy hair comes downstairs.

"Are you the decorator girl?" he asks.

"Yeah." I nod.

"I'm Anthony, her husband." He shakes my hand.

"Rylee." I smile.

"See?" Emily says. The floor is a ugly blue tile, the walls are a coral marble. "I mean, everything is revolting. The carpet looks like it was bought by my grandmother." She says. I laugh.

"I'm pretty sure my grandparents wouldn't even buy these carpets." I smile.

The library is unused, it's hideous.

I walk into the kitchen and the dining room with Emily and Anthony.

"I wouldn't change anything in here. I love this kitchen."

"Agreed." Emily says. "The stairs are hideous. I want it to be homey. I don't like the tile on the fireplace..."

I nod.

"We don't want any walls knocked down, we just want new floors and new painting...oh, and the backyard." Andrew sighs.

Emily leads me out there.

'I think it's beautiful out here."

"Oh, it is." Emily says. "But we have the garden and the fountain." She leads me tough a small gate.

The garden is horrible dirt and the fountain is covered in algae, so much of it that the water can't spew out of the dolphins mouth.

"Alright, this is...fixable." I say.

"And the little pond, we want and in the bottom and the water to be clear with fish and such, but we can't see the bottom."

I nod. "I can fix this. It'll take time, but I can fix this."

"How much time, exactly?" Andrew asks.

I look around, thinking. "Well it's really just me that would be doing it...I can probably get it done in a month."

Both of them look shocked.

"We thought it would take six months!" Emily says. "I'm upping your pay."

"You guys don't have to pay me that might money-"

"I refuse to pay you anything under two thousand dollars." Emily says firmly.