Homeless

Chapter 5

Despite the blowing snow the next day, Nathaniel went to work since it was a Monday. Mark and I spent the day alone. I cleaned around the house, did the laundry and folded it, then prepared lunch for the two of us since Nathaniel warned me he would have lunch at work.

It was odd having the place to ourselves. I kept pinching my arm to remind myself that I wasn't dreaming.

Nathaniel really must be a naive idiot leaving us alone. I could literally rob this place and disappear, and he could do nothing about it. What a weird man.

Claire visited after lunch and we had a cup of coffee. Her children were all at her mother-in-law's for the day. She brought with her clothes for both Mark and me, which I accepted gratefully, and some items like new toothbrushes and a hair brush.

Nathaniel returned late in the afternoon. I was in the kitchen, stirring tomato sauce in a pot, while Mark curled on the couch, reading a book.

Nathaniel put his coat in the closet by the entrance and got in. He paused in the kitchen and leaned against the wall. His hair looked a little damp and a hint of a smile played on his lips. "Hey. Smells really good in here."

"Good evening. It's almost ready," I said, stepping back when he reached for a spoon in a drawer and tasted the sauce.

"Mhm. It's good." He looked over his shoulder at Mark. "How is he doing today?"

"Great, actually," I said, taking out the cake from the fridge and setting it on the island. My eyes flickered to Nathaniel. "I hope you don't mind. I noticed the cake mix was about to expire and-"

"Are you kidding me?" He looked at the coffee cake with a grin. "I definitely don't mind."

"Okay, um..can I use the cream in the fridge? And some of the chocolate truffles..."

"Knock yourself out. You don't have to ask my permission to use anything in the house, Daphne." He winked and walked away, loosening his tie.

I trampled on my annoyance at the wink. "Thank you," I called after him. He waved a hand over his shoulder and disappeared into the hallway.

Taking an excited breath, I whipped the cream and pulled out a few chocolate truffles from the pantry to decorate.

Back at the House, we had to get creative with the limited ingredients. Having a fully supplied kitchen and a full fridge and pantry at my disposal made me giddy with joy.

Half an hour later, the cake was setting in the fridge and I was dishing out the spaghetti meatballs, when a freshly showered Nathaniel walked into the living room.

He had abandoned his suit for a casual t-shirt and jeans. His hair dripped on a towel around his shoulders. It was irritating. I wanted to sit him down and rub his hair dry.

He held something in his hand.

Sitting in the armchair closest to Mark, he cleared his throat. My brother didn't look up. When he was engrossed in something, you had to physically drag him out of it.

After a few minutes of watching Nathaniel's futile attempts at getting Mark's attention, a chuckle escaped me.

He looked at me with a helpless frown. "Glad to see you're enjoying yourself. A little help would be appreciated."

I wiped my hands on a dish towel and approached Mark. Crouching next to him, I gently put my hand on his head.

"Mark, sweetie. Nathaniel has something that you and I saw in a magazine once. Do you remember its name?"