It only takes 12 days to make Cecilia Jones fall in love with her long time secret admirer. After getting a summer job, hired by her Dad, Cecilia is at no limits when she meets a boy, who turns out, went to her same school, whom she never met. Noah...
"Crap." I took the tape off, redoing it. The edges were always the hardest. Measuring the tape again, I placed the tape on. Feeling an amount of complacency, I stepped back, examining the spot I had managed to tape up. Hopefully, Peter would appreciate this, since he is very...insatiable.
Great. Now just 30 more places to do. Just maybe, if I am able to master this stickiness, I could still make it on time to catch the movie with Zelda. After all, this is the first day. Doing the job is what counts.
Everything (including this taping mess) had to be impeccable. Also keeping up with the appeasing alacrity act, just to have that ripple effect. Or at least, what Peter had told me I should do.
Blowing on the few strands of hair on my face, I grab the measuring roll, stepping off the little step. Right before I moved myself to the next spot, the alarm on my phone went off, indicating it was lunch time.
Maybe, if I could just skip lunch....
No! You should always make time for food, my inner voice reminded me. Nodding, I headed out in the hallway, looking for a member of the household, or Peter.
I searched the kitchen, finding no one. Shrugging, I went back to my station area. Grabbing my backpack, I headed out towards the backyard, passing by some of the workers. One of them was Greg.
"Hey kiddo." He grunted, bending down. As he did that, his shirt lifted up a little from behind, showing just the tops of his rear end. Eyebrows shooting up in surprise, I quickly turned around.
"Hello." I responded, choking on my saliva.
"Whatcha doin' out here?" He asked, wiping labour sweat off his forehead.
"Just coming out here for lunch. No one was inside to check me out, so I didn't go out. Luckily, Pet-Dad," I corrected myself. "Made me lunch. So, just don't mind me." I smiled.
"Don't worry, if Peter comes, I'll tell him. Go enjoy your lunch, kiddo." He patted my shoulder, before heading inside.
Greg was basically an Uncle to me. Ever since Peter started his business, Greg was always there to take care of me. Working, while babysitting. Weird how everyone else's judgement about Greg being an indolent, just got the best of themselves. Not for Greg.
Then there was Greg's step-daughter, who was none other than my best friend. I felt happy for Zelda when her Mom, Carla, found Greg. A basic romance after a tragedy. Setting my lunch out on the table, I pulled my sketchbook and pair of headphones, plugging them into my phone.
'Roar' by Katy Perry was playing, even though I didn't like the song, it was one of Mom's favorites. The song played, nearing to the end, my hand sketching away with the #2 pencil, the other hand busy feeding my hungry stomach.
"There."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The song stopped, changing onto a new song. About 2 days ago, when Peter had went to the supermarket, I had found a picture of a woman holding a child. The woman and the child had their backs showing, but their hair color was shown.
No one could have made a mistake to know who these people were. Mom and me. That picture was inside my head since then. Today, I finished my little sketch.
"Cece!" I turned around. Greg stood by the backyard door.
"Yeah?"
"I have to go run a errand. If Brad comes, tell him that we still have the roof and the windows."
"Alr-"
"Also, please check the blueprints and change the numbers by half." I nodded, even though I didn't understand a word he had just said. Right after Greg left, I felt the need to do something productive, then to just slouch with a semi-full stomach.
I pulled my hair up into a messy bun, sticking my pencil through. Whatever arcane knowledge Greg and Peter knew did not get to me. After all, I was the architect's daughter. Adopted daughter.
So most people, like Greg, had the idea that I had some how, mysteriously, inherited Peter's genes, even though he is not my real Father. The blueprints were scattered across a white plastic table, with all materials an architect would need, especially the workers.
This house is, however, big. Not huge like mine, but big. At least 7 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. The blueprints showed the top kitchen on the second floor and on the bottom. One living room on top, and another on the first floor.
We weren't building the house, but just remodeling (thank God). Painters and carpenters were not going to be here until Monday. Until then, I was in charge of the insides of the house. Getting the measurements and the taping.
With a fine payroll, which I was glad for. Doing a job that I somewhat like for the summer is exactly how I did not plan to do. At least I was getting 75 bucks an hour. Less than what the others were getting, but at least it's something.
I had no clue what Greg meant, but I did it anyway. Something about numbers, half, measurements? No. I read the notes. It was clear. Way clearer than what Greg had told me. A clipboard was right next to the mapping of the house.
"Brad!" I remembered. I quickly ran upstairs towards the office room that I had passed by this morning. No one. The sound of a door opening came from downstairs. Stepping hurriedly down the stairs, a person leaned against the hallway frame.
Hesitation was something that comes in normally for me. This Brad seemed to be in his teens. His dirty blonde hair resting in weird ways. He stood lean and tall, attention driven towards his phone. I huffed out, trying to build up the courage to speak with the head man of this house, who seems to be a teenager.
"Okay. Everything is in place." I spoke out, trying to be professional, my attention on the clipboard. "The measurements are all taken. Greg has taken all angles and measurements from the roof-"
"Woah, woah, woah!" Brad waved his arms. "Hold up. Who are you?"
"Wait, your not Brad?" I asked, staring into his green-blue eyes.
"Brad?" He laughed. "No, I'm Liam." My jaw dropped.
"So if your not Brad, like your saying-"
"That's because he's not." A new voice spoke. I cocked my head to the side, looking at the person who spoke. He, just like Liam, was also tall and lean. His dark hair was messed up a little. He came out of the kitchen and walked to me. "Brad is my Dad."
"Oh." Was all that came out. Brad's son didn't give off an amiable vibes like how Liam did. I clutched the clipboard tighter, pulling it closer to my chest. It's weird. I feel like I have seen these two somewhere before.
"Are you going to keep gawking? Or you going to say something?"
"Uh. Nothing." I stuttered. "Just, could you tell me when Brad might be coming? I have to tell him some details about the work we have going."
"Yeah, no problem."
"Thank you..."
"Noah." He finished for me.
"Right. Thank you, Noah. I'll be on my way." I nod at him, before bumping into Liam. "Sorry." I mumble before leaving the two boys. My palms felt very moist. And for some reason, my heart was racing like crazy.
