Alexa
She stared open mouthed at the white washed building which had a sun roof on one side. The other three sides of the house were surrounded by the forest.
She gulped and went to ring the bell.
Thank god I left the car a block away, she thought, it would have been embarrassing to park her old car in a driveway like that.
Two minutes passed and the CCTV camera on top of the gates turned towards her. She showed the newspaper and then the gates opened.
She walked towards the house and drooled when she saw the brand-new cars in the garage. I don't even know their names! she thought, pouting.
She was about to grab the handle when the door was opened by an elegant, attractive woman who might be in her late thirties. She fought the sudden urge to bow. Something about her radiated power.
"Hello," said the lady, smiling and extended her hand, "I am Sofia Greymund." That name sounds familiar, she thought. Greymund, where have I heard it?
"Oh, um hello. I am Alexa, Alexa Weinstein," she stuttered, returning the greeting. Some kind of recognition passed through her blue eyes but it was gone as soon as it appeared.
She smiled good naturedly, "So honey, are you sure someone as young as you need this job?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am," she said.
"Oh please, just call me Sofia. Come in," she said and beckoned her.
As soon as she went inside, she felt as if she had stepped into a whole new world. The door opened to the living room. To say that it was huge and beautiful would be an understatement. Just like the outside, the inside was also painted in white with a hint of beige here and there. There was a massive staircase leading to the second floor, the banister polished so that they shined, and as Sofia described towards their left was the kitchen and towards the right was the study. The floor was covered with plush carpets which was soft to the foot and comfortable sofas was placed around a coffee glass table.
"So, darling if you are sure let's get to know each other, shall we?"
"Okay."
"Where are you from honey? I have never seen you around here."
Oh oh, here it comes, thought Alexa. She looked at her kind face and thought of telling the lies she rehearsed but she just couldn't. As she gazed into her kind eyes, she knew that she could trust her.
"My mothed passed away a week ago," she found herself saying, " She committed suicide. My father left us when we were small, so I never really knew till he died too. I left my homeland and came here to start new," she said.
"Oh, I am so sorry, darling," she said, her eyes filled with pity. "Come here," she held out her arms and gave Alexa a hug.
She's a good person, no threat here, thought Alexa as she gratefully hugged her. She looked and thought how beautiful Mrs. Greymund was. She had long black hair up to her waist and a medieval kind of beauty.
"Come on, I'll show you around," she said and led the way towards the kitchen.
"So, I have two kids. Both boys. My eldest stays here, he has his own business. My younger one has gone to start learning to be independent. Mostly it's just me in this house and it gets a little bored. I can use some company," she said, winking at Alexa.
Alexa smiled; she could get used to this - to her.
"Oh, how rude of me! Do you need anything to drink, dear?"
"No thank you, I just had breakfast," she replied.
Sofia nodded and headed towards the kitchen. Alexa was lost of words. It was larger than the room she had back at home and was covered was cupboards holding the cups, plates, pans and what not.
I could spend whole day here, she thought.
Sofia smiled at her, knowingly, seeing the sparkle in her eyes.
They headed upstairs and was in the master bedroom, which again didn't fail to steal the breath out of her poor lungs. It was decorated with more carpets and a four-poster bed with the wall paper of a never-ending forest, with matching bed covers.
She was gaping open mouthed when suddenly Sofia asked Alexa to bring her the recipe book from the kitchen to tell her what to bring the next day when she comes to work, as after all the discussion, she convinced Sofia that she really needed the job. Sofia seemed to be reluctant at first saying she looks to young to be a maid but she couldn't resist her eagerness to start at some point either.
Alexa sped downstairs and rounded the corner when she ran into something hard. She lost her footing and fell. She closed her eyes tight waiting for the impact but it never came, instead she was surrounded by a spicy cologne which was somewhat familiar and a strong pair of arms wrapped around her.
She opened her eyes only to meet the sea-green eyes of her handsome jerk.