I stood in the kitchen making breakfast for the family. On today's menu was eggs benedict. Since being here, I've become an exponentially better chef, probably due to necessity more than anything. I glanced over to see Mr. Wolfe walking down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen to grab his usual cup of coffee, but this time he brushed against me as he passed by, his hand grazing my ass. I jumped slightly, looking back to see him with a smile.
"Something wrong?" He walked over and picked his cup up, taking a sip.
I rolled my eyes. "No."
"Too bad." He chuckled quietly. "I have something to tell you." Mr. Wolfe casually leaned against the counter, watching as I finished breakfast.
"Okay. I hope it's nothing bad."
"The contrary." He shook his head. "I had one of the spare bedrooms cleaned out for you. You'll have some room to do your artwork. I also had a lock installed so you can keep Lark out of the room to keep him safe, as well as your artwork. I figured it was something worth doing if you plan to stay with us."
"Marco." I looked over at him with wide eyes. "That's really too much."
"I can undo it." He smiled.
"No, no. I really do appreciate it. Thank you for that, Marco."
"I'm happy to help. I'll leave you some money so you can replace the supplies that you need."
"I can't ask that of you."
"It's good I'm telling you to, then." He smiled mischievously. I've learned by now to just accept what he gives me and be thankful.
"Thank you again, Marco. Truly."
----
Lark and I spent most of our day at the Children's Museum. He seemed to really enjoy the place, and I liked seeing him happy. I remember my mom taking my older brother and me back when it was just the two of us. I loved the little fake grocery store and the ant hill, where the kids got to pretend we were ants. That was until my brother hurt me and left me inside the ant hill, but he was always sort of like that.
After we left the museum, I had a deal with Lark that I'd get him a donut if he'd behave while we went to the art store. Thankfully, he was an angel, allowing me to get everything we needed before returning home.
We spent the rest of the day playing with some of his toys. It really made me miss my younger siblings, that I hadn't seen in almost a year. Before leaving to live with Alder, I was almost a second mother to them, thanks to my mom working so much, so it was hard to be away like this.
Eventually, Mr. Wolfe got home, and we had dinner together before putting Lark to bed. I excused myself to the spare bedroom to get set up. After getting set up, I actually started a painting before Mr. Wolfe came in. His eyes roamed over the naked sketch of myself.
"Like it?" I smiled slightly, looking back at him.
"I'd love to see the real thing, admittedly."
"If you wanted me so badly, you shouldn't have rejected me." I raised an eyebrow.
Mr. Wolfe laughed heartily. "Touché. I would love to buy your paintings from you when you're done. You are a rather impressive artist."
"I feel like you're just trying to get into my pants with all these compliments, Marco."
"Perhaps I am." He placed his hand on my shoulder with a smile. "But my compliments are also heartfelt."