The Chaperone

Chapter 10: The calm before the storm

Chapter 10: The calm before the storm

I spent the evening at Mrs. Kensington's house having dinner, unware of the storm brewing outside.

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Where is that girl? It's almost midnight and I haven't seen her anywhere!

Patrick was almost over the edge in anger when he saw a familiar figure emerged from the neighbour's house. He quickly stepped out from his car and walked across the road.

"Thanks Mrs. Kensington!" Her voice rang out as she walked away from her neighbour's porch.

She's driving me nuts!

"Callie..." I called. She stopped in her tracks. She studied my face for awhile.

"It isn't good news, right?" She asked. She looked over my shoulder and saw a black car parked across the road with the headlamps off.

"How long have you been here?" She asked to my surprise. I haven't had the chance to display my anger of her missing in action the entire day.

"Since, since..." My stomach completed my sentence with a growl.

"And your driver too?" She asked. I looked over my shoulder and nodded my head guilty.

She sighed.

"Go get your driver, I'll make you both dinner." She replied.

Make me dinner? Now I can't be mad!

"No, I'll send him off first. I'll get him to come get me later."

Whatever, she mouthed and shrugged her shoulders.

I turned around and waved the driver off. He tipped his hat from his seat and the car pulled away. Following behind Callie, we both stepped into her house.

Although I knew Callie stayed here all her life, I had never steppes into her house.

From my understanding, after her parents' divorce, she has been staying in here alone.

A typical house in the suburbs from the outside, the front door opened into a pretty elaborate circular entryway. Mahogany panels from floor to ceiling with a nice classic contemporary glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It seems that Callie's folks are pretty well to do and that entryway speaks of their statue.

The second door opens to a centre corridor which splits left into a small drawing room and a dining room on the right.

Callie took her jacket and hung it on a coat stand.

"You can hang your jacket up if you want." She said as turned right into the dining room.

I quickly hang my jacket on the coat stand and hurried after her.

The dining room extends inwards to the kitchen. The kitchen was more modern, equipped with all the modern cooking gadgets and a high chair across the island, where the stove is.

"Nice place you have!" I commented.

"Thanks. Mum's an interior designer." She said. I nodded.

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Patrick's curious eyes made me nervous. I never had much guests in the house after mum and dad went their separate ways.

Although Mum insisted a cleaning crew to take care of the house every now and then, I had resisted her decision since they had signed the deed to my name.

The big mansion is still taken care by myself and while it sounds crazy for one girl to clean the entire mansion, household chores had kept me sane.