Farraway Mist ?A Wattpad featured story?

Chapter 10: Eavesdropping

Scout felt awkward. The truth was that, even though she hadn't been there a month, Farraway Mist already felt like home to her, and she was used to it being just her and George, with Sunil and Alfred providing comic relief a few times a week. Having Kelly show up out of the blue had thrown everything off kilter in some strange way.

She saw Kelly's face when the blonde woman saw her emerging from George's bedroom before dinner, and realized how it looked. She also realized that explaining the situation, namely that she, Scout, was sleeping in the little room that opened off of George's room because of the strange events that had transpired on her first night in this house would have been awkward in a whole different way. She also had to admit that a small part of her found it strangely satisfying to know that Kelly thought there was more going on between her and George than there was.

Besides, Kelly was George's friend, surely it was his place to talk to her about his living and sleeping circumstances?

She passed Kelly on the stairs and said nothing, merely smiling and saying, "Good evening," in a pleasant voice.

And during dinner, Scout and Kelly engaged in a bizarre kind of verbal sparring, with Kelly trying to prove that she knew George really well, certainly much better than Scout did, or ever could.

"Remember, George, when you were in Paris for that show?" she began. "What was the name of that restaurant? We had similar stew to this, only it was much better, of course," she said dismissively.

"I don't remember," George said. "I'm sure all this reminiscing is very tiresome for Scout, Kelly," he said, looking apologetically at Scout. "There must be something we can all talk about?"

"Oh no, I don't mind," Scout assured him with a smile. She was a well-raised girl from an upper-class, New England family, she'd sat through more than her share of dutiful conversations. "You haven't seen each other in such a long time, how about if I take myself off to bed so you can have a nice, long visit in private?" She looked back and forth between the two of them.

"That's very kind of you--" Kelly began, but George also began speaking.

"No, absolutely not," he said firmly. "I'm still not sure why she came, but it's just work, so whatever it is can't possibly take long, right?" He looked at Kelly briefly before continuing. "So I'll sign the papers or whatever it is, then we can have some wine in the lounge and maybe play some Scrabble or something, what do you say, Scout? We can show Kelly how exciting evenings at Farraway Mist can really be, yeah?" And he grinned at her, looking so dashingly handsome that even Scout, who was usually immune to such things, caught her breath.

"Well, yes, I do have some papers that need signing, as a matter of fact," Kelly said. "I'll just run upstairs and get them, shall I? And we can all meet in the lounge in a few minutes?" She looked around.

George nodded, and left to go build a fire, while Scout loaded the dishwasher. By the time she went to the lounge, the fire was going, the wine opened, and the room was warm and cozy against the wet and windy evening.

Scout reached over her head as she entered the room, ringing one of the little service bells that still hung over the door. They were strung over the doorways of all of the common rooms on the ground and second floor, from the days when cords were pulled to alert the staff that the family of the house needed something.

George looked up at the sound, smiling at her.

Scout smiled back.

"I just love the sound," she said, reaching up to move the bell again. The melodic tintinnabulation filled the room, making Jess and Bandit wag their tails. They already associated the sound with Scout.