occasions.”
“Then it sounds like we need to have a campout.”
She leaned away and looked me over, possibly trying to check my sanity level. “A campout? You can’t be serious.”
“What? Have you never camped out before?”
“I often campout. Not here, of course, but back home.”
“Are you chicken?”
“Most certainly not.”
“You sure about that?”
She leaned back toward me. “Extremely. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and I’m not about to start with such a miniscule one.”
“Good. Then it looks like we’ll be camping out.”
“When?”
“Tonight’s as good a night as any.”
“Tonight? I don’t normally spend the night alone with men I’ve only just met a couple of days before.”
“What else do we have to do?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. Sadly, I have nothing else to do. At the moment, my life is as pitiful as yours.”
“Great. Then it’s a date.”
“A date?”
“Not a date date. You know, it’s two people who aren’t dating hanging out and spending the night together in a completely non-intimate sort of way. It’s really more of a fieldtrip or an outing. Yeah. It’s an outing.”
“You could have just said it wasn’t a date. I didn’t need an oral dissertation.”
“Sorry.”
“For someone who’s supposed to be getting away from people, you aren’t doing a proper job of it.”
“I’m doing a great job.”
“And how is that?”
“I’m not around people. I’m around a person .”
“They’re identical.”
“Not even close.”
“Anyway, we better get back. You promised me breakfast, and I’ve got work to do.”
“What kind of work?”
“Cleaning day.”
“Oh. That’s right. I wanted to make sure that everything gets picked up before the maid comes. What time will she be here?”
“What time do you want me to be there?”
I practically choked. “Wait. What do you mean what time do I want you there?”
“To clean.”
“You’re the maid?”
“Yes. Did you not know that?”
“No.”
“I’m working for Oliver this summer, trying to raise funds for the mission.”
“You clean houses for a living?”
“No, I don’t clean houses for a living. I’m cleaning Oliver’s house for some extra income.”
“You clean the entire house? All by yourself?”
“Yes. It’s much easier doing housework here than at home. At least I’ve got washers and dryers and vacuums and other items. It won’t take me any time to get your pad done, maybe two or three hours, unless, of course, you’re an utter pig.”
Agitated, I stood and started walking back the way we’d come. “You’re not cleaning my place.”
“Why not?” she asked, running up behind me.
“Because I don’t feel right about it.”
“What’s the difference between me doing it and someone else?”
“There’s a big difference.”
“Why?”
“Because if you do it, it’s you doing it.”
“Oh, rubbish. That made no sense at all.”
“I don’t care.”
I stopped walking, looked at her for a second, and then started walking again. “We’re sort of friends, and I don’t want you cleaning up after me.”
“I don’t understand why all of this is so monumental. I don’t take issue with it. It doesn’t make me any less of a person.”
“I don’t care. You’re still not cleaning my place.”
“Do you want to me hire someone else? If so, you’re going to have to pay for them, because Oliver won’t.”
“I can do it myself. It’s not a huge space or anything.”
“Cabot, you’re on holiday. This is supposed to be relaxing for you, and cleaning is not relaxing. Please just let me do it.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“I don’t care. I can do it. I’m a big boy.”
“Just the fact that you said, ‘I’m a big boy,’ makes it sound as if you’re four years of age.”
“I don’t care.”
“This is the most asinine conversation I’ve ever been involved in. Will you just let me do
“Then it sounds like we need to have a campout.”
She leaned away and looked me over, possibly trying to check my sanity level. “A campout? You can’t be serious.”
“What? Have you never camped out before?”
“I often campout. Not here, of course, but back home.”
“Are you chicken?”
“Most certainly not.”
“You sure about that?”
She leaned back toward me. “Extremely. I’ve never backed down from a challenge, and I’m not about to start with such a miniscule one.”
“Good. Then it looks like we’ll be camping out.”
“When?”
“Tonight’s as good a night as any.”
“Tonight? I don’t normally spend the night alone with men I’ve only just met a couple of days before.”
“What else do we have to do?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. Sadly, I have nothing else to do. At the moment, my life is as pitiful as yours.”
“Great. Then it’s a date.”
“A date?”
“Not a date date. You know, it’s two people who aren’t dating hanging out and spending the night together in a completely non-intimate sort of way. It’s really more of a fieldtrip or an outing. Yeah. It’s an outing.”
“You could have just said it wasn’t a date. I didn’t need an oral dissertation.”
“Sorry.”
“For someone who’s supposed to be getting away from people, you aren’t doing a proper job of it.”
“I’m doing a great job.”
“And how is that?”
“I’m not around people. I’m around a person .”
“They’re identical.”
“Not even close.”
“Anyway, we better get back. You promised me breakfast, and I’ve got work to do.”
“What kind of work?”
“Cleaning day.”
“Oh. That’s right. I wanted to make sure that everything gets picked up before the maid comes. What time will she be here?”
“What time do you want me to be there?”
I practically choked. “Wait. What do you mean what time do I want you there?”
“To clean.”
“You’re the maid?”
“Yes. Did you not know that?”
“No.”
“I’m working for Oliver this summer, trying to raise funds for the mission.”
“You clean houses for a living?”
“No, I don’t clean houses for a living. I’m cleaning Oliver’s house for some extra income.”
“You clean the entire house? All by yourself?”
“Yes. It’s much easier doing housework here than at home. At least I’ve got washers and dryers and vacuums and other items. It won’t take me any time to get your pad done, maybe two or three hours, unless, of course, you’re an utter pig.”
Agitated, I stood and started walking back the way we’d come. “You’re not cleaning my place.”
“Why not?” she asked, running up behind me.
“Because I don’t feel right about it.”
“What’s the difference between me doing it and someone else?”
“There’s a big difference.”
“Why?”
“Because if you do it, it’s you doing it.”
“Oh, rubbish. That made no sense at all.”
“I don’t care.”
I stopped walking, looked at her for a second, and then started walking again. “We’re sort of friends, and I don’t want you cleaning up after me.”
“I don’t understand why all of this is so monumental. I don’t take issue with it. It doesn’t make me any less of a person.”
“I don’t care. You’re still not cleaning my place.”
“Do you want to me hire someone else? If so, you’re going to have to pay for them, because Oliver won’t.”
“I can do it myself. It’s not a huge space or anything.”
“Cabot, you’re on holiday. This is supposed to be relaxing for you, and cleaning is not relaxing. Please just let me do it.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“I don’t care. I can do it. I’m a big boy.”
“Just the fact that you said, ‘I’m a big boy,’ makes it sound as if you’re four years of age.”
“I don’t care.”
“This is the most asinine conversation I’ve ever been involved in. Will you just let me do
Similar Books
