Lost and Found by Nicole Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

drinks without spilling. Better not give me anything hot in case I spill it on somebody”—super, I was rambling on like an idiot—“but just point me where you want me, and I’ll do my best not to turn your breakfast into disorganized chaos.”
    “Mom!” Clementine shouted. “They’re coming!”
    “Plate up the food, girls, and go ahead and get it out on the table,” Rose said, all calm and cool. “I’ve got to talk with Rowen for just a couple minutes.” Placing her arm behind my back, Rose steered me through the kitchen, entryway, and living room. We wound up across the house in what looked to be a mini-Laundromat. Four washers, four dryers, an arsenal of detergent, stain remover, and dryer sheets, and an island in the center of the room that I guessed was for folding or sorting or something.
    “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Rowen, because I like you. I really, really like you, and despite my own blah attire, I’m a supporter of women having the right to wear whatever the heck they want to,” Rose began, keeping her arm tight around my back the whole time. “Just not when I’ve got a dozen young men coming and going out of my kitchen several times a day. These are good boys we have working for us, but they’re still boys who don’t always do their thinking with their brains,” Rose said, followed up by an exaggerated clearing of her throat.
    I, along with every woman in existence, knew exactly what she meant.
    Glancing down at my outfit, I suddenly felt self-conscious. “You don’t like the way I dress?” I asked, though it should have been more of a statement. Most people didn’t like the way I dressed. Despite everyone advocating uniqueness and marching to the beat of your own drum, that only went so far.
    “Are you kidding me?” Rose said, raising her brows. “I love the way you dress. I love that you know who you are and aren’t afraid to show it.” Man, did I have Rose fooled. “But I also know a fair share of those guys are going to love it, too. Love it in the inappropriate way.” Her eyes fell to the hem of my plaid, pleated skirt. It was short. Short even by a call girl’s standards. I had an opaque pair of black tights on below it, but I’d cut and slashed them, so just as much skin showed as was covered.
    “Oh,” I said, fingering the hem of my skirt. “I guess I didn’t think about that.”
    “Don’t you worry about it, Rowen. I’m not here to tell you how or how not to dress. If this is what you wear, that’s great.” Rose ran her hand up and down me, making her silver and turquoise bracelets jingle. “But Neil and I are also responsible for your safety and well-being while you’re here. I’ve got a household to run, and I can’t be worrying at every meal that one of those guys out there will try to sweet-talk you into his bed at night.” Rose paused. Tucking her hand under my chin, she lifted it until I looked at her. “Do you understand, Rowen? I want to respect who you are, and I need to look after you. If this is how you dress every day and will continue to dress while you’re here, that’s just fine. There’s always plenty of laundry and household chores that need doing every day that would keep you out of the guys’ sight.”
    “I understand.” I suddenly felt very aware of the hoop pierced through my eyebrow and my shirt’s low neckline. “Thank you for respecting me enough to not order me to go change.” When I’d started dressing differently and wearing my hair and makeup darker than other girls, Mom went so far as to hold me down and remove what I was wearing, one piece at a time. A lot of good that had done. “But even if I wanted to, what you see is what I packed. I can’t remember the last time I bought a pair of denim-colored jeans.”
    “Then let’s do this today. I’ll have you manning the laundry room, and if you decide you just can’t imagine doing another load of laundry come tomorrow, we can figure out a way to get