Alice

We reach the Carlisle residence and I am stunned. The huge beautifully crafted double gate opens to let us in. I turn to my mom and she's playfully smirking at me "Mom...I had no idea this was where you lived."

I turn back to see a gorgeously cut yard with a huge fountain shaped like an angel at the center. The soft light beautifully compliments the yard but behind it is the real jaw dropper. A massive white mansion, I knew the house was big but I wasn't prepared for this. I turn to my mom and she's smirking at me still. I must look like a child opening that one huge present under the Christmas tree I imagine.

We pull in to the garage and when I emerge from the car,once again I'm lost for words. I look around and there are at least ten cars, the cheapest looks like it cost more than a normal person's house. Who would even need this many cars I think to myself. "Are these all his?"

"Yea, Jack likes his toys" My mom responds.

Jack sounds to me like your typical millionaire. I picture him as being one of those older happy go lucky type men with grey hair and probably a pot belly. I smile at the thought.

Mom directs me toward the inside of the house. I'm dumbfounded when we get in. I'm met with a huge entrance hall; I look up and see a finely crafted glass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Laid out in front of me is a huge flight of stairs heading upward to the rest of the mansion. The ground is covered by maroon carpet.

"Honey, your room is upstairs, Jack is back, so I'll leave you with Joseph, he'll show you to your room." I follow Joseph up the flight of stairs, amazed by his grace as he moves. Joseph towers over me, "Miss Chelsea-

"Please, call me Alice." He smiles, "Alice, that's your room." He points to a door at the very end of a wide hall with white walls and beautiful bell lamps hanging from the roof. We walk toward the room, Joseph gestures for me to open the doors.

I put my hands on the two sleek, black door handles and I turned them slowly until they click and the doors part. My heartbeat picks up as I see what's inside.

The room has a stylish, modern look to it. The walls are painted a soft, light shade of grey that feels rather comforting to look at. The floor is finely done in sleek, dark brown varnished wood, the furniture in the room follows suit. At the center is a queen sized platform bed with white coverings, as I see it, the tiredness of the past few days begins to rear its head. Above the bed are three abstract paintings and to both sides of it are two expertly crafted nightstands with lamps on them. To the left of the bed is a dresser with an oversized mirror that makes me wonder if the person who designed it had snow white in mind while doing so.

I walk over to the bed and sit while Joseph brings my things and sets them down, "I'll be downstairs if you need me." I smile at him and he leaves. When he shuts the door, I sigh loudly and lay back on the bed, it's incredibly comfortable, I don't know if it's because I'm so tired or if it really is just a comfortable bed. The door cracks open just as I begin to relax, "Hunny, come down stairs you have to say hi to jack." I'd briefly forgotten him, I sigh again and try to fix my messy hair in an attempt to look presentable. A failed attempt I'm sure.

I follow my mother downstairs and we head toward the living room, as I walk, I wonder if I'll forever be enchanted with this house because every room I enter seems more beautiful than the last. We enter the living room and I see Joseph standing next to a man whose back is turned to me. He is as tall as Joseph and from the back of his grey sweatshirt I can see that he's just as muscular.

The man turns to us and I'm stunned at his features, he's gorgeous. My mom walks over to him, wraps his hands around his neck and plants a hot kiss on his lips, my jaw hits the ground, this is Jack? The nearly forty year old C.E.O? He looks barely out of his twenties, he has smooth olive skin coupled with soft brown eyes, he looks like one of those exotic Desi guys you see on magazines. His hair is beautiful, sleek, shiny, combed backward and moist, probably from the drizzle outside.

Mom turns to me and calls me over, my heart starts to speed up as I approach, then my eyes meet Jack's and something twitches in my chest. I inhale sharply. His eyes narrow and I feel something heavy in the room. What is he thinking of me? Do I look alright? He tilts his head a little to the side and extends his hand, why is he doing that? I catch myself and I realize he wants to shake my hand. "Hey Alice," as soon as our hands touch the twitch in my chest moves up to my throat and it becomes near impossible to speak but I manage to mutter a weak 'hey.'

What the fuck is wrong with me? He smirks and turns to my mom as my hand slides out from his. When he turns I catch something. One of his eyes is blue black and bruised, like he got hit with something. My mom sees it as well, "Jack what happened to you?" she puts her hand out and touches his face. Her brows are furrowed and she has the same look she used to give me whenever I scraped my knee or hit my head when I played as a kid.

"Is nothin' babe," He calls her babe, that is odd to me, usually people their age address each other as hunny or love, for some reason it goes from odd to kind of sexy.

He turns back to me and the pressure in the room spikes again, I feel my throat getting tighter but this time I do a better job of relaxing. "Alice, ah been told a lot about yuh," his accent amazes me, I've never heard one like it before, the only thing close I'd experienced was this one Jamaican kid at middle school but Jack's somehow sounds richer and his low voice suits it perfectly.

"Oh... you have?" my eyes drift down toward his lips but I snap them back up. "Yeah,-

"Jack, there's an urgent business call you need to attend to." Joseph says to him. "Oh, thanks."

He looks me in the eyes again, this time I can bare his gaze, "It was a pleasure meeting you...Alice."

"Likewise." I smile and he saunters of with Joseph. I look at my mom, she starts laughing. "He isn't what you expected, is he." We both laugh some more. Me and mom sit for almost an hour talking before I head to my room, utterly drained.

I settle in but I find myself having trouble sleeping. Jack is on my mind. I start wondering why when I was speaking to him I suddenly went from myself to a ten year old girl nervous around her crush. I cringe at the thought. Tomorrow I'll probably feel fine about it. Today was full of new things but by far my favourite of them, though I feel a bit guilty for thinking it, was meeting my mother's new husband.

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