I wake up grateful that I didn't dream of Aiden last night. Or at least I don't believe I did because my Mom didn't come in the room to wake me. I get up and dress in my college sweatshirt, jeans, and leave my feet bare.

I can't find anything to make for breakfast so, I place an online order for groceries, which thankfully will arrive in about an hour, or so. I make myself some coffee and I immediately think of Cat. I always loved getting up before her and having her coffee ready, Decaf for her, and Caffeinated for me. Handing her that steaming cup always brought a smile to her face, and God is she beautiful when she smiles.

"Alex? Are you okay?" I look over and see my mom in the doorway, with a look of concern on her face.

"I'm good. Coffee?"

She shakes her head no, and I remember my mom is a tea drinker. "Tea?"

She smiles. "If you don't mind?"

"Not at all," I grab the kettle to fill it up, before setting it back on the stove to boil.

"Don't you keep help here anymore, Mom?" I ask as I search for the tea bags, scoring some in the third cabinet I look in.

"Yes," I notice she is fidgeting again. I wonder why that question would make her nervous.

"The only reason I ask is Tina stopped by last night."

"Tina?"

"Yes, she mentioned that there is usually a doorman and I remember there being a cook and a maid, the last time I was here."

My mother toys with the empty cup I put before her. "Your Father let them go."

"Why?" I place a tea bag and a small pitcher of cream near her cup.

Now she really looks upset. "Mom, what is it? What's wrong? Did something go wrong? Did you not have enough money to keep them on? What?"

"No, no... nothing like that. Your father just ... he just didn't want them around anymore."

"Why?" None of this is making any sense.

"I don't know, he just didn't," she replies rather forcefully.

"Well, how does that make sense? Leaving you in the large house all alone. Surely, he didn't expect you to handle the upkeep of this place by yourself?"

She places the cup down, and then asks, "What brought Tina here last night?"

She is changing the subject, a typical Mom move. Put too much pressure on her and like an ostrich, she buries her head in the sand, hoping whatever threat there is will disappear, just because she can't see it any longer.

I'll ask her again later. Right now, it's not that important, since I'm here.

"Tina dropped off the minutes."

"She could have faxed them."

"I know that's what I told her, but she also brought the financial reports and Dad's insurance papers."

My mother smiles. "She really is a dear, sweet girl, always thinking ahead, always thinking of others."

"I've already placed a call to get the ball rolling. Did Dad have a personal lawyer? Someone who was in place to be the executor to the will?"

My mother shrugged. "I don't know."

Again it bothered me how remiss my father was in keeping my mother apprised of things. Thank God, I'm here. "I'll check with, Tina."

The doorbell rang. My mother jumps. Her nerves must be shot with all this stress. "It's most likely the food delivery. I ordered some supplies. I hope you don't mind."

"No. That's fine."

I open the door and try not to look disappointed. It wasn't food, but Tina back on my doorstep.

"Tina," I say to acknowledge her presence. This time I didn't wait, I just open the door wider and usher her in.

"I'm sorry, I..." Tina stops talking to give me a once overlook, shook her head, and then started talking again, "I realized when I got to work this morning that I didn't give you the number to your father's personal lawyer. Obviously, you're going to need that if you are going to probate the will."

I am not sure if I'm grateful or creeped out by the way this woman seems to read my mind. I half began to wonder if there are cameras in the house and if she is spying on my every move. The thought unnerves me.

I'm about to say something but the doorbell rings, and this time it is the food delivery. Thank God! I have such a hard time thinking on an empty stomach.

The man drops the packages in the foyer and before I have the chance to say anything, Tina grabs four of them and takes them into the kitchen.

I can't really say if I find her helpful or exasperating. She's definitely a take-action sort of person, which my father must have loved, being the same way himself.

I gather up the rest of the bags and follow her into the kitchen.

"Tina!" My mother immediately brightens upon seeing her.

"You asked Tina to get your groceries? Alex, I'm stunned! Such tasks are way beneath her pay grade."

"No... I didn't..." I defend, but Tina cuts me off. 

"I only just arrived, Mrs. Bragin. I just had good timing, I guess."

Tina looks over at me but upon seeing and interpreting whatever look I have on my face, I see her frown in response. I couldn't say what I looked like because I'm feeling a mixture of emotions: frustration, gratitude, annoyance all because of her, and shock that my mother would think I would treat Tina that way.

"Well, I'm glad you're here," my mother says, "Alex was just asking me about his father's personal lawyer and I don't know who Cillian used to make his will."

"That's why I came back this morning I had forgotten to include that information in the report I gave him last night."

"Oh, aren't you a dear? Thank you, Tina."

"You could have called," I comment grumpily, I really needed something to eat.

Tina is putting some bread away in the breadbox on the counter when she looks at me and frowns again. "If I've overstepped any boundaries, Mr. Bragin. I am sorry. I'll just go."

"Don't you dare!" my mother admonishes. "You'll stay for breakfast," she tells Tina.

Just then the kettle goes off and Tina makes a grab for it at the same time I do. My hand touches her hand causing her hand to jerk back on the kettle and some scalding water splashes out right onto my bare foot. What came out of my mouth next was not something I would approve of saying in front of any woman, and definitely not in front of my mother.

"Alexander James, where did you learn such language?" my mother asks, stunned.

I am literally biting my tongue, so I don't say anything else stupid.

Tina has already leaped into action. Grabbing some ice from the freezer, placing it in a plastic bag, and wrapping it in a towel. "I'm so sorry!" she says handing it to me. I snatch it from her and hobble out of the room. I just need a moment to calm down.

However, it appears I will not be getting that moment as both women follow me out into the living room. I sit on the couch and apply the ice to my foot. I can see it's already red and wanting to blister.

"Here let me," Tina reaches for the ice but I held it away from her, glaring at her.

"I got it!" I say again. I reach over and hold the ice on my foot, but my tall frame makes the movement rather awkward. I practically have to fold myself in half like a turnover. See that, I'm so hungry even my metaphors are about food. Or was that a simile?

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Tina pushes my shoulder causing me to flop back on the sofa, grabs the ice and my foot, sits on the coffee table with my foot on her lap, and applies the ice. I wanted to argue, but it feels too good at the moment.

"I'll call the doctor?"

"I don't think that's necessary," I call after my mom, who left the room to grab her phone.

"Just let her go. It will make her feel better to know she's being useful," Tina tells me, "Besides," she lifts the ice off my foot a little and I immediately feel the heat of the burn again. "It's blistering pretty bad."

"Are you always this bossy?" I ask her, feeling ultra-annoyed.

She places the icepack on my foot. "Who walks around a house like this, with no shoes or socks even?" she counters.

"Oh, so you're saying this is my fault?" I say pointing to my foot.

"No. It's just you're... you're so..."

"What?! I'm so what?!" I yell at her.

"You are so like your father!" she spats at me. "He hires me to take care of him, but then when I do he gets mad at me for doing so. Do you know how long it took him to just let me do my job? To let me take care of things?! FOREVER!" she yells back at me.

Knowing what a control freak my Dad was it didn't surprise me but I didn't care for the comparison. "I am not controlling, Tina. I'm just independent. I've been taking care of myself for a long time and I don't need someone watching over me."

Her eyes fill up and I can see the fight in her slowly ebb. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to help." She puts my foot on the table under a pillow and props the ice back on top. "I'm going to go before your mom gets back or she won't let me leave until I've had breakfast. "

I feel like a heel. I know it was just an accident. I know she didn't mean it. I just...

"Tina, sit down."

She looks for about a half-second like she is going to refuse me, but then takes the chair across from mine.

"I'm sorry, too. This whole situation has me on edge."

"Situation?"

I rub my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "My Dad and me, well we didn't leave things on the best of terms. I've been on my own since college. These last four years... we haven't spoken since I left."

Tina's eyes widen as she grasps what I'm saying.

"Wow! I can't imagine what would keep you and your dad apart, Alex. He talked about you all the time. I always just assumed you weren't around because you were at college, not that you were using college to get away from him."

"It not something I really want to discuss. I hope you can understand that. I just wanted to explain because getting this aggravated over some spilled water, even if it may have given me second-degree burns, isn't usually something I would take out on someone else, meaning you."

"You talk like him, too. Do you know that?"

I sigh, not really enjoying being consistently compared to my father.

"He was always very diplomatic and even though sometimes he acted like he wanted to take my head off and occasionally did, he always made things right. He never left things bad between us. I always admired him for that."

I thought about how for 4 years there was never a call, a letter, an email, or text even. Never once did he try to put right what he did to my brother and me. It almost made me feel a little jealous that he treated Tina that way. What was so special about her that made him act so out of character, when he couldn't even make amends with his own sons?

"Well, you and I have very different memories, of Cillian Bragin. I can't say he was so emotionally forthcoming with me and my brother."

"Brother? You have a brother? Why isn't he here?" Tina asks and the pain from my foot is nothing compared to the sharp pain her question causes my heart.

While my Dad talked about me constantly to Tina, he never mentioned Aiden to her. Not once. I guess for my Dad Aiden's death finally allowed him to be free to pretend Aiden never existed, just as he had done for most of Aiden's life.

"He died, four years ago," I told her.

Tina gasps and her hands fly up to cover her lips. "I'm so sorry," she whispers behind them.

"Tina, please stop apologizing?" I ask, trying to keep the tinge of irritation out of my voice, but knowing I am failing miserably.

"I'm sorry. I mean... I ... I didn't know."

"No, I don't imagine that you would. He hired you after my brother had died so there wouldn't be much reason for my father to bring him up, I guess."'

"The doctor said it be better to run cool water over your foot for about 20 minutes instead of ice and then there are patches if the burn blisters the skin that will help keep the skin cool while it heals." my mom announces as she enters the room.

"Thanks, Mom," I tell her and she beams back at me, happy to be helpful.

I remove the ice and head towards the stairs. "I'll go do that." My foot hurts a lot more now, and it's causing me to walk strangely.

"Do you want help?" Tina offers and I'm glad for once she didn't just jump in. "No, I'm fine." I pause at the bottom of the stairs and turn to look back at her. "Actually, since this is going to take a while. Can you do me a favor and give my mom a hand with breakfast? I'm sure she would appreciate the company."

"Sure," Tina readily agrees. "I'll even cook if you want Mrs. Bragin? I make a pretty good omelet."

My mothers' face is full of concern. "Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?" she asks me.

"Fine. No problem at all. I'll be back downstairs in 20 minutes. Promise."

"Alright. If you're sure."

"I'm positive," I reassure her and make my way up to the stairs and to the bathroom. I run the water so it's cool, not cold, strip off my jeans and sit on the edge of the tub and hold my foot underneath the running water.

I check my emails on my phone. The school has obviously informed my teachers of my leave of absence and they are already sending me assignments. I need to stop at William's at some point and pick up my backpack with my books so I can get this stuff done or ask him to ship them to me. I'd hate for them to get lost in the mail though, as textbooks, even used ones, cost a fortune.

I respond to my teachers and check my messages. Still no word from Cat, I miss her so much I ache inside. I text William and I get an immediate response. He's calling me and I answer.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself. Great News!"

"Yeah, lay it on me. I can use it right about now."

"That bad, huh?"

"I'll fill you in later. What's this great news?" I ask.

"I talked to Cat. I couldn't get through to her either, but I had just seen her in class today. Turns out she accidentally dropped her phone and smashed it. It's completely unusable, but she's getting a new phone today, so don't be surprised if you get a call. I didn't tell her you called because you said not to but I'm sure once they upload the phone's messages she'll see that you called and will call you back."

That was great news! I'm so relieved she's okay. "How did she appear today? Okay?"

"She's doing good, Alex. I think just knowing that you still care about her has really got her in the right headspace, you know. She doesn't do well without you."

"Thanks, for checking up on her and calling me back."

"Hey, what are best friends for?"

The door to the bathroom opens, startling the crap out of me. "Son of a...!"

I fumble with my phone. I try to make a grab for it, but it smashes against the tile of the tub and slides under the water. I lose my balance and fall into the tub. Two arms reach out to grab me to keep me from falling, but I have too much momentum and end up taking Tina in the tub with me. 

She's laying across the length of me and looks up. Her glasses are askew and I push them back into place. She bites her lip before she opens her mouth, "I am so...."

My hand covers her lips to keep her from saying it. If she says she's sorry one more time, it may tempt me to drown her in this tub. "Don't Say It!" I warn and she simply nods her head and I remove my hand.

She tries to scramble off of me, causing me to grunt and groan in pain, as she seems to be all pointy elbows and knees. She finally frees herself from the tub and reaches over and turns off the water. I lay there with my hand over my eyes. My head is killing me. I don't know if it's from the stress or if I banged it falling in.

"I..."

I hold up my other hand to silence her. "Please, just go."

"I just..."

"Tina... please. I just destroyed my phone. My foot still hurts, and now I have what feels like several other bruises forming. Please... I'll be downstairs in a minute."

"I can't go downstairs like this," she announces. My hand falls from my eyes and I look over at her. Her blouse is now somewhat see-through from getting wet, and I quickly avert my eyes. The rest of her clothing had gotten wet too.

I struggle to stand up. When I do, I notice her eyes drift to my underwear that is now clinging to me from being soaked, and she blushes. I half thought of bending over to pick up my phone but thought better of it. Instead, I quickly whip the towel off the rack and tie it around my waist. I climb out of the tub, pick up my jeans and say, "Wait right here. Here!" I reiterate and point to the floor of the bathroom to make certain she cannot misunderstand me.

She has her arms wrapped around herself in a hug as I storm out of the room and return with a robe. "Strip off those wet clothes, put on this robe, and I'll throw them into the dryer." She nods and takes the robe from me.

I quickly get dressed in my room, but not before locking the door, as I need to have a serious talk with this woman about personal boundaries. The last thing I want is her walking in on me while I am naked.

Once dressed. I knock on the door. Tina opens it up, and she looks positively crestfallen. She reaches out and in her hand is my phone, now smashed and waterlogged.

Cat?! "Damn it!" I say, taking it from her.

"I'll buy you a new one." She is quick to offer.

"No," I reply perhaps a little too briskly, as Tina winces from this one word.

I soften a little. "It was an accident. You didn't mean for it to happen. I just need to make sure I replace it today." I sigh and place it in my back pocket.

"Your clothes?" I ask and she hands them to me. "I'm not sure what I can do about your shoes," I tell her, knowing her heels had gotten wet too.

"They'll dry," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Why did you come in here like that?" I just had to know.

"Well..." She looks so sheepish. She refused to make eye contact with me. "It had been over 20 minutes and I made you a ham and cheese omelet because I knew you were hungry. I just wanted to let you know before it got cold."

She looks up at me I can see her eyes are glassy with unshed tears. A woman crying is my kryptonite. I immediately cave. "Come on. I don't know about you, but I am starving."

Tina gives me a weak smile. "I really should wait until my clothes come back from the dryer. How would I explain my state of undress to your mother?"

She has a point, still... "We are all adults, aren't we? I'll just simply say the bathroom floor was wet, and that you slipped and fell and got your clothes wet. Problem solved." I try to give her the best smile I could muster under these circumstances.

"Are you sure?" Tina asks timidly.

I take her hand. "Come on. It's no big deal."

I lead Tina downstairs. I tell my Mom what happened. My Mom immediately starts fussing over Tina, which is ironic as I was the only one that actually got hurt. Well, me and my phone, but as I didn't tell her of my involvement, I got none of the special treatment. I go down to the laundry room and throw Tina's clothes into the dryer. I pull my phone from my back pocket and my heart plummets into my stomach. I have to get this fixed before Cat calls me and who knows what William is thinking right now. All he heard was me swear, and then the phone would have gone dead.

I come upstairs to join Tina and my mom for breakfast. I hate to admit the omelet is amazing because I still want to be mad at her.

"Thank you for breakfast," I say, although begrudgingly.

"You're welcome," Tina replies and gives me a genuine smile.

"Mom, can I borrow your phone for a moment?"

"Sure, hon." She hands me her phone and I leave the room to call William, but he doesn't pick up, most likely because he doesn't recognize the number. I leave a message for him about what happened and hang up.

I return to the kitchen to give my mom back her phone. "I need to stop back at school. I have to pick up some books I need to complete the assignments my teachers have sent to me, my laptop and I must replace my phone, is there any way I can get the driver to take me back to school?"

"I'm afraid not today. Today is his day off," my mother tells me.

Of course, it is. "It's Tuesday? Who takes off on a Tuesday?" My mom just shrugs apologetically at my question as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

"I can drive you?" Tina offers.

"No, that's, okay. I'll pay for a car to pick me up," I tell her and pull out my phone from my pocket out of habit. Tina is now smirking at me. I can't believe she is smirking at me.

"Come on. It would be cheaper and quicker if you let me take you," she reasons.

"Fine!" I hear the buzzer go off from the dryer. "I'll go get your clothes, we'll leave as soon as you have them back on."

Tina flushes at my indelicate mention of the fact that she's sitting naked under that robe in my kitchen. Her blushing makes me think of her being naked too, which causes me to mumble a curse under my breath as I leave the room.