Nonverbal - Aria Grace Page 0,2

other than my mom.

“My parents love you.” Avery filled a water cup with iced tea and leaned against the counter as she drank it.

“They seem nice.”

“They want me to ask if you’d be interested in this caretaking job they have open for my brother.”

“What?” Avery had mentioned her brother a few times but not in any detail. “Like babysitting?”

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, not like that. He’s twenty but he needs… I don’t know. A companion or whatever.”

“Companion? What does that mean?”

She inhaled deeply and slowly blew out the breath. “We have an apartment over the garage that you could live in for free, and they’ll pay $500 a week. You can still work here if you want but you probably won’t need to.”

“A free apartment?” I was in, no matter what the job consisted of, but if they paid that much and were willing to let me live there, it had to be shitty work. “What would I do?”

Her eyes went wide, and her cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. “They can explain it to you. It’s not hard or anything. Do you want to come by for dinner sometime this week? You can meet Liam and get the details.”

“Sure.” I was ready to leave right then. The job sounded too good to be true. And that’s when I realized it probably was. “Wait, why don’t you just do it? That’s a lot more money than you make here.”

Avery scoffed and pushed off the counter. “Hell no. I’ve been taking care of my brother for as long as I can remember. They make me do it for free. Besides, it’s a ‘life skills’ kinda gig. You’re much better suited for the job than me.”

I wasn’t exactly crushing it in the life skills department, but with my lack of other job prospects, I couldn’t be picky. I’d still look for something corporate as a long-term career, but the immediate boost in salary plus a free apartment was just too good to pass up. “Tell your parents I’m free any night this week.”

Three

I don’t know what I was expecting, but the mansion I pulled up in front of was definitely not it. Mansion was probably not the right word, but the Brenners definitely had more money than Avery let on. She didn’t act like a rich kid, and since she was working for minimum wage at a deli, I’d assumed she came from a middle-class family like I did.

I was wrong.

The gate was open when I pulled up, and I think it was the first time I’d ever driven through a gate for a single house. Several cars were lined up in the circular driveway, including Avery’s Jetta, so I knew I was in the right place. I just couldn’t believe it.

My nerves were starting to get the best of me and thoughts of leaving snuck into my mind. But I didn’t want to give up this job. They could obviously afford someone with actual skills and experience in…whatever this job was. So, if they were willing to take a chance on a sandwich boy, I was willing to take a chance on them.

My knuckles rapped firmly against the front door as I sucked in a deep breath. I barely had enough time to convince myself I could do this before the door was pulled open.

Mrs. Brenner seemed giddy as she threw her arm out with a flourish. “Wyatt, welcome.” She stepped back and made room for me to come in. “We’re so happy you could make it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Brenner. I was definitely surprised when Avery told me about the job.”

“Oh, right.” Her eyes went wide. “What did she tell you?”

Now I was confused. Was I mistaken about the reason for my invitation? “Uh, she said you have a live-in companion position for your son. Am I mistaken?”

“No, no.” She smiled and ushered me farther inside the foyer. “That’s right. Yes, you just seemed like such a nice young man and we—Bill and I—thought you’d be perfect for the position.”

I nodded and met her gaze. “I appreciate it. It sounds like a great opportunity.”

“Liam is playing right now, but you can say hi so he’s not surprised to see you at the dinner table.” She turned toward the staircase and started walking up. “Please, follow me.”

Wordlessly, I followed behind her, casually checking out the framed portraits lining the walls. The guy in the family photos had to be Liam, but that didn’t