Chapter 71: Spending time with you

"That is true. Let’s split this," Selen said. She picked up the table knife Clancy had used earlier to cut the sandwich in half. Clancy took his half, and they both ate what was left in a comfortable silence.

That was her way of acknowledging his story. She did not say, "I’m sorry about your grandpa," or offer any typical sympathy. She just let him enjoy the memory of someone he clearly cared about without making it weird.

After they finished, Selen cleared the counter. Clancy looked at his watch and realized how late it actually was. "I have to get back to my hotel now," he said, pushing himself up from the stool.

She did not respond right away. She stood by the sink, clearly thinking about what she wanted to say next. "You can stay here tonight," she said. Clancy froze. He wondered if it was the opposite day. He looked at her in total surprise.

"Really?" He asked, with his voice laced with doubt. "Just to be clear, you are saying that I can sleep here? In your house? All of us under the same roof?" he asked. She nodded her head, yes.

"It is late. Way too late for your driver to get here and then drive you, and I think the estate gates require a special code to let anyone out at this time. The security system changes over late hours."

She brushed a strand of hair back. "And I cannot promise to be awake to tell you what the code is by the time you get down there. Plus, it will make the children’s day to see you early in the morning for the first time." She added.

Maybe it was still the familiarity from the game or the excitement from seeing Diana move freely, but she was sincerely offering Clancy of all people, a spot to sleep in her home.

Clancy smiled and nodded. "Alright, thank you. I will take the couch." he said. "Or the guest room, whatever you choose," she said.

As she spoke, her tone immediately shifted back to normal. The brief warmth in her voice vanished, completely free of the concern he thought he had heard earlier when they were laughing and playing and when he made the sandwich. She was back to her usual, practical self.

"The guest room has clean sheets," she added, walking toward the exit of the kitchen. "There are extra towels in the bathroom if you need them."

Clancy followed her down the hall, trying to keep his footsteps quiet so he would not wake the kids. Selen pulled a heavy blanket from the closet and handed it to him.

"There are fresh towels in the adjoining bathroom," Selen murmured, pointing toward a door on the left. "And the extra blankets are in the closet if the air conditioning gets too cold. I usually keep it low at night.

"This is perfect, Selen. Really, thank you," Clancy said, stepping into the room and setting his car keys down on the wooden nightstand.

"Goodnight, Selen. Thanks again." he said as he stood in front of the room Selen had assigned to him. She gave him a brief nod. "Goodnight. Just turn off the hall light when you are done." she said and went into her room and shut the door.

With a final, brief nod, she pulled the door shut, leaving him alone in the silence of the room. Clancy stood still for a moment, listening to the faint sound of her footsteps retreating down the hall until a distant door clicked shut.

He let out a long, slow breath he had not realized he was holding. Slipping out of his dress shirt, he draped it carefully over the back of a nearby chair and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

The bed was comfortable, a far cry from the couch he had willingly volunteered to sleep on just minutes prior. He observed the neatly arranged room and then he climbed into bed, glad he did not have to drive back to a lonely hotel room, and tried to sleep.

Clancy spent most of the time tossing and turning in bed, his body unfamiliar with the environment. How was it that a man who would always travel for business and could sleep in any hotel, suddenly had insomnia on that particular night where he was sleeping at Selen’s home for the first time.

"Was that it? Is that why I can not sleep? Because this is her house?" He wondered.

Or was it because her guest room did not have the smell of hotels that had now become familiar with him- the overly cleaned floors that carried the smell of cleaning agents lingering on them, or the smell of machine fresh sheets and perfume scented air fresheners.

He resisted the urge to take a walk around the house to prevent waking anyone up so early and just shut his eyes close long enough to drift into the abyss of sleep.

The following morning, Clancy woke up and got dressed in his dress shirt from the previous day. He had a pair of clothes in his car that followed him everywhere, but he did not want to be a bother and just waited till he got to his hotel to take a shower.

As he left the guest room, he was welcomed by the sound of the children in their bedrooms with Sarah and their mom. Clancy got to the closest door and gave it a small knock. He waited for an invitation before opening the door and going in.

"No way!" Daniel exclaimed when he saw that it was Clancy who came in. They had never seen him so early during the day. Both boys said hello to Clancy by asking multiple questions all at once.

"Did you stay here last night? Do you live here now? Where is your room? Does that mean that we will see you every time now?" They both interrogated.

Clancy calmed them down, "one at a time please. And to answer most of the questions, no I do not live here, your mom just gave me a place to sleep since it was so late. She is really nice" he said to them. "Mummy is always nice," Daniel said in a soft and low tone and Clancy nodded in agreement.