My House, My Rules (13 page)

Alex winced. “Like I said, I ran out of time,” she said. At his disbelieving look she added, “I don't like to clean.”

“That was more honest, but you know full well that you do have plenty of time to keep the house clean. Sometimes, you might get distracted.” He tapped the lid of her laptop. “Or, you just don't get around to it. Maybe you just don't feel like doing it, but you're a grown up lady, and you have responsibilities. I know it's your house, but I want you to be proud of it and care for it properly. You need to set a good example for your children.” He started to write another rule then stopped. “I've also noticed that when your sister's here, she cleans up for you.”

“I don't expect her to,” Alex said. “She just does it.”

“If there was no mess to clean up, she wouldn't feel she has to.” He went back to writing the rule.

3. Unless there's a very good reason, like a pressing appointment or someone, including yourself, being sick, you will keep your own house clean. If your sister comes to visit, she won't find it necessary to clean up for you, because it will already be done.

“What if your idea of cleaning isn't the same as my idea of cleaning?”

“Then we'll make a separate list of the chores that should be done daily, weekly, etc.,” Jay said.

“Um, that still doesn't really answer my question,” she said, adding a smile to try and hide the fact she was irritated. “What if I don't do things the way you have them on the list?”

“Then you can tell me why it is you don't agree with the list. If your objection is reasonable, I'll change the chore list. I will expect you to stick to the list once it's been finalized though.”

“Are you going to spank me every time I break a rule?”

“Probably,” Jay said. “Although the severity of the spanking and what I use will depend on the rule and how many times you've broken it.”

“I don't like that wooden spoon,” Alex said.

Jay smiled. “I'll keep that in mind,” he said with a chuckle. “I'll jot down a few more standard rules at the end. Did you think about anything you want my help with?”

Alex sat motionless and silent, but it was clear that there was plenty going on inside her head.

Jay watched the emotions change on her face as she tried to process something. He could have sworn she was going to tell him something, say something, but then she changed her mind.

“Alex?”

“Huh?” she answered distractedly.

“Is there something you need help with?” Jay asked. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“Yes,” she blurted out and then burst into tears.

“Shh,” he said pulling her off her own chair and into his lap. “Don't cry. It can't be that bad. Have you done something? Are you in some kind of trouble?”

“There's something I've left.”

“Left? Alex, I don't understand.” He didn't. He sat and held her until she finally stopped crying enough to talk.

“After Steve died, I didn't want things to change,” she said.

“That's only natural.”

“That's not it,” she said nervously.

“Okay, why don't you tell me.”

“I'm trying,” she said with a sob. “There were two lots of insurance. There was life insurance and mortgage insurance.”

“So, the house is paid for?”

“Yes,” she said. “The other insurance, the life insurance, was paid and it was in the bank, and the bank guy said I should put it into an investment account.”

“And you didn't?”

“Not exactly,” she said, her breath catching in her throat. “I was going to, but I kept putting it off. I was feeling really down. The sadness just went on and on. The boys were sad too, and I didn't want our lives to change any more than they had to. After a while, I knew I'd waited too long and maybe dipped into the money too much, and I got scared.”

“So, someone at the bank tried to get you to invest the money and then live off the interest, right?” He was trying to find out how bad this all was, but it wasn't easy.

“Yes,” she said. “I didn't. The money was in my account, and I just kept using it.”

“Okay,” he said. “So, as far as you know, there's still money left?

“I don't know!” she yelled, although she was more upset than angry.

Jay's eyes widened. “You didn't think to get a balance?” How does a woman, a woman with two children not know how much money she has left when she doesn't have a job or a way to generate any more? She must be terrified. “Okay, honey. Do you have bank statements?”

Alex shrugged. “Maybe.”

Jay ran a hand through his hair. “Do you have any letters from the bank?”

This time Alex nodded. “I've been too scared to look at them.”

“Oh, Alex,” Jay said. “For how long?”

“Since it happened!” she wailed loudly.

“Okay. About three years,” Jay said taking both her hands in his. “No time like the present. Let's open them up and see what needs to done.”

Alex nodded again, mutely.

“Then when we've sorted this out, we are going to write down some very strict rules about money spending, taking care of accounts,
and
ignoring mail!”

“Yes, Jay,” she said.

“And, Alex?”

“Yes ?” She answered, with her bottom lip trembling.

“Things are going to be okay. You don't have to do this alone, I'll help you if you're prepared to let me.”

Chapter Eight

She threw herself into his arms and once again burst into tears. This time though, her tears weren't because her bottom was on fire or because she was afraid. She was crying with relief because she didn't have to deal with things alone anymore.

Jay held Alex at arm’s length and looked at her with caring but steadfast eyes. “Are you ready to try things my way?” he asked.

“Yes,” Alex said with a nod. She grabbed a trash bag, went to one of the drawers in the kitchen, and emptied a bunch of unopened mail into the bag.

“Is that all of it?” Jay asked.

Alex shook her head and headed up the stairs. There was a box in the hall closet, and she emptied that too into the bag.

“Is that it?” Jay asked hopefully.

“No. Not quite,” Alex said quietly. He watched curiously as she walked out the front door. Unable to just sit and wait, he followed her.

“The car?” he asked. Loudly. “Young lady, you're keeping important mail in the car?”

Alex turned around and shushed him but immediately regretted it when she saw his eyebrow raise. It seemed he wasn't a fan of her style of bookkeeping or her method of getting him to be quiet. Or maybe it was the act of trying to make him be quiet at all. Or all three. “I know it seems a little lax. I just, um, sometimes I'd get the mail on my way in, and I just put it in the glove compartment until I had a chance to get to it.”

“When was that going to be?” he asked. “Three years is a long time to be busy.”

“I know,” she said with a wince. “Time flies?”

“This isn't funny.”

“I know. I just, um, was trying to lighten the mood. Sorry.”

“Okay. Get it all out, and we'll open it together. Whatever it is isn't going to go away because you ignore it.”

Alex nodded and shoved all the envelopes and various pieces of junk mail that had been crammed into the small space in the bag with the others. “That's all of it,” she said.

“Okay,” Jay muttered under his breath. “Let's go see how we can fix this.”

Jay looked at Alex sternly over the top of the piles of letters. He would really like to take her over his knee for this. He knew she must have been scared, but this was so irresponsible and neglectful. Still, it had been happening for a while before he came on the scene, and he couldn't really punish her for that. He better not find one more piece of unopened mail stashed anywhere after this day though, or she wouldn't be sitting comfortably for a week.

“ALEX!” he said suddenly. He'd just opened a large yellow envelope. “These are the deeds to your house! They could have been thrown away!”

Whoops, Alex thought. “Lucky you found them,” she quipped sheepishly.

“This is not funny,” he said. “This is serious stuff.”

“I know that,” she said. “If I'd known they were the deeds to the house I would have opened the envelope.”

“When something says 'Important Information Inside', you open it,” Jay said emphatically. “Regardless of whether or not you don't think you might like the contents.”

“Okay. Jay. For God's sake, I get it! I should have opened the mail! You don't have to go on and on about it!” She followed her unimpressed speech with a stomp of her foot.

As soon as the words left her mouth and her foot had landed, Alex realized she may have let that last statement slip through her lips with just a tad too much attitude. She held her hands up to signal a truce so she could apologize, but the man who was staring at her didn't look like he was interested in her too little, too late apologies. At all.

“Um, Jay, I can see how you thought that may have come out wrong,” she said, stepping backwards as he rose from the table without breaking eye contact at all. “I—I mean, I just, what I meant to say was that of course I should have opened the mail.”

“Uh huh,” he said, looking less than convinced as he rounded on her. He wasn't even hurrying, and she could have run, if she had a death wish. That look on his face was kind of daring her to run, to see what would happen. “I've warned you several times about your attitude.”

“I'm sorry!” she tried. “I
will
can the attitude, I
will
. I promise!”

“Yes, you will,” he said. He grabbed hold of her arm, sat on one of the kitchen chairs, and bent her over his knee, his hand immediately connecting with the back of her jeans. “You will
not
give me attitude because you don't want to hear what I'm saying.”

His hard hand was biting her butt with stinging smacks, even through the thick denim. “I won't!” she said desperately. “I promise!”

“You will
not
stomp your foot like a child throwing a two-year-old tantrum!”

“I'm sorry, Jay!” she yelled rocking from side to side to try and avoid his hard swats.

“You will
not
give me attitude at
all
.” Every word was punctuated with a hard spank. Her eyes widened as his hand slipped underneath her. He expertly undid the button of her jeans and slid down the zipper. “Lift up,” he said.

“Not on my bare bottom, please,” she begged.

“Lift. Up,” he said. “I won't tell you again.”

Inwardly cursing herself for losing control, Alex did as she was asked, not wanting to make it any worse than it was going to be.

Jay pulled down her jeans and underwear in one fell swoop, sadly missing out on the pretty new panties she'd donned that morning in the hope that he might get to see them.

When she felt a cool rush of air across her already warm bottom, Alex did the only thing left for her to do. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped like hell he would be happy to just use his hand.

* * *

Jay took a moment to admire his pink handprints that were splattered over Alex's white bottom. He hadn't spanked her in the last couple of weeks, wanting her to have a chance to absorb what she'd agreed to trying. It hadn't been easy, and he'd had to ignore his itching hand more than once, but here they were, at the start of a new beginning. He ran his hand over her soft skin before slapping each cheek hard. He had to let her know that he wouldn't accept attitude even if she did find the adjustment hard.

“I said I was sorry!” she cried. “Stop.”

Jay spanked his wriggling target for just a few more minutes before helping her to stand.

“That hurt,” she said with a pout while attempting to rub out the sting.

“You were warned,” was all Jay said before replacing her panties and jeans.

“I didn't know we'd started yet,” she grumbled.

“Well, now you do.” he said.

“Fine,” she said, realizing she wouldn't win this argument.

“Do you need some corner time?” he asked. “Because you’re sounding very much like I didn't spank you hard enough.

“No. I'm just fine. I was agreeing with you,” she said with a glowing, if a little false, smile.

“Uh huh,” he said.

* * *

“Okay, that's it, the last of them.” Jay said. “I think we should put each pile into date order.” From what he'd seen of a statement dated a couple of months prior, there was still money in the bank, but he wanted to make sure.

“Okay,” Jay said finally after looking through all the statements. “You're not in dire straits, but you will be if you don't take care of this.”

“So, I still have money?” she asked, relief finally showing on her face.

“Yes, you do, Alex. But you're going to need to take care of it,” he said. “I don't pretend to know everything about investments, so I want you to make an appointment at the bank tomorrow for as soon as you can get one. You need to listen to some advice. I would say keep some of the money in your account to pay bills and live on and such, but you're going to have to invest some too. You're going to have to learn to live on a budget.”

“I can do a budget,” she said.

“Well, good. Come on, let's go box the stuff you need until we can get a proper file and then get rid of the rest. We still have a few hours until school's out.”

“Okay,” Alex said. “And, Jay, thanks for your help. I do appreciate it. I'm sorry for being a bit of a brat.”

“You're welcome,” he said. “I wouldn't say you were a brat. You were stressed, but you need to learn to handle that.”

“I don't think you understand what a relief this is.”

“I think I can imagine.”

“So, you're not mad?”

“No, of course not,” he said. “I get why you got in a mess, so long as you understand that now it's time to change.”

“I do,” she said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his neck. “I'm a fast learner.”

“Good. Then this should be easy for you. I'll be expecting organized things. Starting from tomorrow. I want you to open any mail as soon as you get it, and I expect you to start the cleaning list tomorrow.” He handed her a piece of paper that had chores written up. Some were weekly, some were daily.