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Chapter 2

Jewel is sitting in her office Monday morning, typing a manuscript. She loves her job in Rainbow Publishing House. Some people may find it boring, but not her. She�s a very organized person and being a secretary suits her well. Suddenly, the door of her office opened and a tall, middle-aged man came in.
�Hi, Jewel!�
�Hi, Mr. Sullivan! Anything I can do for you?� she asked.
�Yes, in fact, there is. I�d like you to make a report on the books that we have published for the past six months. You know the routine. And also, I�d like you to put this in your file,� he said as he handed her a folder.
�Sure. Is there anything else?�
�Not really,� he said. �So, how�s the apartment-hunting going?�
That is one reason why Jewel enjoyed working there. Mr. Sullivan is concerned with his employees. He treats them as equals and not as subordinates. He�s also very friendly.
�Well, not too good. I haven�t found a place that�s near the office.�
�I see. It can be hard sometimes,� he said. �Well, I�ll leave you to your work. I expect the report by the end of this week.�
�Yes, sir.�
Mr. Sullivan turned to leave, but as he reached for the doorknob, he turned around and said, �Oh, and good luck with your apartment-hunting.�
�Thanks, Mr. Sullivan,� Jewel smiled and then he left the room.

After a few minutes, her phone rang. It was Andi, and she sounds excited.
�Jewel, can you meet me at Winsted�s for lunch?�
�Sure. What�s up?�
�I�ll tell you at lunch. See you later!�
�Alright. Bye!� Then they hang up. What is this all about?
At about 12:30, she is sitting in one of the tables at Winsted�s. It�s one of her favorite restaurants because it�s not too fancy. Soon, Andi came in and spotted her immediately. She sat in front of Jewel, her blue eyes shining.
�Boy, have I got good news for you!� she bubbled excitedly.
�Really? What is it?� Jewel asked, her curiosity peaking.
�Your apartment-hunting days are over!�
Jewel raised her right eyebrow. �Andi, what are you talking about?�
�I�ll tell you in a minute. Let�s order some food first.�
They gave their orders to a passing waiter, and after a few minutes, they were having their lunch.
�So, this is what happened,� Andi started after swallowing a piece of cabbage from her salad. �Erm� you do know A1, right?�
�Yeah, I do. But what�s that got to do with-�
�Let me finish first,� Andi interrupted, holding up her right hand. �Alright. Well, their managers were in my boss� office this morning. I heard them talking about A1�s next album-�
�That�s cool!� It was Jewel�s turn to interrupt.
�I know, but here comes the best part,� Andi continued. �Mr. Donovan asked them how the boys are, and I heard that they just bought a house so that they could all live together during the recording of the new album.� She forked a piece of tomato and popped it inside her mouth.
�Yeah, and�?� Jewel dipped a piece of French fries that went with her burger in some ketchup.
�And, they�re looking for someone to live in that house when the boys are on tour or when they�re with their own families. Kind of like a house-sitter.�
�Uh-huh�� She was hoping that Andi�s going to say what she think Andi�s going to say.
�It�s a five-bedroom house, fully furnished, and it�s located in the Green Valley Estate.�
�Green Valley Estate?� Jewel couldn�t believe her ears. �That�s just a few blocks away from the publishing house!�
�I know,� Andi smiled. �I already spoke to Mr. Donovan, and he immediately talked to one of the managers on the phone. And then he told me that if you are ready, you can move in immediately.�
�You mean�?�
�Yes! You just might be having a new house!�
�Oh my gosh! Andi, I can�t believe this!� She hugged her friend from across the table. �Thank you so much! How can I repay you for this?�
Andi hugged her back. �By inviting me over as soon as you get settled there.�
Jewel laughed. �Deal!� She sat back on her chair. �I do have to meet with someone about the house, right?�
�Yeah,� Andi replied. �Can you come to my boss� office tomorrow morning? Mr. Byrne and Ms. Blood are going to have another meeting with Mr. Donovan. You can meet them then.�
�Okay. I�ll just have to tell my boss that I�d be late,� Jewel said. �Wow� this is really unbelievable. Just when I thought that I might never find a place to live�� She smiled at Andi. �I can�t wait!�

The next morning Jewel was waiting in the lobby of Mr. Donovan�s office. She could hardly contain her excitement and nervousness. She knew that A1�s managers are already inside the office; she could hear them discussing something. Suddenly, the door opened, and Andi came out.
�Well, are you ready?� she asked.
�Yeah, I guess so,� Jewel tried to smile, despite her nerves.
Andi ushered her into the room, where a man and a woman were sitting side by side in front of the desk. Mr. Donovan was smiling as she entered the room.
�Ah, you must be Jewel Summers, Andi�s friend,� he said. �Have a seat.�
�Thank you,� Jewel sat down on the chair on the right side of the desk. �Good morning,� Jewel looked at him, and then at the two managers.
�Good morning, Jewel,� the lady said and smiled. The other man smiled at her.
�Allow me to introduce these two,� Mr. Donovan said. �This is Vicky Blood, and this is Tim Byrne.�
�Nice to meet you, sir, ma�am,� Jewel greeted politely.
�Nice to meet you, too,� Tim said. �But, please, let�s not be too formal. Drop the �Sir� and the �Ma�am� and call us with our first names.�
Jewel smiled. �Alright.�
�Okay. Let�s get down to it, shall we?� Vicky said. �We understand that you would want to be the house-sitter of the �A1 house�, as the boys like to call it. Are you sure you don�t mind being the only girl in the house?�
�No, I don�t mind. Besides, I understand that they would only stay there during some recordings. And that they�re going to start touring after some promotions.�
�That�s right. Now we�d like you to understand a few things first before you can start to move in,� Tim started. �There will be a cleaning lady who will come by every week, so you don�t have to worry about house cleaning. Also, we will give you a list of numbers of plumbers, electricians and others, just in case something needs to be fixed in the house.� He continued. �You are free to use the phone, but you�re going to have to pay for long-distance calls. Water and electricity bills will be paid for, so you don�t have to worry. You have to provide food for yourself. But when the boys will be living there, you can split the expenses for groceries with them. And, we will be paying you $100 per month. Is that amount okay with you?�
�Yes, definitely. I mean, you already are allowing me to live there for free. That would have been enough.�
�So, that�s all settled then,� Vicky smiled. She reached for her handbag, and got a pair of keys and a piece of paper. �Here are the keys to the house, and the address.� She gave them to Jewel. �I hope you�ll enjoy it there.� She smiled and extended her hand
�Thanks! I will,� Jewel returned her smile and shook Vicky�s hand.
They all stood up. And as Tim shook her hand, he said, �When will you be moving in?�
�I will start packing my stuff immediately, and I might move in this Saturday.�
�Alright. If you have any questions,� Tim reached for his breast pocket and held out a small card to her. �Call us at this number.�
�Okay,� she said as she took the card. �Thank you both so very much.�
Jewel left the office after a few minutes. Tim and Vicky still have a few more matters to discuss with Mr. Donovan. Andi walked with her out of the room, but she couldn�t talk for long since she still has work to do. Jewel took a cab to her office. I can�t believe this is happening! I can�t wait to start moving in, she thought.

The days went by quickly. Saturday morning, Jewel and Andi were putting all her things at the back of the car that Andi rented.
�You must be excited, huh?� Andi said.
�You bet!� Jewel beamed at her friend. �Thanks so much again for letting me stay. And, for finding me a place to live!�
�I didn�t find you a place to live,� Andi disagreed. �I just told you about it.�
�Whatever. I still owe you one.�
�Yeah. Or two�� Andi joked.
Jewel laughed. �Well, let�s get going!�

After a fifteen-minute drive, they arrived at the �A1 house�. It has a nice little garden in the front. There�s also a garage, and there�s a medium-sized swimming pool at the back. The girls got a few boxes from the car and went inside the house. It�s not really too big but it looks comfortable.
�Wow, it�s beautiful in here!� Jewel said.
�Yeah�� Andi marveled at the living room. �This place looks cozy.�
�I better start putting my stuff away,� she said as she carried a box and started to go upstairs.
Andi followed her, carrying another box. �I wonder when those A1 boys will be coming��
�Well, I called up Tim yesterday to ask him that. And he said that they�ll be here in a couple of weeks,� Jewel informed her.
�I see,� Andi nodded. They reached the top of the stairs and were facing a bedroom. �Which one�s your room?� There are two other bedrooms to their right. There was a window on the left end of the hallway, and on the right end, there was the bathroom.
�Vicky told me that the last one on the left is mine,� she said. �So, that must be it. Near the bathroom.� They proceeded to that room. Opposite Jewel�s room is another room and there�s another bedroom next to it. Jewel opened the door and they both went inside. A double bed is on her right, facing the left end of the room where a built-in wardrobe is. A vanity is just beside the wardrobe. Beside the bed is a small table with a lampshade. There is a desk on the left side of the bed. A couple of windows with white curtains are opposite the door. And there are two armchairs and a small table by the window. There�s also a door to the right of the windows which leads to a small balcony.
Andi let out a small whistle. �Simple, but sweet.�
�This is lovely,� Jewel said as she put down the box and examined the room. She walked towards the windows. �I can see the park from here!�
�No doubt about it. This is a great place you have here.�
�Yeah�� Jewel said, still looking out the window. I�m going to like living here, she thought. And then, remembering that she still has a lot to do, she said, �Let�s go get the rest of the stuff.�
�Alright. Then maybe we could grab a bite somewhere afterwards,� Andi suggested.
�Okay,� Jewel replied. �Oh, speaking of bite, can you come with me to the grocery so I can pick up a few things? This place needs to be stacked with food if the boys will be here in a few days.�
�Sure. We can go to the grocery after we eat,� Andi said. �Let�s get going. I�m getting hungry!�

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