Highness (The Lonely Heart Series) by Latrivia S. Nelson Page A

man.
    ***
    LouAnn arrived at dawn to begin her day with Hope.  Letting herself in with the key that Bree had given her, she made her way quietly in the house and slowly tiptoed down the corridor to the kitchen.  As soon as she flicked on the light to the kitchen, she nearly jumped out of her skin.  Surprisingly, Hope was there sitting quietly with a cup of tea.
    “Oh my goodness,” LouAnn said, grabbing her heart.  “You gave me a start.”
    “Sorry,” Hope said with a smile.  “I sort of don’t need the light right now.”
    “Logically,” LouAnn said, setting down her lunch bag on the counter.  “Why are you up so early?”
    “Bree just left not too long ago.  I didn’t want to miss saying goodbye.”  She picked up the coffee mug and sniffed the lavender tea. “I’m hoping this will put me back to bed, but it’s not likely.  When I get up, I tend to be up for the rest of the day.”
    “Me too,” LouAnn said, looking around the kitchen.  “Want some breakfast?”
    “Not really hungry,” Hope answered.  “But I woke up with a bit of good news.  I’m seeing more than just a little light.  I saw shadows.”
    “Progress.”  LouAnn came to sit down by her.  “I was talking to Bree yesterday about some things that need to be taken care of around the house.  I’m thinking that you might need a handyman.”
    “Lay the list on me,” Hope said, ready to hear the bad news.
    “Well, the barn door needs to be replaced from a storm that passed through while you were at the hospital, the yard needs to be edged really bad, the gutters need to be cleaned, and evidently your roof has a few shingles that came off.”
    Hope huffed. “Those are things that I don’t think we can handle on our own.”
    LouAnn chuckled. “I’m no good with a hammer.”
    “Me either.  Okay, we’ll get someone in here as soon as we can. I’ll make that my priority.”
    “Are you sure you don’t want me to handle it?” LouAnn offered.
    “You’re sweet, but no. You’re doing enough.”
    “Well, what’s on the menu today?” LouAnn asked.
    “Laundry.”  Hope hated laundry more than she hated paying taxes, but it was a necessary evil.  She cast a hopeful smile.  “And then, I was hoping that you might help me take a walk.  I normally run a few miles a day and being in the house has really been taking its toll on me.  I think more endorphins might help my mood and help stunt my growing ass.”
    LouAnn laughed.  “The story of my life, girl.  Sounds good to me.  Since I’ll only be here every day until five, I’ll get started separating clothes and linen ASAP and then we can take a walk before it gets too hot outside.”
    “Thanks, LouAnn,” Hope said appreciatively. 
    ***
    At eight o’clock in the morning, Michael woke from his peaceful slumber.  Somewhere in between reading the many articles on Hope’s up and coming career and viewing her website, he had finally fallen asleep in the middle of the night.  Only when he did, he dreamed of her.  She was standing under an oak tree in a yellow sundress smiling at him with the sun at her back and the wind in her hair.  That was all that he remembered, but that was more than enough.
    With the laptop stuck under his left side digging into his ribs, he cracked his eyes open and looked out of the window. 
    Shit, it was finally morning. 
    Jumping up, he knocked the Apple MacBook Air onto the floor and nearly stepped on it as he ran into the bathroom to shower.  
    A normally sluggish demeanor had all but dissipated in him at the prospect of seeing Hope again.  He had a new mission in mind, and it wasn’t to find a job as much as it was to get closer to the woman in his dreams.  She was more amazing than he had first thought.  She loved art, so did he.  She didn’t mind being different, neither did he.  And she could not judge him on his looks, status, thus his short comings.  It was a great feeling.  For once, he had a clean slate.
    Now,