He was about to call out to let her know the jig was up. He had no idea if she was in the bathroom, had snuck out to the private garden—although the alarm would probably have notified him if she’d used a door to the outside—was hiding in the closet or what. But just as he opened his mouth, he glanced in the full-length mirror next to the TV and saw the bottom of her sneakers.

She was under the bed.

Rather than let her know he was on to her, he decided to teach her a lesson by trapping her under there for a few more minutes. And just to make her as uncomfortable as possible, he got his razor from his suitcase and stripped down to his boxers before sitting on the end of the bed to watch TV while he shaved. This was what he’d be doing if she weren’t around. If she was going to hide in his room, she had to understand that she might see more of him than she ever cared to.

He liked imagining how much it must’ve made her squirm when she heard the plop of his clothes hit the floor and could barely hold back his laughter. He was diabolical. The skittish creature he’d met had to be dying to escape. He thought the noise of his shaver might make her feel safe enough to crawl out and try to sneak back into the entryway, at which point he’d let her know she could come over to take care of the bird and the plants at designated times but could not invade his privacy by sneaking around the place.

Pretending to be searching for a good show, he flipped through television channels while he shaved and continued to keep an eye on the reflection in the mirror.

Her feet moved as she inched toward the edge of the bed closest to the door. She was getting ready to make a dash for it. He smiled to think how easy it was going to be to catch her.

But when she didn’t dare to try and he was finished shaving, he grew tired of the game.

Having earlier hauled the sculpture he’d created all the way up to the gallery/office on the top floor, along with some canvases and other painting supplies, he wanted to grab a shower before he started work. So he put his razor away, turned off the TV and left the room as though he was going into the kitchen.

Surely, she’d bolt now, he thought and hid on one side of the doorway.

He didn’t have to wait long. She came out of the room almost immediately. But when he stepped over to confront her, she was running so fast she barreled right into him.