"How was your night?" I ask my sister down the phone, only to receive a sigh in return. 

"I am so tired."

"Again?" 

"Oh yeah. Can you remember the time they slept through the night with no problems? I miss those nights."

I smile slightly, feeling bad for the predicament she is in now. "Maybe it's just teething pains? You have just moved to a new house, it could be excitement. We were the same when we moved houses." I reminded her.

"I know, which is why I am cutting them some slack, but Christ on a Cracker, I'm dead on my feet. I thought they had this stage when they were babies. Not 6 years old."

"What's the next step to all this then?"

My sister sighs again. "I have no clue."

My heart went out to her, it really did from the moment she gave birth in hospital and was told not to expect one baby, but two. Throughout 9 months of her pregnancy, one baby hid behind the other, leading to doctors to believe that one large baby was on its way. Instead, my sister gave birth to one healthy 8lb baby girl, which she called Olivia, only to deliver a second baby girl weighing only 3lbs, called Grace. Because she really was a grace from God. 

Whilst Grace was slightly underweight, the little might soon showed her strength and has now grown up to be the boisterous, confident twin, whilst Olivia was shy and timid.

After a rocky marriage, my sister moved to Vegas to be closer to me, especially after our mom decided to do the 'I told you so.' 

I flocked to her side and helped with the ever growing twins as well as help her move her things into a new house. Giving her endless support because I couldn't imagine how she felt...

Until 2 weeks ago.

When I returned home early from work, feeling sick, only to find my partner in bed with another woman. It was only when I saw the movements in the sheets that I threw up on the floor and on a pile of their clothes. Karma was quick to return, because she grabbed my silk robe to leave the house in after I threw up the third time on her dress. 

Her dress looked like cheap material anyway. 

"How are you holding up?" My sister questions. 

It's my turn to sigh down the phone "Okay, he keeps calling, wanting to apologise, to explain. How do you explain cheating? I'm sorry, I slipped and landed in her lady garden?"

My sister laughs quietly "I'm sorry, I know it's not funny but-"

"It's fine. But seriously, how can you explain yourself out of it?"

"That's exactly the problem. He isn't going to admit he has done wrong, he just wants a chance to push the blame. I know it hurts, Pip. But stay strong."

Hearing her call me Pip, a nickname from our childhood has me smiling. "You two, Squeak."

"Ugh, I hate that."

"But we were always Pip & Squeak."

"One chest infection and I am forever a squeaky toy."

I giggle "You love it. I have to go now, but message me if you need any help with Thing 1 & Thing 2."

"I will. But I'll probably need sleep more than anything. I've tried to wear them out all day, we are sat in the park now, I'm hoping they burn all the energy and just sleep."

"Good luck."

"Thanks. Speak soon. Love you." 

"Love you too."

I hang up the phone and watch the screen fade, ignoring all the countless messages and phone calls which have come through from he who shall not be named, and I don't mean Voldemort. 

Rubbing life into my face, I give my cheeks a quick pinch to push some colour into them before getting out and fixing my hair into a messy bun. 

The house before me was beautiful, not only inside but outside too as I grab a few items from the back of the van. Approaching the first set of iron gates, I punch in the numbers and wait for the buzz when the latch releases, allowing me to slip inside. The sound of trickling water adds style and ambience as I get to the front door and it's brick wall of cascading water feature. 

Fishing the keys from my pocket, I fiddle around until I find the black key and let myself in through the glass and iron sculpted doors, still feeling the burst of appreciation every time I laid eyes on them. Closing it behind me, I slipped my keys back into my pocket and waited. 

A couple seconds ticked by and sure enough, nails clipping against the light brown marble floor led to a dog appearing with a wagging tail. 

"Hello doggo. How are you today?" I ask walking in the direction of her and the kitchen. With a hello bark, the black and white collie runs off out of sight, no doubt to the kitchen too. 

Setting down my cleaning caddy, I took a look around the room, assessing my jobs for today. For the past year I have been coming here and have yet to meet the owner. Through the cleaning company I work for, I had been allocated a number of homes and most of the time, there would be passing moments between myself and the homeowners. But for this house, there hadn't been a single one, all I had gathered was that the home owner travelled and was a single male. 

That was based purely on the clothes that I washed and ironed.

The sound of the dishwasher alarm, alerted me that a load was finished and it was the most simplest of things like that, that made me appreciate this home owner. I have entered houses before where every utensil, glass, cup and plate has been used and left on the side, sometimes with food and mould still on the plates, whilst the dishwasher has remained empty and less than a foot away. 

It's not until you step into some bodies home to clean, that you realise how lazy they are.
Walking into the utility room, I found that his clothes had been separated from colours to darks, albeit not a lot of coloured clothing, but still some, ready to be washed.

Another point to Mr Home Owner.

Checking the washing machine, I placed the black clothes inside and started the cycle, before opening the back door for the dog. 

I didn't know the dog's name, so I simply called her a variety of names until I learnt it, some days she was a Daisy, other days she was a Hilda, Molly, Luna, Avery, Betsy, Fifi and even Woofer dog.
I should probably make a real effort to find out, because she looks at me like I've grown three heads every time I have to beckon her in. 

As expected, she makes a bolt for the back garden and I leave her to it, knowing she can't get out whilst I begin my cleaning tasks. 

The house has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and countless other rooms as well as a pool, garage, outdoor kitchen and gardens. If I was truly honest, this was my favourite house out of all the properties I've been too, because of it's amazing view of the Vegas strip and the surround areas of Red Rock. 

The house is always basked in sunlight, with trees in the garden giving sections of grass shade from the increasing heat and home to a hummingbird, that I had spotted one afternoon whilst cleaning. I was absolutely taken with the bird and when I returned a few days later, I found a feeding dish had been set out for it. 

I vacuumed the home, before dusting and mopping, sealing off rooms that I knew were not in use. I then turned my full attention to the rooms that were. Once the vacuuming was done, I allowed myself one treat and that was to listen to some music whilst I continued. 

Pulling my phone out, I flicked through my playlist until I found the up-tempo songs and hit play. However, my phone speaker remained silent whilst the houses Bluetooth connected and began playing the song through the speakers.

I knew it was a bit cheeky to use it, but have you ever tried cleaning and fighting with an earphone lead? I have and I can safely tell you, I've almost strangled myself.

Ripping sheets off beds, replacing with fresh, emptying bathroom bins, dusting, cleaning and polishing as well as tidying felt quicker than ever with Lady Gaga cheering me on. 

I was in the kitchen, ironing and hanging black shirts on clothes hangers when I notice a few items of clothing with The Haunted Museum stamped on them, figuring that was his work uniform, and that he was possibly a museum curator, which leads me to wonder what kind of salary he got to be able to afford this home. 

Luna, Hilda, Avery or even Daisy comes in after a while for a drink, to find me dancing my way across the kitchen with a shirt, singing my head off to The Edge of Glory when she barks at me with a wagging tail. 

"Put on your shades 'cause I'll be dancing in the flames, tonight yeah baby, tonight yeah baby, it isn't hell if everybody knows my name tonight alright, alright. It's time to feel the rush to push the dangerous, I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you. Where we can both fall far in Looooove! I'm on the edge of glory!"

The music is abruptly cut off whilst I'm using a clothes hanger as a microphone and backed against something doing a little grind. 

I stop instantly.

Reaching back, I use my hand to pat round confused about what I might have knocked into and possibly broke, fearing the worst that it was something expensive and irreplaceable, whilst chiding myself for letting myself go when I should be hard at work. Not hardly working.
However that thought is soon ended when someone clears their throat, making me shoot across the room and clamp the shriek in my throat down. I spin to find a tall man stood there, with a slight frown on his face. 

"Who are you?" He asks the same time I do.

"I asked you first." We both replied in unison. 

"No I asked you first.." We both chime again.

"Shut up! Tell me who you are?" I demand. 

"I think you should go first. After all, you are in my house." He replies folding his arms over his chest and raising a brow.

The movement is subtle, but it exposes the muscle in his arms and demands answers, he has taken the higher ground with me and if what he says is true, I've just told him to shut up..
Thick rimmed glasses which hold a slight purple tint hide a pair of light blue eyes that peek out slightly when he lowers his gaze to the dog between us, whose obviously pleased to see him. Confirming that he is the owner. 

Fudge-sticks.

He lowers a hand to give her a reassuring scratch before returning to his full height. Black hair styled perfectly, whilst a crisp grey short sleeve button shirt fits his torso and narrows down to a trim waist and legs, clad in black jeans. I take a moment to appreciate the fact the colour of his shirt matches the colour of his sneakers.

"So, who are you?" He asks making me swallow the increasing lump in my throat. 

Could I really take the higher ground with this guy after finding me doing some shocking dance moves and groping his leg? I mean when did bumping and grinding go out? They are all doing some weird computer game dancing now, right?

He is a little hot if I must say so myself. Irrelevant...
So relevant.

Setting my shoulders back, I raise my chin and smile whilst sticking out a hand.
"Hi, I'm Riley."