“THERE IS A plan. I’m just not allowed to talk about it, Teagan.”
“Still sounds like they’re setting you up.”
“Did you call just to beat me up about this? I swear to you, they aren’t setting me up.”
“And you know this because?”
“Because I said so.”
“Now you sound like Mom. What time do you want me there?”
“You’re assuming I want you here at all, but if you are coming over, how about nine-ish.”
“I can do that. This time can you actually serve me breakfast instead of flinging it all over me?”
“I can do that.”
“Okay, I’ll bring the first course.”
“Make mine a cinnamon roll. You going to do that chocolate thing with the whipped cream?”
“No, that is a meal unto itself. Jessie gets home tonight, so you will miss me soon.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Me either.”
Teagan arrived with a little white paper bag in her hand. Always a welcome sight.
“Remember the guy?”
“Gee, that’s helpful. Which guy?”
“That Rosenbloom guy, with the murdered wife and the kid with the girl with the boobs.”
“Oh, right, yeah, I remember. Mostly.”
“Kid confessed to the whole thing. It was in the news this morning. I can’t believe it. Turns out he went against his legal guys and just blurted it out in court and told the judge that he deserved a second chance because, after all, he’d only killed one person and it was all about the money, nothing personal.”
“Doesn’t that make it special circumstances or something? Didn’t he just shoot himself in the foot?”
“Don’t know and don’t care. Remember you wanted closure on all the stuff that has been leaning on your brain? There you go. Happy early birthday. One down.”
“This hardly constitutes one down. It has nothing to do with me. Besides, I want a better birthday present than that.”
“Dingleberry, you don’t get to pick out your own birthday present.”
“You do! Every year. You tell me what to buy.”
“That’s because I’m special.”
“You’re special alright. Fine, one down. Next you can tell me why I’m trying to get Honey a job with Roland when you said she smoked herself stupid. I don’t want to bring a drug person to the attention of the security person of the person who signs my paycheck.”
“Relax. You are so serious and literal these days. I didn’t mean that Honey actually smoked herself stupid. It was a phrase I heard on television that morning, and I used it. Damn, Cara, relax.”
“Yeah, that’s gonna happen. Think about it, dink. Think about everything that has been going on in my life for the last few months. If you took all the adrenaline-causing events in my entire life and added them all up, they wouldn’t begin to match the adrenaline-causing events of the last several months.”
“So you’ve had a boring life. We all knew that, Cara.”
“Shut up. Would you want the kind of excitement I’ve had lately?”
“Well, A.J. seems…”
“Again, shut up.”
“It’s hard to have a conversation when I’m not allowed to say anything.”
“You aren’t saying anything worth hearing or conversating about.”
I grabbed a stack of mail off the coffee table. Mostly because it bothers Teagan when you read when she is talking. Although it isn’t a good sisterly thing, it is a pretty common sisterly thing that I was in the mood to annoy her, and as far as I’m concerned, she deserves a little annoying.
“Okay, now you are just trying to annoy me. You don’t have to pretend you’re reading mail.”
“Who’s pretending?”
“You are. You know that I know that anything important you do online. You’re just going through junk mail to annoy me.”
“Sometimes you need annoying, Teagan. You seem to go out of your way to annoy me at times.”
“That’s different.”
“And why is that?”
“Because I’m not the one being annoyed. I think maybe I should just go get myself glamorized. You want to come? I need to do highlights, nails, feet, and wax a bunch of stuff.”
“Thanks for sharing the details. Oh, that’s right. Jessie’s coming home.”
“Right. Keep the mystery alive and all that. What’s going on? What’s that look on your face? What did you find?”
“Remember Steve?”
“Steve? Steve from the sub shop Steve?”
“No, idiot, Steve the brother of Louis, the guy with the condo that we cleaned out and almost got killed in.”
“I don’t really remember him, but, okay, what about Steve?”
“Remember he sent me that really big check, and I wasn’t really comfortable, but then Mom told me that I should just put it in the bank and wait and see what happens? If I felt better about it, then I’d still have it, and if I didn’t feel better about it, I could donate it or something?”
“I thought that was actually my plan, but go ahead.”
“I just got a huger check.”
“What?”
“He just sent me a letter. It said that in the time since we’d last communicated — he is a really formal guy, that’s how he writes — his brother’s name has been cleared, and there was some kind of monetary benefit because of it. It says that his estate has been settled, and while I’m not a part of that estate, he wanted me to have the money that would have gone to him. He and his brother were not close, and he didn’t have the faith in him that I did.”
“Wow, that’s insane.”
“Literally.”
“So, what are you going to do? How big is the check?”
I showed her the check.
“Cara, that isn’t huge.”
“Maybe not in your world, but when this much money just shows up for no reason in my life, I consider it huge.”
“Well, congratulations.”
“I can’t keep this.”
“Why not?”
“Because it isn’t mine.”
“Sure it is. Your name is right there.”
“You know what I mean.”
“You know what, Cara? This is really getting old. You have no problem doing nice things for other people, but when it is other people’s turn to do something nice for you, you spit in their face. Just have a little grace, start a retirement fund, and get on with it.”
“You really think so?”
“You spout off about karma and stuff all the time. Maybe this is just the universe paying you back for all you do for everybody else.”
“Pun intended?”
“What? Oh, pay you back, check, I get it. Not funny. Cara, just take the check, be grateful, and let it go.”
“I can do that. Does this mean it is time to spend the first check that I’ve just had sitting in the bank? Considering the interest rate they are paying me, it certainly isn’t making me any money.”
“Do what Mom always said. Every time you take money out of the bank to spend on something that isn’t necessary, put an equal amount in your savings.”
“I’ve never understood the logic of that if the money you are taking out to spend is from your savings in the first place.”
“I really worry about you sometimes, dingleberry. So, what are you going to do? You going to take A.J. on a photo safari? Perhaps see if there is medical intervention for your hairy toes? You do not want to pass that along to your children. Maybe you guys could do a shortened version of Mom and Dad’s trip. I’m sure there are lots of photo opportunities in Ireland, and you could introduce A.J. to the family.”
“Yeah, that wouldn’t make his head explode. ‘A.J., you want to go meet the family in Ireland?’ You know how they are. The second we get there it will be all about our wedding and babies, and A.J. and I haven’t even really talked about that. Much.”
“Much?”
I ignored her question. “I could chip in on your wedding or throw you the world’s best engagement party.”
“Thanks. That’s a nice thought. But you don’t get to spend one single penny on anybody but you. Allow the universe to pamper you a little bit, Cara. Stop putting everyone and everything ahead of yourself. Really. It’s getting a little weird.”
“Yes, ma’am. It isn’t an emergency. I’ll talk to A.J. and see if there is something he wants to do.”
“Nothing practical.”
“There’s nothing wrong with practical, Teagan.”
“True, but there is something wrong when it is your only approach.”
“I’ll think of something.”
“You could have a bunch of those gowns you always drool over custom-made.”
“I know you’re kidding, but there is a place in Europe that actually does that. You send them all your measurements, and they can either recreate a favorite or create a whole new look. I always thought if I ever won the lottery, the big one, it would be my first real splurge.”
“Well, you didn’t win the lottery…”
“Yet.”
“Fine, you didn’t win the lottery yet, but you did come into some unexpected money. Have a bunch of those gowns made. They will bring you joy for years.”
“They are ugly expensive, but maybe I could have one made.”
“Think big, Cara.”
“I was! I was thinking gown and robe.”
“There ya go. Another thing scratched off your list.”
“You make it sound like I have a bucket list.”
“Everybody does. They just don’t write it down.”
“No, not everybody does. I don’t.”
“You don’t have things you want to do before you die?”
“I try to do the things that I want to do, but the things I want to do are all small things, not grand like jumping out of a plane — God forbid — or seeing the pyramids up close and personal.”
“Whatever works for you. I still think everyone should have goals.”
“I’m not talking about goals. You ask a hundred people what a bucket list is, and very few of them are going to use the word goals. Bucket lists are more like adventures.”
“And you don’t want to participate in any adventures?”
“Sure, but the adventures I want are more about raising kids, and a long and happy marriage, and that kind of thing.”
“Oh my God, you are so boring and old and mature. It just hurts my head sometimes.”
“Maybe, but think of it this way. I get to live my adventure every day, not just two weeks a year when I’m on vacation.”
“That was a good one, Cara. Very good. I’m actually going to think about that. Not for very long, but I’ll think about it. Oh, and I have something for you to think about.”
“What’s up?”
“Remember the comb-brooch thing you found in the trunk?”
“Yes.”
“Can I borrow it?”
“Of course. It’s in the safe down at the studio. You want me to go get it now?”
“Slow down. Don’t you ever say no or hold back? I was hoping to wear it for the wedding. I thought I’d do a loose, low updo with the veil low on the back of my head. If I can use that comb or brooch or whatever it is, it would be beautiful.”
“I agree. Have you decided on the kind of dress you want?”
“That’s gonna be tricky. I want something classic, and when you think of classic you don’t think of a body like mine. My boobs are too big. I’m short. Anything princessy is going to look stupid. Anything that would look good isn’t going to look classic. I’m stuck already, and I haven’t even gone shopping yet.”
“Have you guys decided where you are getting married?”
“Not really. We thought about the place that Liam and Morgan got married, beautiful, but no. Then where Seamus and Valerie got married, again, beautiful, but no.”
“There is a beautiful little chapel down the river toward that place with the thing.”
“As insightful as that description is, I don’t think so. I want a place that means something to us.”
“How about the church?”
“After what they did to Liam and Morgan, I don’t think so. Even Mom was mad.”
“What did they do to Liam and Morgan?”
“Oh, yeah, you were in the middle of a crisis then. You were so busy running around trying not to get dead, you weren’t in on all the details. Long story short, Monsignor whatever the hell his name is, is an ass.”
I waited for lightning to strike us both dead.
It did not.
God must agree.
“Cara, Billy was all ready to do the wedding, and for some unexplained reason the monsignor had to step in the middle of it. When he found out that Liam and Morgan were living in sin, he said that Liam would have to move out until the wedding. They agreed. Then Liam said something about Jordan, and they got into the whole history of Morgan and Jordan and everything. Liam assumed it was because the church would want to make sure there wasn’t a previous marriage and all that. Monsignor Ass asked Morgan to produce legal documents to prove that Jordan was the product of rape.”
“What?”
“I know. Mom went ballistic. Like I have never seen her, ballistic. The truth be told, I’m sure the only reason that Liam and Morgan were even pushing for that church was because of the family, and then Monsignor Ass does that.”
“Stop calling him that, Teagan.”
“You should have heard what Mom called him.”
“I don’t even want to know.”
“Anyway, Liam and Morgan walked out of the meeting and haven’t been back to the church since. Mom and Dad are looking for another church, at least until Monsignor dies, and Billy is so embarrassed he doesn’t know what to do with himself whenever he runs into Mom.”
“It’s not Billy’s fault.”
“I know. Cara, I have a question.”
“No, there is no way Billy would tell the monsignor that you used to claim that Jessie was gay so that Mom and Daddy would let you hang out with him.”
“Where did that come from? What I was going to say is that I’ve been thinking a lot about everything going on with Adeline and the break-ins at your apartment and the storage place.”
“Me too. You want to put on your blinker before you change the subject? That was a really big switch without warning.”
“Have you ever figured out what was taken?”
“Well, I know they broke some stuff when they were here, but I haven’t really found anything missing, and Adeline said that they went through every single thing at the warehouse and nothing is missing.”
“Don’t you think that is kind of weird?”
“Well, yeah. But the kid did almost cut off his hand, so maybe they just didn’t get around to taking the stuff.”
“Wouldn’t they have had it lined up by the door or something?”
“Not everyone is as organized as I am, Teagan. Why? What are you thinking?”
“Well, if their intent wasn’t to take something, maybe it was to leave something.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, it doesn’t make sense that they would break in just to break some stuff. If they did that, why did they go to the warehouse? They didn’t break anything there, right? You said that they didn’t get any codes or anything from here to get into the warehouse, so that wasn’t their goal for being here.”
“The only thing found out of place at the warehouse was that rod thing that I grabbed on my way to the car. It turns out that one of the worker guys left that out. He took full responsibility for it. So that had nothing to do with the break-in here.”
“Then how do they even know that they broke in at the warehouse?”
“Well, I’m not sure they do. They know that someone got in, but I’m not sure they know who got in, and since the kid was bleeding here, and there was no blood found there, I guess they could be two separate events. I didn’t really think about the whole bleeding thing until just now. That would be a little too much of a coincidence, though, wouldn’t it? They break into my apartment, and all of a sudden Adeline’s storage place gets broken into. On the same day. Only a couple of hours apart. I think there is a lot more going on, but it seems pretty clear they’re connected. The apartment and the storage place, I mean. I kind of figured Roland and his guys would figure it all out.”
“Yeah, they’re doing an exemplary job.”
“Don’t be so hard on them. They’re starting from scratch, and they are working with Adeline and the girls, and they have very specific rules. They are trying, Teagan.”
“So are we. I think you need to ask Roland if there is any possibility that they left something behind.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Cameras? They could be watching us right now. You can get a nanny cam or a pinhole camera that even you would never notice.”
“I’m sure they checked for all of that when they put in the security system.”
“Why would they?”
“Another good question.”
“It’s just a thought. Probably not worth anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”
The thought of someone listening or watching kind of killed the mood. Teagan left after a little while.
An hour later I’d snooped around and found nothing, but got some cleaning done. Not that the apartment really needed it. It’s good that A.J. is almost as neat as I am. It would drive me crazy to live with a slob. Kind of why Teagan and I never lived together. Well, that, and the fact that murder is illegal in the state of Florida, and it would only be a matter of time before one of us killed the other of us.
For the record, I’m the one that would have cause.
Bored, I gave her a call. “Back to your wedding, have you given any thought to a ring?”
Only a sister can take up exactly where you left off without missing a word.
“Oh, I know what I want. Jessie is having it made.”
“Wow.”
“Not really. He said he looked and looked and couldn’t find anything like I’d described to him. It really isn’t any more expensive to have the ring made. You go to a diamond broker, pick out your diamonds, and then a jeweler makes the ring. Because there is less of a markup through the diamond broker than in regular retail, it’s actually cheaper than a couple of the places we checked in town.”
“Do you have a design you like, or are you making up one of your own?”
“I found these people online that I love. They have the basic look I want, but I want a couple of tiny changes.”
“How can you tell what a ring is going to look like on your hand?”
“I guess I’m just going to have to visualize, because they only have one shop, and it isn’t here.”
“Where is it?”
“Some little town in Texas.”
“Jessie’s on the road all the time. Why don’t you guys just go there?”
“Not gonna happen. He isn’t into the whole ring thing.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“It is what it is. I can’t change the fact that Jessie doesn’t like jewelry.”
“It isn’t about the jewelry; it is about…”
“To you it isn’t about the jewelry, and you are going to make it this whole big thing that it isn’t. To me and Jessie, well, it’s fine. Don’t try to start a problem where there is no problem.”
“I wasn’t trying to start a problem.”
“You know what I mean. Anyway, Jessie said I could have anything I want; he’d be more than happy to pick up the bill.”
“That’s dangerous. You? Anything you want? This could get really expensive.”
“I know. Anyway, I found this place. Now all I have to do is figure out what kind of stones I want, and we’re good.”
“I assumed diamonds.”
“You assumed correctly.”
“Oh, you mean the whole carat, clarity, cut, and whatever?”
“I mean do I want natural diamonds? Conflict-free diamonds? And if I go with conflict free, how do you know they are really conflict free and it’s not just some marketing thing? Do I want my stones grown in a lab? I already know I don’t want a cubic zirconia type thing, although some of those are beautiful stones, and a lot of people don’t understand the difference between a lab-grown diamond and a cubic zirconia.”
“Grown in a lab?”
“Yeah, they literally create a real diamond. I haven’t found any I would kill for. If they are big enough, they are too colored. If they are white enough, they are too small. Maybe I’ll go with yellow. They seem to have figured out how to make big, perfect yellow diamonds.”
“To think I would have just gone to one of the big box stores and picked something I thought looked good on my finger.”
“Why a big box store for a wedding ring?”
“You get more for your money. They always say that it will appraise for more than you spent.”
“How romantic.”
“Hey, dink, your husband isn’t even interested in accompanying you to the big box store, so don’t start with me.”
“You can buy any ring you want; it doesn’t make any difference to me. I’d still like to know where Liam got Morgan’s ring. It is beautiful.”
“I didn’t ask, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind telling you.”
“Yeah, well, that will have to wait. I can’t really call and say, ‘No news, just wanted to know where you bought your wife’s wedding ring.’”
“Good point. If you’re serious, and Jessie really doesn’t want to be involved with the whole ring thing, and you really are okay with that, maybe we should take some of that found money I have and take a road trip. We could drive. Depending on where the town is, we could get there in a day or two, talk to the ring people, you could try on a bunch, and then we could drive back.”
“That could be fun. I could take the time off work without any problem.”
“Yeah, what’s up with that? We never got the chance to talk about it. All you said was something about Honey making sure that you were good with your job forever, then you said something about Mr. Fisher wanting to make you a partner, but I didn’t get any of the details. You also said you were going to explain to me why you said that Honey smoked herself stupid but that I shouldn’t worry about asking Roland for a job for her.”
“I swear, every time we start to talk we get interrupted. It’s not my fault.”
“I agree. Talk. Before someone interrupts.”
Someone started pounding on my door.
I swear there are forces against me.
“Hold on, gotta get the door.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Talk about coincidence. What are the chances? Dingleberry, check the peephole.”
I walked over to the door. Looked out the peephole expecting to see Suzi. Instead there was some guy in jeans and a shirt who I’d never seen before. I almost opened the door.
“Some guy in jeans and a shirt.”
“Do not open that door, Cara. If you don’t know him, just ignore him.”
“He’s probably just got the wrong apartment.”
“Then let him check at the office.”
“He can hear me talking.”
“So what? You are not under any obligation to answer your door.”
“I’m nosey.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
The guy pounded on the door again.
For some reason, the first knock seemed like just a plain old knock, and the second knock seemed more menacing.
Are Roland’s people supposed to be watching me?
Aren’t they at least seeing this on the camera outside my door?
If there are no good guys hiding in the bushes, shouldn’t they at least call me?
My phone vibrated in my hand. I checked the phone.
“Roland is calling me. I’ll call you back.”
“Don’t hang up on me, Cara. Just switch over.”
“Do you recognize the man at your door?”
“No.”
“Don’t answer.”
“That’s what Teagan said.”
“Teagan is there?”
“No, I was talking to her on the phone, and shouldn’t you know that?”
The guy pounded again. This time more insistent than the last, which is normal, right?
“I think he’s getting frustrated. I should at least acknowledge him.”
“Ms. O’Flynn, please do not acknowledge him in any way. Step away from the door.”
“Okay. Hold on a minute. Teagan is still on the other line.”
Before he could say anything to me I switched back to Teagan. “It’s one of Roland’s guys.”
“At the door?”
“No, on the phone.”
“Who’s at the door?”
“Still don’t know, but I gotta go.”
“Cara, I swear to you, if I find out you did something stupid, I’ll never forgive you.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid. I’ll call you later.”
“Don’t forget!”
I switched back to Roland’s guy. Caught him in the middle of a sentence. Some observer. He didn’t even know that I’d switched over. That doesn’t help my confidence level.
“Ms. O’Flynn, welcome back.”
Okay, maybe he knew I’d switched over, but there was no reason to be rude.
“I’m back. The guy is still here. He’s just standing there looking around.”
“And after stepping back from the door, just how are you seeing that?”
“Roland said that he put in a new door and new door jamb, and there is no way the guy is supposed to be able to kick it in.”
“True. And if he pulls out the right gun and shoots through the door because he is aware you are on the other side of it?”
“That’s not funny.”
“It wasn’t meant to be. Ms. O’Flynn, please allow us to do our job.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll go sit on the other side of the room, not directly in the line of fire.”
“Good. Your blinds are closed?”
“Yes.” I walked over and closed the blinds. They’d only been open a tiny bit, no one could really see inside, but I guess if they tried really hard, they might be able to see movement.
Your imagination is always worse during times like these. I couldn’t be sure what was going on outside, but I also couldn’t understand why the guy didn’t just walk away. If he was there by mistake, he should have given up by now.
I heard some voices.
I heard someone or something come in contact with my door. It wasn’t like they smashed up against it, more like they leaned really quickly, like catching your balance with a door.
My phone guy was talking to me. “Ms. O’Flynn, we have a team there. The man at your door is being questioned. You can hang up the phone now.”
“Questioned? Really? Why do these people just do what you say? You don’t really have any authority, do you?”
“We don’t do anything illegal.”
“That isn’t what I asked, although I’m not sure even that is true.”
“Ma’am, it is human nature. People always want to tell their side of it, true or not. We just use it to our advantage.”
“Yeah, I watch television, I know the cops lie, and they use psychology against you, and it’s legal.”
“As long as you are not being threatened, the game is on.”
“Yeah, well, there’s threatening, and then there’s threatening. Just the big SUVs and the big guys and the dark clothes. That is threatening.”
“Ma’am, is there anything else you need?”
“Yes, can you make a note somewhere that my name is Cara? You guys make me so nervous when you get formal on me.”
“I’ll do that. Cara.”
“Thank you.”
I’ll admit it.
I’m a rotten sister.
I didn’t call Teagan back as soon as I hung up the phone.
I made myself a cup of tea.
Then I called Teagan.
“Are you alive?”
“I am. Roland’s guys showed up, and they are questioning the guy.”
“How many guys does Roland have? They seem to be everywhere doing everything.”
“Don’t remind me. So are we going on a road trip?”
“Don’t you have to ask A.J.?”
“I need to inform him, but I really don’t need to ask him. He’s so busy all the time lately that he won’t even notice I’m gone.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“I like that we are comfortable. I don’t like the whole drama thing that people do.”
“Me too. When?”
“Let me talk to A.J. I know I can get the time off work because I can always bring the laptop with me, and Adeline was trying to get rid of me anyway so that the bad guys would only have one point to focus on.”
“Her?”
“We aren’t going there. I’m not going to tell you what they have planned with Adeline because I promised Adeline I wouldn’t say anything to anybody, and if I say it out loud, my head might explode. The thought of three old ladies going after a group of idiots, even with backup from Roland and his guys, scares the heck out of me.”
“Fine, so we go out of town, and when we come back, like magic, it will all be fixed.”
“That’s my plan.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“I know, but it’s still my plan.”
“So when are we going?”
“Soon. Mom and Daddy will be back in less than two weeks. If we are going, we need to go and get back before then.”
“I can be ready tomorrow.”
“Let me talk to A.J. and Adeline, but I’m sure I can leave tomorrow too. What time?”
“Early is good.”
“Sunup?”
“Perfect. I’ll bring all the usual and an ice chest. I like to chew on ice while I drive, keeps me awake.”
“That’s comforting. You’re already planning on falling asleep.”
“Shut up, dingleberry.”
“Just normal clothes?”
“Yeah, I don’t plan on doing anything fancy.”
“Great. Call me if anything changes.”
I thought about calling Adeline, but decided it would look better if I were showing up at the hospital like a good little worried person, so I got ready and headed out the door.
I even remembered to set the alarm and text A.J. — as promised last time everything went crazy — before I left.
I didn’t see any signs of black SUVs or bad guys.
Not that I would have noticed them anyway. Both contingents have a really bad habit of sneaking up on me.
The visit with Adeline was nice. I made a point to cry on my way out of the room and all the way to my car just in case anyone was watching.
Adeline not only gave me the time off to go to Texas, she offered to pay all of our expenses. When I declined, she made me promise to take Teagan out to a nice dinner and put it on my company credit card.
There’s a Tex-Mex chain in Texas that Teagan told me she wanted to try, but I don’t know if they are in the town we’re going to with the jewelry store that Teagan is going to check out. I’ll have to remember to look it up online before we leave.
I decided to drop in on A.J. and talk to him in person too. Maybe he could take enough time to run across the street and join me at the diner for a snack.
When I got to the studio Suzi was in her usual spot, looking tired but happy. Happy is good. Tired is to be expected.
“He’s in the office with Morgan. They’ve been up there for a while. You want me to call him?”
“No, I don’t want to stop a meeting. I just thought I’d drop in and see if he could go across the street for a quick snack.”
I heard his footsteps coming down the stairs. “He can do that.” He smiled. “Can you give me two minutes?”
“Take all the time you need. I’m not in a hurry.”
Suzi stood up. “If you’re going to be a couple of minutes, can I ask you to help me with something.”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“When did you start saying that — ’What’s up?’”
“I don’t know. Didn’t I always say it?”
“No, you used to say, ‘I’m just sayin’.’ Now you’re saying, ‘What’s up?’ I haven’t figured out which one is more annoying.”
“Annoying? Really? That’s not good.”
“Cara, can you be tall for me? I need to reach that thing over there, I’m too short, and if A.J. catches me climbing on a chair, his head will explode, and I just don’t have the energy to clean that up.”
“No problem.” I reached up and unhooked a huge sheet of fabric from a homemade pulley system A.J. set up right after he started working in the studio.
“I hate that thing. It gets stuck all the time.”
“It’s better than the old system. When A.J. first took over, we basically had to climb a ladder, arrange it, move the ladder, climb up and arrange the other side, back and forth until we got it straight. These things are so expensive you can’t believe it.”
“Really? I just figured you guys bought curtains.”
“Nope. Curtains aren’t tall enough or wide enough. Everything shows up, and A.J. doesn’t like to correct everything on a computer.”
“I know, I get that lecture all the time.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, why?”
“I don’t know. You just don’t sound like your normal self.”
“I’ve just been thinking.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“Not really. The divorce is final.”
“That is a good thing, right?”
“Yeah, but I don’t have as much money as I thought I would have, and now that Barry is in jail instead of working a high-profile and very financially rewarding job, I don’t have his income to count on, and right after the baby is born I’m going to lose the medical insurance that his company allowed me to keep as long as I pay for it, but only until the baby is born.”
“It’ll get better. Do you want me to talk to A.J. about a raise?”
“No. He’s paying me about a dollar less than the absolute maximum I can get and still qualify for help from the county. I know everybody thinks it’s wrong, you should hear Gran on the subject, but I am going to sign up for every program that’s available and build a life for me and this baby.”
“I don’t think it’s wrong.”
“That’s a lie. I’ve heard you say it a hundred times. You think that people should support themselves. Work four part-time jobs if they have to. You don’t believe in all these programs.”
“I’ve never said that, Suzi.”
“You’ve said it a million times.”
“No, what I said is that I don’t think it’s good for anybody to get in the habit of depending on someone else. If you become dependent on the government, then it is just a matter of time before you can’t take care of yourself. That’s why they tell you not to feed the birds, because they will forget how to find their own food. However, and it is a big however, I wouldn’t sit there and watch a bird starve to death just to prove a point, and I don’t think that accepting some help while you are working hard to make things better is wrong. As long as you keep working hard to make things better.”
“Okay, well, now I feel better. I never get to really talk to you anymore. Remember Julie?”
“Julie?”
“You remember. She is the one I went to school with. She joined the Reserves as soon as we graduated so that she could continue. She got her degree, and she is doing really well. Really well. She gets paid what most people would consider a small fortune.”
“Well, that’s nice.”
“Not really. She’s what has me all freaked out.”
“I’m lost.”
“I was talking to her the other day. Ran into her at the store. She’s here visiting her mother for a couple of days so that her mom could get to know the baby. She has a little boy. Cutest kid ever. She said that she is living in a mobile home place, just like the one down on Beringar. How depressing is that? She said that she works her butt off. That’s good. She said she makes so much money that she doesn’t qualify for any assistance. That’s good too, right? She said that she was sitting on her little porch the other day — the air conditioner is broken again, and the landlord isn’t in the mood to fix it — and she’s watching the people across from her playing on their tablet. She can’t afford a tablet. The people across from her are on aid. She isn’t getting any help at all. She doesn’t qualify for low-income rent assistance or tax deductions or anything. By the time she pays all her taxes, which are high because she makes a lot, and then pays full price for health care and food and child care — and on top of everything she gets reduced hours once in a while because the economy still sucks, but her hours are not so reduced that she qualifies for help — she’s screwed. She’s making good money and living below the poverty line. And, Cara, she did everything right. She has a great education. She served her country. And she’s screwed. Where does that leave me?”
I wasn’t sure what to say, so I didn’t say anything.
“I just didn’t want you to think bad of me.”
“Why do you care what I think?”
“Because you’re you. I don’t know. It seems like you always know the right thing to do.”
“Suzi, you must have me confused with someone else. I never know what to do.”
“Funny how we never see ourselves like other people see us, huh?”
A.J. arrived and saved me from having to answer.
“Where’s Morgan?”
“She’s still upstairs. She’s on the phone.”
“Does she want to join us? You want to come, Suzi?”
“Appreciate the offer, but I’ve got things to do here, and I ate a little while ago. I need to stick to small meals, or I get heartburn like you couldn’t believe.”
“Full head of hair.”
“Yeah, that’s what Gran says. I’ll see you later tonight. You want to come over for a cup of tea?”
“I’d love to. I’ll text you when I get home.”
“Perfect.”
A.J. went upstairs to extend the invitation to Morgan. When he came back alone, I figured Morgan had declined his offer.
“She said she needs to get home. Jordan’s got a thing tonight.”
“Did you ever tell her what Jordan told you?”
“We aren’t going there, Cara.”
“I was just asking.”
The waitress at the diner damn near killed herself getting over to A.J. to guide him to her station.
She looked at me a little like I was dog poo on her shoe.
A.J. said, “Kitty, have you met my wife, Cara?”
I didn’t faint.
I didn’t throw up.
I just smiled.
Kitty looked like one of those sad cat videos that pop up on the Internet all the time. I wondered if that is where she got her name. No one names their child Kitty, and it seems like a pretty old-fashioned nickname. I didn’t think we would ever become close enough for me to actually ask her the origin of her name.
After she left, A.J. said, “Sorry. She just won’t leave me alone. I’ve told her a hundred times I am in a relationship, I’m not interested, all that, but she is convinced that I’m lying.”
I leaned in. I couldn’t help the smile on my face. I whispered, “You called me your wife. You are lying!”
“We can go to the courthouse right now and fix that. You could make an honest man of me.”
“That’s not funny.”
“Wasn’t meant to be.”
What do you say to that?
Is he serious?
Who says things like that?
Fortunately Kitty came back with our drinks — I’m almost sure she spit in mine — and broke the mood.
A.J. took a deep breath and got all serious. “I have a problem.”
First he tells the waitress that I’m his wife; now he has a problem. This is turning out to be an interesting meal.
“What’s up? Sorry. What’s the problem?”
“Suzi talked to you?”
“Yeah. She said I’m annoying.”
“She was supposed to say that phrase is getting annoying. You are not annoying. Separate the behavior from the person. You tell me that all the time.”
“You guys talked about it?”
“Yep, she got the short straw.”
“A.J., you could have just told me.”
“I’m not the one that has a problem with it. It was mostly Suzi and Teagan.”
“Mostly?”
“Yeah, mostly.” He had the decency to look down and act all schoolboy shy and cute. “So, I have a problem.”
“Good subject change. What’s the problem?” He didn’t sound all that upset.
“I need to go out of town. I would have you come with me, but I don’t think there is going to be room, and I really don’t want to take two cars.”
“No problem.”
“I do not want you staying here alone. I’m not even sure I want you staying here with Teagan. No offense to her bodyguard abilities, but I went out of town last time and left the two of you together to protect each other, and it didn’t turn out so well.”
“When are you going?”
“I gotta go day after tomorrow.”
“Perfect!”
“What?”
“The reason I dropped by was to tell you that Teagan and I want to do a road trip. We are going on a wedding ring hunt.”
“Good. Jessie will be there. That makes me feel better.”
“Jessie isn’t coming.”
“He isn’t going to be there when Teagan picks out her ring? Oh, man, he’s gonna pay for that later.”
“That’s what I said, but Teagan swears it doesn’t bother her and that they are the way they are and I should just shut up.”
“She can think that now, but this is gonna come back and haunt him. Besides, you would think that he would want to be there.”
“I know. You would think that she would want him there.”
“I know. It’s kind of weird.”
“Anyway, if you are going out of town, that makes it perfect timing. Another coincidence.”
“Okay. I’m lost again. Coincidence?”
“I’ve just been noticing how many coincidences there are in my life right now. It seems like I’m running into one after the other. My mom would have a lot to say about that, but she isn’t here to say it, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to think.”
“Wonder what that means.”
“Probably nothing, but I’ve decided to keep track. Maybe coincidences are my déjà vu.”
“Okay, lost again.”
“It’s not important. My mom always says that when you have a whole lot of déjà vu going on in your life it means you are on the right life path. Maybe for me it isn’t so much coincidence as it is déjà vu. Maybe I’m finally back on the right path.”
“I’ll leave that to you and your mother. So when are you and Teagan leaving? Where are you going? How are you getting there? All that stuff.”
It took me a few minutes to explain everything, and since the details are still a little fluid, there were lots of maybes and we probably wills in there.
“You look happy.”
“What?”
“Cara, for a long time now, you haven’t looked happy. Today, you do.”
“Teagan probably snuck some of that happy tea stuff in my drink.”
“If that works, I’ll buy it in bulk. I love you so much. I want you to be happy. I just don’t know how to help you get there.”
“I love you too. You can’t make me happy. You aren’t responsible for my emotions. They’re all mine.”
“Just what a guy wants to hear, that he can’t make the woman he loves happy.”
“The good news is that you can’t make me mad or unhappy. Those are all on me. It is how I choose to respond to what is happening around me.”
“I’ll think about that another day. My brain has been fried for weeks.”
“Maybe you should be the one going on a road trip.”
He looked at me funny. My guess is because he is leaving on a road trip day after tomorrow.
“I mean a fun road trip.”
“This one is going to be stressful. Morgan and I are driving up north to give our presentation. I’m pretty sure we have everything under control. I think we have a good product and a good plan. I’m really confident that Morgan is the best and that if anyone can pull this off, she can. The fact that she’s smart, beautiful, has a wicked sense of humor, and people just genuinely like her from the moment they meet her isn’t going to hurt us at all.”
I wanted to make some smart comment about him falling for my sister-in-law, but it was obviously not the right time to tease him. I’ll just save that for another time.
“Don’t downplay your part in all of this, A.J.”
“I’m not.”
“I really think you are. More than just a little. Remember, we agreed. We’re going to work on this stuff. I’m supposed to point it out to you, and you are going to point it out to me. This is part of what we do. We take all the blame and none of the credit. You’ve worked hard on this. Your work is always extraordinary. Your talent is unbelievable. You’re creative and quick, and I’ve got some news for you. Don’t let it go to your head” — I lowered my voice — ”or give you any ideas about Kitty, but you’re really good-looking, you’re smart, you have a wicked sense of humor, and people just like you from the moment they meet you.”
“So I’m not beautiful?”
We laughed.
Kitty, the waitress, came over to see if the poison she’d put in my food had taken effect yet. I’m not sure she poisoned me for real, but I bet she has a plan. Maybe that is why they call her Kitty; she seems to be stalking her prey.
Her prey just happens to be the man I love.
He doesn’t seem interested.
And he isn’t shy about letting her know.
Yay!
She put our check on the table. A.J. immediately paid with cash.
“I’ll be right back with your change.”
“I think we’re good, thanks.”
Kitty looked at me with pure disdain. “So, if you guys are married, how come you don’t wear a ring?”
As I stood up I said, “I do.”
She looked confused.
“Just not on my finger.” I let my eyebrows wiggle around enough to really annoy her.
She looked at my chest for evidence of a nipple ring.
Finding none, she looked lower.
When we were safely inside the studio with the door closed, we both burst laughing.
“I can’t believe you said that.”
“What was I supposed to say?”
“I like the way your mind works.”
“Uh-oh, don’t tell me you have fantasies of me having body parts pierced, because I don’t think I’m up for that.”
“No, I have no desire to have a stranger anywhere near that.” He actually blushed. So cute.
We started laughing all over again.
After explaining the whole thing to Suzi, we gathered A.J.’s stuff and headed home, caravan style.
A.J. had several errands to run but was going to go home and take a shower first. He’d been at the office since very early this morning and needed a break. He was convinced a shower would refresh him.
I’m not so convinced. I think he needs to sleep for a couple of days.
Suzi can forward any business calls to her cell and get other work done from home.
The nice thing about a business like A.J.’s is that it is pretty casual as far as workplace and work hours. His workday is normally fluid. He and Jovana have both put effort into figuring out if having someone present in the studio during regular business hours makes a substantial difference in the bottom line, and it turns out, for them, it doesn’t.
That’s a good thing, because Suzi is looking more and more tired these days. I wonder if they have figured out who is going to do Suzi’s job when Suzi has the baby. I’m sure they have a plan.
When we got home, I called Teagan and told her everything from my side is a go.
She squealed.
“Oh my God, Cara, we need this. We need to just get away and have some fun.”
“I agree. When are we leaving?”
“Sunrise tomorrow too soon?”
“Perfect.”
“What did A.J. say?”
“He’s going out of town too and was all worried about me being here alone…”
“Or with me.”
“But now we won’t be here, and it’s not like anyone is going to follow us to some little town in Texas.”
“What did Adeline say?”
“She’s so grateful to see me go out of town that she offered to pay for the whole trip.”
“I’m starting to see a pattern here, dingleberry. People are so happy to see you go that they are willing to pay.”
“Shut up. What did Mr. Fisher say?”
“He asked me to check on a couple things while I’m there. Turns out Austin is quite the up-and-coming place. At least it is according to Honey, who reads all the junk news and says all the really beautiful people are moving there. I guess some Hollywood types have sold their homes and moved to Austin.”
“That’s been going on for a while, hasn’t it?”
“Who knows? Who cares?”
“You might if Honey convinces Mr. Fisher to move the office to Texas.”
“Yeah, I’d better put something about that in the agreement. I’ve got a couple of lawyers looking at everything for me. Jessie’s sister didn’t want anything to do with it, said it is the wrong kind of law, but she knew people, and Mr. Fisher is paying for it, so I came out on top.”
“You always do.”
“You been talking to Jessie?”
“Oh, I did not need that visual.”
“I’ve got the little blue ice chest. I’ve got a layover bag and a carry-on packed. What are you bringing? How much trunk space do you need?”
“I haven’t even thought about it, but my guess is if I can’t stuff it all in a backpack, I’ll have a small roller bag.”
“Really? What are you going to do, run around in the same pair of jeans and a wrinkled top?”
“That’s pretty much my plan.”
“Lovely.”
“Oh, Teagan, you know that Tex-Mex place you are always talking about?”
“Yeah.”
“We are going there if we can find one anywhere near the jewelry place.”
“Oh, I’m sure we can find one off the freeway somewhere. Thanks.”
“It’s Adeline’s treat.”
“Yes, she pays me to spend time with you and to keep you out of her hair.”
“Lucky you. Paid for doing what you love.”
“I gotta go. I’m going to call the family and let them know we will be out of town. If A.J. is out of town, who is going to check in on Suzi? Oh, and the Saturday after we get back is her baby shower. I know it’s kind of last minute, for her and for you, but everybody else is already invited and has accepted.”
“You’ve been busy.”
“If we don’t have it that Saturday, she’s going to have the baby before we have the shower.”
“Good point. I’ll call Carolyn and let her know that both A.J. and I are going to be out of town for a few days. I’m sure she will keep an eye out for Suzi. How’s Sinead?”
“Perfect. She is taking this whole pregnancy thing in stride. She’s totally serene with it. More centered than I’ve ever known her to be.”
“She’s so young that she hasn’t had time to be serene.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And Howard?”
“The boy is amazing. He has their whole life planned. I’m not sure Sinead agrees with all of it, but she finds it endearing and amusing, and it is obvious they love each other. I think it’s all going to work out.”
“Good. I talked to Troya yesterday, just for a minute. She and Maria — Robert’s wife — are such a good support system for each other. She said everything is going well with the kids, work is good, she and her roommate are going to fix up that little room in the back of Bernie’s house, and they are going to watch Maria’s baby when she has the new one. Two nurses watching her will make Maria feel much better.”
“That’s nice. How about what’s her name?”
“Gonna need more words.”
“Jovana’s daughter-in-law.”
“Oh, she should be having the baby any minute too. Did you know about the whole adoption thing?”
“They adopted a baby and then immediately found out she was pregnant?”
“The adoption agency has another baby for them.”
“What?”
“Related to the first. I’m not sure how. I’m not sure you could have a baby and have another one so soon. Anyway, they are thinking about it.”
“Three kids under three? Are they nuts?”
“Three kids under two. They have the resources. They’ve always wanted a big family.”
“Yeah, the romance of it all sounds great, but that’s just too much work for me. There is no way. Hard enough when they are babies with the diapers and the bottles and the laundry — can you imagine the laundry? — but what about when they are teens? No thank you.”
“I don’t think they have made a decision yet, but it is one of the reasons that Jovana is never around anymore.”
“Hey, if they can handle it and they know what they are jumping into, none of my business.”
“I have to run over to the bank and get some cash. I’m gonna stop at the store and get some junk to eat in the car. Anything in particular you want?”
“Nope, regular road food.”
“Are we taking your car or mine?”
“Dingleberry, I’m pretty sure we decided to take mine.”
“Okay, you think of anything else, let me know.”
“We’ll bring my GPS; I’m going to program everything into it tonight.”
“Do you have one of those charger thingies that have the multiple things so that we can charge everything at once?”
“For the car? I have one that can charge two things at once.”
“Okay. See you in the morning.”
“I’m doing leggings and a flowy top. Be comfortable.”
“Have you forgotten who you are talking to?”
“Yeah, I guess I did for just a second there. Sorry.”
A.J. insisted on going to the bank and store with me. I thought it was dumb, but I also didn’t want to add any stress to his day.
When we got home, he had stuff to do, so I went over to Suzi’s apartment and had a cup of tea.
“I like your sofa.”
“Joey brought it over.”
“Joey?”
“Anna’s nephew. A really nice guy.”
“Really?” I couldn’t hold the hope out of my voice.
“No, not that kind of nice. He’s just a nice guy. Smart. I like him, but he isn’t interested in me as anything other than his great-aunt’s friend’s granddaughter. Anna would kill him dead if he ever even breathed the wrong way in my direction. She’s become very protective of me for some reason. She saw her neighbor was having a new sofa delivered and went down there and offered to buy this one from them. They gave it to her for free, or at least that is her story, and she had Joey bring it over here to me.”
“That’s nice.”
“It really is. It weighs a ton. It’s good quality even if the material sucks.”
“I wonder how much it costs to reupholster a sofa.”
“Too much. I already checked.”
“We might be able to figure out how to do it ourselves. If we take off the fabric that is already there, we have a perfect pattern. We just cut out the new fabric with the old fabric as a pattern and slap it on there. How hard could it be?”
“Hard. There’s an art to it. You know that place by work, down by the costume shop, the place that has the green door and then the thing that almost looks like an old garage door?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, there is a guy who works in there. He refurbishes everything you can think of. I talked to him about it. Just the fabric is more than I can afford right now. Besides, nobody is ever going to see it but me and the baby, and the baby won’t care. It was really nice of Anna to think of me, and I’m going to focus on that instead of the fabric. ‘Cause the fabric sucks.”
We walked into the little kitchen. Suzi put the kettle on. I’d say she has really good taste in kettles, since she has the same one I do, but I gave her the kettle for a wedding present. That and some other stuff. I don’t know why, but it made me smile that she’d walked away from so much of her stuff, but she kept the kettle.
She set out some cups and started to make the tea.
“I like your dishes.”
“Thanks, but they aren’t really mine. I half-stole them.”
“How do you half-steal dishes?”
“You tell your brother A.J. that you are moving into an apartment and you really don’t have much, and he goes to his storage unit, and he brings you all kinds of stuff. Remember, when he moved in with you he pretty much stuffed all his stuff but clothing in a storage thing.”
“I’m an idiot. I knew that, but I really didn’t give it any thought at all. He probably has stuff that he’d like to have around, and me stuck in my own little Cara world just left my apartment exactly how it was when he moved in. He was supposed to be a part-time roommate, so it didn’t matter, and then everything went crazy. I should talk to him.”
“A.J. has never really cared about stuff. Other than his cameras. And the blue thing.”
“Yeah, that blue thing is strange.”
“He never told you?”
“Told me what?”
“Never mind.”
“No, you can’t do that Suzi. What is that blue thing?”
“It’s just a thing. I don’t know what it is.”
“So why is it a big deal?”
“Cara, if you want to know about the blue thing, you need to talk to A.J.”
“You aren’t even going to give me a hint?”
“No, but I will tell you it is a really big deal to him and you need to be careful how you ask him about it.”
“Is he going to get mad?”
“No, but it is a sensitive subject.”
“Then why the hell hasn’t he told me what it is? It’s sitting in our bedroom. Right there. If it is a big deal, why didn’t he tell me?”
“Why didn’t you ask?”
“What?”
“Think about it, Cara. He only brings a handful of things into your apartment when he moves in. When he moves to your room, what did he bring to the décor?”
“The blue thing.”
“And it never dawned on you that it might have some significance?”
“I’m really beginning not to like myself very much. How do I miss all this stuff? I never gave it a thought. I never asked. I never mentioned. I never anything-ed. I completely and totally ignored it. Like it didn’t even exist. What else have I completely and totally ignored?”
“You haven’t exactly had time to think about the nuances of life since you met A.J. You have been in survival mode, pretty much all the time. When you are in survival mode, you only pay attention to what is going to hurt you.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable. Even smart.”
“It should. A very smart woman told me.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I remember. That’s what I told you right after that whole Barry thing.”
“Exactly.”
The kettle was boiled, Suzi added water to our cups, and we carried them to the tiny little dinette.
“A.J. and I are both going out of town, separately, but for the next few days, are you going to be okay?”
“I’m pregnant. I’m not sick.”
“I know, but with all the craziness that has been going on over at my apartment, I just wanted to make sure that you feel safe. If you don’t, we can make arrangements for you to stay at a hotel. Or maybe you could just come with us.”
“Who is us?”
“Teagan and me.”
“Where are you going?”
“We’re driving to Texas.”
“No disrespect to Texas, but I’m not driving to Texas. It will take forever, and it’s hot, and I’m round and uncomfortable, and you’d have to stop every twelve miles for me to use a bathroom. I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.”
“How about the hotel?”
“No thanks. I like my new little apartment. I’m starting to get comfortable. Oh, and Connie stopped by.”
“Connie? As in the guy who used to live here?”
“Yep, he just wanted to make sure that I’m comfortable. He wanted to show me a couple of things. He’s a contractor guy, and he made a couple of improvements that the apartment complex doesn’t know about.”
“Really? Like what?”
“You know in the kitchen where the cupboards meet in the corner?”
I pointed. “There?”
“Yep, if you go to your apartment and put something up on top in the corner it will just fall through because they don’t have wood up there where there is a void. He put wood on mine so I can put stuff all the way across.”
“That’s nice.”
“He also put lighting under the cupboards so that I can have soft lighting. It will work well for the baby so that she doesn’t have bright lights in her eyes if she wakes up at night. He used it for more nefarious reasons.” She wiggled her eyebrows and made me laugh.
“That sounds good too.”
“There is also a little safe where the circuit box is in the laundry room. Not a lot of space but enough to shove some extra cash or some jewelry.”
“I had no idea he was ripping the place apart.”
“Oh, and then there’s the air conditioning.”
“He told me he cleaned it all out for you since he is a smoker. He didn’t want all that yuck blowing in on the baby.”
“Oh, no, let me show you.”
We walked over to the wall. She had the same setup I do, which is a really stupid setup. The air intake for the whole unit is on the wall just outside the laundry room door. It’s this huge three-foot-by-three-and-a-half-foot vent thing in the wall. You can’t put anything over it. It just looks ugly. To clean the filter, you simply unscrew a couple of screws that have little hats on them. The vent cover comes off, and you have all kinds of ducting work and the place where you put the filter. The filter is a whole other problem. I’d say about half the time when I open it up — I change the filter once a month — the filter has been sucked into the hole and isn’t really doing any good anyway.
Oh, and there’s a little trough thing in there that freezes up if there is too much humidity in the air, and in Florida there is always too much humidity in the air, and the whole system kind of throws up on your foot. I’ve actually had water drip down on me from the vent in the kitchen. I should have called the health department. How sanitary is that?
Okay, I’m grumpy. I’ll think about that.
Suzi unscrewed the cover, pulled it off, and set it on the floor. Looked just like mine. Only cleaner, thanks to Connie.
Then Suzi took off the filter, put it to the side and pulled off what I thought was ductwork. Looks kind of like a silver chimney with sharp angles. There was a whole area there. A big area. I’m not sure what you would want to put in there, but whatever it is, there would be room.
“What did he use this for?”
“I don’t know.”
“Years from now someone is going to find this and figure someone that lived here was a drug dealer or something.”
“Maybe he is. Maybe that’s why he cleaned it all out.”
“He just married a cop. Besides, why would he show it to you if he used it for something like that?”
“I’m kidding. Damn, Cara, not everything is a huge mystery for you to unravel. When you live in a crappy apartment, anything of any value at all, maybe just sentimental value, is at risk. Maybe he hid his kid’s baby pictures in here. Or cash when he didn’t want to run to the bank all the time. Maybe tools. They cost a fortune.”
“He had a garage for his tools. You’re right. I’m sorry. It just seems like there’s a hidden meaning in everything around me all the time, and it’s been that way for the last several months. It makes you paranoid.”
We finished our tea, and I made sure Suzi had Teagan’s phone number as well as mine.
I went home, took a shower, slathered on some smelly-good-stuff and put on some loungewear. I argued with myself about what to pack while A.J. talked to himself in the other room.
I took a minute to send up a little prayer. Something I haven’t been doing enough of lately. Not that I don’t ask for help. I probably do that a little more often than I should. More like I don’t remember to say thank you. That’s a biggie. Not so much because God cares, I am sure he has better things to worry about, but because it reminds me that I have so much to say thank you for.
I know it is a well-worn cliché and one my mother particularly hates, but I am more spiritual than I am religious, and I think that remembering what it is you have to be grateful for is a big step in attracting positive things into your life. I’m really good about it for a while; then things start going really well, and I forget; then everything falls apart, and I have to work to get it all back straight again. If I would just remember all the time, maybe I wouldn’t be on such a roller coaster sometimes.
A.J. finished up his work and packed it all away. He’s gotten in the habit of leaving everything he needs to take to work the next day right by the front door — literally sitting in front of the door — right before we go to bed. It’s become almost a ritual. For me it signals when it is time to go to bed. For him it helps to slow his brain down; knowing that he has everything there, he doesn’t have to think about it. And although we have a good security system now, I dare anybody to try to get past all his junk without making any noise.
We lay in bed and talked about nothing. Pretty much all night. We talked about television shows we liked as kids and the way dew magnifies the beauty of a flower. We talked about being hungry and being fortunate and the fact that he was closer to his grandparents than I was to mine. We covered what we would want in a dream house, the perfect car, and symbiosis — specifically how it applies to the Coopers and the O’Flynns.
It was a great night.