Once her suitcase was unpacked, Lisa considered Gigi’s good advice and locked the cash in her suitcase for the time being, shoving it under the bed.
Home at last. Or at least a place to call home, for now.
Suddenly exhausted, Lisa barely had energy enough to take a quick shower and crawl into bed. She remembered pulling up the covers, and the next thing she knew, the room was filled with sunshine.
A new day; a new start. Now that she was settled, it was time to call her kids…and probably also time to contact Robert, even if the prospect did make her shudder.
Kelly first, as usual. “Mom, how are you?” She sighed. “Where are you?”
“I’m fine, sweetheart, and I’m comfortable. I found a lovely place to stay while I begin to think things through and make some important decisions.”
“Mom, you said that a week ago. When are you going to get off your ass and make up your mind? Some of your club friends have been asking questions. Since no one can seem to give them a straight answer they’re getting suspicious.”
“Suspicious of what?” Lisa pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Oh, Mom, you can be so obtuse.”
“Obtuse? What are they saying? And how would you know about the goings-on at the club?” Lisa didn’t want to sound alarmed, but she knew that the combination of curiosity and concern would not escape Kelly’s keen ear.
Kelly laughed. “Well, Daddy has been calling me every day since you left. Knowing how close we are, he’s treating me like your answering service.”
“I see.” Lisa felt embarrassed. “I’m so sorry, I had no idea.”
Kelly’s tone of voice was more amused than annoyed. “It’s okay, Mom. He most recently informed me that some of your friends think he bumped you off to grab all the goodies.”
“What!”
“They think since you found out Dad was cheating, you were going to fire him and he couldn’t risk losing his position and influence at Barnes Basics.”
Lisa began to grind her teeth and felt a headache coming on. “It sounds like a bad Agatha Christie novel. Besides, haven’t you told your father I’ve been in touch? I’m sure Chris would have.”
“Mom, what you’re doing does sound like that disappearing act Agatha Christie pulled to get her husband in trouble. You can’t blame your friends for wondering, since they haven’t seen or heard from you in over a week, if maybe Dad just concocted the story that Chris and I had been talking to you to cover up his involvement in your disappearance.”
“Well, that’s just fucking ridiculous.” Lisa rolled her eyes.
“Why, Mom, your language is sounding more and more like mine. I’ve been a horrible influence on you. I’m glad. But, hey, at least they’re worried about what happened to you.”
“It wasn’t all your influence; and you seem to be enjoying this way too much,” Lisa scolded. “I’ll touch base with your father today, although I’m not sure I’m ready. But who knows if I’ll ever be ready?”
Kelly’s voice took on a more serious tone. “Look, Mom, putting it off isn’t going to make it go away. You’re stronger than you think you are. You walked out. Some might say that’s a cowardly way to go, but most of the women from our town would stay with their husbands, too afraid to be alone.”
“You give me more credit than I deserve. I’ve waited too long to let my feelings be heard by your father.”
“Maybe so, but that’s the way I see it. So call him and tell him everything.”
“I’ll tell him what I’ve decided so far, but I have no interest in seeing him face-to-face yet.”
“Can’t you at least tell me where you are? What if you were hit by a car or something? What if you lost your cell phone?”
She had a point. “Look, honey, I’ll call Jim and give him my current address. And I promise that I’ll let you know exactly where I am soon. How’s that? I don’t want you to feel pressured by your father. Just know that I’m nearby and safe, and you can call me if you need me.”
“I wish you would trust me. I’m not going to stalk you or anything stupid.”
“Sometimes a person needs time and space to look at what’s around her and what she may have been missing.” Lisa’s thoughts drifted, remembering her unexpected and eye-opening experience with Mark. It had changed her in ways she was only beginning to understand. Now Lisa knew she would no longer be willing to settle for second-best in a relationship. She also recalled, for some reason, how the touch of Gigi’s hand was somehow more comforting than holding Robert’s hand had been in years.
“Mom, are you there?” Kelly asked.
“Oh, yes, honey, I guess my mind just wandered.”
“Okay, well, don’t let it wander too long. If you’re not too far away I’d like to see you.”
“Soon, very soon. I just need to work out a few more things. I was planning on calling your brother later.”
“Don’t bother. He has a huge calculus test on Monday and he turned off his cell phone for the weekend. I’ll let him know what’s up.”
“That’d be great. Our last two calls didn’t go so well. He wants me to just go back to your father, to live separate lives under the same roof.”
“That’s totally fucked-up. Chris is unrealistic, you know that. Remember how he used to think The Brady Bunch was the ideal model family? It was so obvious the two oldest were fucking each other behind their parents’ backs.”
“Kelly!”
Kelly started laughing, as she always did when an attempt to shock her mother hit home. “Bye, Mom, I love you.”
“You too, honey.” Before she disconnected, Lisa thought she heard her daughter sigh. “What is it, Kelly? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Oh…Well, I didn’t quite tell you everything Dad’s been saying. I tried to tell him his idea was utterly ridiculous and it would only make you angrier than you already are.”
“Spill. I need to know everything that’s going on so I can deal with it.”
“Dad has this crazy idea that you’re in some kind of trouble and lying to me and Chris to avoid upsetting us. I reminded him how close you and I are. I would certainly be able to tell if you weren’t all right. I practically begged Dad to trust me. That’s when he dropped the bomb. He’s told his friend Jack that you’re missing.”
“Jack, the lawyer?”
“Yes, Dad gave him his own version of your so-called disappearance. He wants Jack to determine whether he needs to report you as the victim of a kidnapping. Chris was there with me and we both told him, in no uncertain terms, that you had definitely not been kidnapped. He said, ‘Either your mother was kidnapped or she abandoned me. Whichever it was, she needs to be found and returned home so we can get back to normal.’ I’m pretty sure he’s thinking about hiring a private detective to find you.”
Lisa could hear the anger building in Kelly’s voice and could imagine the stress she had been going through keeping Robert’s insane accusations to herself. “Mom, he’s clearly taking no responsibility for your decision to suddenly take off, and I told him so. I told him you had every right to walk out after what he’d done. All he said was, ‘I’m doing what I have to do.’ Dad was being so pigheaded!
“I hung up on him. It was obvious he wasn’t going to listen to reason. I was going to tell you but I just didn’t know how.” Kelly paused, sounding out of breath.
“Oh sweetheart, I’m so sorry you had to deal with all that. I’m just glad Chris was with you. You have to know this is your father’s anger, and maybe a little guilt, talking.”
In a stronger tone of voice, Kelly said, “You are my mother, not a criminal, a kidnap victim, or an overage runaway who would intentionally hurt her family. If you needed time to think, you have a right to take it.”
For a moment, Lisa didn’t know what to say. “Thank you, honey. And—” The obvious solution struck her. “Tell your idiot father to call my lawyer. Jim can assure him that I am safe, sane, and very much in control.”
“Brilliant, Mom! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Lisa laughed. “Because I still know a few things you don’t, kid!”
After a warm and loving good-bye, Lisa ventured downstairs to the sitting room to see if there was anything left in the coffeepot. She was trying not to think about Robert’s foolish accusations, preferring instead to look forward to meeting the tenant from the third-floor apartment.
As promised, there was coffee in a lovely silver urn resting near a plate of muffins. She took a mug and filled it, adding a splash of cream, and then chose what looked like a bran muffin. Lisa carefully set her breakfast down on a low table in front of the window seat. No one was downstairs yet, or so it seemed. Lisa was so startled when someone walked out of a door adjacent to the front room that she almost spilled her coffee.
“Well, hello, pretty lady. And who might you be?”
There, before her, was a very tall, well-built young man. His trim form was outlined by his fitted long-sleeved T-shirt and dark blue jeans, and his light brown hair was combed perfectly in place. The thing that caught her eye most was his warm smile. It lit up his entire face.
“Sorry if I startled you. I’m Jeff. I live on the third floor. You must be the new second-floor tenant.”
“Hi, I’m Lori. I just moved in yesterday.” She was captured by his cheerful tone of voice. “Are you heading out to work so early on a weekend?”
“No, not yet. I work as a bartender at Rick’s, and I almost always work weekends, but my hours rarely start before eight or nine o’clock at night.”
“Rick’s, as in Rick’s Deli? Why would they need a bartender?”
“Same Rick, but he owns two businesses.” Then Jeff moved closer to her and continued in a whisper, although they were alone in the room. “I think the deli is his way of helping the young kids in the community. A lot of the waiters are runaways, from homes that were better left behind. Most of them are scared to be found, so he keeps the deli going to give them a safe place to work. Everyone knows he doesn’t need the deli, but since he’s keeping the kids from turning to hustling, no one bothers him, and everyone makes sure to eat there regularly.”
“Well, Gigi suggested I look for a job with Rick at his deli.”
His brow furrowed, Jeff sat down, picked up his cup, and studied Lisa curiously. “You can’t possibly be a poor runaway. I don’t believe you need a job. What’s your story?”
“No story, I just want to stay off the radar for a while.”
Jeff’s eyes opened wide. “Oooh, are you a spy or something? I knew that Giselle’s artwork had to have hidden messages.”
Lisa shook her head and laughed. “No, I’m not a spy.” This young man was a lot of fun to be with, and the rapport she felt with him came as a huge surprise. “Who’s Giselle?”
Suddenly Gigi walked in the room dressed in an old, oversize T-shirt and jeans. Although the outfit was far from flattering, it somehow added to Gigi’s quirky appeal. “Why, my dear, I am Giselle.”
Lisa looked from Jeff to Gigi, quite confused, and they both chuckled. Jeff put down the muffin he had begun to nibble on, and rather grandly made the introduction. “My dear Lori, may I introduce the famous, and sometimes infamous, artist Giselle, who has paintings hanging in some of the finest galleries throughout Manhattan. Her alter ego, as you have already discovered, is that of the mild-mannered landlady, better known to us as Gigi Castle.” And with a sweep of his hands that would put a game show hostess to shame, he pointed toward Gigi, who took a half bow.
“You’re an artist? That’s amazing, I would have never guessed.”
She smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. The last thing I need is for someone to find out where I live. It’s my agent’s job to deal with the buyers, and that leaves me free to paint.”
“I’ve seen some of your paintings.” Lisa decided not to mention that she had actually bid on one of Giselle’s pieces at an art auction several years earlier. “Where do you work? Can I see some of your pieces? I adore modern art, especially abstracts that somehow tell a story despite the lack of secure lines and recognizable facades.” Lisa suddenly silenced, embarrassed by her sudden gush of enthusiasm.
Gigi shook her head. “To answer all your questions, I work and live on the fourth floor of this building. I do paint abstracts, primarily, but I’ve been known to do a portrait or two, when I was just getting started and needed the money. And finally, I would be happy to show you some of my works in progress, but not right now.” Gigi walked over to the coffee and poured herself a cup filled to the brim and began to drink it black. “I just hauled my ass all the way down those stairs and I’d like to have my coffee first. Some of the paintings hanging along the stairwell are mine—not my best, just leftovers from showings a few years ago.”
Lisa smiled at Gigi’s slightly dramatic gestures as she waved at the paintings displayed. She took a sip of her own coffee. “Thank you. I’d like to see more of your work, when it’s convenient and you’re not too exhausted.”
Despite having just met them, Lisa was enjoying the interplay with her two housemates. She felt more at home than she had expected.
Before long, Jeff rose, placing his now-empty mug in the wash bin. “Bye ladies, I’m off into the wild blue yonder.”
“I thought you worked at night,” Lisa said.
“I do, but I shop and socialize during the day. Not that you aren’t charming, but—places to go, things to do…”
Lisa nodded. “I’ll see you later.”
“Count on it.”
Lisa looked at Gigi who was slowly popping a piece of her muffin into her mouth as she watched her new tenant. Uncomfortable, Lisa said, “He’s quite a character.”
“He’s the best tenant I’ve ever had. He helps out around the house, and he cares about people in our neighborhood. He’s lived here since his parents kicked him out of their fancy lives when he came out.”
“How young was he?”
“A little older than most. He was almost twenty when he showed up here, if I remember correctly.”
“That’s awful.”
“We have a lot of that in this neighborhood. Some kids dig in and survive, some go back in the closet and back to their families, some…just disappear. Jeff’s a survivor. He’s been with me almost five years now.”
Lisa finished her coffee and put the cup and plate in the waiting dishpan, wondering what to do next. “I guess I’ll head outside to explore a bit.”
“I thought you wanted a job?”
“I do, but I didn’t want to bother you so soon.”
“I like the rent paid on time. Just let me finish my coffee and we’ll head over to the deli. Rick should be there by now.”
“Do you need to change first?”
Gigi laughed. “I’m not sure where you come from, but everyone around here knows that Giselle wears whatever she wants to get in the mood to paint. I’ll introduce you to Rick and then I’ll head back here to work.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to criticize.” Having been a country club wife for so many years had affected Lisa in some of the worst ways. She had never been critical as a teen or college student. Why had she allowed that lifestyle to turn her into a fashion Nazi? What business was it of hers what Gigi chose to wear?
“No problem. I’ve taken heat for my appearance before—mostly from my gay friends.” Gigi took one last sip of her coffee before setting the empty cup near the urn, to be removed later. “However, you look fairly well put together for someone who’s just wearing jeans and a sweater.”
Lisa blushed. “Thank you.”
“Oh shit! You blush. I’ve been trying to guess your age since yesterday, and for the life of me I have no idea.”
“Do you always ask your tenants their ages?”
“I usually ask them a lot more; not sure why I haven’t with you. How old do you think I am?”
Lisa gazed at Gigi. She was quite beautiful under the ratty clothing, with her commanding presence and statuesque shape. “I don’t know. Maybe thirty-five?”
“I think we’ll get along just fine.” Gigi laughed, giving Lisa’s shoulder a squeeze. “If you add seven, you’ll hit the mark.”
Lisa laughed. “And me? What do you think?” She placed her hands on her hips, posing.
Gigi walked around Lisa, scrutinizing her carefully, almost too carefully. Lisa started to feel warmer. “I’d say about thirty-five for you, probably why you guessed it for me.”
A grin crossed Lisa’s face. “Add that same seven and we’ll call it even.”
“Yeah? You’re really forty-two?”
“Just over a week ago.”
“Well happy birthday, Lori.” Standing up, Gigi took Lisa’s hand to pull her toward the door. Lisa felt that same spark she had the day before, but this time it didn’t even occur to her to pull her hand away. The building warmth adding to a feeling of security she hadn’t felt in a long time. “Now let’s get you a job.”
“Let’s.”
After Gigi locked the door behind them, she led the way to Rick’s Deli.