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Authors: Jennifer Coburn
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your sympathy or something?” Alfie suggested.
“Fabulous!” Anjoli exclaimed. “Lay the groundwork. Alfie, run to Jefferson Market and pick up a pie for me, won’t you, darling?”
“I’m already there,” he said. Then he gasped. “Oh Jesus! Look at what’s under those bangs! Curse the breeze that revealed that to my fragile eyes!” What the? Alfie’s next comment filled me in. “Has she not heard of Botox? I could compose music on that forehead.”
“It is unfortunate, isn’t it?” Anjoli said.
“Tragic,” Alfie agreed. “Okay, I’m off to pick up pie. You go do your thing.”
Chapter Eight
When Jack, Adam, and I returned home, we were delighted to see that Tom had repaired the front stairs to our house. Before we left, one step looked as if it would break off the next time someone set his weight on it. I hoped he had had similar success with removing the cold spots from the house.
Later that afternoon, we drove past Tom and Robin’s. We saw Tom unloading groceries from his car and slowed down to chat.
“Thanks for all your work around the house, Tommy boy,” Jack said, catching his attention. “Make sure you’re keeping track of your hours, okay?”
“Yeah, I gotta tell ya, bro, something weird’s going on at that place of yours,” Tom said, skipping the niceties of exchanging details of our respective vacations. “Robin and I stopped by on Wednesday to see how much tile I needed to pick up to finish the bathroom. Thursday I come back with all the stuff, and it’s done.”
“What do you mean done?” I asked from the passenger seat of our Volvo wagon.
“I mean the job is finished. Done. Someone finished the bathroom tiling between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.”
“Impossible,” Jack scoffed. “No one else has the key to the house.”
“That’s not all,” Tom continued. “When we’re there on Wednesday night, Robin tripped on your front steps and broke her ankle.”
I glanced at Robin who was now standing in the doorway, waving. Her ankle was in a cast.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Jack said. “We’ll be happy to pay the medical bills.”
“I’m not worried about that, bro. We got insurance. But what freaks the fuck out of me,” Tom paused, glanced at Adam and apologized. “What freaks me out is that when we went back the next day, first thing we notice — before we even make it inside to see the bathroom tile — is that the steps are brand-spanking new.”
“You didn’t fix them?” Jack asked.
“I wish I could take credit. I’d love to charge you for it, but I didn’t do a thing.”
Jack and I spoke in unison. “Then who did?”
“No idea,” Tom said.
Robin slowly made her way out to say hello. “How was Florida?” She brushed her blond hair away from her full face.
“Fun,” I said. “I’m so sorry about your ankle.”
She waved a hand dismissively and said she’s always been a klutz. “I’ve been due for an injury for months.”
“So is your husband just being uncharacteristically modest or did he really not do all of that work on our house?” I asked.
“No, he really didn’t do it,” she said. “What can I say? You must have elves.”
We all gave a collective shrug, though Jack and I were concerned. When we returned home, we checked to see if any of our valuable items were missing. Everything was exactly where we had left it. It appeared that we had an intruder who stole nothing and did home repairs.
* * *
“I have some news, darling,” Anjoli said the next day when she called. “Spot is doing worlds better.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Spot,” Anjoli said. “It’s Paz’s new name. I know it’s tres passé, but the numerologist says it’s his true name and if we address him as such, he’ll feel at ease and stop chewing his fur.”
“Really?!” I was amazed. “And you say it’s working?”
“He hasn’t chewed once today. Oh, no! Stop it, Paz! I mean, Spot. Lucy, darling I’ll have to call you back.
“Fabulous!” Anjoli exclaimed. “Lay the groundwork. Alfie, run to Jefferson Market and pick up a pie for me, won’t you, darling?”
“I’m already there,” he said. Then he gasped. “Oh Jesus! Look at what’s under those bangs! Curse the breeze that revealed that to my fragile eyes!” What the? Alfie’s next comment filled me in. “Has she not heard of Botox? I could compose music on that forehead.”
“It is unfortunate, isn’t it?” Anjoli said.
“Tragic,” Alfie agreed. “Okay, I’m off to pick up pie. You go do your thing.”
Chapter Eight
When Jack, Adam, and I returned home, we were delighted to see that Tom had repaired the front stairs to our house. Before we left, one step looked as if it would break off the next time someone set his weight on it. I hoped he had had similar success with removing the cold spots from the house.
Later that afternoon, we drove past Tom and Robin’s. We saw Tom unloading groceries from his car and slowed down to chat.
“Thanks for all your work around the house, Tommy boy,” Jack said, catching his attention. “Make sure you’re keeping track of your hours, okay?”
“Yeah, I gotta tell ya, bro, something weird’s going on at that place of yours,” Tom said, skipping the niceties of exchanging details of our respective vacations. “Robin and I stopped by on Wednesday to see how much tile I needed to pick up to finish the bathroom. Thursday I come back with all the stuff, and it’s done.”
“What do you mean done?” I asked from the passenger seat of our Volvo wagon.
“I mean the job is finished. Done. Someone finished the bathroom tiling between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.”
“Impossible,” Jack scoffed. “No one else has the key to the house.”
“That’s not all,” Tom continued. “When we’re there on Wednesday night, Robin tripped on your front steps and broke her ankle.”
I glanced at Robin who was now standing in the doorway, waving. Her ankle was in a cast.
“Sorry ’bout that,” Jack said. “We’ll be happy to pay the medical bills.”
“I’m not worried about that, bro. We got insurance. But what freaks the fuck out of me,” Tom paused, glanced at Adam and apologized. “What freaks me out is that when we went back the next day, first thing we notice — before we even make it inside to see the bathroom tile — is that the steps are brand-spanking new.”
“You didn’t fix them?” Jack asked.
“I wish I could take credit. I’d love to charge you for it, but I didn’t do a thing.”
Jack and I spoke in unison. “Then who did?”
“No idea,” Tom said.
Robin slowly made her way out to say hello. “How was Florida?” She brushed her blond hair away from her full face.
“Fun,” I said. “I’m so sorry about your ankle.”
She waved a hand dismissively and said she’s always been a klutz. “I’ve been due for an injury for months.”
“So is your husband just being uncharacteristically modest or did he really not do all of that work on our house?” I asked.
“No, he really didn’t do it,” she said. “What can I say? You must have elves.”
We all gave a collective shrug, though Jack and I were concerned. When we returned home, we checked to see if any of our valuable items were missing. Everything was exactly where we had left it. It appeared that we had an intruder who stole nothing and did home repairs.
* * *
“I have some news, darling,” Anjoli said the next day when she called. “Spot is doing worlds better.”
“Who?” I asked.
“Spot,” Anjoli said. “It’s Paz’s new name. I know it’s tres passé, but the numerologist says it’s his true name and if we address him as such, he’ll feel at ease and stop chewing his fur.”
“Really?!” I was amazed. “And you say it’s working?”
“He hasn’t chewed once today. Oh, no! Stop it, Paz! I mean, Spot. Lucy, darling I’ll have to call you back.
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