are all okay?”
“We’re fine,” Lucy said.
“Except for Sadie’s teapot. That will need a decent burial.” She stood and picked up one of the shards that had fallen to the floor.
“Although, Sadie, you could make a mosaic top for your balcony coffee table with the pieces. It would be very pretty.” She handed the shard to Sadie.
“It would be nice,” Sadie said.
“And then I still would be able to look at the pattern and remember how pretty it was.” She handed the shard to Betty.
“Not only that, but I bet, after a while you’d start to see the beauty in the new patterns the broken pieces make,” Betty said.
“My friends,” Sadie said with a smile. “They know how to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Clearly,” Zack said, returning her smile.
“And they aren’t short of courage either. I need to get back to the station, but call if you need anything.”
“Wait,” Sadie said.
“Is it against the law for me to dump that chair over the balcony?” She motioned to the Best Armchair Ever.
“I thought you loved that chair,” Zack said.
“Not anymore. Hamilton Cartwright ruined it for me.” Sadie grimaced.
“What did he do to it?” Zack examined the chair. “It looks fine to me.”
“He touched it,” Sadie said. “Isn’t that enough?”
“If you say so,” He picked up the chair and hefted toward the stairs.
“But if you don’t mind, I’ll put it in the staff lounge at work. No one there will mind that Hamilton touched it.”
“That’s good. And better than having to clean the pieces off the sidewalk after I throw if over the balcony railing.”
Sadie jumped up off the couch and ran to Zack to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks for coming to rescue me.”
“You didn’t need rescuing,” he said and kissed her back.
“No, but it’s nice to know you’re there when I need you. Even when I don’t need you.” She opened the door for him and he disappeared down the stairs hefting the chair.
Sadie turned back to Lucy and Betty. They were looking a little worse for wear. Part of Betty’s black hair had come loose from its ponytail and was curling around her face. Lucy looked pale.
“You two need something to eat,” Sadie said. “And then we should shop for armchairs on the internet.”
“Are we going to hunch over your laptop together?” Lucy asked. “Because that doesn’t sound fun to me.”
“Nope,” Sadie flipped on the TV that hung on the wall opposite the couch and hit the remote until the internet browser came on. She typed in the name of the pizza place down the street and ordered pizzas and soda.
“I’m treating dinner,” Sadie said. “But I’m not cooking it. I’m way too beat for that.”
“I was going to cook for you two,” Lucy said plaintively. “But I don’t think I can focus enough not to burn it now.”
“We are not cooking,” Sadie said. “That’s asking too much, especially when there is pizza down the street and they’ll deliver.”
She typed in a shopping site and searched for armchairs. By the time the pizza arrived Betty and Lucy were arguing over the most necessary features of an armchair and Sadie was feeling proud of herself. Lucy had lost the haunted look and Betty was smiling and her color was back to normal. Not to say they wouldn’t have nightmares for a few days, but mostly they’d put the scare behind them.
Sadie looked at the empty spot where her favorite chair used to sit and a cold chill went up her spine. She hurried down to the front of the store to get the pizzas, thinking it was time to rearrange her living room. That spot was going to haunt her for a while.
Chapter Six
Sadie woke the next morning to the sound of her phone. She picked it up groggily to find Justin Ives was waiting outside the shop.
“Can I speak to you for a minute?” he
“We’re fine,” Lucy said.
“Except for Sadie’s teapot. That will need a decent burial.” She stood and picked up one of the shards that had fallen to the floor.
“Although, Sadie, you could make a mosaic top for your balcony coffee table with the pieces. It would be very pretty.” She handed the shard to Sadie.
“It would be nice,” Sadie said.
“And then I still would be able to look at the pattern and remember how pretty it was.” She handed the shard to Betty.
“Not only that, but I bet, after a while you’d start to see the beauty in the new patterns the broken pieces make,” Betty said.
“My friends,” Sadie said with a smile. “They know how to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Clearly,” Zack said, returning her smile.
“And they aren’t short of courage either. I need to get back to the station, but call if you need anything.”
“Wait,” Sadie said.
“Is it against the law for me to dump that chair over the balcony?” She motioned to the Best Armchair Ever.
“I thought you loved that chair,” Zack said.
“Not anymore. Hamilton Cartwright ruined it for me.” Sadie grimaced.
“What did he do to it?” Zack examined the chair. “It looks fine to me.”
“He touched it,” Sadie said. “Isn’t that enough?”
“If you say so,” He picked up the chair and hefted toward the stairs.
“But if you don’t mind, I’ll put it in the staff lounge at work. No one there will mind that Hamilton touched it.”
“That’s good. And better than having to clean the pieces off the sidewalk after I throw if over the balcony railing.”
Sadie jumped up off the couch and ran to Zack to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“Thanks for coming to rescue me.”
“You didn’t need rescuing,” he said and kissed her back.
“No, but it’s nice to know you’re there when I need you. Even when I don’t need you.” She opened the door for him and he disappeared down the stairs hefting the chair.
Sadie turned back to Lucy and Betty. They were looking a little worse for wear. Part of Betty’s black hair had come loose from its ponytail and was curling around her face. Lucy looked pale.
“You two need something to eat,” Sadie said. “And then we should shop for armchairs on the internet.”
“Are we going to hunch over your laptop together?” Lucy asked. “Because that doesn’t sound fun to me.”
“Nope,” Sadie flipped on the TV that hung on the wall opposite the couch and hit the remote until the internet browser came on. She typed in the name of the pizza place down the street and ordered pizzas and soda.
“I’m treating dinner,” Sadie said. “But I’m not cooking it. I’m way too beat for that.”
“I was going to cook for you two,” Lucy said plaintively. “But I don’t think I can focus enough not to burn it now.”
“We are not cooking,” Sadie said. “That’s asking too much, especially when there is pizza down the street and they’ll deliver.”
She typed in a shopping site and searched for armchairs. By the time the pizza arrived Betty and Lucy were arguing over the most necessary features of an armchair and Sadie was feeling proud of herself. Lucy had lost the haunted look and Betty was smiling and her color was back to normal. Not to say they wouldn’t have nightmares for a few days, but mostly they’d put the scare behind them.
Sadie looked at the empty spot where her favorite chair used to sit and a cold chill went up her spine. She hurried down to the front of the store to get the pizzas, thinking it was time to rearrange her living room. That spot was going to haunt her for a while.
Chapter Six
Sadie woke the next morning to the sound of her phone. She picked it up groggily to find Justin Ives was waiting outside the shop.
“Can I speak to you for a minute?” he
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