They played Trivial Pursuit after dinner and Miriam won handily. She seemed to have a superior glint in her eye, but Lexi had to admit she had earned the right. Lexi, Jay and Freddie were no slouches when it came to trivia, so for Miriam to beat them was a sure sign that she was quite intelligent. Lexi had to admit that in the same situation, she herself would have been doing a victory dance on the coffee table. By comparison, Miriam was a model of self-restraint and sportsmanship.
A short time later, Miriam took her leave and Lexi stood up to help clean up after their dinner.
"What did you think?" Freddie asked as soon as the front door closed.
Lexi shrugged as casually as she was able. "I liked her. She's smart and pretty, and she seems very nice."
"Hmpf."
Turning to look at the handsome Latino man, she raised her eyebrows. "What does that mean? Didn't you like her?"
"I suppose."
His diffident response was quite unusual. "But?"
"I don't know," he said airily. "Just something..."
Lexi looked to Jay. "What about you?"
"I thought she was nice."
If both of them were hesitant, it meant something. But it just made Lexi feel defensive on Miriam's behalf. "She was perfectly charming. And you have to admit that she was very gracious about winning the game. It's hard to meet new people and I thought she handled herself very well."
"True," Jay conceded. "Should I tell her that you're interested in seeing her again?"
Lexi wondered if she had been manipulated into this very thing. Even if she was, she felt that she had to go through with it. "Sure. I'd like to get to know her better."
Freddie's eyebrows rose.
"What?" Lexi demanded.
"Nada," Freddie said quickly. "You are right. She was very nice. You could do a lot worse."
"Right." Now she was feeling a little frustrated and she didn't understand it. Lexi glanced at the clock. "You know, it's still early. I think I'll swing by and see Nana before I go home. Which one of you is going to loan me a car?"
~***~
Up until seven years prior, Lexi and her grandmother had shared the same house. It was an easy, comfortable relationship for both of them. At sixty-seven years of age, arthritis finally made independent living impossible for her Nana. Lexi was more than willing to make any and all sacrifices necessary to keep her grandmother at home, but her Nana had other plans. With Jay's help, the house was transferred into Lexi's name with the stipulation that she would help pay the monthly fee for a room in a residential care home. Technically, Lexi was not paying for the house, but the exchange of funds made accepting the gift more palatable.
A great deal of care went into choosing where Nana would live. The Murdocks were a very nice couple in their late forties who had six rooms available for residents. Mrs. Murdock was a registered nurse and her husband was retired military. After meeting several times, Nana was accepted into their home. They charged a little more for the privilege of staying there, but the care they provided was the best. Nana was happy there, which was what Lexi thought most important.
After a few months, Nana mentioned in passing how difficult it was for the Murdocks to get time away for themselves and Lexi approached them with an offer. For a slight discount on the monthly fee, Lexi would come to the house early on Sunday mornings and cover for them until after lunch. This gave the Murdocks the freedom to go to church together and spend a little time alone. Over time, this expanded to include the occasional evening out and, sometimes, in the case of emergencies.
Lexi continued to pay the same amount to her grandmother, but some of it now found its way into Nana's pocket. In truth, Lexi engineered the arrangement because it ensured that she still got to spend time with her grandmother. They sometimes did other things together as well, but Sunday mornings made Lexi feel as though she were giving back some of the care that her grandmother had given to her.
Nana was in bed reading James Patterson's latest novel when Lexi peeked into her room. "Hi."
Smiling broadly, Nana lay her book down and gestured for her to enter. "Well, hello, dear. What brings you by this evening?"
"Nothing. I just had dinner with Jay and Freddie. I thought I might have time to see you before I went home."
Nana patted the bed in invitation. "How are the boys doing?"
Lexi sat down with a smile. "Handsome as ever." She reached out to smooth her grandmother's grey hair. "Looks like it might be just about time to get Freddie to trim this up for you."
"Soon," Nana agreed. "Did you get that water heater fixed?"
"Yeah. It took two days for the guy to show up, but it was only an old wire. He was there all of ten minutes, but it works fine now."
Nana concentrated for a moment. "And your car?"
"I dropped it off after work." She shook her head in wry amusement. "You would have had a field day with the guy I gave the keys to. What a jerk. I just hope he's not the one who's going to work on it."
Frowning, Nana asked, "What did he do?"
"Nothing really. I was running a little late and he was kind of short with me. I ended up having to buy a beer in a bar down the street in order to call a cab. I seem to remember a lot more payphones when I was little. There don't seem to be as many of them around anymore."
Nana snorted in disgust. "It's those cell phones. Everyone's got a payphone in their pocket nowadays. Have you seen those new things that people wear on their ears?"
"Yeah."
"I hate those things," she said with a scowl. "You can't tell if people are talking to you, to their phones, or to the voices in their heads. It used to be a lot easier to spot the crazies. Not anymore."
Lexi was grinning. She loved this old woman like mad. "I agree."
Nana's face relaxed and she smiled. "How about you, dear? How are you doing?"
"I'm okay." She hesitated a moment and decided to tell all. "I met a woman tonight at dinner."
"Do tell."
"Well, she works at the Courthouse. She's a little bit older than me and she's pretty. Smart, too. Jay invited her to dinner because she's new to the area and she's like us."
"Do you like her?"
Lexi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know yet. Kind of. It's a little soon to tell. I'm thinking of seeing her again. If nothing else, maybe we can be friends."
"That's nice, dear. What's her name?"
"Miriam Wilson."
"It's a good name. I hope things work out. You deserve a nice girl to love."
"Thanks, Nana." Lexi sighed. "I only stopped by for a minute. I left work so fast today I didn't get a chance to clean up. I'd rather do it tonight than get up early tomorrow to do it, so I'd probably better get going."
"You're not walking," Nana said with concern.
"No. Freddie loaned me his car until mine is ready."
"All right then. You drive carefully and give Cricket kisses for me."
Lexi leaned over for a hug and a goodnight kiss. "I will, Nana."
~***~
Cricket was barking excitedly as Lexi unlocked the front door. He didn't like being left alone and was always a little hyper when she returned. As soon as she opened the door, he was jumping in front of her, anxiously trying to get the attention he wanted. Lexi laughed at his antics. "Easy, boy. I'm home. Just let me put my things down."
Locking the door behind her, she set her pocketbook on an end table and tossed her sweater on the sofa. She caught Cricket on the next bounce and giggled as he kissed her face lavishly. "Yeah, I missed you, too."
Cricket was a five-year-old Welsh Terrier. As the runt of the litter, he was too small to be a show dog, but he was otherwise perfect to his breed. He might be almost three inches too short and six pounds too light, but to Lexi, he was exactly right. He had the personality in spades and vitality to spare. Most importantly, his love was pure and generous.
"I love you, too, buddy," she crooned as he began to calm. "Anything good on Animal Planet today? Did you leave me any
little presents?"
It was rare that he had accidents anymore, but if left too long alone, he might feel justified in expressing his displeasure. Not today though. Lexi put him down when he began to wriggle and he ran off to find a toy. Kicking off her shoes in favor of slippers, Lexi headed out to her shop.
Over time, she had learned that it paid off to keep her space as clean as she could during the day. It made final clean-up easier and made her shop look more professional. It only took her 40 minutes to have everything clean and stocked for the next day.
After a long bath, during which Cricket killed a stuffed duck, Lexi made sure the house was locked tight and went to bed. Cricket curled up on the pillow next to her with a sigh and Lexi ruffled his ears affectionately. Closing her eyes, she thought of Miriam, remembering her eyes and her smile.
But it was a muscular blond with a saucy wink that peeked in on her as she fell asleep.
Chapter Two
"This would be a whole lot easier if I had three hands." The big dog's foot jerked away again. "Or a stun gun. Come on, Pookie. Only three more to go and it'll be all over."
Lexi used her weight to pin the dog more firmly and wrestled the paw into place. She suspected the big dog didn't really mind having her nails trimmed; she just liked the game. Just as Lexi would get the clippers in place, Pookie would yank her paw back. It was hard to get mad at the dog for the reflex, but it did get frustrating.
"My God. What kind of dog is that?"
Lexi glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Hi, Miriam. Give me a minute to finish this and then I can talk."
"All right."
Determined to get this over with, Lexi put some muscle into it. Jay must have run straight to the Courthouse this morning, she thought with a mental sigh. I thought maybe she'd call or something. What the hell did he say to her?
Pookie got in three successful jerks on the last nail, but it was finally finished. Lexi patted her on the head and pushed her butt end off the table. "There you go, girl. On your feet now."
With slow, deliberate movements, Pookie dragged the rest of herself off the table and stood up. Lexi was pretty sure the big dog weighed more than she did. Scratching behind her ears, she said, "See now, that wasn't so bad. I don't know why you make such a big deal out of it. It's not like I ever hurt you, you big baby. Go on. Pick a spot and lay down till your dad gets here."
Pookie shook herself ponderously and wandered over by the storage closet. She dropped down on the oversized pillow placed there for that purpose and let out a sigh.
Lexi turned to Miriam with a smile. "So, hello."
Miriam was still looking at the big dog. "What exactly is that?"
"Pookie's a bull mastiff mix."
Miriam's elegant eyebrows rose. "Pookie?"
Lexi held her hands up with a laugh. "Don't blame me. I didn't name her."
Miriam looked at the dog with uncertainty. "What is she mixed with?"
"Bear."
This got an odd look. "Dogs and bears are not genetically compatible for breeding."
Does she think I'm an idiot? "Tell that to Pookie."
Miriam finally smiled. "You have a point." She looked Lexi up and down with approval. "How are you? I hope you don't mind that I dropped by."
"Not at all." Lexi grabbed a rag and spray disinfectant and swiped the table clean. "What brings you by today?"
"I came to see you. I had a very nice time last night and I was hoping we might be able to make a date to see each other again."
"Sure," Lexi said with a grin. "I'm free on Saturday night. Does that work for you?"
"Yes, it does. Do you like Mexican food?"
"Very much."
"Six-thirty?"
"Perfect. Shall I pick you up?"
Lexi grabbed a broom and nodded. "I'd like that."
"Okay then," Miriam smiled with accomplishment. There was a moment of silence that threatened to become uncomfortable and then Miriam straightened. "I'd best be getting back to work."
"Thanks for coming by, Miriam. I'll see you Saturday night."
"Bye."
When the door closed, Lexi let out a breath. "Okay. That was a little strange." She swept the floor briskly as she thought about it. Except for the odd look or comment, Miriam seemed to be a perfectly nice woman. Lexi did like her, in a way, but there just didn't seem to be any spark between them. Still, she knew that sometimes feelings took a little longer to develop with some people. That must be the case here. Time would tell, she supposed.
She was running a little ahead of schedule, but that was always a good thing. Lexi opened a drying cage and let a small mixed breed dog out to stretch his legs. The terrier shook himself and went to investigate Pookie. Lexi always thought it funny that terriers didn't seem to know how small they were compared to other dogs. This was a trait Cricket had as well.
After a few minutes, she collected the mangy looking mutt and began the work of making him look like a real dog.
~***~
Freddie breezed in mid-afternoon. He showed up almost every day just to visit and Lexi appreciated it. Owners came and went, but it was nice to actually have a conversation with someone. Especially someone who didn't require her undivided attention. Freddie was helpful, too. He would occasionally answer the phone or give a dog a bath, which took some of the pressure off of Lexi on her busier days.
"Ola!"
"Hey, Freddie. How's it shakin'?"
"Pretty loose." He stopped to fuss over the Bichon she was trimming. "Aren't you the pretty one? I love these little powder puff dogs. Maybe I'll make Jay get me one."
"They require lots of love and attention," Lexi felt obligated to point out.
Freddie lost interest in a heartbeat. "Maybe not." Throwing himself into a chair, he studied Lexi with dark eyes. "Am I to understand that you have a date?"
Lexi straightened. "What did Jay do? Run right over there first thing this morning and tell her to ask me out?"
Expressive eyebrows rose in surprise. "Ooo. Testy much?" He waved off her answer with one graceful hand. "Actually, he did not. He called me a few minutes ago and said he had just seen her. Apparently she had already taken the bull by the horns."
"That's one way to put it."
Freddie cocked his head to one side. "You don't want to go out with her?"
Lexi sighed. "That's not it. I don't know what's wrong with me. She came by the shop earlier and asked me out. She was very nice."
"But you don't feel...it."
"Not yet," she said with another sigh. "But, I do like her. Kind of."
"I understand," he said knowingly. "She is very much yes-and-no at the same time. Maybe she will become a yes in time."
"I hope so. Maybe it's just that she's nervous about making new friends. I would be. I'll give it some time and see if she relaxes. Sometimes you just don't hit it off with people right away and later you become great friends."
"Very true."
Lexi let it go. Fussing now wasn't going to answer any questions. "Any luck with the stylist position?"
"Not yet. I have a few more interviews later this week."
They chatted about trivial things for a while and Freddie picked up the phone when it rang.
"Doggy Styles. How may I help you?"
He was quiet for a moment and then covered the receiver with his hand. "Your car is ready."
Lexi considered the rest of her day. "I can't make it before closing today. What time do they open in the morning?"
Freddie asked and covered the phone again. "Someone will be there at seven, but he says it will cost five dollars to store your car over night." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I do not like this man."
Lexi knew exactly who he was talking about. "Can't be helped. Tell him I'll be in before seven-thirty."
Freddie relayed the information and hung up as if the phone had contracted a disease. "What an unpleasant fellow."
Lexi laughed. "You should see him in person. It only gets worse."
"Thank you, no. There is only so much a man of my taste and breeding should be required to endure."
Lexi laughed even harder.
~***~
After dropping Freddie's car off at his home, Lexi caught a ride to the auto shop with Jay. Leaving a kiss on his cheek for helping her out, she walked into the office and came face to face with the blond woman from the bar.
"Good morning."
The smiling face was open and friendly and Lexi smiled back in reflex. "Good morning," she responded. "I'm here to pick up my car."
"I know. I worked on it." Lexi breathed a sigh of relief which prompted a short laugh from the woman. "We get that a lot. I'm Zoe Hansen."
Lexi reached out to take the large, warm hand. "Lexi Knowell. I didn't mean to be so obvious."
"That's all right. We don't let Merle work on the cars anymore. His tool of choice is a hammer. It's bad for business."
"Well, I appreciate that," Lexi grinned.
Zoe pulled a few papers from under the counter and lay them out. "Let me show you what I did."
Lexi moved closer to see the papers.
"You requested a tune up," Zoe said evenly. "Points, plugs, oil and filter changes, timing belt; that sort of thing."
"Yes."
"Okay. That's what we're going to charge you for. But, I did a little more than that."
Lexi looked up nervously.
"Don't worry," Zoe said quickly. "It's just...I've seen you around. We're family, and family looks out for each other. I went over your car pretty thoroughly. Changed some belts and hoses that were looking worn. Rotated the brakes and bled the lines. Recharged your AC. Checked your alignment. Changed the gasket on your oil pan. Stuff that should be part of a good tune up. I do it all the time for family members."
Lexi could hardly believe what she was hearing. "But...shouldn't I at least owe you for parts or something?"
"Don't worry about it. I like to think of it as part of the advertising budget. Word-of-mouth is the best thing there is for drumming up new business, so if you're happy with the job I did, spread the word." She turned a piece of paper for Lexi to look at. "Your brakes are okay for now, but you're going to need to get some new parts in there in a couple of months. It's not something to worry about. Just be aware of it. This is an estimate of what it will cost when you decide to do it. Feel free to shop around for a better price. It won't hurt my feelings. And you need to pay attention to oil changes. I put one of those little stickers in the window that tells you when to come in. Changing the oil and checking the fluids is the number one thing you can do to prolong the life of your car. Other than that, it's in pretty good shape. Do you have any questions?"
Pride and Groom Page 2