The Tea Series

by Sheila Horgan

  I made myself a cup of tea, drank it, walked over, and checked the mail. Junk.

  I knew it would be; I do everything online. But then that check I got was a surprise, so I need to keep an open mind about the mail.

  I couldn’t justify putting it off any longer without admitting to myself that I’m a wimp, so I got in the shower. Just about the time I was rinsing my hair the alarm made that noise it makes when someone is walking in the door.

  Okay, so maybe I held my breath and scoochied into the corner a little bit, but I didn’t scream or fall or take off running, slathered in smelly-good-stuff, which can be slippery, and then you’re back to screaming and falling.

  Moments later the all-clear sound came, and moments after that, A.J. came walking into the bathroom.

  He looked more exhausted than I have ever seen him.

  He also looked happy. Really happy.

  “We’re going out.”

  “You look tired.”

  “I am. But were gonna celebrate. Morgan and Liam are going to be ready in an hour. That give you enough time?”

  “Sure.”

  He stepped in the shower. No reason to waste water. “You didn’t have any other plans, did you? I was going to text, but when we stopped for gas I had to answer a call, and then I just wanted to get home.”

  “No other plans. I take it things went well.”

  “I swear to God, Cara, they couldn’t have gone any better. Morgan was so good. No matter what they threw at her, and they threw everything they could think of, she was smooth and informative and knew just when to shut up. She didn’t try to oversell anything. She didn’t seem cocky. She just knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be saying the same thing about you.”

  “Yeah, but it really was all her.”

  “So you got the contracts?”

  “If we can live through the next six weeks, doing even more work than we’re doing now, we’re good. In six weeks we’ll be nine-to-five people with a twist.”

  “A twist?”

  “Yeah, we’ll actually be doing the things we love.”

  His smile was infectious.

  When Liam and Morgan showed up, we were actually ready.

  Small miracle.

  Considering.

  “Where’s Jordan?”

  “Aunt Anna’s keeping him for the night.”

  “He’ll have a blast.”

  “The girls are taking him somewhere. Big surprise. They’ve had this planned for about a week. You know where they’re going?”

  “Nope. I wasn’t in on this one.”

  Liam asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Old Town.”

  I’m not going to say that Morgan and A.J. got a hero’s welcome — since I don’t want to be disrespectful of real heroes — but word had already gotten out that their project was a huge success and that as a result the businesses in Old Town would be revitalized.

  It’s not like they were failing before, but they weren’t thriving either. For lots of reasons. Morgan is convinced all those reasons can be fixed, and with the right marketing they will all be thriving again.

  A.J. is convinced that their approach has to be multi-pronged and visual. Put it all together and we had a really great night, going from one shop to another, food and drinks all comped. And at the end of the night — other than my feet screaming at me because I’d worn really high heels to go with my outfit — I don’t think any of us had ever felt better.

  We left A.J.’s car in the lot, with a promise from the security guy that it would be there in the morning, and took a cab home. Liam and Morgan took their own cab.

  I couldn’t believe how expensive a cab ride is. How do people in New York do it?

  When we were in bed, I told A.J. all about Teagan’s ring. He asked what kind of ring I will want. I told him I don’t really want an engagement ring and for a wedding ring I want a thin gold band.

  He laughed.

  Actually laughed.

  “I’m sure that is what you thought about years ago, but I don’t think it is going to work out that way, Cara.”

  “Why?”

  “I just don’t.”

  I didn’t argue with him. Time will tell. That’s what Grandma always said. Plus, you know, we seem to be talking a lot about marriage for people who have no plan for getting married. I like it, but I want to be careful. Sometimes people either build it up so much before the fact that when it happens they are disappointed, or they can live in a little fantasy world so that the real world doesn’t have a chance.

  I want to take it really slow.

  Glacier slow.

  I want my marriage to last the rest of my life, and I don’t want to be like virtually all my friends, who are always rushing into their happily ever after — which I don’t even believe in — and then regretting it.

  Besides, we already live together, so there’s no reason to get married until we’re ready to have kids.

  Please don’t tell my mother I said that.

  You know when you find the perfect spot and the perfect position in bed. You know you will never, ever be that comfortable again. Just as I found that spot and position, there was Teagan.

  Not in my room. In my mind.

  I remembered she said something kind of brilliant, and I’d completely blown it off.

  What if the people who broke into the apartment hadn’t been there to take something? What if they had been there to leave something?

  If that was the case, then why did they mess up the whole apartment?

  I thought about it.

  I thought about it some more.

  I was just about to fall asleep when I said, out loud, “So that it would be found!”

  Oh, my, God. How stupid am I?

  You know that old thing, hiding in plain sight.

  It’s an old thing for a reason.

  What if what they wanted was for something they put in my apartment to be found?

  Then why break into the warehouse?

  I couldn’t sleep anymore. This was going to bug me until I figured it out.

  It was way too late to call Teagan.

  So I texted her. Yeah, sisters can be jerks like that.

  Me: I think you might actually be smart.

  Teagan: Dingleberry, if you woke me up to say that, I’m on my way over to kill you. I’m awake anyway.

  Me: Remember when you said that maybe they left something here? Maybe you are right.

  Teagan: Give me a minute.

  I put on the kettle while I waited for her to think about it.

  Teagan: Sorry, you wake me up in the middle of the night, I gotta make a pit stop. What are you talking about?

  Me: Jessie there?

  Teagan: Nope.

  Me: Can I come over?

  Teagan: No! Are you smokin’ crack? It’s the middle of the night. Besides, the whole security thing.

  Me: Nobody is going to follow me.

  Teagan: Cara, go back to bed. I’ll come over in the morning.

  Me: When? Be early!

  Teagan: 6

  Me: Make it 5:30, and I’ll feed you.

  Teagan: Make it 7:30, and I won’t kill you.

  Me: See you at 6. Thanks.

  I went back to bed but never found that comfortable spot.

  A.J. never even woke up.

  He’s working too hard.

  Teagan showed up a little bit after six with a white bag from the bakery in her hand, her hair in a ponytail, and she was wearing capri leggings with either a long top or a short dress over them. She had on ballet flats, virtually no makeup — by Teagan standards — and she needs a manicure.

  “Oh. My. God. I’ve finally done it. I’ve ruined you.”

  “Shut up, dingleberry.”

  “What is going on with you? Why aren’t you even ready for work?”

  “I am.”

  “What?”

  “Today
is moving day. I’m moving into my new corner office. I’m actually kind of excited about it.”

  “Congratulations. Enough about you; fix me.”

  “What’s going on with you?”

  “I think you were right.”

  “Of course.”

  “No, Teagan, really, I think you were right. After I called you last night — ”

  “This morning.”

  “Whatever. After I called you I got to thinking about it. I’ve been through all my stuff, mostly. I really didn’t find anything missing. The guys have been through all of Adeline’s stuff in the warehouse. They didn’t find anything missing. I think you were right. I think they left something instead of taking it.”

  “Then why didn’t you guys find it when you were looking for what they took?”

  “Because we were looking for what they took. We weren’t paying attention to what was there; we were looking for what was missing.”

  “Okay, I can see that, so what are you going to do?”

  “First, I’m going to have Roland come over and go all James Bond and look for spy stuff.”

  “No one wants to spy on you, Cara.”

  “We are spying on them! Roland put cameras outside in that metal framework under the stairs. What makes us think that we can spy on them and they can’t spy on us? For all we know they’re watching and listening right now. And at this point, I don’t even know who ‘they’ is. It could be Roland and his guys; for the sake of identification we will call them the good guys. Or it could be the people who broke into the apartment; we will call them the bad guys. But you know what? You have me so paranoid I’m not even sure who the good guys are and who the bad guys are, and at this juncture I’m not even sure they aren’t the same guys.”

  “Good point.”

  “Thanks. It’s your fault, Teagan. You and all your stupid conspiracy theories.”

  “Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.”

  “Thanks for your Seamus impersonation. All I need is him in the mix. So then the next question is, if they left something here, why did they break into the warehouse?”

  “I’ve been thinking about that. All night actually. I can only come up with two reasons. Either they broke into the warehouse so that whatever they left would get found, which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, or, and this is what I think is really the answer, they broke into the apartment and trashed it so that what they left would be found, and they broke into the warehouse so that the apartment would be connected to the warehouse.”

  “Dammit, that makes sense. And it’s so obvious even I should have figured it out. We should have thought about it a long time ago. They break into my apartment and leave something, and then, of course, Adeline’s people would find whatever they left. These people are connected to Adeline. They know her. They know her habits. They know that she would step in to protect me and have Roland and his people take care of everything.”

  “Cara, that really does make sense.”

  “In a really twisted way.”

  Teagan seems to have a thing about Roland. “So if Roland and his people are so good, why didn’t they think of this? Like we said, it’s pretty damn obvious.”

  “Maybe they did, and they just aren’t telling me.”

  “Then they’re idiots. You’re the one stuck in the middle of all this. You are the one at risk. Oh, wait a minute, they don’t have any problem putting little old ladies in the middle of the woods so that they can sit up in a tree and take shots at the bad guys when they show up, so I guess painting a big ol’ target on your back isn’t that big of a deal.”

  “I’m going to call Roland as soon as the office opens.”

  “I’m sure their business runs twenty-four hours a day, Cara.”

  “I know, but I’ve had them come running so many times that I feel stupid. Especially if this turns out to be completely wrong.”

  “So having me come running is fine and having them come running is a bad thing.”

  “Exactly.”

  A.J. came out about the time we’d finished that discussion. We sat down and had warm pastries and drinks.

  A.J. shared some of what was going on at work.

  As did Teagan.

  I pretty much kept my mouth shut. I’ve got nothing conclusive to say. I’m trying to train myself that not every fact or theory has to be put out there in the universe.

  Teagan and I agreed to meet later in the day. I’d go to her office and help with the move. Then we’d do dinner. Then we’d figure out some kind of welcome home thing for my parents.

  Time moves so unbelievably slowly when you are waiting for something.

  When I couldn’t take it anymore, I texted Suzi and invited her over for the last of the pastries.

  She wasn’t much help. We talked for about five minutes while she shoved a small cinnamon roll down her throat, and then she ran out the door.

  At eight o’clock I gave up and called Roland’s office.

  They put me right through to him.

  Does the man have any other life at all?

  I explained my theory.

  He said I was brilliant.

  I’m not sure how sincere he was, but I’ll take it.

  He asked if their people could come sweep the apartment today.

  No problem, I’ve got things to do.

  I have to go interview a group for Adeline’s foundation.

  I’ve got to meet with the designer and schedule some stuff with her since JoAnn is off this week, something about her daughter having minor surgery.

  Just knowing Roland took me seriously, I felt better.

  I took my shower, blew my hair dry, put on reasonable makeup and casual clothes. The group I’m seeing is in a bit of an iffy neighborhood, which is normal, but these particular people are wary of corporate types. They’ve been used and abused by people who want to get publicity but never really come through in the end. I’ve decided the best approach is more casual, so instead of business clothes, I put on a pair of blue, skinny cargo jeans that are supposed to be normal length but on me run short and actually look better. I topped that off with a black skinny-strap tank and a hi-lo, sheer, abstract-patterned backless shirt. Slid my feet into my new favorite shoes; they are really comfortable, padded on the inside so I can walk for miles. Basically they are sporty ballet flats with double crisscross elastic ribbons from the ball of my foot across to the other side and wrap around up to the ankle. Almost gladiator style, but not.

  About a hundred years ago, my cousin got all weirded out about all things toile. She made me a bag, gave it to me for my birthday. It’s handmade, with gussets on the side and a flat bottom. I usually use it for picnics. I’ve used it for a computer bag a few times, and although it works, it’s kind of heavy. When we were looking for all things destroyed by the guys who broke into my house, I found a companion piece in the back of the closet. I’m not sure I’ve ever used it.

  It’s basically the same bag, but it is a little smaller and a lot less volume. I mean the outside dimensions are about the same, but the gusseted part and the flat part are smaller, so it’s skinnier. Instead of fitting a whole picnic in there, I can fit my laptop, my tablet, some pens, and my wallet if I don’t want to carry anything else.

  I’d say that the toile debacle — when my cousin got so carried away with her toile phase that she covered her husband’s truck seats with the stuff and almost ended up in a mental health facility — has paid off.

  I grabbed the bag, which looks a lot like that one designer’s bags — I can never think of her name, but she has the quilted bags in bright colors. Teagan would know.

  I stuffed some paperwork, some note pads, the designer’s drawings for what Adeline proposed we do in the main area of their building, a Hershey bar, some before pictures that the designer had scanned, manipulated, and printed out so that I could explain why she was doing what she was doing, and Adeline’s version of a letter of intent.

 
Basically, we found this really wonderful woman. She saw a special segment on the news about a woman in New Jersey who is using dance as a motivator for young women and girls in her area. She took the idea and ran with it. Problem is that she has no money and is in an area where no one else has extra money either.

  She has worked hard and has the use of a space for a long-term lease at a dollar a month, but the inside of the space is so depressing that I’m not sure how the girls can even stand it.

  In order to be a part of the dance group all the girls have to maintain their grades in school. They also have to do community service. They’ve never been held to such a high standard, and they thrive.

  Adeline is going to decorate the inside of the space.

  What the girls are going to find out today is that Adeline has worked her magic, and not only do they have the space they are already using, but they now have the adjacent space on either side, plus they will have it appropriately decorated with ballet bars and mirrors and all of that.

  Plus the space adjacent is going to be turned into a kitchen, as many of the girls come to practice hungry and go home the same way.

  On the other side of the dance space, Adeline is creating a classroom slash hangout slash safety zone. She will also have security there, as many of the girls have been using the spot as little more than a flophouse.

  When it is better to sleep on the floor of a commercial building in a rather sketchy area of the city, you need a little support.

  The lawyers have drawn up all kinds of paperwork, but basically all Adeline wants in return is a waiver of liability. If someone falls and breaks a leg, she doesn’t want to get sued.

  How sad is it that you have to think about things like that when you are the one who is doing something really meaningful and trying to help.

  I’ve found a pro bono lawyer who will help the lady running the place go through all the paperwork without any influence from our team.

  I have a meeting there in about an hour and a half. Just enough time for a cup of tea, then I’m off to the meeting. After the meeting, I’m off to do some other errands for Adeline, and one of them is going to be to stop in and see Roland and try to figure out what is going on.