Chez Stinky

by Susan C. Daffron

  Louise nodded. “Yes, please do.”

  “I’m not sure how long this type of thing takes. And it’s possible I still could inherit. Larry said that my relationship with Abigail is distant, particularly compared to a spouse. And the Lumberjack may be able to claim that there’s no rational reason she’d will something to me. He may claim she was too sick to know what she was doing.”

  “That’s ludicrous! Abigail was as sane as you or I until the day she died.”

  Kat shook her head. “Everything is really up in the air right now. Thanks for meeting me and letting me stay in the house. I should go now. I’ll be in touch if something changes.”

  Kat handed Louise some money for her coffee and left the diner. She slowly walked to her car with her hands in her pockets. She’d learned a few things from Louise, anyway. The woman was convinced Abigail had divorced the Lumberjack and apparently her aunt’s mental health was fine before she died. Maybe Louise would be willing to testify to that. But it might not be enough to make a difference. Even if Kat inherited half the property, it could be difficult to keep the Lumberjack and his chain saw away from those profitable cedars.

  Chapter 12

  Multi-tasking

  When Kat returned to the house, Joel was still downstairs doing nerdy things with his new computer. He certainly was focused. Kat smiled. When his attention was on her, that level of focus could be a good thing.

  She stood in the doorway of the office and tapped on the open door. “How goes the exciting journey into the World Wide Web?”

  Joel looked up and smiled. “I got into my CompuServe account and surfed a few Web sites. I am connected again and my inner geek is rejoicing.”

  Kat walked over to his chair and bent down to put her arms around his neck. She looked deeply into his green eyes with mock seriousness. “Wow, how sexy.”

  He pulled her down into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, poking her playfully in the ribs. “It could be.” After she stopped squirming, he kissed her deeply. He paused and raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Have you noticed there’s a bed in here? I’ve never had an office with a bed before.”

  Kat giggled. “And here I thought all you cared about was your new computer.”

  “Not at all. I’m very good at multi-tasking.” He grabbed her around the waist and raised her out of his lap. Taking her two hands in his, he stood up and walked backwards until he fell on the bed, pulling her on top of him.

  Kat looked into his eyes. As she inclined her head to kiss him, her long, dark hair cascaded around his face. He pushed her hair back, gathering it into one hand to keep it out of the way. Looking at her for a long moment, he drew her back down to him so he could kiss her more thoroughly. Kat’s body began to relax and she lost herself in his warm embrace. The phone rang and Kat pulled her head back suddenly. “Owww! Let go!”

  “Oops. Sorry about that.”

  They both sat up and stared at each other for a second as Joel disentangled his fingers from her hair. Kat grinned at the distressed look on Joel’s face. Noting the twinkle in her eye, he burst out laughing. “Okay, that was definitely not sexy.”

  Kat gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I know you’ll make it up to me.” She got up off the bed and ran upstairs to answer the phone.

  Kat got to the phone and picked up the receiver as the answering machine picked up. She jabbed her finger on the button to turn it off. “Hello. I’m here. Sorry.”

  Maria said, “Hey, girlfriend, you sound all out of breath. What have you been doing?”

  “Uh…nothing. Larry said you’re coming up this weekend. He’s looking forward to seeing you. When do you get here?”

  “I was going to come up Saturday night to see Larry, but work is stupid.”

  “That’s nothing new.”

  “I was wondering if I could crash at your place later tonight.”

  “Do you mind sleeping downstairs? I cleaned out the bedrooms. It’s a lot better.”

  “I don’t care. I’ll be in pretty late, though. Just tell the sexy engineer not to be walking around naked or something.”

  “I’ll try and keep him under control.”

  “Maybe we can do something tomorrow morning. I want to go get close to nature. I read an article that said the trees exhale and give you more oxygen. It’s supposed to be good for you. I want to be feeling extra healthy and have my stamina at its peak in case Larry makes a big move.”

  “Do you want to go hiking somewhere? I can ask Joel if he knows about trails around here.”

  “Can I wear my heels?”

  “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

  “Why do they put the trees in places we can’t get at? Stupid trees.”

  “There are plenty of trees here at the house. We’ll think of something else to do. I’m looking forward to seeing you.”

  “I need to get a good look at the sexy engineer for myself. If he’s another loser, I’m going to need to have a conversation with you.”

  “I’ve never known you to hold back.”

  Maria arrived late that night after fighting Friday evening traffic out of the city. She was grumpy and Kat suspected her friend might be disappointed that Joel wasn’t wandering around naked, after all. In fact, he had been sleeping quite naked in the bedroom, but it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to mention that.

  The next morning, Kat and Joel were sitting at the kitchen table when Maria emerged from the stairwell, wearing a frilly pink baby-doll nightgown that appeared to be a few sizes too small. She walked into the kitchen and stretched out her arms. “I feel good! I think it’s the trees. I’m oxygenating! And I think the big dog down there just felt me up with his nose. I feel a little violated now.”

  Kat said, “He’s just friendly. You remember Joel, right?”

  Maria walked behind Joel, wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a loud smacking kiss on the cheek. “Hey, roommate! Any friend of Kat’s is a friend of mine. It sounds like you two are waaay better friends than you were the last time I was here. Did you have lots of fun last night?”

  Looking uncomfortable, Joel slowly peeled Maria’s arms off his shoulders and turned his head to look at her. His eyes widened at the sight of Maria’s nightwear. “I’m fine thanks. Kat said you had a long drive last night.”

  Kat giggled at Joel’s obvious distress at Maria’s touchy-feely ways. When she had met Maria, it had taken a while for her to get used to how physically affectionate her friend was. Joel might need a little time to adjust, too.

  Maria patted Joel on the shoulder. “Yeah, but work and stupid traffic are behind me now. I’m going to get me some lawyer action tonight. So it will all be worth it.”

  Joel glanced quickly at Kat, who grinned back at him. He said, “I hope so.”

  Maria flopped down in a chair and slapped her palms on the table. “So what do you guys do for fun up here? We tried the night life last time, and I hate to tell you this, but there isn’t any.”

  Kat looked at her. “True. We usually just hang around here.”

  Maria waved her hands at them. “What? Are you 90 years old? You guys aren’t really that boring, are you?”

  “Well, the other day we had to take Linus to the vet. That was something. And then the other night, there was the old weird dude we found lying in the weeds.”

  “What? There was a dude? Was he dead? Was there gore?”

  Joel volunteered, “He was alive. Just passed out.”

  Maria raised her eyebrows. “I thought all the drunks lived near my apartment. I guess they’re expanding their territory.”

  Kat said, “He claims he owns the house. Remember the pictures where the Lumberjack was whited out?”

  “Yeah.”

  “That was the guy in the yard.”

  “Wow. You met White-Out Guy? There’s way more action here than I thought.”

  Kat and Joel explained the situation with the inheritance and the Lumberjack’s potential claim on Chez Stinky to Maria. By
the end of the story, she was shaking her head.

  “That’s just wrong. He walks out on the woman and this place and 30 years later he wants it back? You can’t let that happen.”

  Joel got up from the table. “I hope it won’t. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go check on something on my computer.”

  Kat and Maria watched in silence as he descended the stairs. Maria turned and looked at Kat. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”

  “What? Is this where you give me the lecture about my taste in men? We’ve been over that before. A lot of pinot noir grapes have given their lives in the never-ending quest to analyze my romantic failures.”

  “No. It’s freaky to hear you and Joel talk together. It’s like you’re connected at the brain.”

  “What? We just talk.”

  “No. You don’t talk like that with anyone else. Except me sometimes, I guess. But then occasionally I’m just too fabulous for you and you get all quiet.”

  Kat raised her eyebrows. “I think you may be mistaking quiet for me not being able to get a word in.”

  “Whatever. This guy rocks your world, doesn’t he?”

  Kat blushed and lowered her eyes. “Pretty much.”

  “So what are you going to do about it?”

  “Do?”

  “You’re in this weird limbo thing with him living here. What if you lose this place? Do you move in with him? Move somewhere else? Go your separate ways? What if he gets a job somewhere? Or you get a job? Would you move with him? Would he move to be with you?”

  Kat giggled. “So you’re asking me what my intentions are with this man? You’re like a stern parent in some nineteenth-century novel.”

  “I prefer to think of it as getting the real dirt on the situation.”

  “That, too. Who knows what will happen? As you point out, my life is a disaster area. I have no idea.”

  Maria put her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. “So here’s the million-dollar question: are you in love with him?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. Probably. We’ve only known each other a few weeks. I can’t be sure how he feels about me. It seems like he cares, but I told you he dated a super model before me. He might need to think about it for a while before jumping into anything.”

  “Figure it out, girlfriend.”

  After spending the afternoon exploring the shops of downtown Alpine Grove and watching Maria buy things, Kat returned to Chez Stinky. She rummaged in the kitchen for food while Maria got ready for her evening with Larry.

  Maria hauled her suitcase up the stairs and put it by the front door. She was dressed in a tight black dress that emphasized her curves.

  Kat looked at her. “Larry will like that outfit. But can you walk in it?”

  “I’m working on it. I’m practicing. By the time Larry sees me, I’ll have worked out the issues.” She reached out her arms to hug Kat. “You behave. Or not.” She raised her eyebrows. “Remember what I said about the sexy engineer. Figure it out.”

  After the little red Miata pulled out of the driveway, the house was oddly quiescent without Maria’s effervescence. It was a bit of a relief. Although Kat loved Maria, it was nice to return to her normal peaceful existence. She went downstairs to see what Joel was up to and let him know Maria had hit the road. He’d undoubtedly been trying to stay out of the way.

  Joel looked up from his computer as Kat walked in the room. He had an odd look on his face. Kat stopped in front of him. “Maria is off on her date now.”

  “I hope it works out for her.”

  “You never know with Maria. Poor Larry doesn’t know what he’s in for.” Kat turned to leave.

  “Wait. I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  Kat turned back toward him with a questioning look. “Okay.”

  “I need to go on a trip for a couple days. I don’t think that the Lumberjack is going to be sneaking around here anymore, so you should be okay, right?”

  “I’ll be fine. Where are you going?”

  “Just a quick flight south. It’s a family thing.”

  The expression on his face indicated he was probably lying. Even if he wasn’t, he certainly wasn’t offering any details about the trip, which was irritating. She shrugged. “You don’t have to ask my permission. You can leave any time you like.”

  A flash of anger or disappointment flashed in his eyes. Kat wasn’t sure what that look meant, but it wasn’t good. After a long pause, he said, “Fine. I should probably pack. I have to leave here early in the morning to get to the airport.” He stood up, navigated around her without touching her, and walked out of the room.

  Kat turned and stared at the empty space where he had walked by. That was strange. What had just happened? She went up the stairs into the bedroom and stood in the doorway. “What’s going on?”

  Joel looked up from the suitcase he’d pulled out of the closet. “Nothing. I just have to go on this trip. That’s all.”

  Kat walked over to him and looked up into his eyes. “Are you sure? You’re being weird.”

  He smiled and reached out to take her in his arms. “I am sure. And no I’m not.”

  “If you say so. But can you tell me something? Are you looking for another job?”

  “No, I’m not. I’ll call you when I get there.”

  “I’m going to miss you again, you know.”

  “I know.” His expression relaxed and he gently eased her down to the bed with him. “Maybe we should make up for the time we’ll be apart in advance.”

  “Way to plan ahead.”

  After getting very little sleep, Joel left at three the next morning to drive to the airport. Kat wished him a safe trip and went back to sleep, trying not to think about how large and lonely the bed felt without him in it. Or about all the deer out on the darkened roads that might leap out in front of his truck.

  Later Kat rolled out of bed, made some toast, and then wandered downstairs in her nightshirt to feed the dogs. She was determined not to spend the entire day moping and worrying about Joel again. Been there; done that. Of course, the next obvious possibility was that he was meeting Allison somewhere. What if they were getting back together? Kat shook her head. No. Don’t go there again.

  The dogs all gathered around expectantly. “Hi, guys. Yes, it’s that magic moment you’ve all been waiting for.”

  She went through the routine of dispensing and delivering the food, causing much canine joy and reveling. Life was so simple for a dog. Eat. Walk. Dump. Nap. Eat. Dump. Sleep. And then do it all over again the next day. There was beauty in simplicity.

  Walking into the bedroom that she now considered Joel’s office, Kat pondered the idea of looking for Abigail’s divorce papers again. When she had been cleaning out stuff, she hadn’t seen anything that looked like important papers. But then again, she hadn’t been looking for that type of thing. She had just been trying to make the rooms fit for human habitation.

  She opened up the closet, sat cross-legged on the floor, and pulled out the closest cardboard box. Murphee walked into the room and sat next to her to supervise as she riffled through the contents of the box. Deciding that it was time for some managerial input, the cat put her paws up on the side of the box and daintily hopped inside.

  “Thanks Murph. You’re not helping.”

  Murphee meowed proudly, obviously pleased with her accomplishment.

  Kat lifted the cat out of the box and folded the flaps back up. “This isn’t getting me anywhere.”

  She went back upstairs, took a shower, and got dressed. After taking the dogs for a walk, she decided to go to the reference section of the library to look through the Writer’s Market and take notes on possible magazines that might want articles she could write. Maybe Joel would let her use his new computer to write some query letters, since she couldn’t afford to get her own computer right now. It wouldn’t hurt to ask.

  When she returned home, her answering machine light was flashing madly. The first message was from Jo
el. She smiled as his voice came from the machine. “Hi. I’m just letting you know I’m here. I’ll call you later.” Good thing he was going to call back, because he didn’t leave a number. How annoying.

  After the beep, Louise’s voice said, “Hello, Kat? This is Louise Johnson. I’d like to talk to you again if you have an opportunity.”

  Kat raised her eyebrows. Maybe Louise had good news. She picked up the phone and called Louise’s number. “I got your message. When would you like to meet?”

  “As soon as you can. I need to talk to you. Could you come to my house? It’s in town, not too far from the diner.”

  Kat got directions and promised to be there after she walked the dogs.

  Later, she parked her Toyota in front of the house at the address Louise had given her. The compact bungalow sported a meticulously manicured garden with an arbor covered with pink climbing roses. She got out of the car and knocked on the door.

  “Kat, I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve been thinking about our conversation, and I think there are things you need to know. I’m not sure any of it matters now, but I feel I must share something with you.” She wrung her handkerchief nervously in her hands. “Please sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

  As she sat on the sofa, Kat looked at Louise more closely. Her eyes were red, and it looked like she had been crying. “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

  Louise cleared her throat. “Well, I’m sure you know that your grandmother’s name was Florence.”

  “Yes, she’s Abigail’s sister.”

  “And your grandfather was a banker. They had a lovely little house where they raised your mother.”

  “Yes. I’ve heard all about that. I think my mother wishes it were still 1958.”

  “Abigail was...let’s just say, she was a bit more of a free spirit than Florence. She didn’t get along with the family very well. She ran away from home when she was quite young.”

  Kat raised her eyebrows. “I had no idea. I thought she lived here.”