by Marja McGraw
“This is wonderful. I’m an antique buff. I’d love to look through the whole house sometime, if you don’t mind. I’ll bet there are some real treasures in this old house.”
“Yes, there are. I can arrange for you to see the rest of the house whenever you like. You might be pleasantly surprised.” I found myself still trying to sell him on the house, although it didn’t seem necessary.
We discussed the cost of room and board and I told him that it was to be paid on a month-to-month basis.
“I like the room and the price, Miss Sanders. I’d like very much to live here.” I breathed a mental sigh of relief. I could quit pushing.
“Please, call me Kelly. Now, if you’d like to show me which part of the house you prefer, we’ll go from there.”
“Call me Josh.”
I smiled, liking my new tenant already.
We turned to leave the room and I had an odd sensation of movement behind me, although I hadn’t heard anything. Glancing over my shoulder, nothing seemed out of place, so I followed Josh, pulling the door shut behind me.
He chose a room on the second floor next to the master bedroom. He felt it would be quieter towards the back of the house, and he’d have a little more privacy. I agreed with him.
I showed him where the bathroom was and he said he really didn’t mind sharing the facility. The bathrooms were one drawback I could do nothing about.
“What would be the earliest I could move in?” Josh asked.
“You can move in at your own convenience. Tomorrow or any time after that would be fine,” I replied.
“Since I’m staying at a motel, I may as well make the move tomorrow. Living out here will be wonderful.” He glanced out the window at the soon-to-be leafed out trees. “I’ve spent too many years living in the city.”
We passed the first room I’d shown him, and I noticed the door was ajar. I knew I’d closed it when we left the room. Lucy must have been upstairs looking for something. I’d have to remember to mention I wanted to keep the doors closed. I wanted the prospective boarders to have a sense of privacy when I showed them the rooms.
Josh and I returned downstairs and he paid me for the first month. Lucy stepped out of the kitchen and spoke to him for a moment while I wrote him a receipt. Her curiosity had gotten the best of her.
“It’s been a pleasure, Kelly,” he said, handing me the check. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
What a weekend it was going to be with three people moving in. Josh was a little different from the others though. It gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling to have my first honest-to-goodness boarder.
After Josh left I returned upstairs to make up his bed. When I passed the first room I leaned in and glanced around, but nothing had changed. Shrugging, I pulled the door closed and reminded myself once again to mention the doors to Lucy.
There seemed to be so many things to remember. I have to start writing notes to myself or I’d forget something important.
Chapter Ten
Saturday morning I made a point of being up and ready by six o’clock. I guess that was a little too early because I got cleaned up, had breakfast and then found myself with nothing to do. I’d already made up Sharon’s and David’s rooms, so I didn’t even have that job to keep me busy.
When Lucy wandered into the kitchen at seven-thirty, I had her breakfast waiting for her.
“This is a surprise,” she said.
“I heard you get up so I figured I’d beat you to it. Now sit down and eat.”
“I’m supposed to be cooking for you, my dear.”
“I know. And you will be, but I felt like cooking this morning, so I did. Besides, I didn’t have anything else to do.”
She grinned. “What time did you get up?”
“Too early, apparently. By the way, I meant to talk to you about the rooms upstairs. Yesterday you opened one of the doors and forgot to close it. With boarders moving in I think we should get used to keeping them closed all the time.”
“I’ll be happy to keep them closed, but I wasn’t upstairs yesterday. I never had a reason to go up.”
“Oh. That’s odd. I closed the door and then found it standing open. I’ll have to check the latch and make sure it’s not broken.”
By the time Lucy was through eating, it was almost eight o’clock. I stood by the sink, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, and I couldn’t seem to stop watching out the window. When I turned around, I found Lucy watching me.
“You sure seem antsy. What’s the matter with you?”
“Today is the day things start happening. I’ve got three people moving in and the ad runs in the newspaper. I’m a little jumpy.” I sighed. “If I’m this nervous with three people moving in, one being the handyman and one being a friend, what am I going to be like with a house full of strangers?”
“You’ll be fine. I think you’ve got a case of stage fright. You’ve got all of your plans worked out, and everything you’ve told me makes sense, and I know you’ll do okay. Just try to relax.”
“Easier said than done. I’m glad you’re here, Lucy. I don’t feel quite so alone.”
“Don’t count on me with the guests. I’m the housekeeper, remember?”
“I know, but you’re great with moral support.”
About that time I heard a truck pull into the drive.
Remembering Lucy’s distrust of David, I asked, “You didn’t see David when he was here yesterday, did you?”
“No, I missed him. I’ll make a point of introducing myself to him today. After all, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I suppose I’d better try to get along with him.”
“I can’t understand why you formed an opinion without even meeting David. It doesn’t make much sense to me.”
“You’re absolutely right. I’m sorry,” she said. “I guess I’m not being very fair. I don’t understand it myself.”
“Come with me and I’ll introduce you two,” I said, taking hold of her hand.
She looked reluctant, but when I let go of her hand she followed me out to the back where he’d parked his truck.
“Mornin’.” He greeted us with a smile.
I glanced at Lucy and her expression seemed to have softened just a touch. I had no idea what she’d been expecting. I told her he was handsome and pleasant, but for some reason she didn’t seem to trust my judgment. Maybe she actually thought I hired him solely on the merit of his looks.
“Miss Sanders...”
“Please, call me Kelly.”
“Okay, Kelly, I was thinking I could build a fence railing out front to indicate where your tenants should park.”
“I like that. I was thinking about having you put in some hedges in front too, for more privacy. What do you think?”
“Good idea,” he replied.
I glanced at Lucy again, and she appeared thoughtful. I had a feeling she was impressed because his first thought was how to help out.
“David, this is Lucy Daley. She’s our cook and housekeeper.”
“How do you do, Lucy?”
“Fine, thank you. Happy to make your acquaintance.”
“Come on and I’ll show you to your room,” Lucy said. “And I’ll get you a cup of coffee. I made a coffee cake last night, too.”
“As soon as I get my things put away I’ll be ready for dessert,” he replied.
Lucy beamed at him. At least now I wouldn’t have to worry about them getting along. They were doing fine together.
We turned to walk to the house and I heard a car coming. Looking back I saw Sharon pulling into the driveway. She saw us and pulled to the rear of the house.
“Wait a second,” I said. “Here comes my friend Sharon.”
She parked her car and pulled a box out of the back seat before joining us. “Hi y’all,” she said. Every once in a while Texas showed through when she spoke.
“Sharon, I’m so glad you’re here. Let me introduce you around.”
I made the introductions, noting that David couldn
’t take his eyes off her, and that Lucy was looking from one to the other with that smug look I’d seen the day before when she watched Mike and me together. She was a natural born matchmaker. Sharon was in such a dither that she didn’t seem to notice anything.
“I’m happy to meet you both. I’m sorry, but I’ve been rushing so much this mornin’ that I’m all turned around.” She almost sounded breathless.
“Well don’t just stand there,” I said. “Let’s go inside. You two can put your things away while Lucy and I get the coffee and cake ready.”
While we walked, David dropped back in step with Sharon. She had that effect on most men. I couldn’t help but wonder what Mike would think of her, but I admonished myself because what did it really matter anyway?
Lucy showed David to his room while Sharon followed me to the one she’d be using.
“I’m so glad to finally be here,” she said. “It’s been too quiet for me in town without you there. It seems like we were always at each other’s apartment or going somewhere together. Um, that David would make one hunk of a Texas cowboy.”
“I didn’t think you noticed.”
She grinned at me. “Kinda quiet though, isn’t he?”
“Sharon, as much as you talk, he won’t need to say a word. I’m going to go help Lucy. I’ll be back in a while.”
Sharon was already hanging up her clothes, so she just nodded. She hadn’t brought much with her, although she had asked if she might put a few boxes in the storage shed.
“What can I do to help, Lucy?” I asked, entering the kitchen.
“Not a thing. Everything’s under control here.”
I decided to run upstairs and check Mr. Forbes’ room one last time to make sure it was in order. Reaching the top of the stairs, I saw the door of the first bedroom appeared to be closing. I couldn’t figure out who might be upstairs, so I opened the door but saw no one. That’s when I had my first true experience with an optical illusion. The dresser seemed to be moving, but when I blinked, it was still. It was a weird sensation. I shook the cobwebs out of my head, blinked a couple more times, and left the room, closing the door on my way out. If there hadn’t been so much going on, I’d probably have given the door and the dresser more thought.
I checked Mr. Forbes’ room, and noting that everything looked in order, I returned to Sharon’s room.
“Need any help?” I asked.
“Not really, but sit down and talk to me while I finish unpacking. That’s one nice thing about renting a furnished apartment. I don’t have too much to take with me when I move.”
I smiled. Nice way to live.
“By the way,” she added, “I stopped at the post office and picked up your mail like you asked me to, and while I was there I got myself a post office box.” There was no mail delivery to Holt House because it was so far out of town so I’d given Sharon my key, asking her to pick up my mail.
“Why don’t you keep the key and you can pick up my mail when you pick up your own.”
“Okay, that’s what I was going to do anyway.”
While Sharon finished unpacking, she filled me in on the latest news in town, and I told her about my new plans, people I’d been dealing with, especially Mike, and we finally stopped talking and started laughing.
“You’d think we hadn’t seen each other in a year,” I said.
“I know. It feels that way. You’re the closest thing I’ve got to a sister. It’s hard to spend too much time apart.”
“You’ve got competition. Lucy wants to be my big sister,” I said.
She looked at me questioningly, so I explained about Lucy’s comment and told her I thought Lucy was probably lonely.
“You may be right, but the sister thing is sort of cute. I think I’m going to like her.”
“You will. She’s so down to earth. She’s a little bossy, but she really seems to care about people. She fancies herself a matchmaker, too.”
Sharon finished putting her things away and we strolled to the kitchen where we found Lucy and David already having coffee.
“Took you two long enough,” Lucy said. “Come and sit down.”
“We had a little catching up to do,” I said. I was watching David out of the corner of my eye, and had to suppress a chuckle. He couldn’t keep his eyes off Sharon, although I could see he was trying to be nonchalant.
We women were carrying the conversation when David stood up and said, “I’m going to go look around the place and see what needs to be done first. Be back later.”
“Come in around noon for lunch,” Lucy said.
“I will.”
We looked at each other after he left and started laughing.
“Sharon, I think you have an admirer,” Lucy said.
“I think he got tired of listening to us ladies run on about everything,” Sharon replied. “We do get carried away sometimes. And, Kelly, you were right. He’s about as hot as they come.”
“You were right about something else, Kelly,” Lucy said. “He’s a nice guy. I don’t know why I made up my mind about him without even meeting him. I’m not normally that quick to judge people.”
Lucy seemed to study Sharon for a moment.
“You know, while the two of you were in Sharon’s room we talked about a lot of different things, and he’s a very intelligent man.”
“He’s got a college background, but says he prefers the outdoor life,” I said.
Bing! Bong! That wild doorbell was calling my name.
Lucy stood up.
“I’ll go,” I said. “It’s probably Mr. Forbes. I mean Josh. He said to call him Josh.” I left the kitchen and answered the door.
Josh stood on the porch.
“Hi,” I said. “Come on in, and welcome to your new home. Can I help you with your bags?”
“No, I can take care of them. It’s good to see you again. I thought about you and Lucy last night, and I think I’m going to like it here.”
“I certainly hope so. We have another boarder I’m sure you’ll like, too. Her name is Sharon, and you’ll meet her at lunch. Which reminds me, lunch will be served at noon.”
“Fine. I’ll put my belongings away, and if you don’t mind I’ll roam around and familiarize myself with the layout of the house.”
“Make yourself at home. After all, this is home now. I’ll have a key to the front door ready for you at lunch time.”
He smiled and headed upstairs.
Returning to the kitchen, I was just sitting down when the telephone rang. My ad had started running in the paper, so I hoped this was a potential boarder.
“Hello, Holt House. May I help you?”
Sharon snickered and I gave her a dirty look.
A man’s voice said, “Yes, I’m calling about your ad in the paper. I’d like to make an appointment to come out and take a look at the place.” The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
“Would one o’clock be convenient?” I asked.
“That’s perfect. I’ll see you then.” He hung up before I could get his name.
I tapped my appointment book with my fingertip and glanced at Sharon. “This guy’s voice sounded familiar, but I don’t know who it could have been.”
Chapter Eleven
It was about half an hour before the telephone rang again. I picked up the receiver and heard a woman’s voice. Her name was Ruth Bell, and she’d be out at one-thirty to see the rooms. She sounded quite timid or shy over the phone.
I was happy that I’d received two calls so early. It made me feel that people were interested in the ad. Maybe I should have taken up writing for a living.
“Lucy, how would you like to officially begin work today?” I asked. “I figured it would be a couple of weeks before everyone started moving in, but I guess I was wrong.”
“I’ve been wondering when you’d ask. I started this morning. You just didn’t know it.”
“Okay, you’re on salary. And thanks!”
The telephone ran
g again.
“I don’t believe this.” I was having fun and smiling from ear to ear.
By the time I hung up I had James Thomas coming out at two o’clock. He sounded very cheerful. Funny how you develop opinions about people just from hearing their voices. I had a feeling I’d like this guy. I was doing exactly what I’d chastised Lucy about; making snap judgments.
I received two more calls that morning. Marion Webster and Richard English would be over on Sunday to have a look around. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.
“Uh oh,” Lucy said, jumping up. “It’s almost eleven-thirty. I’d better get lunch started.”
“Need any help?” I asked.
“No, I can handle it. We’ll do soup and sandwiches today.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll get out of your hair. Come on Sharon. I’ll fill you in on a couple of my latest ideas.”
We left the kitchen, heading out toward the garden.
“I’m going to have a gazebo built in the center of the garden.” I pointed at the bare spot.
“That’s great idea. I’d almost be willing to bet that’s what was planned for the space anyway. It would be perfect with the garden surrounding it. In fact, why don’t you see if you can have music piped in? That would really make it pleasant.” She was getting into the spirit of the project.
“What would I do without you? That’s a terrific idea. I’ll talk to Mike and see if he can do the music, too. What the heck, if I’m going to do this, I might as well do it right.”
We headed for the house, ran into Josh sitting at the patio table, and after the introductions we decided to wander around the property some more. I wasn’t sure if it was mere chance or not, but before I knew it we had wandered right into David.
“I’ll pick up the lumber on Monday and get started on that fence,” he said, looking at Sharon instead of me. “It’ll be a simple job.”
“Good. If you have any other suggestions, let me know and I’ll see what we can do,” I said, trying to get his attention.
I prayed I’d fill the house with people fast, at least before I ran out of money. I was spending like a drunken sailor.
Sharon glanced at her watch. “It’s time for lunch.”