Part 9 (1/2)
Elliott flashed him a surprising grin. ”Yeah, as a matter of fact.”
Garrison laughed. ”Well, who knew I was hiring a pro.”
”I never did it as a real job,” Elliott said as he rolled the paint-filled roller down the wall. ”But I did help a friend paint his house last summer. I worked for free rent. It was a pretty good deal . . . at first.”
”Yeah, I guess that happens sometimes,” Garrison said as he used a brush to paint around the front window. ”Sometimes things seem good at first . . . but we learn the hard way that they weren't as good as we thought.”
”Yeah. My grandmother's always telling me that I get most of my education at the school of hard knocks. I guess she's kinda right.”
”You have to decide when you're ready to quit that school,” Garrison said as he dipped his brush. ”Then it's time to take your life by the horns and turn it in the direction you really want to go.”
”Yeah, well, that might be easier said than done.”
”I know,” Garrison agreed. ”And I think it helps when you have someone to go alongside you. It's rough going it alone.”
”You got that right.”
”h.e.l.lo?” called a feminine voice from the kitchen. ”Anybody home?”
”We're in here,” Garrison called back.
”It's just me.” Beth emerged from the kitchen. ”Sorry to just barge in. I came in the back door.” She giggled. ”I left you a little something in the kitchen.”
”Really?” Garrison climbed down from the stepladder he'd been using.
”Yes. A thank-you for giving us the cat.” She grinned. ”Cinnamon rolls.”
”Cinnamon rolls?” He smacked his lips as he removed the particle mask. ”You hear that, Elliott?” He took a moment to introduce Beth to his young helper.
”I just wanted to express my thanks for giving us Spooky,” Beth gushed. ”You wouldn't believe the change that cat has brought to my Annabelle. It's the most remarkable thing I've ever seen. Annabelle had been so moody and distant lately. I was worried that she and I were never going to have a normal conversation again. But it's like that cat brought some kind of miracle over her.” Beth paused to look around the room. ”Hey, what's going on here?”
”Just fixing the place up.”
”I like that color.” She nodded with approval. ”Where's your furniture? In storage?”
”No. I don't really have furniture. Other than a few pieces I saved from my grandmother's stuff.”
”No furniture?” She got a thoughtful look. ”How would you like some?”
”Huh?”
She laughed. ”Well, it's a long story. You see, after my divorce-I got everything just like I deserved-but I ended up losing my big house over on Sheridan Heights just the same. That's when Annabelle and I moved over here. Anyway, with the downsize and all, the furniture from my old bas.e.m.e.nt wouldn't fit. It's good stuff though, so I put it in storage, thinking maybe I'd get a real salon someday and use it in there. I thought it'd look nice in the waiting area. But that's just not happening.”
”Uh-huh?” He tried to appear more interested than he felt. Beth's chatter reminded him a bit of Muzzy. Only Beth was a little more upbeat.
”So, anyway, I've been paying for this storage unit ever since we moved. Just throwing money away. I held on to the furnis.h.i.+ngs thinking I could use them in my salon-not like that's going to happen anytime soon. Then I thought maybe I'd let my ex take them. After all, he picked them out. I thought I might use them to coerce him into paying child support, but the jerk is just a deadbeat loser. And I refuse to hand them over to him now. If it wasn't the middle of winter I'd set them in my front yard and sell them.”
”There are online cla.s.sifieds,” he suggested.
”I don't have time for that. Besides, I don't even know how.” She rubbed a long red fingernail beneath her chin. ”But what if . . . what if I plunked them down here for a while?”
”Here?”
”It would look fabulous, Garrison. It really would.”
”But I can't afford to buy anything right now.”
”Well, maybe you could in time. And if not, maybe I could just sell it when summer comes. In the meantime you'll be saving me rent money and you'd have something to sit on.” She smiled hopefully.
He shrugged. ”Well, when you put it like that.”
Suddenly she was writing down an address and some numbers and fis.h.i.+ng out a key. ”Pick it up as soon as you can, Garrison. The payment is due on the fifteenth and I'd really like to save that rent. I could get Annabelle something nice for Christmas.”
”Okay.” He pocketed the slip of paper. ”I'll do that. Thanks!”
”Thank you.” She was beaming now. ”And thank you for Spooky. I know that cat's the reason that Annabelle has started talking to me more. She seems so much happier. I can't even explain it. Except that I'm so grateful-for everything.” She threw her arms around him, planting a big kiss on his cheek. ”Thanks!” She stepped back. ”And I thought the cinnamon rolls might help too.”
He sniffed the air. ”I can smell them.”
”They're yummy. Now I gotta run. I've got a two o'clock perm.”
”Thanks again,” he called as she went out the back door. But before she was even gone, there was someone knocking on the front door. ”This place has turned into Grand Central Station,” he told Elliott as he went to answer it. ”Cara?” He smiled big as he opened the door wide. ”Come on in.”
”Was that Beth I just saw in here?” She looked at him with a furrowed brow.
”Yeah. She brought some cinnamon rolls. Want one?”
”No . . . thanks.” She turned to the wall Elliott was working on. ”Nice color.”
”Yeah. Sabrina picked it out. You were right, she's got a good eye for color.”
”Speaking of Sabrina, I heard the news.”
”News?”
”She took Oreo instead of Harry.”
He shrugged. ”Yeah, well, she-”
”Did you talk her out of Harry?”
”No, not at all.”
”Seriously? Because I got to thinking that maybe you were saving Harry for yourself.” She tilted her head to one side with a slightly suspicious expression.
”I'll admit I've gotten fond of him.” He smiled. ”He's a good cat.”