I'll Be Home for Christmas (7 page)

Her heart thundering in her chest, Andi raced back to the attic. She knew the dirt and grime on the window prevented Peter from seeing her. She clenched her teeth when she saw the patrol car careen into her driveway, the red and blue lights flashing ominously. She just knew he was going to give the officers a box of Raspberry Cheese Louise lipsticks for their wives.

Five minutes later the Mercedes backed out of her parking lot. It didn't look like any lipstick had changed hands. “He's probably going to mail them,” she snorted as she raced down the steps to answer the door, the din behind her so loud she could barely hear the officer's voice.

“Do you want to file a complaint?”

“You're damn right I do,” Andi screamed.

“All right, come down to the station this afternoon.”

“I'll be there.”

Andi closed the door and locked it. She tended to the animals, showered and ate some cornflakes before she resumed her packing. “You are dead in the water, Mr. Lipstick,” she sniveled as she started to clean out her closet and dresser drawers.

At ten o'clock she called the Finnerans. “You really and truly found something in Freehold!…I can move in on Sunday? That's Christmas Eve!…Move-in condition! Fifteen acres! A heated barn for the animals. God must be watching over me. How much is fenced in?…Great. That's a fair price…. The owners are in California…. I knew you could do it…. Okay. I'll drive down this afternoon and look at it…. The last of their things will be out by Saturday. I'm very grateful, Tom.” She copied down directions. Her sigh of relief was so loud and long she had trouble taking a deep breath.

Andi's second call was to her friend Mickey. “Can you bring the bus by today? Thanks, Mickey. I owe you one.”

Her third call was to her attorney, who admonished her up one side and down the other for signing the contract before he had a chance to go over it. “You're lucky everything is in order. Congratulations. I'm going to set up a payout structure you'll be able to live with.” Andi listened, made notes, gave the attorney her new address and told him to check with information for her new phone number.

The phone started to ring the moment she hung up from the attorney. The answering machine clicked on. If it was a patient she'd pick up. A hang up. Mr. Lipstick. “Invade my privacy, my life, ha! Only low-life scum do things like that. Well, you got your property, so you don't have to continue with this charade. It doesn't say much for me that I was starting to fall for your charms.” Her eyes started to burn again. She cuddled a gray cat close to her chest, the dogs circling her feet. “So I made a mistake. We can live with it. We'll laugh all the way to the bank. The new rule is, we don't trust any man, ever again.”



The elaborate silver service on the mahogany table gleamed as Sadie King poured coffee. “You look like you slept in a barn, Peter. Calm down; stop that frantic pacing and tell me what happened. You've never had a problem being articulate before. So far all I have been able to gather is someone stepped on your toes. Was it Dr. Evans? I'm a very good listener, Peter.”

“Yesterday was so perfect it scared me. She felt it, too, I could tell. Somehow, that goddamn investigative report fell out of my car and she found it. When I went back later for dinner, after I left you, she had it taped to the door. Obviously she read it. I called on the car phone, I banged on the door, but she didn't want any part of me. I sat in her parking lot all night long. This morning the police came and ran me off her property. Their advice was to write her a letter and not to go back or they'd run me off. I think I'm in love with her, Sadie. I was going to tell her that last night. I think…thought she was starting to feel the same way. My stomach tightens up when she laughs and her laughter shines in her eyes. She gave me her father's boots that were bright yellow, and his gloves. She's so down to earth, so real. I even started to wonder how our kids would look. What should I do? How can I make her understand?”

“A letter isn't such a bad idea. You could enclose it with the invitation to your Christmas party and send it Federal Express or have a messenger deliver it. I'd opt for the messenger because he could deliver it today. If you choose Federal Express she won't get it until tomorrow.”

“What's the use, Sadie? I don't blame her. Jesus, the guy even…a diaphragm is pretty goddamn personal. I didn't want that kind of stuff. I didn't ask for it either. All I wanted was her financials and a history of the property. I have that same sick feeling in the pit of my stomach I used to get when I was a kid and did something wrong. I could never put anything over on my mother, and Andi is the same way.”

“There must be a way for you to get her to listen to you. Apologies, when they're heartfelt, are usually pretty good. Try calling her again.”

“I've done that. Her answering machine comes on. I know she's there listening, but she won't pick up. I told you, I don't blame her.”

“Maybe you could disguise yourself and ride up on a motorcycle with…someone's animal and pretend…you know, it will get you in the door. She'll have to listen if you're face-to-face.”

“Sadie, that's probably the worst idea you ever came up with. Andi Evans is an in-your-face person. She'll call the cops. They already gave me a warning. I don't want my ass hauled off to jail. They print stuff like that in the papers. How's that going to look?”

Sadie threw her hands up in the air. “Can you come up with a better idea?”

“No. I'm fresh out of ideas. I have to go home to shower and shave. Then I have to go to the office. I have a business to run. I'll stop by on my way home from the office.” Peter kissed his grandmother goodbye, his face miserable.

Sadie eyed the urn with Hannah's ashes on the mantel. “Obviously, Hannah, I have to take matters into my own hands. Men are so good at screwing things up, and it's always a woman who has to get them out of their messes. I miss you, and no, I'm not going to get maudlin. I now have a mission to keep me busy.”

Sadie dusted her hands before she picked up the phone. “Marcus, bring the car around front and make sure you have my…
things.
Scotch Plains. The weather report said the roads are clear.” She replaced the receiver.

“They're meant for one another. I know this in my heart. Therefore, it's all right for me to meddle,” Sadie mumbled as she slipped into her faux fur coat. “I'm going to make this right or die trying.”



Andi had the door of the truck open when she saw Gertie picking her way over the packed-down snow. “Gertie, wait, I'll help you. If you tell me you walked all the way from Plainfield, I'm going to kick you all the way back. You're too old to be trundling around in this snow. What if you fall and fracture your hip? Then what? Where's your shopping cart?”

“Donald's watching it. I wanted to see Rosie and her pups. Can I, Andi?”

“Of course. Listen, I have some errands to run. Do you want to stay until I get back? I can drive you home after that.”

“Well, sure.”

“Rosie's in the kitchen, and the tea's still hot in the pot. Make yourself at home. I might be gone for maybe…three hours, depending on the roads. You'll wait?”

“Of course.”

“Gertie, don't answer the phone.”

“What if it's a patient?” Gertie asked fretfully.

“If it is, you'll hear it on the machine. Pick up and refer them to the clinic on Park Avenue. My offices are closed as of this morning. I called the few patients I have and told them.”

“All right.”

“I'll see you by mid-afternoon.”

Ninety minutes later, Andi pulled her truck alongside Tom Finneran's white Cadillac. “Oh, it's wonderful, Tom! The snow makes it look like a fairyland. I love the old trees. Quick, show me around.”

“Everything is in tip-top shape. Move-in condition, Andi. The owners' things are packed up ready for the mover. All the walls and ceilings were freshly painted a month ago. There's new carpet everywhere, even upstairs. Three bathrooms. A full one downstairs. Nice modern kitchen, appliances are six years old. The roof is nine years old and the furnace is five years old. The plumbing is good, but you do have a septic tank because you're in the country. Taxes are more than reasonable. I have to admit the road leading in here is a kidney crusher. You might want to think about doing something to it later on. Fill the holes with shale or something. It's a farmhouse, and I for one love old farmhouses. A lot of work went into this house at one time. Young people today don't appreciate the old beams and pegs they used for nails back then.”

“I love it,” Andi said enthusiastically.

“The owner put down carpeting for warmth. Underneath the carpeting you have pine floors. It was a shame to cover them up, but women today want beige carpets. The blinds stay, as do the lighting fixtures and all the appliances. You'll be more than comfortable. Take your time and look around. I'll wait here for you. The owner agreed to an end of January closing, so you'll be paying rent until that time.”

“It's just perfect, Tom. Now, show me the barn.”

“That's what you're really going to love. It's warm and there's a mountain of hay inside on the second floor or whatever they call it in barns. Good electricity, plumbing, sinks. There's an old refrigerator, too, and it works. The stalls are still intact. You can do what you want with them. There's a two-car garage and a shed for junk. The owner is leaving the lawn mower, leaf blower and all his gardening stuff. Any questions?”

“Not a one. Where do I sign?”

“On the dotted line. You can move in on Sunday at any time. I probably won't see you till the closing, so good luck. Oh, Lois took care of calling the water company, PSE&G and the phone company. Everything will be hooked up first thing Monday morning. You can reimburse us at the closing for the deposits.”

Andi hugged the Realtor. She had to remember to send him a present after she moved in.

The clock on the mantel was striking five when Andi walked through the doors of the kennel. “I'm home,” she called.

Gertie was sitting at the kitchen table with three of the pups in her lap. “Rosie is keeping her eye on me. It almost makes me want to have a home of my own. Did you give them names?”

“Not yet. Did anyone call?” Andi asked nonchalantly.

“Mr. King called; his message is on the machine. He sounded…desperate.”

“And well he should. Let me tell you what that…lipstick person did, Gertie. Then you tell me what you think I should do. I hate men. I told you that before, and then I let my guard down and somehow he…what he did…was…he sneaked in. I let him kiss me and I kissed him back and told him I liked it. Do you believe that!”

Gertie listened, her eyes glued to Andi's flushed face.

“Well?”

“I agree, it was a terrible thing to do. Andi, I've lived a long time. Things aren't always the way they seem. Everything has two sides. Would it hurt you to hear him out? What harm is there in listening to him? Then, if you want to walk away, do so. Aren't you afraid that you're always going to wonder if there was an explanation? You said he was nice, that you liked him. He sounded like a sterling person to me.”

“Listen to him so he can lie to my face? That's the worst kind of man, the one who looks you in the eye and lies. That's what used car salesmen do. Sometimes lawyers and insurance men do it, too. I called the police on him this morning. He sat in my parking lot all night, Gertie.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I watched him. You know what else? I even changed the sheets on the damn bed because I thought…well, what I…oh, hell, it doesn't matter.”

“Obviously it does matter. Your eyes are all red. You really sat up watching him sit in your parking lot! That's ridiculous!”

“I was packing my stuff in the attic. I looked out from time to time,” Andi said defensively. “I guess he wasn't who I thought he was. I swear to God, Gertie, this is it. I'm not sticking my neck out, ever again.”

“Don't businesspeople do things like that, Andi? I'm not taking sides here, but think for a moment; if the situation was reversed, wouldn't you want to get the best deal for your company?”

“Does that mean he and his company need to know about my love life, that I use a diaphragm? No, it does not. He had no damn right.”

“Maybe it's the detective's fault and not Mr. King's. Maybe Mr. King told him to do a…whatever term they use, on you, and the man took it further than he was supposed to. That's something to think about,” Gertie said, a desperate look on her face.

“Whose side are you on, Gertie? It sounds like you favor that war-paint king.”

“I believe in giving everyone a fair hearing.”

“Is that why you refuse to call your children and live in a ditch?”

“It's not the same thing, and you know it.”

“There's no greater sin in life than betrayal. I could…can forgive anything but betrayal.”

Gertie's tone turned fretful. “Don't say that, Andi. There's usually a reason for everything if you care enough to find out what it is. I've lived a long life, my dear, and along the way I learned a few things. An open mind is a person's greatest asset in this world.”

“I don't want to hear it, Gertie, and my mind just shut down. I know his type; he was just playing with me in case I changed my mind about selling. I would have gone to bed with him, too. That's the part that bothers me. Then, one minute after the closing, it would be goodbye Andi.”

“He's not like that at all, Andi. You're so wrong.” At Andi's strange look she hastened to explain. “What I meant was…from everything you said, from what I've seen in the papers, Mr. King is a gentleman. You said so yourself. I really should be going. Someone's pulling into your driveway. I'm going to walk, Andi. I've been cooped up too long in the shelter.” Gertie held up her hand. “No, no, I do not want a ride. You still have packing to do. Thanks for the tea and for letting me hold these precious bundles. When are you going to name them?”