Chapter 9. Quality Time with Erica

*

*

*

FRIDAY, 1:10 P.M.

It was mine.

I’d just signed the papers that made it mine.  I walked over the threshold–my threshold.  The house was mine.
*
*
*

It was a mess, but a workable mess.  A moldable mess.  I could make it into anything I wanted.  As soon as I’d finished signing the last in the huge stack of papers that made it my responsibility, I started going through the things that needed to be done.  The list was long, but I was excited to begin.  I’d taken a half day off of work so I could revel in the feeling, and also because Mom would be coming by soon to help me start on the cleaning.
*
*
*

A junkyard would be coming by to pick up the old stove and the kitchen sink.  They were rusted through and not worth salvaging, so I’d built in the cost of new applicances and fixtures for the kitchen into my renovation budget.
*
*
*

I had already lined up a service to refinish the old floors, and they would begin tomorrow morning.  I wanted to get it done before I moved a lot of furniture into the house. The painting would have to be done with my furniture and boxes in the house, because my landlord had agreed to let me out of my lease as long as I could get out of my apartment in the next week.  Sunday would be the real moving day.  Mom, Dad, Connor, Kendra, and Sean would be helping me load up my furniture into Connor’s pick-up truck and my boxes into various vehicles.  Nick was going to help out by covering any surveillance that we might need to do for the superintendent’s case on Sunday, though Sean and I were still going to follow Claudia Abbott on Saturday night.
*
*
*

Mom and I were going to try to scrub down the bathroom fixtures before making any final decisions on replacing them.  Sean would be working on the leak behind the sink tomorrow morning.  I’d already contacted the electric company to get the power and water switched on today.  I changed into the grungy clothes and wished that I wouldn’t have to change back out of them in several hours, when I would have to get ready for my dinner date with Nick and Erica.
*
*
*
6:50 P.M.

“Wow, he really doesn’t live far from you.  We could have walked from your house.”

“Yeah, but I was picking you up anyway so I thought we’d drive.”

Sean’s neighborhood had been established by a very laid-back Home Owner’s Association, so there were no rules concerning the specific architecture of the homes.  I thought it would be fun to just walk around his neighborhood looking at the houses, because every single house was different.  The tidy brick two-story that was Nick’s house was nothing at all like Sean’s Spanish-style home.  Nick greeted us at the door and led us inside.
*
*
*

“Ed, feel free to have a seat in here.  I was about to get Erica a drink, and I can grab one for you too–what would you like?”

“Oh, I’ll just have whatever Erica’s having.”

“Scotch on the rocks, then.” Nick replied cheerfully.

“Wait, what?” I looked at Erica, aghast, then relaxed when everyone else laughed.

“He’s just kidding–it’s a rum and coke.” Erica smiled.

“Oh.  I can handle that.”
*
*
*

Minutes later, I stared longingly at the sliding doors, wishing that I wasn’t bound by etiquette and common decency to stay indoors alone with Erica.  Sean and Nick were outside with beers and the grill, minding the steaks.

“So you signed on a house today?” Erica asked.

“Yes.  It’s a fixer-upper on the beach.”
*
*
*

“Does it need a lot of work?”

“Oh yeah. But I’m really excited about it.”

“See, I’d need a house to be turn-key.  The thought of doing a lot of work on a house is just exhausting.  You’re very brave.”

“Or just a little crazy.”
*
*
*

I didn’t know what else to talk about, and I mentally flipped through subjects in my head, trying valiantly to find something to fill the silence.

“So you and Nick–how did you meet?”

“Oh, I hired him to do some investigative work a few years ago, for a case brought against a police officer here.  After the work was done, he asked me to dinner and we’ve been seeing each other ever since.

“That’s nice.”
*
*
*

“Yes, though I certainly never thought I’d end up dating a private investigator.”

“Oh?” I felt my neck tense up–something in the way she said it made me defensive.

“Well, they don’t have the greatest reputations.”
*
*
*

“Much like lawyers and politicians.” I said before I could stop myself.

Erica gave me a tight smile.  “I guess that’s true. ”  She looked around, then stood up and went to the fireplace.  “I think I’ll light a fire–it’s a little cold in here.”

In more ways than one, I thought.

“Speaking of lawyers, how did you choose law?” I rushed to change the subject.

“It’s a family tradition.  My father was a lawyer, and his father was a lawyer, and so on.  I grew up around it and I always knew it was what I wanted to do.”

“Did they go into politics, too?”
*
*
*

“No, that is definitely a first for my family.  But I think I can do a lot of good here, given the chance.”

“I know that Nick certainly values your help.”

“I wish I could do more, but sometimes my hands are tied.  Plus, with all the leaks….sometimes I just make things worse.”

There was no denying that.
*
*
*

“So I bet your parents really like Nick.”

“Actually, they’ve never met him.”  At my look of surprise, she added, “Not that kind of relationship.”

I only had a moment to wonder what the hell that meant before she added, “We’ll, I’d better get the salad ready.”

I offered to help, but she turned me down.

 

Authorial Interjection: So for some reason, I had the hardest time committing to a cover concept–I think in the future when I have that much trouble that I’m just going to not do a cover for that chapter, because it seriously delayed my release of this chapter.  The covers are fun and all, but I had the pictures for this chapter taken on Saturday.  I spent my game time on Sunday trying to get the cover shot right, when I could have spent it getting the chapter edited and posted.  I’m still not happy with the cover.  Oh well, live and learn!