Three
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Steam wafted up as I uncovered the boiling pot of soup.
I dipped a spoon into the delicious smelling contents and brought it to my lips. The savoury flavours and the explosion of spices and herbs made me hum in enjoyment. The chicken stock, potatoes and carrots had all come together wonderfully.
My phone rang as I recovered the pot. I shut off the stove and dug my phone out of my pocket. I smiled when Angie’s cheery voice came through.
“Hey, babe. What you up to?”
“Just making soup for a co-worker. She has a cold.”
“Aw! I swear you’d make the best mom ever.”
“Girl, you’re jumping way too far ahead. I need a man first.” We both laughed. “So, how are things with you?”
“I’m fine… except… I just got offered a modelling contract for a designer based in Paris!”
My heart swelled with pride for her. “That’s amazing, Angie!”
“I think I screamed when they told me. No, that’s a lie. I totally screamed.” She laughed then her voice sobered. “They want me to visit Paris the day after tomorrow. And I know it’s last minute, but I was wondering if you’d want to come with me to Paris, Julia. After all you’ve been through with your mom, you deserve a vacation.”
My mouth dropped as excitement rolled through me. But my excitement was immediately tempered by the harshness of reality.
“Angie… god… I wish I could but I can’t—”
“No!” She drew out the word in a needy voice. “Think about how amazing it would be. We’ll go sight-seeing and eat all the tasty foods that France has to offer. I’ll be your wing-woman and help you snag a hot French guy to bang. It’ll be fun.”
The mention of banging a hot guy made me think of Graham West. I remembered the way he looked at me. That hunger in his gaze. That dark mystery surrounding him. I still wondered what he meant by the ‘right time’ for me to visit his basement. Was it some sort of innuendo? A shame I’d never find out since Kim would be well by the time Graham’s house was scheduled for another cleaning.
“I know it would be fun.” I sighed. “But it’s just not the right time for me.”
“Did I mention I’ll pay for everything?”
“No way. Then I’d feel like a charity case. Angie, you’ve already done enough for me. You gave me that seventy grand to pay for my mother’s surgery and you were there for me when she passed away. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to pay you back that money.”
“I don’t want you to pay me back.”
I smiled. “I know. You keep telling me that. But I’m still going to try. I want to get my life back on track.”
Angie was quiet for a moment before she spoke softly.
“Babe, you have this bad habit of taking on the world on your shoulders. It’s OK to let someone help you bear the burden, you know.”
“After all the shit I’ve done, I think bearing my own troubles is what I deserve.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Then she became animated again. “Anyway, I’m here. If you change your mind about that trip with me, let me know ASAP. But I might just have to take Maddix if the hospital can spare him on short notice.”
“Have to?” I laughed. “A trip to one of the most romantic cities in the world alone with your boyfriend. Oh, how disappointing.”
“I tell ya. It’s gonna be a real chore, sis.”
We shared another laugh before we ended the call. A smile lingered on my face as I set my phone down. I was happy for Angie. She was the Melbrooke City mayor’s daughter, but that was where her relationship with her father ended. He and the rest of Angie’s family had disowned her after she was arrested for cocaine possession, leaving her to fend for herself.
We’d met at a substance abuse program and our friendship grew from there. She’d moved into my apartment and we’d had fun together until my mother’s health began to deteriorate. I was forced to move in with my mother to take care of her, but I’d missed sharing an apartment with Angie.
I glanced at the time on my phone screen. I had to leave soon. I was due to clean another one of Kim’s clients. But first I wanted to stop off at Kim’s and give her the soup I’d made for her since we lived in the same apartment building.
I poured soup in a bowl and gathered my things to leave. I got off on Kim’s floor and knocked on her door. Kim answered wearing a bathrobe, her brown eyes puffy, her nose red, her fingers clutching a crumpled tissue.
“Hey, Julia.” Her voice was lethargic and stuffy. She punctuated her greeting by blowing her nose noisily into the tissue. “What’s up?”
I held up the bowl. “I made you soup.”
“Wow. Thanks.” Her eyes lit up as she took the proffered meal. “You’re really nice. First you take on my shifts, now you’re giving me homemade soup.”
“I’m not being selfless. I benefit too.” I grinned. “I get extra money for the shifts, but I also want you to get back on your feet so I don’t have to work so hard.”
Kim chuckled. “You wanna come in?”
I shook my head “Gotta run. I have to do your shift at Mrs. Wheelman’s.”
Kim’s smile immediately disappeared into a scowl. “Oh god. I’m warning you right now. That woman is a major bitch. She finds everything you do wrong. Plus, she has cameras and she’s not shy about it that she’s watching you on them. Be careful with that one, OK?”
“I’ll be fine. I know how to handle difficult people.”
Kim opened the bowl’s cover and slurped some of the soup. She made a humming sound of satisfaction while closing her eyes.
“That’s the best shit right there.” Then she grinned. “Good luck at Mrs. Wheelman.”
Downstairs in the park garage, my car refused to start. No matter what I did, it wheezed and sputtered but did not come to life. It had finally given up the ghost. With a sound of frustration, I grabbed my bag and headed outside to the nearest bus stop.
It was as if the universe conspired against me. Not only did the bus show up ten minutes late, we hit a slow crawl of traffic that seemed last forever. By the time I got to Mrs. Wheelman’s neighbourhood, I was almost an hour late.
Kim’s words replayed in my head about how difficult Mrs. Wheelman could be, but I tried not to let that bother me. She might be difficult, but didn’t meant she was entirely unreasonable. She’d understand my situation.
A brunette dressed in a white A-line dress answered the door when I rang the doorbell.
“Hi, Mrs. Wheelman.” I had to take a deep breath because I’d walked so fast to get to her house. “I’m Julia. I’m a cleaner from Nadine’s—”
“You were supposed to be here an hour ago.” She glared, a sour expression on her face.
“I’m so sorry about the inconvenience, but my car—”
“Save your excuses for someone who cares. Your lateness is proof of the unprofessional nature of Nadine’s employees. You will not be entering my house. Get off my property.”
She attempted to close the door when I flung my hand out to stop it.
“Wait!”
“I said get off of my property!” Her sour expression morphed into total rage. Her yell was so loud that birds took flight from the tree in her front yard. “Leave now or I will call the cops!”
Stunned by her overreaction, I stumbled backward down the short stairs. She slammed her front door shut so hard, I was sure the windows would break from the sheer force.
I was barely on the sidewalk when my phone rang. I dug it out of my bag and saw Nadine’s number. Groaning, I answered it.
Nadine’s voice came through, enraged. “What the fuck did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything!” I was taken aback by her accusation and her swearing. Up until this moment, Nadine had only ever spoken to me in calm, clipped tones.
“Of course you did! Mrs. Wheelman just got off the phone with me. She said you were an hour late, Julia. An hour! And what’s worse, she said you put your hand in her face when she told you to leave.”
“What? She’s lying! I put my hand on her door when she tried to—”
“I don’t give a shit. Mrs. Wheelman is one of my best clients and she’s threatening to walk and spread the word about my unprofessional services. I’ve worked too hard to build my business and I won’t have it tanked by your actions. You’re fired.”