Chapter 4: Katie
Living alone with no family makes for an awful lonely time unpacking, but then, it also means there isn’t too much to unpack. I had only gotten through my fifth box in the kitchen when I realized the cabinets would have to be empty when I had them re-stained later the following week. So instead of unpacking I’d started the re-packing process when Halle knocked on my back door.
I threw open the door and she rushed me for a hug. “Oh wow, you’re doing this all by yourself?” Halle broke away and went the first box she saw and started pulling things out while I shut the door.
I spun around to find her working on the items I’d just unpacked and repacked. “Wait. Not that one.” I hurried over and took the stuff and put it back in the box.
“Sorry.” She held her hands up and stepped back from it like it might explode.
“No problem. I was working in here when I remembered the man’s coming to do my cabinets next week. I’ll have to wait to set this room up later.” I was so excited to be getting the kitchen done to my tastes. It had always been a dream of mine to have a big kitchen. I loved cooking and creating fun, colorful recipes.
“I’m so excited for you. I knew you’d love this house.” She gave a tiny squeal and lifted her shoulders.
“About the neighbor,” I gestured to direction of her father’s home. “Is it a man or a woman?”
She stiffened and her smile faded. “Did you see a woman?”
Her suspicious tone had me taken aback. “No, I was only wondering.” I didn’t want to spill any of her father’s private details.
She put a hand on her chest and took a deep breath. “Oh I thought you saw a woman over there. That’s my dad’s house.”
Her mother had been gone for an acceptable amount of time for her dad to start dating, but I wasn’t going to try and explain that to her now, not with the look of shock and the green tint still fading from her skin. “Your dad, huh? You should have told me. How nice I get to be neighbors with him.”
“I know, right? I get to have my two favorite people in the whole world right here so close. Right where I can look out for you both.”
I stifled a giggle. “And you called me Mother May-I.”
“Oh you’re still like an old lady. Take this rug for instance.” She glared down to the rug that was left by the previous home owner.
“Hey, I take no responsibility for that rug. It came with the house.”
She curled her nose and did another glance. “Sorry, I guess that’s on me too. I thought I took out all the ugly stuff.”
“Well, I kind of like it, so I think I’m going to keep my ugly rug. Besides, I don’t have another one. Do you have any idea how much a new rug would cost for a room that size?” Of course she didn’t. She wasn’t used to being completely on her own.
“You know better. If I needed a new rug I’d go steal one of Daddy’s. He wouldn’t care and he’d buy a new one. I can go over and see if he’s got one if you want.” She gestured a thumb in his direction.
“No, that’s okay.” I couldn’t imagine the things he’d done on his rug after seeing what he’d done to his patio table.
“Offer stands. He’ll never miss it and if he does, he can come over and see it any time he wants.” She didn’t miss a beat as she strolled into the next room. “This room is my favorite.” She called from my new office. “Your patients are going to love it.”
“I prefer to call them clients. The word patients makes them seem crazy.”
She stopped and thought for a moment and then her eyes widened. “Are some of them crazy? Like really insane or something? You really should make sure your alarm is kept in tip top shape and I’d add a few security cameras.
I thought about the security cameras I did have and what I might have captured on at least one of them. “That’s a good idea. You can never be too careful, but I don’t like to think of them as crazy. I usually don’t deal with anyone too out there. Though I admit that some of the sexual deviants I’ve met are a bit interesting, most of my personal clients are as average as anyone else.”
“Deviants?” Her eyes widened as she smiled. “What kind of things do they do?”
“Lots of various things that you probably don’t want to think about, so I’ll spare you the details.”
“Well, that’s no fun.” Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she headed into another room and after a moment of quiet she stepped back in earshot. “This house is amazing. I should have bought it myself.”
“Why didn’t you?” I smiled and waited for the answer I predicted.
“Because my father lives next door.” Yeah, that was the one. But suddenly her mood seemed to change as she asked the next question. “Do you treat other types of sex addicts or only people with crazy issues?”
“I’m first and foremost a family and marriage counselor, though I do normal sex therapy, yes. Any particular reason you ask?” Maybe she was having an issue of her own she didn’t want to talk about.
“Not at all.” She glanced around the room. “Is there anything else I can do for you as your realtor extraordinaire and best friend?”
“You could ask your father about planting some trees between our houses. It might keep the noise level down for both of us and add a bit more privacy.” I hoped the suggestion wouldn’t hint to anything, but I’d appreciate her asking instead of me. If I had to ask, he’d know why and I’d rather not have to look him in the face.
“That sounds like a good idea. I’m sure he’d foot the bill too.” She smiled and took out her cell phone.
I shook my head and held up a hand to protest. “No, I didn’t mean he’d have to pay. I was just thinking since our houses are so close there, he might not want trees planted. I’d like to make sure it’s okay, but I’d pay for it.”
“Nonsense, consider it a housewarming gift.” She waved her hand like she was the one with the billions. But I guess in a sense, it wasn’t like she didn’t work hard for her father and she was his sole heir. I still always felt strange when she suggested using his money for anything. She reached out and took my hand. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Thanks.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“When are you going to start seeing patients…clients.” She amended herself with a giggle and I pointed across the room to a stack of boxes.
“As soon as I unpack those. They have all my files from work.” I hated to think about how ugly leaving my last job had been and the emotion of it must have shown in my expression.
Halle put her hand on my arm. “Got ugly didn’t it? What happened?”
“Yeah, you know I’m not cut out for drama. My boss started seeing one of the other women counselors. They were both married and then their others found out. Not a great scene to blow up in the office in front of other clients.”
She crinkled her nose. “I can imagine.” She glanced around once more. “At least you’re off to a good start. I’m assuming you built your own client base?”
“I have. I should be good. They are all as excited about the new location as I was which came as a surprise. They are great people.” I did have some amazing clients. “I expect that I’ll be in business at the start of next week.”
“Speaking of the start of the week, I’d love for you to come over and meet my dad. We have dinner each Monday and you’re always welcome to join us. His chef is amazing so you don’t want to miss it.”
The invite came as a surprise and my cheeks reddened remembering him thrusting against the outdoor table, his muscular ass tightening with each pump as her heels dug in. “Sure, I’d love to.”
“Awesome, I’ll call and remind you. I know how you get so busy you forget to eat.” She did know me too well, but I had a feeling I would be anticipating the meet and greet.