Tiffany

 

 

 

“Eww. Who farted?” I said as my hand flew to my face to cover the stench.

Two arms raised from the couch.

“I did,” David said with pride.

“No, I did,” Henrik said as he jokingly elbowed my son in the side.

“This isn’t a contest.” I moved toward the hallway entrance to avoid the gas cloud.

“Yes, it is,” my son corrected me.

Henrik smiled as he turned his head from the direction of the television that sat on a dark brown bookcase against the wall.

“We just made it up to pass the time. Whoever wins gets to claim the title of fart master. So far, your son’s in the lead.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’ve never been prouder. When are you two leaving?”

“The Cubs game doesn’t start until seven tonight, but I’m taking him out to dinner first,” Henrik said just before I heard a squeak escape from underneath him.

His grin grew. “One more point for me.”

I glanced at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen. It was a little after five o’clock.

“Where’s the PT?” David asked.

Henrik glanced up at me. He knew. I called him last night when I got home. He was livid. Henrik wanted to hunt the guy down and make sure he was never able to walk into a building again.

I called the police this morning and an officer stopped by to get my information, but David wasn’t here. He was with my neighbor, Celia. Her kids had grown, and we would invite her over for dinner on occasion. There were times I asked her to watch David for an hour or two, this morning was one of those times. I didn’t want David to worry about what happened.

To take David’s mind off of not having a ninja teacher—as he called Jagger—Henrik promised to take him to the Cubs game.

“He can’t make it anymore. I’m afraid you are getting a new physical therapist. She should be here Monday.”

When I contacted the PT group, they apologized for the mistake. It wasn’t their fault Jagger showed up and I mistook him for the therapist, but I was never contacted about the real PT that never came. They promised that the new PT was one of their best and would be here promptly at four o’clock Monday afternoon.

David’s large, azure eyes softened as his smile fell. Watching the disappointment on my son’s face hurt worse than Jagger wanting to steal from me. I would give up all my possessions if it meant my boy was happy and healthy.

If I ever see that man again, Henrik won’t have to lift a finger. I’d make sure Jagger would need PT for the rest of his life.

“But I liked Jagger. He’s badass.”

“He’s an ass all right,” I mumbled.

“What?” David asked.

I cleared my throat. “You know, I could teach you some ninja moves.”

“You?” Both of them said at the same time.

“Yes. I might be an undercover spy for all you two know.” I threw my hands up.

Henrik stood and began to chuckle. “When did this happen?”

Folding my arms, I walked toward the kitchen. “I would tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

I heard laughter behind me as I began to wipe down the kitchen counter with a rag by the sink.

“I don’t think Morgana would be happy with a dead fiancé,” Henrik said.

Turning to glare at him, I put my hand on my hip. “She may not like it, but I’m sure she’d understand.”

At that moment, the intercom buzzer went off. Creasing my brow, I pointed to Henrik. “Did you order food?”

“No,” he said, and we both glanced at my son who was shaking his head.

I went over and pushed the answer button. “Hello?”

As clear as day, I heard a familiar voice. “Hey, Tiffany. It’s me, Evaleen. Can I come up?”

I answered her with a push of the open button. Perhaps the police visit today spooked my landlord into finally fixing the intercom.

“Did you invite Evaleen over?” I asked Henrik as the two were finally on speaking terms.

“No.” Henrik shook his head.

It wasn’t long before we heard a knock at the door. I glanced through the peephole to see Evaleen standing there.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” I asked after I opened the door.

Evaleen’s blond hair was back in a long braid. She usually wore her hair up in a restrictive bun, and the braided look softened her. She had on jeans and an oversized gray T-shirt that bunched at the sides.

She peered over my shoulder and frowned. “Crap. What’s Payne doing here?”

“Henrik is here to take David to the baseball game. They should be leaving soon if you need to speak with me in private.”

“Nice to see you too, Evaleen,” Henrik shouted from behind.

She groaned. “Okay, if this is going to happen then I need to tell you both something before I even step into your apartment.”

“You can tell me anything, Evaleen,” I said and stepped closer but she held up her hands to stop me.

“Stay right there. After I tell you there will be no hugging, we all agree to stay exactly where we are,” she said and then leaned to the side to glare at Henrik.

“Yes, if that’s what you want.” I was worried. Evaleen was a tough woman, and she never acted strangely like this. I hoped nothing was wrong with her or her mother.

“I promise,” Henrik yelled.

She took a deep breath and glanced to her side before lifting her eyes to me. “I’m pregnant.”

“Aaaah! I’m so happy for you.” I jumped up and down and began to move toward her to give a big hug.

“Stop. You promised not to move,” she said holding up her hand.

I nodded. “Yes, of course. Sorry, I forgot.”

Despite her serious expression, I had a huge smile on my face. No wonder she was acting strangely. I’ve heard that sometimes pregnant women can become overly sensitive to sound or smell and even touch. That’s probably why she doesn’t want us near her.

I remember when I was pregnant with David becoming nauseous every time I heard a Beatles song. And I normally loved listening to the Beatles.

“Congratulations, Evaleen! Is Edgar pooping his pants.” Henrik laughed and I heard my son giggle too.

“No, he isn’t shit—” Evaleen started to speak before I cut her off.

“Language,” I said in a straight tone.

“I mean, pooping himself. He couldn’t be happier.” Evaleen narrowed her eyes at Henrik. “Anyway, there’s a reason I am telling you this now instead of a week from now when I planned to announce it to everyone.”

I noticed she twisted her fingers together as if she was gathering strength. Perhaps she felt nauseous. I wish she would come inside so I could have her sit and rest.

“I brought someone with me. Someone who needs to explain something to you, Tiffany. There was a misunderstanding but when you see this person, you will not react well. So, I am here to moderate, to make sure you listen,” Evaleen said.

I was about to ask her to clarify as I was confused to what she was referring to when my ears burned and my hands had the sudden urge to wrap around a neck.

“Jagger. You came.” I heard David behind me as he saw Evaleen pull Jagger next to her. He must have been standing on the other side of the wall this whole time.

He took advantage of me and now he was using my friend!

“You dingleberry!” I said as I reached for Evaleen to pull her away.

Evaleen held up her hands. “I would advise both of you not to push, pull, or jostle me in any manner. As I mentioned, I’m pregnant.”

She stood in front of Jagger like a shield.

Henrik moved next to me. “You son of a bitch—”

“Language, Henrik,” I said.

He groaned. “David, go to your room.”

“What? But—” David said.

“Just go, David. Henrik will take you soon.” I turned and went over to my son, helping him up from the sofa. He walked slowly, reluctantly, toward his room.

Once we heard the door close from the hallway, Henrik let it all out. “You fucking piece of shit. Once Evaleen moves and your coward ass is unprotected, I’m going to make sure you won’t be able to walk out of here. You like pretending to be a physical therapist? Why don’t I make it so you have to be surrounded by them for the rest of your life.”

“I’m not a thief, I promise,” Jagger said, holding up his hands.

“Is that what you told Evaleen? What lie did you feed her so she would protect you?” I asked and hated that my body was heating with a mix anger and attraction. The anger part felt normal, given what Jagger had done, but the attraction. That part needed to leave and never come back, much like the man standing in my building hallway.

“Nothing. I told her the truth. That I’m a government agent and I came here last week to get Tiffany to sign some documents,” Jagger said as he pulled some papers from his back pocket.

“Right. Sure. I’m just supposed to believe you work for the government.” I folded my arms forcing my eyes to stay on his and not slide down his body.

He pulled out a black leather wallet. Flipping it open, he produced an ID card with his picture.

“How am I supposed to know that isn’t fake?” Henrik asked.

Jagger pushed it toward Henrik. “Here, take it. Go call it in. You can look up the department of defense website and there should be a phone number. They won’t acknowledge my name, but the verification code changes daily. Today it’s blue. Agents use it to check in. My boss knows I’m here, so if I call from here to check in, it will be accepted.”

Henrik took the badge and picked up my cell phone that was on the kitchen counter. He took a minute looking up the DOD’s website and number before finally calling it.

“Blue,” Henrik said.

I watched as his eyes widened and he removed the phone, handing it to Jagger.

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have the report on Monday,” Jagger said before he tapped on the phone and handed it back to Henrik.

We stared at Jagger. Evaleen moved from in front of him.

“It looks like my work here is done,” she said and turned to Jagger. “We are even now.”

As she started to make her way toward the elevator, Jagger shouted, “Monday, first thing.”

“As promised,” Evaleen yelled back.

Jagger laughed and turned back to face Henrik. “Can I have my ID back?”

Henrik blinked before realizing what Jagger was asking for. “Right. Of course.” He gave Jagger back the wallet containing his identification.

We stood in silence and I realized we were all still standing in the doorway.

“Why don’t you come inside.” Henrik and I moved aside to let Jagger through.

I directed him to the couch. Henrik stumbled back toward the bedrooms down the hall. “I’m going to get David now. Take him to dinner so you two can discuss whatever you need to.”

He was about to turn but stopped. “Excuse me, Jagger, but since I know the verification code is blue, what’s to stop me from getting information from the government with that code?”

Jagger sat back and smiled, his arm lazily dripping over the back of the couch. “You could try but that code, once used, is no longer relevant. Each agent gets a unique code daily. If you did try to use it, you would discover federal agents showing up at your door within minutes. I’m sure they wouldn’t detain you that long. You might make it out in time for your wedding.”

“My wedding isn’t for another month.”

“I know,” Jagger said.

Henrik’s eyes widened and the usual stoic man shrunk back and scurried down the hall.

“Agent Jagger. Why would you need me to sign papers?” I asked as I sat on the other end of my sofa.