and showed me her puppy-dog eyes. “Can you go talk to 211? I'm super busy with all this paperwork, and Mrs. Mason doesn't sound like she can wait.”
“Fine, but you owe me.”
I raced upstairs before someone else could call and complain. As soon as I hit the second floor, the screaming echoed all the way down the hall. Something hit the wall with a loud, resounding thump.
I prayed that the two hadn't started throwing punches and banged on the door. The couple quieted.
“Now look what you did. I told you to shut the hell up, Craig.”
“ You shut up, woman! You're the one who started in on me.”
I knocked again. At last, the woman – Diana was her name – came to the door with the phoniest smile I had ever witnessed.
“Oh, if it isn't Elle.” She said it loudly so her husband got the hint. “What brings you here today?”
Boy, did I ever suck at handling conflict. This was harder than telling Jayce to stop having such loud sex all the time.
Except now I knew why he was so loud. The memory of his hands on my body was one I'd never be able to forget.
“Um, I hate to bother you guys, but we received notice that you were being a little bit loud. If it's not too much trouble, could you keep it down in here?”
Craig appeared behind his wife. He looked me over with a scowl.
“Who was it? Who complained about us?”
I stepped back, fearful that he might attack me next. “It was an anonymous tip.”
“Right.” He grunted. “Tell you what. You want us to pipe down? Tell my witch of a wife to shut her trap!”
Uh-oh.
Diana gasped and pushed him, almost sending him flying backward over the coffee table. She had quite a lot of strength for such a tiny woman, but now was not the time to be impressed.
“How dare you!” She turned to me. “Let me ask you something, honey. What would you do if your loser husband stole money from you to play the lottery every single week?”
“Woman, don't you bring her into this.”
“I really shouldn't.” I raised my hands as if to shield myself from her. “It's not my place –”
She went on. “Every week he takes my hard-earned money and wastes it on the Mega Millions – which he's never won, by the way, and never will.”
“You don't know that. At least I've got a chance of making it all back.”
“Right, one chance in five billion. ”
“What about you? You spend ridiculous amounts on your stupid nails all the time, and your hair too. I think that blonde dye has seeped into your brain. No wonder you're such a psycho.”
I hoped they'd forgotten I was there in the midst of their fight. No such luck.
“Do you hear the way he speaks to me? Borderline abuse, is what this is.”
Their next-door neighbor banged on the wall.
“Shut up in there, will ya?”
They did not shut up. Back and forth they went, asking me every few jabs what I thought about their “useless buffoon of a husband” and “a wife who complains about everything.” Not once did they stop long enough to hear my opinion – thankfully.
I watched the hateful display in shock and awe. Did all marriages end up like this at some point? I'd never really seen a couple that was truly happy. Heather and Zach were the closest pair, but they weren't married yet. Maybe they were smart not to get hitched.
My own family had been such a mess long ago. Mom flirted with every man she met while dad worked his hands to the bone trying to support us. I had no proof that mom cheated, but was pretty sure she'd been unfaithful from time to time.
The stress of it gave dad a heart attack, which he somehow survived. That was his wake-up call that he had to move on. I didn't blame him when the two divorced and he moved to California, far away from her as he could.
A teacup smashing into pieces against the wall got my attention. White shards of ceramic flew in all directions as the dark liquid seeped into the carpet. The bill for steam cleaning was already tallying up in my head.
“Don't you ever call
“Fine, but you owe me.”
I raced upstairs before someone else could call and complain. As soon as I hit the second floor, the screaming echoed all the way down the hall. Something hit the wall with a loud, resounding thump.
I prayed that the two hadn't started throwing punches and banged on the door. The couple quieted.
“Now look what you did. I told you to shut the hell up, Craig.”
“ You shut up, woman! You're the one who started in on me.”
I knocked again. At last, the woman – Diana was her name – came to the door with the phoniest smile I had ever witnessed.
“Oh, if it isn't Elle.” She said it loudly so her husband got the hint. “What brings you here today?”
Boy, did I ever suck at handling conflict. This was harder than telling Jayce to stop having such loud sex all the time.
Except now I knew why he was so loud. The memory of his hands on my body was one I'd never be able to forget.
“Um, I hate to bother you guys, but we received notice that you were being a little bit loud. If it's not too much trouble, could you keep it down in here?”
Craig appeared behind his wife. He looked me over with a scowl.
“Who was it? Who complained about us?”
I stepped back, fearful that he might attack me next. “It was an anonymous tip.”
“Right.” He grunted. “Tell you what. You want us to pipe down? Tell my witch of a wife to shut her trap!”
Uh-oh.
Diana gasped and pushed him, almost sending him flying backward over the coffee table. She had quite a lot of strength for such a tiny woman, but now was not the time to be impressed.
“How dare you!” She turned to me. “Let me ask you something, honey. What would you do if your loser husband stole money from you to play the lottery every single week?”
“Woman, don't you bring her into this.”
“I really shouldn't.” I raised my hands as if to shield myself from her. “It's not my place –”
She went on. “Every week he takes my hard-earned money and wastes it on the Mega Millions – which he's never won, by the way, and never will.”
“You don't know that. At least I've got a chance of making it all back.”
“Right, one chance in five billion. ”
“What about you? You spend ridiculous amounts on your stupid nails all the time, and your hair too. I think that blonde dye has seeped into your brain. No wonder you're such a psycho.”
I hoped they'd forgotten I was there in the midst of their fight. No such luck.
“Do you hear the way he speaks to me? Borderline abuse, is what this is.”
Their next-door neighbor banged on the wall.
“Shut up in there, will ya?”
They did not shut up. Back and forth they went, asking me every few jabs what I thought about their “useless buffoon of a husband” and “a wife who complains about everything.” Not once did they stop long enough to hear my opinion – thankfully.
I watched the hateful display in shock and awe. Did all marriages end up like this at some point? I'd never really seen a couple that was truly happy. Heather and Zach were the closest pair, but they weren't married yet. Maybe they were smart not to get hitched.
My own family had been such a mess long ago. Mom flirted with every man she met while dad worked his hands to the bone trying to support us. I had no proof that mom cheated, but was pretty sure she'd been unfaithful from time to time.
The stress of it gave dad a heart attack, which he somehow survived. That was his wake-up call that he had to move on. I didn't blame him when the two divorced and he moved to California, far away from her as he could.
A teacup smashing into pieces against the wall got my attention. White shards of ceramic flew in all directions as the dark liquid seeped into the carpet. The bill for steam cleaning was already tallying up in my head.
“Don't you ever call
Similar Books
