up her nose and making a silly face.
‘Well, as long as you’re offering,’ Ethan said, laughing as Susan baulked in horror.
‘Nice try, guys,’ she said dryly. ‘But, I’m not doing anyone’s laundry but my own.’
They got out of the car. A woman came out of the ranch house and smiled, waving. She was elderly, with hair as white as snow and thick glasses that hung from a gold chain. She wore a pink smock with cherry patterns over her clothes that buttoned down the front. By the fine dust it looked as if she’d been baking.
‘Are you Tressa’s friends?’ the woman asked. She walked in an unusually spry way for her obvious age.
‘Hi,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m Ethan James. This is Ted, his wife, Susan. And this lovely woman over here is my fiancée, Alexis. Tressa mentioned you had a place to rent?’
Alexis froze. What? She was his what? She might be a little out of it, but she was pretty sure she’d remember getting engaged.
‘She all right?’ the woman asked, nodding at Alexis. ‘Are you all right, dear?’
‘Oh, yeah, sure. She’s a little travel sick, that’s all.’ Ethan walked around the car to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘Aren’t you, honey? She’ll be fine once she lies down.’
‘Oh, poor thing,’ the woman said. Reaching into her smock, she pulled out a set of keys. ‘We had a cancellation for the weekend, so it’ll be a hundred and twenty dollars up front. Firewood is in back. Feel free to light a bonfire in the fire pit. Row boat’s on the dock. Life jackets are in the shed. No loud music after ten o’clock, but you can stay out as late as you want.’
‘Sounds perfect. Thank you,’ Ethan said. She unlocked the side door and handed him the keys. Ted pulled out his wallet and gave the woman sixty dollars for him and Susan. Alexis reached into her camera bag and handed the woman thirty. She blinked in surprise, looking from Ethan to Alexis and then back again. Ethan handed her thirty as well. She took their money and left.
‘It looks like my grandma’s house,’ Susan said, laughing. ‘Look at all this stuff. It has to be from the fifties.’
From the side door they could walk straight into the kitchen, down the basement steps, or into a small bedroom. The home was completely furnished. In the kitchen, an old floral vinyl tablecloth matched the pale-yellow chairs. A corded, rotary dial phone hung on the wall. The cupboards were stocked with a hotchpotch of dinnerware – from green glass bowls to pottery-spun coffee mugs to shot glasses. The refrigerator was empty and there was no food in the house.
Beyond the kitchen was a living room. Old photographs hung on the wall next to giant plastic butterflies. The burnt-orange couch had doilies over the arms and the avocado chairs matched the avocado carpet. The carpet was faded where the light shone in the large bay window.
Alexis stepped closer to the window, setting her camera down on a chair. The back yard overlooked the bay. She could just make out the faint outline of a lighthouse across the water. ‘Wow.’
‘Great view,’ Susan agreed. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she said, ‘So, um, Ethan, remind me again. When exactly did you and Lexy here get engaged?’
‘Tressa told her grandma that on the phone,’ Ted answered. ‘She said the woman would hassle us less if we were serious couples on vacation and not just drifters.’
Alexis didn’t say a word. She felt Ethan’s eyes on her and wondered at it.
‘Mm, well, I kind of like the idea of playing house for a few days.’ Susan wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. ‘I saw some stairs. Want to see if that leads to another bedroom?’
Ted groaned. ‘Yeah, let’s go check that out.’
‘I think they just claimed the upstairs,’ Ethan said.
‘I’m going to go get my stuff,’ Alexis answered. ‘Can I have the keys to the trunk?’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Ethan led the way back outside. He popped the
‘Well, as long as you’re offering,’ Ethan said, laughing as Susan baulked in horror.
‘Nice try, guys,’ she said dryly. ‘But, I’m not doing anyone’s laundry but my own.’
They got out of the car. A woman came out of the ranch house and smiled, waving. She was elderly, with hair as white as snow and thick glasses that hung from a gold chain. She wore a pink smock with cherry patterns over her clothes that buttoned down the front. By the fine dust it looked as if she’d been baking.
‘Are you Tressa’s friends?’ the woman asked. She walked in an unusually spry way for her obvious age.
‘Hi,’ Ethan said. ‘I’m Ethan James. This is Ted, his wife, Susan. And this lovely woman over here is my fiancée, Alexis. Tressa mentioned you had a place to rent?’
Alexis froze. What? She was his what? She might be a little out of it, but she was pretty sure she’d remember getting engaged.
‘She all right?’ the woman asked, nodding at Alexis. ‘Are you all right, dear?’
‘Oh, yeah, sure. She’s a little travel sick, that’s all.’ Ethan walked around the car to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed. ‘Aren’t you, honey? She’ll be fine once she lies down.’
‘Oh, poor thing,’ the woman said. Reaching into her smock, she pulled out a set of keys. ‘We had a cancellation for the weekend, so it’ll be a hundred and twenty dollars up front. Firewood is in back. Feel free to light a bonfire in the fire pit. Row boat’s on the dock. Life jackets are in the shed. No loud music after ten o’clock, but you can stay out as late as you want.’
‘Sounds perfect. Thank you,’ Ethan said. She unlocked the side door and handed him the keys. Ted pulled out his wallet and gave the woman sixty dollars for him and Susan. Alexis reached into her camera bag and handed the woman thirty. She blinked in surprise, looking from Ethan to Alexis and then back again. Ethan handed her thirty as well. She took their money and left.
‘It looks like my grandma’s house,’ Susan said, laughing. ‘Look at all this stuff. It has to be from the fifties.’
From the side door they could walk straight into the kitchen, down the basement steps, or into a small bedroom. The home was completely furnished. In the kitchen, an old floral vinyl tablecloth matched the pale-yellow chairs. A corded, rotary dial phone hung on the wall. The cupboards were stocked with a hotchpotch of dinnerware – from green glass bowls to pottery-spun coffee mugs to shot glasses. The refrigerator was empty and there was no food in the house.
Beyond the kitchen was a living room. Old photographs hung on the wall next to giant plastic butterflies. The burnt-orange couch had doilies over the arms and the avocado chairs matched the avocado carpet. The carpet was faded where the light shone in the large bay window.
Alexis stepped closer to the window, setting her camera down on a chair. The back yard overlooked the bay. She could just make out the faint outline of a lighthouse across the water. ‘Wow.’
‘Great view,’ Susan agreed. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she said, ‘So, um, Ethan, remind me again. When exactly did you and Lexy here get engaged?’
‘Tressa told her grandma that on the phone,’ Ted answered. ‘She said the woman would hassle us less if we were serious couples on vacation and not just drifters.’
Alexis didn’t say a word. She felt Ethan’s eyes on her and wondered at it.
‘Mm, well, I kind of like the idea of playing house for a few days.’ Susan wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. ‘I saw some stairs. Want to see if that leads to another bedroom?’
Ted groaned. ‘Yeah, let’s go check that out.’
‘I think they just claimed the upstairs,’ Ethan said.
‘I’m going to go get my stuff,’ Alexis answered. ‘Can I have the keys to the trunk?’
‘I’ll come with you.’ Ethan led the way back outside. He popped the
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