would be worse for her. Speaking of things that aren’t easy, um, I wonder if I could ask you for a favor?”
“Sure,” I said, trying to sound bright and animated. I guessed that he was going to use the opportunity to ask me for free legal advice, and hoped that he wasn’t going to ask me to help him change the oil in his car.
“I have to finish cleaning out Uncle Sheldon’s room before I go,” he said.
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to move boxes or anything like that.”
“Oh. Good. Not that, you know, I have anything against moving boxes, you know. In principle. I’m just sort of overdressed at the moment. With the heels and everything.” Shut up, woman, I told myself. You’re babbling again.
“The apartments here are furnished, so there’s no furniture to move, thankfully. I got all of the heavy stuff loaded last night. There are just a few personal things left—most of them are fragile. And there is something I think your mother might like to have.”
I couldn’t imagine what Sheldon might still have that my mother might want. My best guess was that she would want to forget that today ever happened. But it wouldn’t hurt to check out whatever it was Adam wanted me to look at, and I wasn’t going to turn down a chance to spend time with him.
“I’d be happy to help,” I said.
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, there’s a whole bunch of little old ladies that will be real disappointed if they don’t get another chance to give me indigestion. I’ll meet you out by my U-Haul in ten minutes, if that’s OK.”
It wasn’t the most romantic invitation I’d ever gotten in my life, but these days a girl can’t afford to be that choosy. “See you there.”
Chapter 13
If I hadn’t known which apartment was Sheldon’s by the U-Haul truck parked out front, I would have known it from the wreath on his door. It was a big heavy thing, with white roses and some other orange flowers that weren’t roses. (I do not know the name of those flowers, because my parents spent a lot more time making sure I knew about the importance of the prime interest rate and the composition of the New Jersey delegation to Congress than they did the names of flowers.) The door was locked, which ruled out any solo snooping, not that I would ever do such a thing. I pulled a paper napkin out of my purse and wiped off part of the back bumper of the U-Haul, took a seat, and applied myself to Candy Crush Saga .
It only took Adam a couple more minutes to shed his well-wishers and make his way over to his uncle’s room. I heard him open the driver’s side door of the truck and I switched my phone off and went around to join him. He was taking off his jacket and I got a better look at his shoulders, which were solid enough that you could bounce a hubcap off them. I decided I was letting him carry all the heavy boxes.
Adam slipped his tie off and tossed it on the passenger’s seat. “God, that feels so much better,” he said. “It’s the one thing I had in common with Uncle Sheldon. He hated ties, too. He always said the Air Force was the best employer in the world because they wouldn’t make a man wear a tie if he didn’t want to.”
“Not a slave to fashion, I see.”
“I tell my clients that there are lots of financial advisors out there that wear very nice silk ties that they bought with their clients’ hard-earned money.”
“Does that work?” I asked.
“Up until the point they see me drive away in my Jaguar.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his knuckle. “God, that sounded pretentious, didn’t it? Sorry. ”
“Not at all,” I said. “As long as you can afford it, you should be able to drive whatever you want.”
“Believe me, I’m not trying to impress you,” he said. “I’ve had the car for ten years, and it was ten years old when I bought it. It’s starting to rust, too.”
“OK,” I said, which is what I say when men start talking to me about cars. I
“Sure,” I said, trying to sound bright and animated. I guessed that he was going to use the opportunity to ask me for free legal advice, and hoped that he wasn’t going to ask me to help him change the oil in his car.
“I have to finish cleaning out Uncle Sheldon’s room before I go,” he said.
“Oh.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to move boxes or anything like that.”
“Oh. Good. Not that, you know, I have anything against moving boxes, you know. In principle. I’m just sort of overdressed at the moment. With the heels and everything.” Shut up, woman, I told myself. You’re babbling again.
“The apartments here are furnished, so there’s no furniture to move, thankfully. I got all of the heavy stuff loaded last night. There are just a few personal things left—most of them are fragile. And there is something I think your mother might like to have.”
I couldn’t imagine what Sheldon might still have that my mother might want. My best guess was that she would want to forget that today ever happened. But it wouldn’t hurt to check out whatever it was Adam wanted me to look at, and I wasn’t going to turn down a chance to spend time with him.
“I’d be happy to help,” I said.
“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me, there’s a whole bunch of little old ladies that will be real disappointed if they don’t get another chance to give me indigestion. I’ll meet you out by my U-Haul in ten minutes, if that’s OK.”
It wasn’t the most romantic invitation I’d ever gotten in my life, but these days a girl can’t afford to be that choosy. “See you there.”
Chapter 13
If I hadn’t known which apartment was Sheldon’s by the U-Haul truck parked out front, I would have known it from the wreath on his door. It was a big heavy thing, with white roses and some other orange flowers that weren’t roses. (I do not know the name of those flowers, because my parents spent a lot more time making sure I knew about the importance of the prime interest rate and the composition of the New Jersey delegation to Congress than they did the names of flowers.) The door was locked, which ruled out any solo snooping, not that I would ever do such a thing. I pulled a paper napkin out of my purse and wiped off part of the back bumper of the U-Haul, took a seat, and applied myself to Candy Crush Saga .
It only took Adam a couple more minutes to shed his well-wishers and make his way over to his uncle’s room. I heard him open the driver’s side door of the truck and I switched my phone off and went around to join him. He was taking off his jacket and I got a better look at his shoulders, which were solid enough that you could bounce a hubcap off them. I decided I was letting him carry all the heavy boxes.
Adam slipped his tie off and tossed it on the passenger’s seat. “God, that feels so much better,” he said. “It’s the one thing I had in common with Uncle Sheldon. He hated ties, too. He always said the Air Force was the best employer in the world because they wouldn’t make a man wear a tie if he didn’t want to.”
“Not a slave to fashion, I see.”
“I tell my clients that there are lots of financial advisors out there that wear very nice silk ties that they bought with their clients’ hard-earned money.”
“Does that work?” I asked.
“Up until the point they see me drive away in my Jaguar.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his knuckle. “God, that sounded pretentious, didn’t it? Sorry. ”
“Not at all,” I said. “As long as you can afford it, you should be able to drive whatever you want.”
“Believe me, I’m not trying to impress you,” he said. “I’ve had the car for ten years, and it was ten years old when I bought it. It’s starting to rust, too.”
“OK,” I said, which is what I say when men start talking to me about cars. I
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