Page 15 of Just The Way You Aren't

As we stop in front of Mrs. Baumgartner’s house, Damien finally puts his phone back in the pocket of his expensive suit pants. “Let’s go,” he says testily.

I give him my most shining smile ever and go back to carefully open one of the van doors and take out two meals for Mrs. Baumgartner. “Here.” I place it in his hands. “This’ll help break the ice.”

Damien mutters something about ‘Alfred’ again, then pastes on a smile that’s more of a grimace before knocking on Mrs. Baumgartner’s door.

There’s some shuffling inside, then she opens the door, her oxygen tubing stretched almost to its limit. “Willow! How lovely to see you. Please, come in.” She looks Damien up and down, not missing his muscular figure and gives a low whistle. “Who is this handsome fellow?”

“Mrs. Baumgartner, this is Damien Langley,” I introduce them.

She gives him a wide grin. “Damien, if I were forty years younger…”

He coughs and holds out the meals.

Mrs. Baumgartner inclines her head in the direction of the kitchen. “Just put them in the fridge, love.”

“O-kay,” he says, not sounding happy about it. He stomps off to the kitchen.

She takes my arm and I help her back to the sofa. “You two make such a lovely couple,” she sighs wistfully. “Just like my Irving and me.”

CHAPTER 6

DAMIEN

“What?” I say, hearing Mrs. Baumgartner’s comment as I’m coming out of the kitchen after her refrigerator tried to eat my hand. “No. Oh, God no, we’re not...No.”

The old woman with hair so silver it’s almost lilac frowns at the two of us. Willow is also looking shocked, her jaw slack. “You’re not together?”

“No.” I shake my head vigorously. “Absolutely not, ma’am.”

“Hmph.” She looks us over then shrugs, upsetting the cannula under her nose. “Well, you will be. Oh, and do please call me Doris, young man.”

“Doris,” I repeat gruffly, and she giggles while Willow arranges her cannula back where it’s supposed to be. Honestly, it’s the woman’s lifeline and she lets it fall so casually? Without a hint of panic? Odd.

Doris shuffles back to the plastic-covered sofa and sits down with a groan. “If I’d known I was having company, I would have uncovered the furniture,” she says apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it. We won’t be here long,” I reply, glaring at Willow. We’ve been at it all day, sending my entire schedule into chaos. In fact, I’d spent the entire time texting Rhonda in the van, telling her to clear this and that meeting off my schedule as the day had progressed. That and making arrangements for a new van. It was exhausting trying to manage my schedule and help Willow at the same time. And now some blue-haired old biddy thinks we’re together? As in, a couple?

What complete and utter nonsense. Willow looks as though she’s just escaped from a hippy commune, while I am, admittedly, overdressed for the occasion. But I’d been assured I was just going to help plan a fundraiser.

Now I was in the stale-smelling home of… all right, a perfectly lovely old lady, but even she is getting in the way of my meetings. Surely, being inside with her this time, I could rush Willow along?

A cell phone suddenly plays, “Moon River.” I didn’t know people still used ringtones.

“Oh! It’s Irving,” Doris says excitedly. She frowns and hunts around the couch plastic for her phone. “Dear me, what have I done with it this time?”

“I found it!” Willow and I say together, looking at a nearby TV tray. We reach for it at the same time and our hands brush.

Electricity shoots right up my arm, and when I glance at her, I can tell Willow felt it, too. We both drop the phone like it’s on fire.

“Hello?” a voice calls from the screen.

I look down and see a massive amount of nasal hair.

“Mr. Katz,” Willow says, picking up the phone and hurrying over to Doris. “Sorry, she’s right here.”

“Irving, darling,” Doris gushes like a young schoolgirl.

“Doris, my love,” Irving replies.

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