Page 70 of Terms Of Un-Endearment
As if, on top of figuring out my evil ex-stepbrother might be a nice guy who actually cares about me, I needed one more thing to turn my world upside down today.
Chapter 24
Archie
“Idon’t know how I ever shared a womb with you.” Frankie tsks as she scans my room. “It’s not just the sushi that smells in here.”
I sniff in the general direction of my armpits, in case it’s me, but all I can smell is the sack of sushi I’m holding.
Frankie holds her nose and walks around the room, gently kicking the clothes I’ve tossed to the floor out of her way.
“It’s the fish. It didn’t stink this bad yesterday, or even this morning.” I haven’t been back up here since I woke up, though. Piper must have dropped the sack in here before I came back from walking the beach.
Frankie releases her nose long enough to pick up a pair of my board shorts. “Where’s your washing basket?”
I have a vague recollection of a laundry basket in this room at some point. “Cupboard, maybe?”
Frankie picks up the other shorts and trackpants I’ve left on the floor. “You’ve been back from Fiji over a week. Why haven’t you unpacked yet?” She nods toward my half-empty suitcase.
“I have.” I point to the clothes she’s holding.
She looks down with a question on her face. “You unpacked by tossing your clothes onto the floor?”
I scratch the back of my neck, not sure I want to admit the truth, but the expression on Frankie’s face leaves no other option. “I wore them first.”
“Did you wash them after you got home?”
I shrug.
Frankie closes her eyes and inhales sharply before carrying my clothes into the walk-in closet. Seconds later, she pulls out a washing basket.
“These go in here.” She drops my clothes into the empty basket. “Because after we’ve worn clothes, we put them in this contraption…” she draws her hands open over the basket as if she’s modeling. “Specifically intended to hold dirty clothes until we’re able to wash them, which, ideally, will happen in a timely manner.”
“Oy, I get it. Pick up after myself.” The tips of my ears burn as I realize, again, that Piper’s complaints about my messes were justified.
“That’s a good starting point.” Frankie pats my shoulder like I’m a very good boy. “But today you also learn how to wash and fold your clothes. Unless you’re planning on taking back what you told Sybil this morning, your days of hired help doing your dirty work are over for a while.”
I open my mouth to protest, then realize she’s right. Even if I win the fight for this house, I’ll have to sell it, and every cent will need to go toward starting Bombora. I won’t have money for housekeepers or private planes or fancy, petrol-guzzling cars. All the privileges Piper’s pointed out to me will be gone.
“Right-o. I’ll take this to the bin…” I hold up the sack. “Then we can get started. I reckon it’s about time I learned how to take care of myself.”
I jog downstairs and drop the sack in the rubbish bin. On my way back upstairs, I stop in the kitchen, wondering if it is actually as clean as I think it is. I’ll have to ask Frankie.
But when I walk into my room, she’s not there. “Frankie?”
“In here.”
I follow the sound of her voice through the attached bathroom between my room and Piper’s and stop on the threshold when I see Frankie standing in Piper’s room.
“I haven’t been in here for years,” she says, turning in a slow circle.
“Piper sleeps here now.” I step back. The only time I’ve been in here since Piper moved in is when I put the mannequin thing by her bed. I didn’t scrounge around then. In and out quick.
“Did Piper bring the dress form with her all the way from New York?” Frankie walks to the form and lifts the different fabrics pinned to it, examining them.
“Um, I actually got that for her.”
Still holding a bit of fabric, Frankie sends me a curious look. “That’s thoughtful of you.”
