Page 30 of Winter
Inca smiled. “We have all day today if you’d like, Tommaso.”
“I do like.” He grinned. “Come. Show me your city.”
Inca was just gettingin when she heard the house phone ring. Grabbing the receiver with one finger, she was surprised when she heard Mindy’s voice. The realtor sounded breathless.
“Honey? Are you okay?” Mindy’s voice was almost frantic.
Inca frowned. “I’m fine … what’s going on, Mindy?”
Against the tumult of Mindy’s greeting, the sudden silence that followed was jarring. And when Mindy spoke, the ice in her voice was a shock.
“Well, I guess then I had no need to call. Do you even care that you’ve ruined someone’s day and lost them money? Wasted my time?”
Inca was speechless. “Mindy … what the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the guys who were coming to set up your house sale signs. Those guys that were going out of their way to do that for me. If you had a problem with the dates, you could’ve just called me and I would have rescheduled. Is this about the apartment? Are you punishing me for losing it?”
Inca interrupted her. “Mindy, I swear to God I have no idea what you’re talking about. The guys were coming today, weren’t they?” A building panic hammered at her chest. She couldn’t recall if she’d seen their sign outside the apartment.
Mindy’s short bark of laughter held no humor. “Well, I thought so until half an hour ago, when you called to cancel.”
“Wait, what?” Inca’s head began to pound uncomfortably and she knew another migraine would follow if she didn’t calm down. “I’ve never called them, Mindy, not ever. I wouldn’t even know their number. I certainly didn’t call to cancel this morning.”
Mindy’s voice was hard as she intoned, “I’m calling to cancel the appointment because I don’t want you or your asshole workers anywhere near my property. Fuck you and fuck your signs.”
A ribbon of ice trickled down Inca’s stomach. “Mindy … I swear to God, I never made any calls. I will get you my phone records if you want, but I did not make that call. I was in the city with my boyfriend a half hour ago, or at least in his car on the way back. I would never, ever, treat someone like that. Come on, now; you’ve known me for months. Do you really think I’m capable of behavior like that?”
Mindy suddenly sighed. When she spoke, she sounded tired and drained. “No, I don’t, I guess. I just … the guy was really upset, and the way he said you spoke … what’s going on, Inca?
The pain in Inca’s head was shrieking now. She sat down on the bottom stair and rubbed her free hands over her eyes. “I have no idea … someone must have called and pretended they were me.” She shook her head. “Who would do that, though? I’m really sorry for the sign guy, even if it wasn’t me. Jesus.”
Mindy sighed again. “Who would—”
She didn’t even get the rest of the sentence out when Inca realized. Her shoulders slumped and she gave a low, resigned groan. There was only one person petty enough and who hated her enough to do this.
“Mindy, it’s okay. It’s someone messing with me, and I think I know who it is.” She apologized again, said her goodbyes, and set the phone down. The doorbell rang and, as she went to answer it, she felt anger sweep over her as she contemplated just how she would pay back her tormentor.
She opened the door to see Olly smiling at her, but his smile faded when he saw her face.
“What’s up?”
Inca sighed. “Olly, would you happen to know if Belinda Clements is back in town?”
“The Queen of All Evil?” Olly grinned as she stood aside to let him in. “I really don’t know. Why?”
Inca told him and Olly rolled his eyes. “It does sound like something she’d do—but like ten years ago. What’s her beef now?”
“Who the hell knows? I really could do without it though, you know?”
Olly patted her arm. “Listen, we can deal with a spiteful little bitch like Belinda. I want to talk some more about this ex-husband of yours.”
Inca sighed. “I wish he was anex-husband, believe me. You have one hour. Tommaso is picking me up in two hours for dinner.”
“Deal.”
Later, when she was showering and dressing for dinner, she thought about Belinda again. The two of them had been sworn enemies since childhood; Inca had refused to bow down to her Queen Bee schoolyard antics, and Belinda had instead made Inca the target of all her spite. It hadn’t changed when they grew older. Belinda’s jealousy of Inca’s beauty and popularity, especially with Olly, with whom Belinda was besotted, meant she had bitched and griped at Inca until, at last, Belinda found some rich idiot to marry her and they moved to California.
Inca really hoped it wasn’t Belinda who had bought her beloved apartment.
