Page 24 of Karma Kitty Christmas
Isaac nodded. “That’s what I thought too.” He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a pen and a legal pad. “So, we’ve gotpracticalto make,” he said.
“This one’s really simple,” Luca said—not critically, because it was pretty, but it wasn’t as involved as some of the others.
“So, we’ve gotinterestingto make,” Isaac said, adding it to the pad.
“And some of these….” Allegra held out one which would have required a whole lot of different yarns that Luca wasn’t positive evenIsaaccould find.
“Possibleto make,” Isaac said. “So that’s three criteria—practical, interesting, and possible. Let me look at these, and then you can judge from the stack that’s only got all three, how’s that?”
“Yes!” Allegra said. “That sounds much easier.” She paused and glanced at Luca. “But Luca’s got to have a say too, because it was sort of his idea.”
Isaac nodded. “Oh yes. Absolutely.” He flashed Luca a quick grin. “Just because he’s opted out of the making, that doesn’t mean he’s notamazingyarn support, right?”
Allegra’s laugh burbled out of her, and for a moment, Luca just gazed at his sister in profound relief.
She’d beensodisheartened in this last week. Steve had stopped by Luca’s apartment to “drop the last of her shit off,”and Luca had needed to get in the guy’s face to make him go away.
He’d had to hold his sister while she wept against his chest, saying, “Jesus, Luca, how could I have given that douchebag mytime,” and he’d been so sad for her. And he’d thought of Isaac, working on his knitting and his crocheting and doing things for his students and trying so hard to let go of a ten-year relationship that had obviously hurt him as much as it had helped.
Bringing Allegra here felt like bringing her to a place where she could learn, like Isaac was learning, how to heal.
Except Allegra had seven months to get where it had taken Isaac a year and a half to get—although Allegra had a lot less time invested, if that made things any easier. And she had something to show for that time.
Luca could already see her getting excited about the baby.
“He’s been outstandingeverythingsupport,” she said happily, before shooting him a playful glare. “Now if only we could do something about the bathroom situation.”
Luca grunted. “Sorry, honey. It’s areallysmall apartment.”
Isaac frowned. “Wait… you only have one bathroom?”
“Yup,” Luca said. “I… you see, I’ve been spending all my money trying to get my business to run.”
“He sleeps in the trailer a lot,” she said, reaching down to ruffle Luca’s hair as he sat on the floor. “And to his credit, he uses the bathroom and shower there more than he does at home.” She grimaced. “I just have to pee a lot, and, well….” She made a sweeping gesture with the same hand she’d used to tousle Luca’s hair. “One bathroom.”
“You know,” Isaac said slowly, glancing around his big house, “I’ve got more room than I can handle here. You’re welcome to stay here until you can find a place of your own.”
Luca and Allegra both stared at him.
“Uhm, that’s really nice, Isaac,” Luca said slowly, “but that’s also crazy talk.”
Isaac shrugged. “Believe it or not, Todd and I had a giant argument in my head right before I said that, and then I remembered he was dead and had no say.” He laughed quietly to himself for a moment before sobering. “No. I stand by it. If I were to run a classified and advertise for a roommate, I could run a background check, stage interviews and meetings, and still know less about that person than I know about you. Allegra, I know your grandparents—they’re lovely. I know your brother—he’s a stand-up guy. And I know that if you and I have a problem, they will both give you a place to stay while you figure out another solution.” He smiled at her kindly. “Although I’m not sure if you and I are going to have any problems.”
“She’s a slob!” Luca blurted, at the same time Allegra said, “I’mmessy!”
To his credit, Issac thought about it. “I know it seems like it,” he murmured, glancing around, “but I am not, in fact, particularly meticulous.” His eyes fell on the window that overlooked the porch and the front room. “That window is clean because Todd hired people to wash them, inside and out, once a month. I like the look, so I kept them on. Same with the rest of the house—maid service once a week. And the rest of it is, you know, simplyme. My bedroom has unfolded laundry on the bed, and”—his lips twitched—“I’ve been folding my stuff and putting itonthe dresser instead of in it.”
Luca felt a small measure of warmth at this. “I take it Todd would not approve?”
Isaac shuddered. “No, he would not have,” he said, and Luca felt again that terrible combination of anger at the dead and helplessness because it would forever go unresolved. But Isaac was excited now and on a roll, so Luca let it go.
“It’s a fine solution,” he said. “I know where your office is, Luca—it’s on the way to the school. Luca comes by in the evening to work on your grandparents’ place, so he could drop you off. I cook four or five nights a week, and usually I give leftovers to Roxy—you’ll love her, by the way.” He paused. “And she’s got three kids, all of them still in diapers. She’s got life hacks like you can’tbelieve. But anyway….” He gave Allegra an almost pleading smile. “Look at the place, you guys. It’shuge. The backyard is big, and it’s fenced, with a porch and shade. This place ismadefor a family, and all it’s got right now isme.” He set his yarn work on his lap and raised his hands in supplication. “You can decide on rent, but I swear, I’d do it rent-free. We could do yarn work in the evenings while listening to audiobooks or watching TV….”
“All the murder shows,” Allegra said promptly. “Please tell me you don’t watch documentaries.”
“Only if they’re about murder!” Isaac said, his face almost transported with happiness. “I think we could make it work. There’s a suite downstairs—a large bedroom with a bathroom and a smaller bedroom on the other side—and something similar upstairs. Right now, the upstairs one has Todd’s office in it, but….” And now there was a dawning joy. “But it would force me to clear that out! I think it’s down to two file boxes and his computer, which could be repurposed anyway.” He smiled prettily at Allegra. “Feel free to snoop around. With the exception of the yarn room and the master suite, the rest of it can be redone.”
Allegra bit her lip, glancing around. “How about I start with a bedroom and a bathroom?” she said hopefully. “And then, if it seems to be working between us, we’ll make plans for, uhm….”
