Page 114 of Wrench

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¡°Basement?¡±

¡°One had an unfinished one, but it¡¯s not necessar¡ª¡±

My phone rang and ¡°No Caller ID¡± appeared on the locked screen.

I couldn¡¯t hide my cringe when I knew it was Isaac. In the side of my eyes, I watched

Lizzie throw a piece of tofu into her mouth, smiling smugly.

¡°Gonna get that?¡± she asked.

Feeling cornered, I contemplated ignoring it. Without any other way to get a hold of

him, and my withdrawals for his voice getting stronger, I needed to cave. Snatching the

table, I scurried away from them and out into the hallway, holding the door shut so they

couldn¡¯t escape with me.

I answered the phone. ¡°Hello?¡±

¡°How¡¯s my favorite veterinarian?¡±

I giggled and quietly said, ¡°I¡¯m at work right now.¡±

Through the door¡¯s opaque window, I could see the silhouette of Lizzie¡¯s ear pressed

against the glass. ¡°I can hear you¡­¡±

¡°I figured,¡± Isaac said, and I was relieved that he didn¡¯t seem to hear Lizzie. ¡°I¡¯m sure

you¡¯re busy, so I¡¯ll make it short. You free after work?¡±

¡°Yeah, I¡¯m done at six,¡± I whispered.

¡°Great,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll text you where we¡¯ll meet. Don¡¯t reply, though.¡±

¡°Of course,¡± I breathed back with fireworks exploding inside my stomach. ¡°Eight

o¡¯clock?¡±

¡°See ya there,¡± he said and hung up before I could say anything else. For a second, I

just stared dreamily into space with my hand still on the doorknob and my phone clasped

to my heart. My skin was warm and flushed and I couldn¡¯t pull the giddy grin off my face.

¡°You whisper really loudly,¡± Lizzie said through the door and I groaned audibly, the

smile finally falling as I opened the door to meet her standing with her hands on her hips

with pride. Still sitting, Ellen¡¯s peered through her glasses and shifted her gaze between

Lizzie and I with confusion.

¡°What on Earth is going on with you two?¡± she asked. ¡°Did you get the house or

what?¡±

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