by Carrie Carr
Amanda took his hand. "Amanda Walters. This is my cousin, Ellie Gordon."
"Cousin?"
"By marriage," Ellie added. "I'm the one that's thinking about living here."
"So, you two aren't a couple?"
Ellie laughed. "Not hardly. My cousin, her wife, would take exception to that."
Richie clapped his hands. "I love it. Would you two like to come next door for some coffee?"
"Maybe once Ellie moves in. I'd like to get back before my daughters get home from school." Amanda nudged Ellie. "You are going to take this place, aren't you?"
"I guess I'll have to, since you've already got me moved in." Ellie shook Richie's hand. "Can I have a rain check on the coffee?"
He pulled her into a hug. "Of course, darling. Just give a knock when you come back. Kyle, Tony and I will help you get settled." He waved at Amanda and left the room as quickly as he had arrived.
THE LAST THING to move out of the guest bedroom was a nine drawer, hand-made, heavy oak dresser. Roy took out the first drawer and set it to the side.
"What are you doing?" Chet asked.
"I'm taking out the drawers to make the damned thing lighter. Why?"
Chet picked up the empty drawer and stuffed it back in place. "If you do that, we'll have to make several more trips. I'll take one end and you get the other."
"Have you lost your mind? This thing weighs a ton."
Lex came into the bedroom. "What's going on?"
Roy pointed to Chet. "He thinks we can carry the dresser down without taking out the drawers."
"Have you tried lifting it?" Lex asked.
Chet picked up one end and set it down. "It's not that heavy. Come on, Roy. Piece of cake."
"Yeah, okay. But you're going to be the one walking backward." He lifted the end and groaned. "Are you sure about this?"
Lex moved closer. "Do you need help on your end, Roy?"
Roy grunted. "I think I've got it. Chet, you'd better get moving."
"Try to keep up, old man," Chet said. "Boss, you might want to go ahead of me."
"All right. But holler if either one of you need any help." She moved in front of Chet, but stayed close as they began to descend the stairs.
Chet shifted his grip when they got halfway down. "Hold on, Roy. It's starting to slip."
Unable to stand idly by, Lex stepped behind him. "Need a hand?"
"No, I don't think so." Chet started moving again, but his boot heel caught on the edge of a step. "Shit!" He tumbled backward and Roy was unable to stop the dresser from moving with him.
Lex lunged forward and leaned over Chet. She pushed at the top of the dresser to keep it off of him. "Roy, drop your end and grab hold," she yelled. She felt a sharp pain in her back, but held firm. "Chet, can you get up?"
"Yeah." Chet slid down a few steps and got back to his feet. He took off his baseball cap and scratched his head. "Damn, that was close."
"I could use some help here," Lex growled at him. "Help me turn it on its back and we'll slide it down the rest of the stairs."
Roy wrestled with his end, but was able to help flip the dresser. "Why didn't we do this to begin with?"
"Hell if I know." Lex moved out of the way while they pushed. She leaned against the banister and tried to catch her breath. "When you get to the bottom, take the drawers out. And Chet?"
"Yeah, boss?"
"You get to carry every damned one of them to the truck."
AMANDA OPENED THE back door and waved Ellie to go in front of her. "And when I told her about the house, she couldn't jump fast enough."
"It's crazy, your sister and her husband buying my grandfather's house. Are you sure about the price? I don't need that much, since the condo is roughly half the cost." Ellie took off her coat and hung it. She helped Amanda with hers.
"Thanks. Jeannie and Rodney can afford it. Besides, it's still a bargain. And, because they're living in a rental now, we don't have to wait for them to sell." Amanda took a deep breath. "Mmm. Smells like stew." She stepped into the kitchen, and was surprised to see Martha stirring a pot on the stove and Charlie at the kitchen table, feeding Eddie a bottle. "Hi. Um, what are you two doing here?"
Martha removed the wooden spoon from the pot, placed it on the counter, and put her hands on her hips. "Cooking dinner, of course. What does it look like?"
Amanda walked over and gave her a hug. "No, I didn't mean it that way. But, when we left, Lex was here alone with Eddie." She sat next to Charlie and looked at Eddie, who comfortably reclined in his portable car seat on the table. "Is Grandpa taking good care of you?"
"Of course I am," Charlie huffed. He wiped the milk off of Eddie's chin with a small cloth. "How did the house hunting go, Ellie?"
"Really well. I found the perfect place on the other side of Somerville. It's only about fifteen minutes from Parkdale Hospital." Ellie sat on the other side of Amanda and propped her elbow on the table. She rested her chin on her open hand. "I swear, that little guy looks just like Lex."
Once Charlie removed the bottle, Amanda took Eddie out of the carrier. She smiled at Charlie when he draped a towel over her shoulder. "Thanks." As she put Eddie on her shoulder and patted his diaper, Amanda looked at Ellie. "Everyone keeps saying how much Eddie favors Lex. I think it's great, because Melanie looks so much like me. And the older Lorrie gets, the more she's beginning to favor Frank."
"Did it bother Lex that neither girl was really hers?" Ellie asked.
Amanda shook her head. "Not at all. But I've always been fond of her looks, so I'm glad our son will look like her."
Martha snorted. "Hope he doesn't get the trouble-making gene from her."
"She does tend to get herself into messes," Amanda said. "Speaking of Lex, where is she?"
Charlie and Martha exchanged glances, and he shrugged. "She's upstairs, resting."
"What did she do?" Amanda stood and gave Charlie a deadly look.
"Uh, well," he looked at his wife for help.
Martha took Eddie from Amanda. "Go on upstairs and talk to her. Dinner will be ready in about an hour."
Amanda exhaled heavily. "I swear, if she was moving furniture after she promised not to, I'm going to kick her ass." She continued to mumble as she stomped from the kitchen.
Ellie looked at Charlie and then Martha. "Is there anything I can do to help with dinner? Because I'm sure as hell not going upstairs right now."
AMANDA STOOD IN the doorway of their bedroom and studied the still form on the bed. Lex was stretched out on top of the comforter, dressed but without her boots. One arm was over her face and she appeared to be asleep. "What am I going to do with you?" Amanda whispered.
"Anything you want," Lex answered, just as quietly. She moved her arm and turned her head. "How did the house hunting go?"
"Great. We found the perfect place for Ellie, and it's in Somerville." Amanda stepped into the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She sat on the bed beside Lex. "What happened to you? I thought you promised not to move any furniture."
Lex held Amanda's hand. "I didn't. Move any furniture, that is." She frowned as she thought about what to say. "I mean, not really."
"Lex."
"No, wait. Roy, Helen and Chet came over not long after you left. Helen fell in love with Eddie, by the way."
Amanda couldn't help but smile. "Glad it's not just us."
"Yeah. Anyway, the guys made pretty decent time clearing out the guest room until all that was left was the big dresser."
"Ooh. I'd forgotten about that monster." Amanda paused. "Wait a minute. You didn't help them move it, did you?"
Lex shook her head. "No. Not on purpose, anyway." She sighed. "Roy wanted to take the drawers out to make it lighter, and Chet wanted to hurry up and finish. So, they decided to try and move it all at once."
Amanda winced. "Either one of them need to go to the hospital for a hernia?"
"Thankfully, no. I went downstairs first, then Chet. Roy made him walk backward, since it was his bright idea. A
bout halfway down, Chet stumbled or something, and Roy couldn't hang on. I was right behind Chet, so I was at least able to hold it up long enough to keep him from being crushed."
"Oh, my god. You held up one end? With your back?" Amanda ran one hand along Lex's jaw. "What happened next, honey?"
Lex closed her eyes for a moment and enjoyed Amanda's touch. "Um, let me think. Chet got up, we turned the dresser onto its back, and slid the damned thing down the stairs. I think we might have scratched it up some, but it's still in one piece."
"I don't care about a stupid piece of furniture, Lex. How's your back?"
Another heavy sigh was Lex's only answer. She opened her eyes when Amanda tugged on her hair. "I don't know. As soon as I reached out for that dresser, I felt something. Almost like someone stabbed me in the back. But since I've been lying here, it's doing better."
"Do you want me to take you to see Rodney?" Amanda knew the answer before she asked.
"Nah. Let me see how it feels tomorrow. If it's still bothering me, we'll go in, okay?"
Amanda unbuttoned Lex's shirt. "All right. But let's get you comfortable."
"Thanks." Lex grimaced as Amanda helped her sit up. "Martha got my boots off, but I really didn't want her undressing me like a child."
"I don't see why not. Up." With a tug on the jeans, Amanda waited until Lex raised her hips and then carefully slid them down her legs. "You are her child. And, no matter how old you get, you always will be." She took the clothes to the bathroom and dumped them in the dirty clothes hamper. On her way back, Amanda stopped at their dresser and took out a pair of soft, flannel boxers and a tee shirt. "Lift your arms, honey."
Lex rolled her eyes, but allowed Amanda to help dress her. "Thanks. Um, can you help me stand up?"
"Whatever it is, I'd rather do it for you. I don't think you're in any shape to do much."
"Yeah, but believe me, what I need to do, you can't help with." Lex tipped her head toward the bathroom.
Amanda laughed. "All right. But hold on a moment." She went to their closet and returned with a pair of crutches. "Here." When Lex opened her mouth to argue, Amanda held up a finger. "Hush. Do me a favor and use these, please? I don't think I can pick you up off the floor if something happens."
"You don't play fair," Lex said, but she stood and tucked the crutches under her arms.
"And I never will, where you're involved." Amanda kissed Lex on the chin. "I'm going to run downstairs. Will you be okay?"
"Sure." Lex looked longingly at the closed bedroom door. "The girls should be home soon. Can I--"
Amanda covered Lex's mouth with her hand. "I'll send them up after we get back from the bus stop. When you see her, ask Ellie about her new neighbors."
Lex raised an eyebrow and licked Amanda's hand.
"Ew, gross." Amanda wiped her hand on Lex's shirt. "I hate when you do that."
"Maybe one of these days you'll think about that before you cover my mouth." Lex kissed Amanda on the lips. "Send Ellie up in a few minutes. I'd like to hear how y'all's day went." She slowly made her way to the bathroom, grinning about how much fun it was to mess with her wife.
LEX WAS LAUGHING at Ellie's impersonation of her new neighbor, when she heard two sets of small feet racing up the stairs.
"Momma!" Melanie squealed as she ran toward the bed.
Ellie held out her hands to keep the girl from jumping on Lex. "Be careful, Mel. Your momma isn't feeling well."
Melanie stopped in her tracks, a few feet away, while Lorrie came into the room with a little more decorum. "Hi, Momma." She gave her sister a nasty look. "Mommy told us to be careful. Remember, Mel?"
"Uh huh." Melanie moved closer. "I just wanted to give Momma a hello hug."
Lex opened her arms. "You still can, sweetheart. But no jumping on the bed." She winked at Ellie as Melanie carefully climbed into her arms. "How about you, lil' bit?"
Lorrie put her hands on her hips. "It won't hurt you?"
"Not getting a hug would hurt worse," Lex said solemnly. She grinned as she was quickly covered by her children.
Ellie stood. "I think I'll let you enjoy the girls, and go see if I can help with dinner." She had mainly stayed to keep Lex company.
"Will you play a game with us later, El?" Melanie asked. "We haven't seen you in forever."
"Sure thing. How about after dinner?"
Both girls cheered, then got into an argument over which game to play. Ellie left them to decide, while she made a quick exit.
"Old Maid," Melanie started.
"Sorry," Lorrie countered.
"Old Maid!"
"Sorry!"
"Old--"
Lex covered Melanie's mouth, since she was the closest. "Enough! If you can't decide together, there will be no game playing tonight." She removed her hand. "And use your inside voice, before your mom comes upstairs and gets after all of us."
Melanie's lower lip quivered. "I'm sorry, Momma."
"Me too." Lorrie snuggled closer and put her head on Lex's shoulder. "Mommy said your back hurts. Are you going to Uncle Rodney to get better?"
"Um, well, I--"
"She is, if it isn't better tomorrow," Amanda said from the doorway. She came in and sat on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Lex's leg. "Isn't that right, Momma?"
Lex bit off a nasty retort. "Yep. I sure will." The look she gave
Amanda added a few choice thoughts to her words. "Want to join us for a little while, Mommy?"
"Oh, I don't know. Is there enough room for me?"
Both girls answered her at the same time. "Yes!"
"All right. Scoot over." Amanda joined her family, taking time to tickle each girl before settling down.
Chapter Sixteen
LEX BROUGHT HER small toiletries bag from the bathroom and tucked it into the overnight bag. She zipped the bag closed, but her hand was slapped away when she tried to take it off the bed. "Hey."
"Don't 'hey' me." Amanda flipped the strap of the bag onto her shoulder. "I'll take this downstairs." She ignored her sputtering wife as she exited the bedroom.
With a heavy sigh, Lex followed Amanda down. "I'm not an invalid," she grumbled.
"I know you're not, but it's only been three days since I came home to find you flat of your back. Are you sure you don't want to just overnight the paperwork to Hubert? Or maybe I should go instead."
At the foot of the stairs, Lex stood behind Amanda and put her arms around her. She kissed the side of Amanda's neck. "If you were to leave me here alone with three kids, I couldn't guarantee the house would be in one piece when you return. Besides, I'm flying instead of driving. That's something, isn't it?"
"I guess." Amanda turned in Lex's arms so she could look into her eyes. "Tell me the truth. How's your back this morning?"
"Not too bad. I still have a small twinge, but nothing like the other day. I'm okay, I promise." Lex kissed Amanda, only breaking off when she heard Martha clearing her throat from the kitchen doorway.
Martha laughed as the two hurriedly broke apart. "I swear, you'd think Lexie was going across the world, instead of an overnight trip to Oklahoma City."
Lex stuck her tongue out at Martha. "You're just jealous."
"Not hardly." Martha shook a finger at her. "You'd better get going if you're gonna make your plane."
"Yes, ma'am." Lex tugged Amanda along behind her, but stopped in front of Martha. "Want me to bring you anything back from Oklahoma?"
Martha straightened Lex's collar. "Just yourself." She smiled when Lex kissed her on the cheek. "Go on, now."
Lex swatted Martha lightly on the rear. "See you tomorrow." She turned to Amanda. "Walk me out to the truck?"
"As if you had to ask." Amanda set the bag down and helped Lex with her duster. She hurriedly slipped on her own coat, picked up the bag and followed Lex outside.
Once they were by the truck, Lex took the bag from Amanda. "I'll call you when I get to the airport." She grunted in surprise when Amanda moved in close and locked her in a
death grip. "Hey. Are you all right?"
"Yeah." Amanda sniffled and buried her face in the front of Lex's shirt. She closed her eyes and absorbed the scent. The mixture of Obsession and Lex's own unique essence brought tears to her eyes. "I'm gonna miss you."
Lex cupped the back of Amanda's head and held her close. "Me, too."
THE CROWD NOISE bothered her, but Lex continued to fight her way through the boisterous group, her eyes focused on the nearest exit. She ignored a woman who roughly shoved by her, but took exception to the two men who blocked her path. "Excuse me."
One of the men turned and dismissed her with a roll of his eyes.
"Why don't you guys move out of the way, so the rest of us can get by?" Lex asked, louder than necessary.
The same man glared at her. "Why don't you find another way around? We're trying to have a conversation here."
Lex's eyes narrowed and she dropped her bag to the floor. She was about to say something else when someone shouldered the men out of the way.
"Oh, excuse me. I didn't see you there." Hubert grabbed the nearest man before he fell down. "Sorry about that, fella. But you shouldn't be standing in the middle of the walkway. It could be dangerous." He gave Lex a grin. "Hey, sis."
"Hubert." Both stood awkwardly, until Lex held out her hand. "Thanks for picking me up."
He ignored her hand and pulled her into a hug. "Like I'd let you take a cab." Hubert looked around and noticed the small bag by her feet. "Is that all you brought?"
"Yep. It's not like I'm staying that long." Lex reached for the bag, but Hubert beat her to it.
"Don't even bother arguing," he said, hooking the strap over one shoulder. "A little birdie called me and said you had messed up your back."
Lex frowned, but allowed him to take the bag. "I'm going to kill her."
Hubert laughed and gestured in front of him. "After you." He followed Lex out of the terminal and pointed to the right. "I'm parked right over there."
Lex shook her head when he unlocked the old truck. "Nice ride."
"It gets me where I need to go." Hubert put Lex's bag in the back and got in behind the wheel.
