“Are you okay?” Replacement asked.
“Fine. Fine,” Gerald grumbled. “I just remembered I spoke with the electrical contractor. They’ve upgraded all the electrical in the house and tested it, so we’re good to go.”
“Everything’s getting its own UPS and surge protector?” Bruce asked.
“Everything.” Gerald nodded. “Today I need to confirm the locations for the access points. Do you all have your phones with you?”
They nodded.
“Good. I sent a spreadsheet to your numbers, along with everyone else’s contact information. Everything is marked on the spreadsheet. Alice, you’ll take the top floor, Phillip has the first, and Bruce will cover the basement. I’ll take the guesthouse.”
Replacement pointed down the hill at a huge cottage home. “That’s the guesthouse?”
Bruce chuckled. “It’s good to be a king.”
Gerald looked like a computer nerdherder as he pulled them all into a huddle. “I need you to confirm the physical location of the APs, jack placements, structural materials, and power outlets.”
Phillip took out his cell phone. “What do we do if we have a question? Should I just call you?”
“Give me a ring-a-ding-ding. Remember, you don’t know everything, and everyone can’t know it all.” Gerald smiled awkwardly. “I mean that it’s better to ask than apologize. If you have any questions or doubts, call me. Let’s get started and meet back here at ten, okay?”
Everyone nodded.
“Any other questions?” Gerald asked.
“I’m good,” Replacement said.
“Me too.” Phillip tapped his phone.
“Ah, what’re we going to do about lunch?” Bruce asked.
“There’s a refrigerator inside. I’ll put everyone’s lunch there.” Gerald held out his hand and Phillip and Replacement handed him a bag.
Bruce rubbed the back of his head. “I meant where can we get lunch?”
“There’s no place around here. I thought I told you to bring lunch,” Gerald said.
“You did. I ate it while I was waiting for you to pick me up.” Bruce crookedly smiled.
Gerald ran his hand up the back of his head and stared down at the ground.
“I made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” Replacement said. “You can have one.”
“Thanks.”
“Problem solved.” Gerald’s head shot up, and he walked toward the main house. “I’ll put these in the fridge and head down to the guesthouse.”
They all followed Gerald inside. The old thick oak side door swung inward with surprising ease. Replacement’s mouth fell open, and Bruce whistled as they walked in.
Dark wood, stone, and brass led to a huge kitchen. The lights sparkled off the glass and stainless steel. Bruce whistled again.
“Wow. What a kitchen.” Phillip pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
“Which way to the basement?” Bruce turned around in a circle.
“Through those doors.” Gerald pointed toward the end of the kitchen. “First door on your left is a staircase down.”
“Do you have a map?” Bruce quipped as he walked away.
“I should make something up,” Gerald muttered as he typed himself a note.
“The kitchen is like three of my apartments,” Replacement said.
“I’ll start here.” Phillip set his big bag down. “The walls look ten feet thick. The wireless signal is going to go crazy with all the stone, stainless, and tile. Like a pinball.”
Replacement smiled. “I’m heading upstairs. Call me if you need me.”
She waved and then started down the hallway. The house had two hallways on each floor. The hallway in the back was a straight run, but the front hallway consisted of straight sections and corners. The architect had evenly spaced the front rooms. It gave the mansion its battlement-castle feel and kept the hallway from being one long, dark corridor. At the end of every section Replacement turned left and walked along a hallway that faced the outside.
She tried to keep focused on her job, but her head kept swiveling around as she passed beautiful paintings, ornate vases, and other expensive trappings. She ran her fingers along a dark mahogany table, and then rubbed the tips of her fingers together. There wasn’t a speck of dust.
“He must need an army of servants to keep all this clean,” she mumbled to herself.
The hallway opened into a wide front entranceway with an enormous marble staircase that led to the second floor. Two full suits of armor stood guard against each wall. Family crest, shields, and crossed swords covered the walls. A massive medieval chandelier hung suspended from the arched ceiling. She gawked as she started up the stairs and then turned and walked up the final steps backward.
Replacement turned back around at the top and looked down the hallways that led off to the left and right, but it was the view in front of her that took her breath away. Glass covered the back wall of the huge room. The lake below reflected all the glorious colors of the changing leaves as the mountains stretched out beyond.
She rubbernecked for a minute, taking in the view before she forced herself to go to work. She counted several rooms before the last corner room. She stopped at the pair of large double doors. On either side of the doors stood two suits of armor. One held a huge broadsword. The other grasped a massive two-headed battle-axe.
“Master bedroom, I’d say.” She pushed on the thick door. It silently swung open.
Floor-to-ceiling windows along the back wall provided a panoramic view of the lake. To her right was one of the biggest beds she’d ever seen. The huge headboard was carved out of thick mahogany. A door to the left was closed. Next to it was a walk-in closet. As she stepped inside, her eyes grew even bigger as she gazed at the long line of designer suits that hung neatly spaced every few inches. She checked her spreadsheet and found the power outlet located below a large, gray wall safe. She marked off the boxes as she ran down the list of Gerald’s questions.
“One closet down. This is going to take a month. Yeah!” The thought of more work brought a wave of relief to her. She’d been doing everything she could for side work, but the jobs were few and far between. Poor Jack had been working like a dog. He never complained, but she knew the strain was getting to him.
She looked back at her phone. A symbol for a data jack was placed on the wall behind the headboard of the bed. Replacement squatted down and tried to peer along the wall to confirm that the diagram was accurate but the dark wood and huge bed made it impossible to see. She ran her hands through her hair. She grabbed the back of the bed and tried to pull it away from the wall but the massive bed wouldn’t budge.
“Stupid giant bed,” she muttered.
She pulled the mattress away from the headboard and could see a strip of wall. She kicked off her sneakers and climbed on top of the bed. With one hand pushing against the headboard, she pulled back the mattress, lowered her head and scanned a few inches of the wall. Huffing, puffing, muttering, and swearing, she squirmed to the center of the bed, checking as she went. Lying on her stomach with her head buried underneath the headboard, she finally saw the edge of the plastic plate of the data jack.
“HA! Now I’ve gotcha.”
“Excuse me?” A man’s deep voice spoke from behind her.
Replacement’s head snapped around. In the bathroom doorway stood a tall, bare-chested man wrapped in a towel. Steam poured out around him and drifted up to the ceiling. He tipped his head to the side as his eyes traveled over Replacement lying on his bed.
“Contrary to the tabloids, I’m not used to finding beautiful girls sprawled in my bed.”
“Uh…uh…” Replacement was so muddled she couldn’t think of a response.
Pierce Weston looked her over again and drew his head back a little. “Did Roger send you?”
“Who’s Roger?”
“Never mind.” He shook his head. “Why are you in my bed?”
Replacement felt her face flush as she rushed
to get off the bed. “I’m not in your bed—” Her left foot caught on the comforter. She pitched forward and managed to plant her right foot on the ground, but her other leg up was now trapped in the twisted fabric.
Pierce rushed forward and grabbed her before she fell flat on her face.
Replacement pressed up against his bare chest as she pulled her foot free. She jumped back as the color continued to rise in her cheeks.
Pierce took a step back and put his hands up. “I’m sorry, I thought you were about to fall.”
Replacement shook her head, cursing the dumb blanket.
“You still haven’t explained to me why you’re in my bedroom.”
“I didn’t expect you to be here.”
“I’m Pierce Weston. This is my house.”
“I know who you are.” Replacement nodded. “I mean, I know your house. That it’s yours. And you’re home… Here. Now.”
Pierce gaped at her. “And you’re in my bedroom because?”
“I’m a fan of your work. I mean I’m working, but I’m a fan. Not a fan, but I follow you. Your work.”
“You’re a fan?” Pierce took a step backward.
“Not like fan-fan, but I really like your work. I’m working now. Here.”
“You’re working here?” Pierce’s eyes darted over to the phone on the nightstand. “And what job do you think you have here?” He slowly reached for the phone.
“What? I’m looking for data jacks. JACK!” She closed her eyes and exhaled. “I work for Gerald Mathis.”
“Mr. Mathis?” Pierce put the phone down. “You work for him? Is he here today?”
Replacement nodded. “He’s working on the computers at the guesthouse. He didn’t think you’d be taking a shower—I mean be home.”
“I arrived earlier than planned. I better go say hello.” Pierce turned and headed toward the walk-in closet.
Replacement looked around. She wanted to crawl inside the wall and disappear.
Pierce shut the door but spoke through it. “I don’t know if my being here will change his plans.”
“Change his plans for the job?” Replacement’s voice rose at the thought of losing all that work. “We can work around you. You won’t even know we’re here.” She rushed back to the bed, grabbed her phone and pulled her sneakers back on. “I’m very sorry I disturbed you. Now that I know you’re home, I’ll be invisible.”
Pierce came back out as he put on a fitted, dark navy blue T-shirt. He wore jeans and carried a laptop. He stopped and looked at her. “I just meant I wanted to take Mr. Mathis out for lunch. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in town.”
Replacement exhaled. “Sorry. I thought you meant you wanted to postpone the job.”
“No, not at all.” Pierce smiled.
Replacement let out her breath.
“But I’d really like to see how you could pull off invisibility.”
Replacement blushed. “I better get back to the bed—I mean back to work on the bed—to check for the jacks. JACK. I should think about Jack.”
Pierce coughed, but she was sure he was trying to cover a laugh. “It was nice to meet you…”
“Repla—Alice.” Replacement nodded. “Alice. Alice Campbell.”
“Nice to meet you…” he paused, “Alice.”
Chapter 7
~
Babies
As Jack walked out of the police processing office, he tried not to limp. He crossed the street to the Charger, and a determined grin spread across his face.
I’ve got enough to pay the bills, get some equipment, and take Alice out for a nice night. Not much, but it’s enough.
He quickened his pace as he thought about Replacement. Tomorrow night was date night, and he couldn’t wait. They’d been skimping on date night with bargain movie rentals and homemade subs for the past couple months. With this little extra infusion of cash, Jack planned to make reservations at Replacement’s favorite restaurant, Antonelli’s. He’d swing over to Titus’s in the morning and get paid.
The relationship with Replacement had kicked into overdrive recently. In the past, he’d been going out of his mind, trying to take it slow with her, but she seemed different now. Ready.
He opened the door of the Charger, and his phone barked.
Don’t get it. Go home. Don’t even look.
Jack glanced down, and his chest tightened when he saw the caller ID—Well’s Meadow Nursing Home.
“It’s Jack. Is everything okay?”
“Yes, Jack,” Cristalita’s familiar voice answered. “Aunt Haddie asked if I could give you a call. Everything’s fine. In fact, she’s having a very good day, but she insists on speaking with you.”
Jack glanced around. “Today? Can you ask if I can come by tomorrow?”
“She was pretty firm. Do you want me to bring her the phone or…?”
Jack looked at the clock. 4:30 p.m. He’d been awake for close to thirty hard hours and was still an hour away from his apartment.
“No. I’m on my way.”
*********
Jack sat across from the frail old black woman with thin salt-and-pepper hair and stroked her hand. Her eyes were bright, but her face was lined with concern.
“I’m so glad you came, Jackie.” She squeezed his hand tighter. “What happened to your face?”
“It looks worse than it is. Is everything all right? Did something happen?”
Aunt Haddie’s lips pressed together, and she closed her eyes. “Alice stopped by yesterday.”
Jack stopped breathing. A thousand different scenarios of what Alice could’ve said or done to upset Aunt Haddie spun through his mind. “She’s great, right? I mean, we’re good. Alice and I. We’ve been really getting along.”
“That’s the problem.” Aunt Haddie patted his hand and frowned. “She came for a visit the other day, and she just…glowed. She’s very much smitten with you. Always has been.”
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh…then what’s the problem? I know I’m six years older than her—”
“Shh. My Alton was twelve years older than me. He always said he’d just waited for the right girl to come along.” She winked.
“Okay, I still don’t understand. If we’re getting along so well, then what’s the problem?” Jack asked.
Aunt Haddie exhaled and held onto his hand with both of hers. Her eyes locked onto his. “My Alton waited.”
“I understand that. He was twelve years older than you. So he didn’t get married because he was waiting for you.”
“No. He waited until we got married.” Aunt Haddie nodded her head and lifted an eyebrow.
‘What else could he be waiting for? Oh!” Jack tried to pull his hand back, but she kept hold of it.
“Alice practically floated in here the other day. A woman can tell what’s on the mind of a young girl. All she spoke about was you. You and your soft hair. You and your big brown eyes and how your smile just melts her heart. How tall you are and how handsome—”
“Yeah, okay.” Jack squirmed.
“Well, I saw that gleam in her eye.”
Jack swallowed. “Aunt Haddie, I care for her very much, so—”
Aunt Haddie’s eyes grew large and then narrowed. “Don’t you so me, Jack Alton Stratton. You’re one of the last people I thought I’d have to have this conversation with.”
Jack’s chest tightened, and he cast his gaze at the floor.
“You said it yourself: Alice is Chandler’s sister, and she’s my baby.” Aunt Haddie’s voice got louder, and people started to look over. “You’re going to wait for marriage before you lie with her.”
Jack wanted to bolt. “Aunt Haddie, not so loud.” He looked around.
“Never you mind anyone rubbernecking. Look at me, Jackie. Making love is special. It bonds you. Do you love her, Jackie?”
“I do.”
“And she loves you, but making love isn’t something to be taken lightly.” She squeezed his hand harder. “How people nowaday
s bop from one person to the next, thinking nothing of it—’til it’s too late. Are you ready to have babies?”
“Babies? I’m not so sure you understand how things work now.” Jack ran his hand through his hair as he gauged how to put it. “I’d…take precautions.”
She raised her eyebrow. “I know how things work. I was young once.” She leaned in. “Those things aren’t foolproof.”
Jack blushed.
“You need to wait until you’re ready to start a family.” She patted his hand. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Jack exhaled.
“Jackie?”
He looked down at her hand and begrudgingly nodded.
She squeezed his hand and cleared her throat. “Look me in the eyes, Jackie. She’s my last baby. Promise me. Promise me you’ll wait.”
Jack’s chest tightened. He knew he couldn’t break his word to Aunt Haddie, but he couldn’t think of a way out of it, without breaking her heart.
“I promise.”
Aunt Haddie beamed. She draped her arms around him and gave him an enormous hug. “Do you want me to speak with Alice?”
“No.” Jack drew the word out as if he were pulling taffy. “I’ll handle that.”
“Okay now. When will I see you again?”
“The end of the week.”
She kissed his cheek. Jack stood up and hurried for the door. Just as the nurse reached out to open it, an old man in the corner waved Jack over.
“Hey, Jack, come here,” he called out.
Jack looked at the nurse and she shrugged. “His name’s Mr. Hayes. He’s harmless,” she whispered.
Jack walked over to the old man, who sat in an overstuffed recliner. Mr. Hayes sat up straighter, but his back was still curved. He peered out at Jack with big, gray, bushy eyebrows.
“Is your girl the little firecracker who comes to see Haddie?”
Jack grinned. He didn’t need any clarification to know he was talking about Replacement. “She is.”
He looked Jack up and down and then settled back into the chair. “You want some advice?”
Oh no. What a day.
Jack had a feeling that no matter what his answer was, he was going to get some. “Sure.”
DATA JACK Page 4
