become friends. . . . “
Sarah laughed again, “She didn’t stalk me. I met her while picking out bagels.”
“Right, but she works in the North End . . . why was she near your work in the morning and again at lunchtime on a different day?”
“I don’t know, maybe she had business near Boylston?”
Lisa shrugged. Sensing Sarah’s defenses going up, Lisa pulled back a little and added diplomatically, “All I am saying is Zoe seems a little naive about personal boundaries.”
“I noticed that at first, too, but I think it’s just her way of being friendly.”
“Maybe . . . but last night it was starting to get a little creepy, especially when she was digging into your family tree. Why does she need to know about your parents and grandparents?”
Sarah shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. “She just seems like a curious person.”
“Hmm, well, I’d just be careful with giving her too much information. Keep in mind that you haven’t known her very long.” Lisa’s look of concern was evident and Sarah agreed Zoe had moved very quickly into a friend role.
“You’re right, it’s just that the girls in the office are a little young and wild, or just not my type to hang out with, and this building is great but the only people I met was an older couple downstairs and an older doctor on the first floor who is always at the hospital. There’s another older man on the second floor that doesn’t venture out much. And of course, Mason, but he is a bit of a recluse too.”
“Who’s Mason?” Lisa asked with a teasing tone and smile as she fixed the clip holding up her hair. “You haven’t mentioned him? Is he cute?”
Sarah shuddered, sparking giggles from her friend. “That bad, huh?”
Shaking her head and leaning over to put her coffee cup down, Sarah thought about how to answer. Lisa watched the expressions changing on Sarah’s face, battling for the right emotion.
“Mason is the landlord. He lives on the first floor. I never got a real good look at him in the light . . . but the poor guy has something wrong with him. I’m just not sure what.”
“You mean a deformity?”
“Something like that.” Sarah looked out the window for a moment gathering her thoughts. “I can’t tell if he had been in an accident, or if he had a birth defect, or some kind of disease, or what it is. He walks with a limp and is slightly hunched over. There’s a lot of scarring of some sort on his face and hands and one eye seems to be almost hooded or smaller than the other.” Sarah looked back at her friend and saw the reaction on her face.
“Lisa, I just don’t know about him and can’t figure it out. I asked my neighbors downstairs and they wouldn’t say much but the wife mentioned seeing him working one day in a t-shirt and his arms were covered with lumps or boils.”
“He sounds hideous!”
“I know, but he also seems very nice. He’s polite, almost in an old fashioned way, and always helpful. Mason seems like he is a lost soul in that shell of a body, like he is too afraid to have human contact because of the way he looks. I wondered if he might have been in a car accident or a fire and tried to find something on him.”
“Well, you of all people should be able to figure it out with your research background.” Lisa suggested.
“I tried . . . but not hard enough, I guess.” She shrugged and gestured a big '0' with her fingers. Lisa giggled again.
Lisa glanced at the clock on the cable box and stretched. “Time for me to hit the road, chickie.”
“So soon?” Sarah asked not wanting to see her friend leave.
“Yeah, I’m beat. If I stay under this blanket much longer I’ll want to take a nap.”
“Didn’t you sleep well?” Sarah asked.
“I did, except for that cat crying all night.”
Sarah sat up straight. “Cat? Did you hear a cat?”
Lisa tilted her head watching Sarah’s alertness. “Yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t hear it. I got up finally and found it
Sarah laughed again, “She didn’t stalk me. I met her while picking out bagels.”
“Right, but she works in the North End . . . why was she near your work in the morning and again at lunchtime on a different day?”
“I don’t know, maybe she had business near Boylston?”
Lisa shrugged. Sensing Sarah’s defenses going up, Lisa pulled back a little and added diplomatically, “All I am saying is Zoe seems a little naive about personal boundaries.”
“I noticed that at first, too, but I think it’s just her way of being friendly.”
“Maybe . . . but last night it was starting to get a little creepy, especially when she was digging into your family tree. Why does she need to know about your parents and grandparents?”
Sarah shrugged and took another sip of her coffee. “She just seems like a curious person.”
“Hmm, well, I’d just be careful with giving her too much information. Keep in mind that you haven’t known her very long.” Lisa’s look of concern was evident and Sarah agreed Zoe had moved very quickly into a friend role.
“You’re right, it’s just that the girls in the office are a little young and wild, or just not my type to hang out with, and this building is great but the only people I met was an older couple downstairs and an older doctor on the first floor who is always at the hospital. There’s another older man on the second floor that doesn’t venture out much. And of course, Mason, but he is a bit of a recluse too.”
“Who’s Mason?” Lisa asked with a teasing tone and smile as she fixed the clip holding up her hair. “You haven’t mentioned him? Is he cute?”
Sarah shuddered, sparking giggles from her friend. “That bad, huh?”
Shaking her head and leaning over to put her coffee cup down, Sarah thought about how to answer. Lisa watched the expressions changing on Sarah’s face, battling for the right emotion.
“Mason is the landlord. He lives on the first floor. I never got a real good look at him in the light . . . but the poor guy has something wrong with him. I’m just not sure what.”
“You mean a deformity?”
“Something like that.” Sarah looked out the window for a moment gathering her thoughts. “I can’t tell if he had been in an accident, or if he had a birth defect, or some kind of disease, or what it is. He walks with a limp and is slightly hunched over. There’s a lot of scarring of some sort on his face and hands and one eye seems to be almost hooded or smaller than the other.” Sarah looked back at her friend and saw the reaction on her face.
“Lisa, I just don’t know about him and can’t figure it out. I asked my neighbors downstairs and they wouldn’t say much but the wife mentioned seeing him working one day in a t-shirt and his arms were covered with lumps or boils.”
“He sounds hideous!”
“I know, but he also seems very nice. He’s polite, almost in an old fashioned way, and always helpful. Mason seems like he is a lost soul in that shell of a body, like he is too afraid to have human contact because of the way he looks. I wondered if he might have been in a car accident or a fire and tried to find something on him.”
“Well, you of all people should be able to figure it out with your research background.” Lisa suggested.
“I tried . . . but not hard enough, I guess.” She shrugged and gestured a big '0' with her fingers. Lisa giggled again.
Lisa glanced at the clock on the cable box and stretched. “Time for me to hit the road, chickie.”
“So soon?” Sarah asked not wanting to see her friend leave.
“Yeah, I’m beat. If I stay under this blanket much longer I’ll want to take a nap.”
“Didn’t you sleep well?” Sarah asked.
“I did, except for that cat crying all night.”
Sarah sat up straight. “Cat? Did you hear a cat?”
Lisa tilted her head watching Sarah’s alertness. “Yeah, I’m surprised you didn’t hear it. I got up finally and found it
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