”
She gave up. “Okay, where is it?” she asked him. “Where do you hide the key for the stupid people who get locked out?”
“You got locked out?”
“No, I’m just asking for the stupid people.”
“Where’s Toby?”
She took another peek in the window, and oh thank God, there he was, standing on the other side of the door, staring up at her with those big eyes. She pointed to the door.
Toby just looked at her.
Grace sighed. “He’s in the kitchen.”
“Go to the second planter from the porch,” Josh instructed. “Reach into the sprinkler valve box.”
Holding the phone in the crook of her neck, Grace smiled at Toby in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and again pointed to the door handle, gesturing for him to let her in.
Instead, he turned and walked out of the kitchen for parts unknown, his shoelace trailing on the floor, his little Star Wars undies sticking out of his jeans in a way that he’d probably spend the next fifteen years purposely trying to mimic.
“Toby!” she called. “Toby, don’t leave the kitchen. Toby? ”
“Hurry, Grace,” Josh said in her ear.
She rushed to the second planter and at the sight there, she dropped her phone. There was a very large spiderweb guarding the valve box. Heart pounding, she scrambled to pick up her phone. “Sorry. You there?”
Nothing. She smacked her phone on her thigh and tried again. “Josh?”
“Yeah. Do you see the key? It’s in the metal hide-a-key.”
Yeah, she saw the metal hide-a-key. She also saw the spiderweb. The massive spiderweb. She toed it and a big, fat, hairy brown spider crawled with badass authority into her line of sight, giving her the evil eye. He was ready to rumble. Gulp. Not much truly terrified Grace. Well, aside from clowns and glass elevators. But spiders? Spiders topped her list, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
“Grace?”
“Yeah?” she whispered. Was it her imagination or was the spider giving her a “bring it” gesture with two of its spindly legs?
“There’s a pool out back,” Josh said. “You can’t get to it from the side yard where you are. Toby can swim, but…”
Oh, God. The image of Toby running outside and into the pool on his own was too awful to bear. She closed her eyes, plunged her hand into the sprinkler box while silently chanting “pleasedon’tbitemepleasedon’tbiteme,” and pulled out the hide-a-key.
Without getting bitten.
She ran to the back door and let herself in, racing through the kitchen, skidding to a halt in the living room, where Toby was standing on the couch, lightsaber once again in hand, whipping it around.
Whoosh, vrrmm-whoosh.
Grace nearly collapsed with relief. She’d handled millions of dollars of other people’s money without breaking a sweat, and yet at this, just one little boy and a puppy, she needed a nap. “Well, that was a fun fire drill.”
“Toby?” Josh asked in her ear.
“All in one piece.” She sank to the couch and put her head between her knees. “Your house is a little crazy, Dr. Scott.”
“You must feel right at home, then.”
She heard herself let out a weak laugh. “Hey, you’re the crazy one.” She fingered the money in her pocket. “You can’t go around paying people so much money for menial work. They’ll take advantage of you.”
“I’m not easy to take advantage of.”
Okay, so that was undoubtedly true, she thought. “But—”
“Did you lose Tank?”
Only for a minute … “No.”
“Did he shit in the house?”
“No.”
“Then you’re worth every penny,” Josh assured her. “Listen, I’m sorry about Anna. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“But—”
But nothing. He was gone. She lifted her head and found Toby standing there, a lock of dark hair falling across his forehead, lightsaber still in one hand, a squirming Tank in the other.
He really was pretty damn cute, she thought. This would be okay. She could totally do this for an hour. It’d be like the time
She gave up. “Okay, where is it?” she asked him. “Where do you hide the key for the stupid people who get locked out?”
“You got locked out?”
“No, I’m just asking for the stupid people.”
“Where’s Toby?”
She took another peek in the window, and oh thank God, there he was, standing on the other side of the door, staring up at her with those big eyes. She pointed to the door.
Toby just looked at her.
Grace sighed. “He’s in the kitchen.”
“Go to the second planter from the porch,” Josh instructed. “Reach into the sprinkler valve box.”
Holding the phone in the crook of her neck, Grace smiled at Toby in what she hoped was a reassuring manner and again pointed to the door handle, gesturing for him to let her in.
Instead, he turned and walked out of the kitchen for parts unknown, his shoelace trailing on the floor, his little Star Wars undies sticking out of his jeans in a way that he’d probably spend the next fifteen years purposely trying to mimic.
“Toby!” she called. “Toby, don’t leave the kitchen. Toby? ”
“Hurry, Grace,” Josh said in her ear.
She rushed to the second planter and at the sight there, she dropped her phone. There was a very large spiderweb guarding the valve box. Heart pounding, she scrambled to pick up her phone. “Sorry. You there?”
Nothing. She smacked her phone on her thigh and tried again. “Josh?”
“Yeah. Do you see the key? It’s in the metal hide-a-key.”
Yeah, she saw the metal hide-a-key. She also saw the spiderweb. The massive spiderweb. She toed it and a big, fat, hairy brown spider crawled with badass authority into her line of sight, giving her the evil eye. He was ready to rumble. Gulp. Not much truly terrified Grace. Well, aside from clowns and glass elevators. But spiders? Spiders topped her list, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
“Grace?”
“Yeah?” she whispered. Was it her imagination or was the spider giving her a “bring it” gesture with two of its spindly legs?
“There’s a pool out back,” Josh said. “You can’t get to it from the side yard where you are. Toby can swim, but…”
Oh, God. The image of Toby running outside and into the pool on his own was too awful to bear. She closed her eyes, plunged her hand into the sprinkler box while silently chanting “pleasedon’tbitemepleasedon’tbiteme,” and pulled out the hide-a-key.
Without getting bitten.
She ran to the back door and let herself in, racing through the kitchen, skidding to a halt in the living room, where Toby was standing on the couch, lightsaber once again in hand, whipping it around.
Whoosh, vrrmm-whoosh.
Grace nearly collapsed with relief. She’d handled millions of dollars of other people’s money without breaking a sweat, and yet at this, just one little boy and a puppy, she needed a nap. “Well, that was a fun fire drill.”
“Toby?” Josh asked in her ear.
“All in one piece.” She sank to the couch and put her head between her knees. “Your house is a little crazy, Dr. Scott.”
“You must feel right at home, then.”
She heard herself let out a weak laugh. “Hey, you’re the crazy one.” She fingered the money in her pocket. “You can’t go around paying people so much money for menial work. They’ll take advantage of you.”
“I’m not easy to take advantage of.”
Okay, so that was undoubtedly true, she thought. “But—”
“Did you lose Tank?”
Only for a minute … “No.”
“Did he shit in the house?”
“No.”
“Then you’re worth every penny,” Josh assured her. “Listen, I’m sorry about Anna. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”
“But—”
But nothing. He was gone. She lifted her head and found Toby standing there, a lock of dark hair falling across his forehead, lightsaber still in one hand, a squirming Tank in the other.
He really was pretty damn cute, she thought. This would be okay. She could totally do this for an hour. It’d be like the time
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