behind her and heard the message.
“Office hours are eight to five Monday through Friday. Leave a message after the tone and we’ll return your call. For emergencies call...”
Edie ended the call and pushed in another number. On the fifth ring someone answered in a booming voice... “Peter Koskowski here. Can I help you?”
Edie proceeded to tell Koskowski what was going on in Jamie’s room.
Koskowski cleared his throat loudly. “What building is this?”
She told him. Sam could hear every word on both ends. “Can he stay somewhere else till Monday?”
“Not really.”
“Will it help if I send someone there to talk to this Nate?”
“Not in my opinion. You might scare him for a few days. He might also take it out on Jamie Carpenter, my nephew.”
“I’ll have to go in to the office to see if there is a room available. I’ll take care of Nate and his girlfriend later. Meet me there.” He gave Edie an address.
“Uh-oh,” Jamie said, who could also hear.
Mike leaned against his doorframe, his fingers traversing his face.
Sam was in awe. She wanted to be just like Edie someday. She and Jamie trooped down the stairs behind her.
Jamie said, “Hey, Aunt Edie, can you hang around long enough for me to get my stuff out of the room? I don’t have a car if I have to move to another dorm.”
Sam knew he was more afraid of Nate than of carrying his stuff to another building. There were carts for that.
“We’ll see what happens here.”
Peter Koskowski stared hard at Jamie and cleared his throat. Like his voice, he was big. “This is true that Nathan Bloomburg’s girlfriend, Betsy Schmidt, practically lives with him?”
“Yes, sir. They do things there that I don’t want to watch.”
“What happened to your face?”
“A guy in a black truck with license plate TRUCKIN 2 beat me up.”
“Because?”
Jamie looked down. “He’s been stalking me since we had an incident in a parking lot.”
“What happened?”
“I nearly backed into him.”
“Okay. I’ll find you a room if you dye your hair back to its normal color. Then you won’t have so much trouble. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jamie said, looking down. Sam knew he didn’t think that was fair. He believed his hair was his own to do with as he wanted.
Edie laughed. “Hey, it’ll save you a lot of trouble, nephew.”
Jamie pouted. When he was up against authority, he always balked. Sam gave him a shove. “You can be a blonde. They have more fun.”
They left to investigate Jamie’s new room, which was in the same building across the hallway from Mike’s. It was a hidey-hole of a place that had been used for storage. It had a bed, a desk and a dresser shoved against each other. The closet was behind a curtain.
By the time they were done moving Jamie’s stuff out of his old room, it was after eight and Sam was starved. They had not had to confront Nate, because he and Betsy were gone.
“Thanks for helping,” Edie said to Sam.
“We can go to my place and eat my mom’s leftovers,” Sam said.
“I’ll bring the rest of mine,” Jamie offered.
“Okay,” Edie said.
Nita was gone to work, Sam knew. She warmed up the last of the chicken and the butternut squash and green beans.
“Great leftovers,” Edie said, but she ate little. “What are you going to do, Sam?”
Sam’s blue gaze shot to meet hers. “Can you do something?” She blushed and dropped her eyes.
“Yeah Auntie, can you tell the landlord that there’s another girl living here and not paying?”
“Sam can do that herself.”
“Nita will hate me.”
Edie smiled at Sam. “You could sleep at Jamie’s when the girlfriend is here. Buy yourself one of those blow-up beds.”
“I’ve got a sleeping bag,” Sam said dispiritedly. She used it as an extra blanket.
Edie stood up. “I must go if I’m going to drive home tonight. Thanks for the food. Your mother is a fabulous cook.”
“Welcome,” Sam said, her appetite gone.
“And you, nephew, do as the
“Office hours are eight to five Monday through Friday. Leave a message after the tone and we’ll return your call. For emergencies call...”
Edie ended the call and pushed in another number. On the fifth ring someone answered in a booming voice... “Peter Koskowski here. Can I help you?”
Edie proceeded to tell Koskowski what was going on in Jamie’s room.
Koskowski cleared his throat loudly. “What building is this?”
She told him. Sam could hear every word on both ends. “Can he stay somewhere else till Monday?”
“Not really.”
“Will it help if I send someone there to talk to this Nate?”
“Not in my opinion. You might scare him for a few days. He might also take it out on Jamie Carpenter, my nephew.”
“I’ll have to go in to the office to see if there is a room available. I’ll take care of Nate and his girlfriend later. Meet me there.” He gave Edie an address.
“Uh-oh,” Jamie said, who could also hear.
Mike leaned against his doorframe, his fingers traversing his face.
Sam was in awe. She wanted to be just like Edie someday. She and Jamie trooped down the stairs behind her.
Jamie said, “Hey, Aunt Edie, can you hang around long enough for me to get my stuff out of the room? I don’t have a car if I have to move to another dorm.”
Sam knew he was more afraid of Nate than of carrying his stuff to another building. There were carts for that.
“We’ll see what happens here.”
Peter Koskowski stared hard at Jamie and cleared his throat. Like his voice, he was big. “This is true that Nathan Bloomburg’s girlfriend, Betsy Schmidt, practically lives with him?”
“Yes, sir. They do things there that I don’t want to watch.”
“What happened to your face?”
“A guy in a black truck with license plate TRUCKIN 2 beat me up.”
“Because?”
Jamie looked down. “He’s been stalking me since we had an incident in a parking lot.”
“What happened?”
“I nearly backed into him.”
“Okay. I’ll find you a room if you dye your hair back to its normal color. Then you won’t have so much trouble. Deal?”
“Deal,” Jamie said, looking down. Sam knew he didn’t think that was fair. He believed his hair was his own to do with as he wanted.
Edie laughed. “Hey, it’ll save you a lot of trouble, nephew.”
Jamie pouted. When he was up against authority, he always balked. Sam gave him a shove. “You can be a blonde. They have more fun.”
They left to investigate Jamie’s new room, which was in the same building across the hallway from Mike’s. It was a hidey-hole of a place that had been used for storage. It had a bed, a desk and a dresser shoved against each other. The closet was behind a curtain.
By the time they were done moving Jamie’s stuff out of his old room, it was after eight and Sam was starved. They had not had to confront Nate, because he and Betsy were gone.
“Thanks for helping,” Edie said to Sam.
“We can go to my place and eat my mom’s leftovers,” Sam said.
“I’ll bring the rest of mine,” Jamie offered.
“Okay,” Edie said.
Nita was gone to work, Sam knew. She warmed up the last of the chicken and the butternut squash and green beans.
“Great leftovers,” Edie said, but she ate little. “What are you going to do, Sam?”
Sam’s blue gaze shot to meet hers. “Can you do something?” She blushed and dropped her eyes.
“Yeah Auntie, can you tell the landlord that there’s another girl living here and not paying?”
“Sam can do that herself.”
“Nita will hate me.”
Edie smiled at Sam. “You could sleep at Jamie’s when the girlfriend is here. Buy yourself one of those blow-up beds.”
“I’ve got a sleeping bag,” Sam said dispiritedly. She used it as an extra blanket.
Edie stood up. “I must go if I’m going to drive home tonight. Thanks for the food. Your mother is a fabulous cook.”
“Welcome,” Sam said, her appetite gone.
“And you, nephew, do as the
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