Chapter Four
Paige had forgotten what it was like to have a man in
the house. Of course, Ralph was a male. But he was of the smaller
and still trainable variety. He knew to put his dirty clothes in the
hamper and dirty dishes in the sink. He knew to put the cap back on
the toothpaste. He knew to close both the seat and the lid of the toilet
so there were no cold, wet surprises in the middle of the night.
She absently rubbed her tail bone, wincing a little when
her fingers touched the still tender area. How had she not remembered
what a horrible slob Drew was? If he hadn’t abandoned her, she was now
sure she probably would have killed him. It had to be a combination
of years living on the road, eating at restaurants, and sleeping in motels,
plus a mother who had waited on him hand and foot. Mrs Baker was a nice
woman, but she clearly had done her son no favors by not making him clean
up after himself.
Ralph was at school. Drew was out scouting
prospects, leaving her home by herself to repair the destruction he had left
behind. She entered the bathroom, the site where most of his chaos took
place. Was that. . .? Oh God, he had peed on the floor.
Seriously. He had missed the toilet and peed on the floor.
Shaking her head, she spun around, as she now needed
to get the mop and bucket to clean her ex’s urine off her bathroom tile.
Some vacation this was turning out to be.
Paige was wringing out the mop when her phone rang.
Taking off her rubber gloves, she picked up it. The Garage.
She stared at it as it vibrated in her hand, debating whether or not to answer.
Curiosity finally got the better of her and she hit accept.
“Paige?” Sylvester asked uncertainly.
“Hey, Sly.”
“Ralph and I need to go over the checklist for
our field trip this weekend. It’s still on, isn’t it?”
Oh, damn. She had forgotten all about the
tidal pool trip her son and the human calculator were going on to fulfill
Ralph’s requirement for his marine biology class.
“Yes, it’s still on,” she said. “Can you
come over after work? I can drive you home so you don’t have to ride
the bus after dark.”
There was silence on the other end of the connection
and she knew he wanted to say something but was trying to figure out how to
say it. .
“Uh, Paige,” he finally said. “Walter yelled at
Toby today.”
“He yells at Toby all the time, Sylvester.
If that’s all. . .?”
“This was different. I don’t think I’ve seen
him so mad before. And. . . And. . . Is Drew really back
in town.” He whispered the last sentence.
Paige sighed. Poor Sly. He hated conflict
of any kind. “Not that it’s anyone’s business, but yes, Drew is staying
here while he’s doing some scouting in the area. Listen, are you coming
over or not?” she asked impatiently.
“Can’t you drop Ralph off here after school?”
“Drew isn’t a contagious disease, you know.”
She shouldn’t be so mean but. . . She was trying to stay away from the
garage, not spend all her free time there.
“I just think it will be easier,” said Sylvester.
“I have all my gear here already.”
“Okay.” Paige just gave in. “I’ll drop
him off after school.”
“Paige?”
“Yes.”
“You are coming back, right?”
Dang it, now she felt bad for being so short with
him. “Yes, Sly, I’m coming back,” she reassured him.
“Okay. Good.” He sounded relieved.
“I just hope you do before. . .Walter. . . He was just so. . .”
“Sylvester.”
Gratefully, he picked up on the warning in her tone.
“I’m sorry. I better go. See you this afternoon, Paige.”
“Goodbye, Sly.” She hit end, then set her
cell back on the counter. Great, just great. With a sigh, Paige
returned to her cleaning.
“Got a case,” Cabe announced as he walked into the
garage just before noon. “Walter and Paige only.” He glanced
around as Walter got to his feet. “Where’s Paige?”
“Paige isn’t here,” replied Walter.
“I can see that. Where the hell is she?”
asked the Homeland agent.
Walter picked up a pen from his desk and began
fidgeting with it. “She’s taking time off.”
“Drew is back in town,” Toby volunteered, taking
his attention away from the book he was reading for a second.
“And I care why?” Cabe inquired rhetorically. “She’s
needed on this case. It’s top priority.”
“What is it?” Walter walked up to the other
man.
“Internet problems. That’s all I can say.”
“Why do I need Paige then?” The last thing
he wanted right now was to be alone with the liaison. There were too
many unresolved issues between them. And he wasn’t ready to face them
yet.
“You need Paige so you won’t piss anyone off,” Cabe growled.
“Can’t you go instead of Paige?” asked Sylvester,
no doubt sensing his boss’s distress.
“No, I have another assignment.” Gallo sounded
exasperated as he turned to his protégé. “You need Paige
for this. Deal with it.”
“Woooo.” Toby’s inappropriate remark earned
him a smack to the back of his head from Happy. “Grow up.”
“Listen, it’s just a few hours of work. She’s
be back before Ralph gets out of school,” Cabe promised. “Pay her extra,
give her more days off, whatever it takes.” He handed Walter a piece
of paper. “That’s the address, just tell them you’re from Homeland,
they’re expecting you both.”
Walter glanced at the note then back up at the
agent. “Okay.”
“Great,” said Cabe. “See you later.”
He then left the garage.
“I can call her if you want,” Sly offered.
“No, I’ll do it.” Walter picked up his cell,
walked across the room, and then up the stairs to his quarters. Toby
looked as if he wanted to make a comment, but a glare from Happy kept his
mouth closed.
Her phone rang several times, causing him to worry
she wasn’t at home. Maybe she was out somewhere with Drew. Or
worse, they were there at her condo, occupied by another activity. . .
“Walter? Walter!” He froze when she
finally answered her cell. She didn’t sound breathless, just annoyed.
Good.
“Um. . .Hi. . .uh. . .Cabe has a case for us.”
he managed to say. “Well, it’s just you and I and I really need you.
. .” He lost his train of thought when he heard what he had said.
“Walter?” Her voice got him back on track.
“Sorry, but Cabe is being insistent. It should
only take a couple of hours.”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really. I’m sorry. If there was
another way, I would. . .”
“It’s okay, Walter, I’ll do it.”
“I can pay you extra. . . Wait. . .
You will?”
“Sure, why not?”
Walter had no answer for that. So he stated
facts instead. “It will be more efficient if I drive to your place and
then we continue on in your car.”
“I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Uh. . . Good. . . Thank you.” He pressed
the end button and let out a sigh of relief. A few hours in her company
then they could go back to avoiding each other. What was the worst that
could happen?
Paige set down her phone. With any other man,
she would have suspected this was a ploy to see her again. But this
was Walter O’Brien. Deception was not a part of his nature.
Catching a glimpse of herself in the hallway mirror,
she hurried into the newly cleaned bathroom to make good on her promise to
be ready before he arrived in. . . She glanced up at the clock.
Thirteen minutes. Because punctuality was a part of his character.
A few hours in his company then they could go back
to avoiding each other. It was better than cleaning
up more of Drew’s messes. What was the worst that could happen?