Leg throbbing in an annoying way after her first outing since the accident, Leanne waited impatiently for Cassandra to return from the living room, where she imagined her to be seated at her desktop. When she finally did, she wasted no time asking, “How did you know I didn’t drive?”
Cassandra gave a slow, sly smile. “I realized I said that a few minutes after I left the room and wondered if you’d be smart enough to catch it. Sure enough, you were.”
“How did you know?” Leanne asked again.
“Come on,” Cassandra said. “You didn’t think I was going to have a complete stranger in my home without checking her out a bit, did you? I found your blog.”
Leanne thought a moment. “You must be talking about the one I created last winter. I only made a few entries in it, and then I forgot about it.”
“There’s not much out there on you,” Cassandra said. “You must be a pretty private person.”
“More like a boring and busy person who doesn’t use the Internet as religiously as most. Speaking of the Internet, I want to set up my laptop soon. That way, I can see what I can dig up on you in return and email my friends and family.”
Cassandra laughed and said, “Ok. But you have to have a last name first.”
Leanne blinked with surprise. That’s right. She would.
Cassandra laughed harder at the look on her face.
“How the hell did you get my last name? My keys were all I had on me the night of the accident.”
“Not quite,” Cassandra said, picking up a piece of paper that sat atop the dresser by the door.
Leanne looked at it and frowned with confusion. Then Cassandra handed it to her. It was a signed slip of paper agreeing to some dental work she’d recently had done to crown a severely damaged tooth. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot I shoved this in my jeans pocket that day.”
“So, would Miss Covington like some lunch now?”
“Actually, I would,” Leanne answered, realizing that she was hungry.
Cassandra led her into the kitchen, and Leanne watched from her seat at the table as the good-looking nurse made them some tuna sandwiches. She opened the refrigerator and peered into it. “You like strawberries?”
“Sure do.”
Leanne watched her place a few on each plate and thought of how she felt a bit violated by Cass’s prying, yet she totally understood at the same time. She’d probably do the same thing. In fact, she would do the same thing just as soon as she could get a last name. Leanne decided to ask her outright what it was, deciding that it wouldn’t be a very good sign if she refused to tell her, even though she knew where she lived and could simply leave anytime she wanted to.
Cassandra set their plates down on the table and just as Leanne opened her mouth to ask, the cell phone sitting on the counter began to chime a comical version of the National Anthem. With a sigh of annoyance, Cassandra stood up as fast as she’d sat down and snatched it up. She quickly glanced at the number ID box and then opened the phone. “Hello,” she said.
Leanne wasn’t sure if she should start eating as hungry as she was, or if it would be more polite to wait for Cassandra. She decided on the latter.
“Oh, no. Was there?” she heard Cassandra say. “I haven’t read the news all day.” Another pause and then, “Sure, I’ll get in as soon as I can. I have a disabled houseguest, though, and first I have to find someone to stay with her, but then I’ll be right down.”
Cassandra hit a button and then quickly snatched up her sandwich. She stole bites in between a phone call to her mother. Then she snapped the phone closed and finished the rest of it. “There was a huge pile-up on the freeway,” she explained. “I gotta get in early today.”
“Oh, ok,” said Leanne, almost finished with her own sandwich by now.
Cassandra reached for a couple of strawberries. “Mom’s on her way over. Remember our deal. No questions.”
“Nope, no questions.”
“Will you be ok finishing up on your own?”
“Sure.”
Cassandra dashed down the hallway and into her bedroom. A few minutes later, she reemerged in her nursing uniform. The uniform showed off her shape more than her sweats.
Not bad. Not bad at all. The tall nurse wasn’t fat, nor was she skinny. She was big-boned, solid as a rock, and just right in Leanne’s own personal opinion. “You look good in uniform,” she dared say.
“Thanks, babe. If your leg aches, just tell Mom and she’ll give you something for it.”
Leanne nodded.
Cassandra threw her wavy black hair back in a ponytail and secured it with a purple cloth-covered elastic. Then she snatched up her handbag and headed for the door. “Ma’s got a key, so she can let herself in. Sorry to bail on you like this. It goes with the job.”
“That’s ok. I’ll see you later on tonight.”
Leanne sat there in the stillness of the now deserted house. Her curious side told her to get up and look around the house as fast as she could before her mother arrived, but her tired body and sore leg had other plans. And so she remained in her seat as she gazed longingly into the living room and at her caretaker’s computer. Not a good thing to investigate anyway, she thought to herself. She knew she could delete her browsing history, but there were other ways of seeking out one’s search history. Even if there wasn’t, it might make her look funny if Cass knew she was deleting her history.
She wouldn’t have had much time anyway, for just as she popped the last strawberry in her mouth, the front door opened up, and in came a tall, slender woman. “Hello,” she said with a smile.
“Hello,” Leanne smiled back.
“You must be Leanne.”
“That’s me.”
Leanne watched her walk across the living room and into the kitchen area and placed her purse down on the counter. She was a couple of inches shorter than her daughter and looked great for what she figured had to be her mid to late fifties. Although there wasn’t much resemblance between mother and daughter, Cassandra’s mother also looked about as Italian as Italian could get with her light to medium complexion and dark, distinct features.
The woman walked over to where she sat, extended a hand, and said, “I’m Rena.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs… I forgot the last name. What did Cassandra say her last name was?”
Rena waved a hand. “Ah, formalities aren’t necessary, dear. Just Rena will do.”
Damn! She was really hoping Cassandra’s last name would be revealed to her. Oh well. She had to at least try, right?
“How’s the leg today?”
“It’s slowly getting better. A little sore today after being out earlier in the morning.”
“Well, let me know if you need anything for it. For now, let’s just get you situated wherever you want to be for a while. You need to use the bathroom?”
“No, ma’am. I’m fine.” Leanne gestured toward Cassandra’s desktop in the corner of the living room. “Do you think Cassandra would mind if I used her computer to go online to check the weather and news and things like that?”
Rena looked hesitant. “Uh, no, I don’t think that’d be a good idea. I mean, sure, she probably wouldn’t mind at all. But you never know if she has anything running or downloading that she wouldn’t want to be disrupted.”
“Ok,” Leanne said with a smile, while inside she screamed, Damn! Damn! Damn! She was really getting sick of nothing but movies and books. Even so, Cassandra’s mother helped get her back down the hall and back into bed so she could get back to her book.
“All set?” Rena asked her.
Leanne nodded as she studied the woman. She didn’t give the impression of being a criminal any more than her daughter did. But Leanne wanted more information just the same. “You a nurse too?”
“No, I’m a semi-retired detective.”
“Oh, interesting,” said Leanne.
“But depressing and downright frustrating at times, too,” said Rena, who now seemed anxious to escape the room. “Just holler down the hallway if you need anything, sweetie.”
“Thanks. I will.”
Leanne spent the remainder of the day reading and sleeping. The only change of pace was when Cassandra’s mom ordered them a pizza for dinner. She didn’t know if this was because she didn’t cook, didn’t want to have to clean up the mess afterward, or because it allowed Rena not to have to spend as much time with her, and therefore dodging any unwanted questions.
Instead, it was Cassandra’s mother who did the asking; about her job, her family, and what she thought she might want to do in the future.
“I don’t know at this point. I mean, it’s not like I lack ambition. I’m just not really sure which path to take in life.”
“You’ll figure it out,” Rena assured her with a confidence she wished she felt.
Leanne yawned. The warm summer sun had set hours ago, and she found herself drifting off to sleep, more due to sheer boredom than actual tiredness.
She was dreaming of swimming in the ocean with Cassandra. They were laughing about something. Cassandra was tanned and wore a black one-piece swimsuit and looked hot as hell. And then the light grew brighter. Confused, Leanne first thought it had to do with the sun in the dream. Then she realized she was no longer dreaming. Cassandra had returned from work, flipped on her light, and stood staring angrily at her from the doorway.
Leanne blinked against the harshness of the light and sat up in bed.
“You,” Cassandra said, pointing a finger at her and stepping into the room, “are a very sneaky little devil.”
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