Early Friday morning before school, I was sitting in the small reading area inside the family room bay window, which Cora often used. Chase pulled into our driveway, shooting gravel in every direction and nearly killing two robins that were looking for worms close by. He was dressed in a black pinstriped suit, rolling a small metallic black suitcase behind him like he was going on some business retreat. Parked in our driveway was a small, yellow, foreign sports car made by someone whose name I probably couldn’t pronounce. His car most likely cost more than our house.
“Nicholas! How is my favorite patient?” he asked as I opened the front door for him.
“Good. Where’s the helicopter?” I was joking, of course, but he answered all the same.
“In the shop getting tuned up, so this car will have to do for the weekend. It moves just as fast, though.”
He let go of his suitcase and moved quickly past me, nearly knocking me over. He grabbed Cora, who had come into the hall from the kitchen. He gave her a great big bear hug, spinning her around, like a scene from some cheesy romance movie.
“And how’s my vivacious main squeeze?”
Cora wiggled free. “You wish, Chase. It’s good to see you,” she said with a big smile. She leaned in on tiptoes and gave him a peck on the cheek.
“Back at ya, baby doll. So what’s on the agenda for today? It has been way too long. We have some serious catchin’ up to do.”
“Well, it’s Friday and I’m heading to school,” I responded. “Could you move your car? I don’t want to be late.”
“Are you kidding? I don’t get to see you guys that often. Skip school and hang with me and your aunt today, unless Cora wants me all to her lonesome.”
As if on cue, a voice came from outside our house. “Well, goodness gracious, this must be the ever-so-talented, incredible and terribly attractive Dr. Chase Letterby.” Genevieve was walking up the stairs to the porch. She walked right into our house through the open door like she owned the place, and positioned herself between Chase and Cora. She extended her hand to have him kiss it like he was King Arthur and she was Lady Guinevere. He took it and kissed it, lingering for a moment as he stared up at her.
“I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure of making your acquaintance,” he said, dropping his voice even deeper than it already was.
“I’m the Kellers’ new neighbor. Well, my husband and I.”
Chase didn’t look too bothered by the mention of a husband. I am sure that to him, it was just a technicality.
“Cora and I have become such good friends and she has talked about you on many occasions. But she never mentioned how big and strong you are.”
“And she never mentioned she had such a breathtaking neighbor, either,” Chase said.
I didn’t know if I could take much more of this. The flirting was too much. Genevieve was up to something, but I didn’t care to find out what. Cora stepped up next to Genevieve, forcing Chase to drop her hand and break their gaze.
“This is my friend Gen-Genna Moore. Her husband is Coach Moore, the Winsor football team’s assistant coach.”
Cora had changed Genevieve’s name, hoping to throw Chase off of the fact they were really Genevieve and Riley, the two I had mentioned at the hospital last year after Xavier’s attack. I think he was too wrapped up in her to put those two things together, but it was still good thinking on Cora’s part. I marveled at how such a brilliant doctor could be tricked so easily.
“My husband and I were hoping that the three of you could come and spend the day with us on Saturday. We could go to Oktoberfest and then I could make a dinner you will never forget.” Genevieve was looking right into Chase’s eyes, like she was putting a spell on him. “I have the best recipe for chicken cordon bleu.” He didn’t blink. She had him.
Cora had told both of them that Chase was coming over. I thought they were going to stay at their house. Did Genevieve ever listen?
“No, I don’t think we can. I haven’t seen Chase for a while and we have to catch up,” Cora said, trying to snap him out of it.
“Nonsense, Cora. Let’s go. It will be fun,” Chase spoke. Again, Genevieve got her way, annoying both me and Cora. Chase was in her trance, helpless to fight against Genevieve’s control.
“Okay, we’ll go,” Cora said, clearly frustrated because she knew it was no use fighting Genevieve.
During school, I mentioned to Elle about going with me to Winsor’s Oktoberfest on Saturday at old Lunken Airport. I could tell she wanted to come, but didn’t want to go with the group I had mentioned would be going. I am sure it mostly had to do with Genevieve. She knew it was the anniversary of the earthquake and my parents’ deaths, so she swallowed any objections she had and agreed to go.