They ventured down the hallway, and Shelly opened each door as they went. The first room was an extra large bathroom with a long window. The wooden frame around the window was painted a mossy green to match an old dresser in the corner that Shelly used for towels. On top of the dresser was a big bouquet of flowers, and in the inset window frame was an arrangement of clear glass bottles with colored water in them, shooting rainbows across the white tile floor.
Everything about the duplex was lovely, and Alissa was amazed how the decorating matched her taste and her ideas of what was artistic.
Shelly opened the bedroom door at the end of the hall and said, “I hope you have a lot of furniture. This is the bigger bedroom. I was going to turn it into a sort of office-guest room but I never got around to it.”
They stepped into a gigantic, empty room. The walls were covered with travel posters.
“Sorry,” Shelly said. “I didn’t take those down yet. Genevieve said she would send a painter over to freshen this room up before you move in. I think he’s coming tomorrow. Or maybe it’s Wednesday. Anyway, if you have a specific color you’d like him to paint it, we could let Genevieve know. She wouldn’t mind at all. She’s terrific, isn’t she?”
Alissa nodded but found no words to voice her agreement. She felt choked up. It was as if some long lost relative had found her and was welcoming her into the family. It felt so different from any other living situation she had been in.
“Check it out,” Shelly said, pulling up the pleated shades to the two back windows. The room instantly was flooded with evening sunlight, and all the dust fairies came to life, dancing merrily on the hardwood floor.
“It gets pretty hot in here in the afternoons if you keep the shades up. But that’s only in the summer. The sun seems to be in just the right position between those two trees to pour itself into this room.”
Alissa stepped forward to examine the view out the back. It was beautiful: the grass, the rows of colorful flowers in Genevieve’s garden to the right, and straight ahead, the wooden archway at the end of the brick path. She couldn’t ask for a more picture-perfect view and decided her desk would go right there, in front of the window.
With a smile and a heart full of contentment, Alissa turned to Shelly and said, “Well? I don’t know what else to ask.”
“Do you think we should maybe talk a little bit and see if we feel we’re compatible?” Shelly asked.
“That’s probably wise,” Alissa said. She couldn’t imagine them not getting along.
“Let’s go into the living room.” Shelly settled herself on the cushioned seat of her wicker sofa, among several embroidered pillows. Alissa took the chair by the window and felt the filtered sun warming the top of her head. The harp music lilted its way around them, and the bowl of bright red roses on the wicker coffee table gave off a sharp, spicy fragrance.
“You first,” Shelly said. “Tell me all about you.”
Something at the top of Alissa’s throat suddenly froze shut. She didn’t do this. People didn’t just freely step into her life. “There’s not much to say,” Alissa began. “I’m a travel agent, as you know. I’ve been at this agency for seven months. Before that I was at the corporate office of an agency in Phoenix. I was there about two years and in Atlanta before that.”
Shelly nodded and kept listening.
“I don’t know what else you’d like to know. I have one cat, Chloe, who goes with me wherever I go. My father was in the air force, so we moved a lot while I was growing up. I think that’s why I still like to travel today. I usually go on two trips a year. Sometimes three, if the agency pays.”
“Besides traveling, what else do you like?” Shelly asked.
“Reading. I read a lot. That’s about it.”
“No interesting men in your life?”
“None.”
“Wait until you meet Jake, next door,” Shelly said, a playful smile blooming on her face. “He’s an actor. Well, a wannabe actor. He has an agent and everything, but he hasn’t gotten his big break yet. He was in a commercial, though. It aired a lot last winter. You probably saw it. It was for that new pain reliever. He was a mechanic. He held up a wrench and his line was, ‘When the job is this big, there’s no substitute for the right tool.’ ” Shelly’s brow furrowed, and her voice deepened as she imitated Jake’s TV debut.
“Then he holds up a bottle of the aspirin and says, ‘And there’s no substitute for the right pain reliever when it comes to headaches as big as mine.’ ”
“I think I missed that one,” Alissa said, smiling.
“He thinks he’s famous now. Only that was his last part, so he’s been working as a waiter at Chez Monique’s over in Santa Monica.”
“I’ve heard of that place. It’s supposed to be really nice.”
“Oh, it is! He makes great tips.” Shelly let out a low giggle. “If you really want to bug him when you meet him, call him Mr. Wartman. That’s his name, Jacob Wartman. But, of course, his agent changed his last name to Wilde. He goes by Jake Wilde in the Hollyweird circuit.”
“Hollyweird?” Alissa questioned.
Shelly laughed. “That’s what I call it. Jake is always good for a story, and every one of them is weird.”
“Weird Jake, huh?”
“Jake’s not weird. Just his experiences. He’s working on getting his pilot’s license right now. I met him through Steven and Genevieve. I work for the same airline as Steven, and he tried to fix me up with Jake.” Shelly rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Was that ever a disaster! But I found out about this side of the duplex and moved in the next weekend. They had a married couple who were moving out. Jake and I are great buddies now. So don’t worry; there’s nothing going on between us. Besides, I’m never home. That’s part of the reason I decided to get a roommate. It seemed pointless for this place to be empty and go unused for half the month. Especially for what I pay.”
“That probably should be my next question,” Alissa said. “What do you pay?”
She was pleased to find out that with splitting the rent she would pay two hundred dollars less per month than her condo had cost her. It seemed a perfect arrangement all the way around.
“So, what do you think?” Shelly said. “I don’t smoke, and I keep the TV in my room nice and low. Oh, and I eat more than anyone I know, so when I’m home, I’ll cover the majority of the grocery bill.”
“Have you lived here long?” Alissa asked.
“Only a year or so. I came from Seattle. That’s where all my family lives. My dad’s a minister. His father was a minister, as was his father. And my great, great, great—did I get too many greats in there? Anyway, how about you?”
“There definitely are no ministers in my family tree,” Alissa said.
“I guess I should have asked about you and God earlier. You’re not a Buddhist or anything are you? I mean, not that you couldn’t still rent the duplex if you were. It’s just that religion can often be a dividing point in friendships, and if that’s going to be a real difference between us, we should talk about it now.”
“I don’t think it will be a problem. I’m …” Alissa hesitated. It had been a long time since she had labeled herself for anyone. “I’m a Christian,” she said.
Shelly sat still, eyebrows slightly rounded up. She seemed to be waiting for Alissa to define that starting point.
“I haven’t gone to church in a while, but I’m on good terms with God, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“No, I didn’t mean to judge you or anything. It’s just that so many people say they’re Christians, you know. Well, maybe not everybody. But both the guys next door are, and so is Genevieve. I think it just makes it easier when we get together and stuff. We’re all coming from the same place, you know?”
Alissa noticed Steven wasn’t included in the list. But she was too relieved Shelly hadn’t asked for more explanation to ask where Steven stood. She also felt more comforted than threatened to know that she would be around Christi
ans.
Several years ago Alissa would have been the one grilling Shelly, asking her if she had a personal relationship with Christ and if in all her years of church going she had ever repented of her sins and asked Jesus to come into her life. That zeal had drained itself from Alissa’s life after the Phoenix experience. Now she would have felt like a hypocrite trying to evangelize anyone when she wasn’t even attending church.
In a larger sense, Alissa was interested only in that which would bring about fresh new starts and positive changes in her life. There was no point in dredging up Phoenix again or her checkered church experiences. She knew she had given her heart to the Lord that summer day on the beach with Christy, and she knew Jesus was her best friend. For now that was the only place she knew to go back to. Because Shelly reminded her of Christy, Alissa felt a beginning sense of hope that she might get closer to God again.
“What do you think?” Shelly asked. “You want to move in?”
Alissa nodded. “If it’s okay with you.”
“Of course!” Shelly said, hopping up and giving Alissa an enthusiastic hug. “This will be terrific. Now do you want a snickerdoodle? How about something to drink? I went to the store on my way home from the airport, and I have all kinds of good stuff.”
Alissa followed her into the kitchen. As Alissa trailed a bit behind, she tried to remember the last time she had felt a friendly touch like Shelly’s hug. It had been far too long. She had exchanged handshakes at work and pats on the back from Renée. But it had been months since anyone had offered a friendly hug, and even longer since she had offered one.
“Actually,” Alissa said as Shelly held up a pitcher of orange juice, silently inviting refills, “I think I better go. What’s the next step?”
Shelly shrugged her shoulders and said, “Move in, I guess. Genevieve will have some lease papers for you to sign. Did she tell you they ask for a minimum of a year?”
Alissa flinched slightly. Then she realized a year was fine. She preferred six month commitments, but a year, in this case, would be fine.
“Okay. I’ll start to move in this weekend, if that’s all right with you.”
“Terrific. I’m here until Thursday, and then I fly until next Monday. So why don’t you stop by and pick up a key. I’ll have one made tomorrow. You can sign the papers at Genevieve’s then. And be sure to tell her about the paint, if you have a favorite color or something. Otherwise, when the guy comes this week, I think he’ll just do it in some off-white shade. That’s what my room is. Oh, I didn’t show you my room, did I? Do you want to see it?”
“No, that’s okay. I really should get going.”
“If you can stop by tomorrow, for the papers and paint and everything, maybe we could decide about extra furniture. There’s room for more in the living room, like your wicker love seat. It just looks full now because I crammed every empty corner with plants. They’re good for the atmosphere, you know, especially because this place is closed up so much of the time. You’re welcome to rearrange any way you want.” Shelly poured herself a glass of juice. “Sure you don’t want some?”
“No thanks.”
“You’ll find I’m not very picky about most things. Except shoes.” Shelly wiggled her bare toes. “I should have lived in the Orient because I don’t think shoes should be worn in the house. The guys next door have to take off their muddy clodhoppers before they come in here.”
“That’s fine with me,” Alissa said, glancing at her heels and checking the rugs covering the hardwood floor to see if she had tracked in any dirt. “From now on, I’ll take off my shoes at the door.”
“Great,” Shelly said, her wide smile lighting up her face. “This is going to be so fun! By the way, how did you find out about it? From Genevieve?”
Alissa thought about the slip of paper she had discovered on her desk. Neither Renée nor Cheri knew anything about it. “I honestly don’t know.”
Alissa drove back to her condo, trying to solve the mystery of the note. No conclusions came to her. It reminded her of the mysterious letter that had brought Chet and Rosie together. She had been wondering about it since last Friday. They hadn’t come in to confirm their travel plans, so first thing tomorrow she would call them to make sure everything was set. She puzzled over how she could ask about the letter without intruding.
As she entered the freeway traffic, she glanced up at the evening sky. The only nice thing about smog was it produced soft amber and peach hues as the sun set. At this moment the sky looked soothing. She loved sunsets. They reminded her of heaven. And tonight, heaven seemed closer than it had in a long time.
Alissa wondered if perhaps she really did have a guardian angel. Maybe God was trying to do something to draw her back to himself after all the years she had felt so abandoned.
Instead of turning south toward her condo, she pulled into a strip mall and parked in front of a paint store. Fresh beginnings called for freshly painted walls—and not off-white. A soft yellow, perhaps, like the sunset.
Chapter Six
I like it,” Shelly said the next day as she held up the paint sample card in Genevieve’s kitchen. “It looks like moonlight.”
“It’s called Golden Sunset. You don’t think it’ll be too yellow?” Alissa asked, offering another swatch of a lighter tone.
“I don’t,” Genevieve said, smearing some peanut butter on a slice of bread and handing it to Mallory, who sat on a stool next to Alissa. “That’s a wonderful, neutral shade. I think it will give the room a nice, soft, sunny tone. But it’s completely up to you. Let me know which one you decide on, and I’ll call it in to the painter today.”
“Mommy, can I have some juice?” Mallory asked.
Genevieve reached in the fridge for the juice and pulled out the iced tea pitcher as well. “More tea for either of you?”
“I’d like some, please,” Alissa said. “I love the mint in this.”
Genevieve poured the tea and gave Mallory a boxed drink. “You see if you can get the straw in this time,” she said with a loving look at her littlest one.
Mallory tried, but the straw bent. She tried again and got it in. “I did it, Mommy!”
“I knew you could. That’s my girl!”
“I’ll go with this one,” Alissa said, laying the “Golden Sunset” sample down on the counter like a playing card. “Did I need to sign some papers?”
“I have them here,” Genevieve said, stepping over to the table and reaching for a file that bore Alissa’s name on the tab. “This is the lease form, and this is the cleaning deposit addendum.”
Alissa looked over the papers and signed them, feeling no regret for making a year’s commitment.
“Are you wearing contacts?” Genevieve asked.
Alissa looked up surprised. “Yes, I am.”
“I just noticed because when you were here before you had on glasses, and you look quite a bit different without them. When I have my glasses on, people barely recognize me.”
Alissa was aware that people were noticing she was taking a little more care of herself lately. This morning she had climbed on the scale and was shocked to see she had lost two pounds. She had no idea how that had happened, except during the last week she had been on the go with her packing and everything. She had had no time for snacking.
At work Cheri had complimented her on her hair again and suggested she let it grow out more. She had pulled it back in a low ponytail for so many weeks, it had grown more than she had realized. Now that she was wearing it down with a slight curl on the ends it seemed even longer.
The lipstick touch up and squirt of perfume she had applied in the car before coming to Genevieve’s front door had more to do with her next appointment than with meeting with Genevieve and Shelly. At 1:30 Alissa was meeting Chet and Rosie at their home to give them the tickets and to finalize the itinerary. It seemed only logical to Alissa that one could not call on Chet and Rosie without looking one’s best.
“Are you going to need help moving in on S
aturday?” Shelly asked. “The guys might be around. Do you know if they’ll be here, Gen?”
Genevieve shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“They’re really nice,” Shelly said. “After you get used to them.”
Genevieve smiled. “Ideal neighbors as long as you don’t mind their occasional bongo-fest. Isn’t that what they call it?”
Mallory jumped into the conversation. “Jakey has a big bongo, and he lets me play it.”
“Drums,” Shelly explained. “It’s their tribute to the beatniks of the ’50s or something. It all started one night when we watched this hilarious beach party movie. What was it called? Anyway, through the whole movie this one guy played bongo drums and would say stuff like, ‘Butterfly on a sourdough radio.’ Crazy stuff like that. None of it made sense, but it kind of rhymed. Sort of.”
Genevieve reached over to wipe off Mallory’s sticky fingers before she hopped down.
“We watched the movie twice that night just because of that beatnik bongo guy. That was on a Friday night, and the next morning the three of us decided to go to the Saturday market. A guy was there with bongo drums.” Shelly’s lighthearted laugh filled the kitchen. “So these guys bought, I don’t know, six drums. All different sizes. And that night they sat outside in the backyard with these silly little berets on their heads, beating their drums and making up ridiculous rhymes like a bunch of kooks until after midnight.”
Genevieve smiled. “It was really quite funny. For about the first hour. Then we all wanted them to go to bed.”
“Thanks for the warning! I noticed you both waited until after I signed the papers before you told me this minor detail regarding the beatniks next door.”
Genevieve and Shelly burst out laughing. It felt good to Alissa. She couldn’t remember the last time she had said something spontaneous that made people laugh. She muttered jokes to Chloe all the time, but she never laughed. It almost felt as if a part of Alissa was coming out of deep freeze and some of the feeling was returning to her extremities.