falling into water. The damp hair at the base of her neck instantly turned cold and gave her goosebumps. She stopped on the sidewalk and dropped Della Lee's things by the car. She fished her keys out of her coat pocket and electronically opened the trunk with the device on her key chain, at exactly the same time the screen door to the bungalow slapped shut again and the beautiful long-haired man walked out onto the porch.
"Hello? What are you doing?" the man called out to her. His voice was melodic, and the air carried it to her like a present. She actually stopped for a moment and turned to him. Seduction was his sixth sense, and he knew he'd caught her.
"You," the man said, smiling with an edge as he walked down the steps toward her. With a beautiful swing of his head, he tossed his long dark hair over his shoulder. "Were you just in my house?"
She heard the caw of a crow nearby, a portent of danger, and she gave a start. Snapping out of his spell, she quickly threw the things into the trunk, then slammed the lid closed.
Josey hurried to the driver's side and got in. As she drove away in the largest, goldest Cadillac in the entire Southeast, the man stood on the sidewalk and watched.
He was still there, his stare as dark as a gypsy curse, as she made the turn at the stop sign and sped off.
After getting her mother settled in bed that night, the lotion that smelled like lemon tarts rubbed on her small, pretty feet, her sleeping pill and water beside her on the nightstand, Josey crept down the stairs and outside to the car. She was barefooted and her toes curled against the frosty pavement of the driveway, but it was quieter this way.
Regardless, Helena stuck her head out of her bedroom doorway when Josey came back in with Della Lee's things.
"It's okay, Helena. Go back to bed."
She ducked her head back in.
Josey took the things up to her room, then she opened her closet door and set the box and bags in front of Della Lee.
"What is this?" Della Lee asked, surprised. She set aside one of Josey's well-thumbed travel magazines. She had washed her face since Josey had last seen her earlier that day, so the mascara streaks were gone. How she'd managed to do that without anyone noticing was a mystery. There weren't any washcloths smeared with makeup left behind, no sounds of water running hollowly through the pipes from upstairs while Josey and her mother and Helena sat in the sitting room downstairs and watched television.
Josey smiled. She'd barely been able to contain herself all day, waiting for her mother to finally go to bed. "A surprise! I went to your house today."
"You did what?"
Josey went to her knees and opened one of the bags. "Look. I picked up some of your things. Here are some clothes and makeup and here's your wallet. And this box. It looked like the kind of thing you wouldn't want to leave behind."
Della Lee was shaking her head, slowly at first, then more and more quickly. "I wanted you to get me a sandwich, not go to my house!"
"I did this so you wouldn't have to go back. Say thank you, you closet thief."
"Of course I'm not going back there!" she said. She scooted away from the things, farther into the shadows of the closet. "Josey, get rid of this stuff. Now! People can't know you have this."
"Shh! My mother will hear you," Josey said. "And I don't have it. It's yours. No one knows."
Della Lee's eyes went from Josey, to the box and bags, then back to Josey. "Was Julian still there?"
"The man with long hair? He was asleep on the couch with his hand halfway down his pants. Does he sleep like that all the time? If he had a nightmare, I bet he could really hurt himself."
"But you saw him," Della Lee said, seeing past Josey's too-casual assessment of him.
"I saw him."
"Then you understand."
Josey swallowed. "Yes."
"Bastard. I hate that he's still in my house. That was my mother's house. I wonder what's going to happen to it."
"Well," Josey said, "if you're really leaving, you can sell
"Hello? What are you doing?" the man called out to her. His voice was melodic, and the air carried it to her like a present. She actually stopped for a moment and turned to him. Seduction was his sixth sense, and he knew he'd caught her.
"You," the man said, smiling with an edge as he walked down the steps toward her. With a beautiful swing of his head, he tossed his long dark hair over his shoulder. "Were you just in my house?"
She heard the caw of a crow nearby, a portent of danger, and she gave a start. Snapping out of his spell, she quickly threw the things into the trunk, then slammed the lid closed.
Josey hurried to the driver's side and got in. As she drove away in the largest, goldest Cadillac in the entire Southeast, the man stood on the sidewalk and watched.
He was still there, his stare as dark as a gypsy curse, as she made the turn at the stop sign and sped off.
After getting her mother settled in bed that night, the lotion that smelled like lemon tarts rubbed on her small, pretty feet, her sleeping pill and water beside her on the nightstand, Josey crept down the stairs and outside to the car. She was barefooted and her toes curled against the frosty pavement of the driveway, but it was quieter this way.
Regardless, Helena stuck her head out of her bedroom doorway when Josey came back in with Della Lee's things.
"It's okay, Helena. Go back to bed."
She ducked her head back in.
Josey took the things up to her room, then she opened her closet door and set the box and bags in front of Della Lee.
"What is this?" Della Lee asked, surprised. She set aside one of Josey's well-thumbed travel magazines. She had washed her face since Josey had last seen her earlier that day, so the mascara streaks were gone. How she'd managed to do that without anyone noticing was a mystery. There weren't any washcloths smeared with makeup left behind, no sounds of water running hollowly through the pipes from upstairs while Josey and her mother and Helena sat in the sitting room downstairs and watched television.
Josey smiled. She'd barely been able to contain herself all day, waiting for her mother to finally go to bed. "A surprise! I went to your house today."
"You did what?"
Josey went to her knees and opened one of the bags. "Look. I picked up some of your things. Here are some clothes and makeup and here's your wallet. And this box. It looked like the kind of thing you wouldn't want to leave behind."
Della Lee was shaking her head, slowly at first, then more and more quickly. "I wanted you to get me a sandwich, not go to my house!"
"I did this so you wouldn't have to go back. Say thank you, you closet thief."
"Of course I'm not going back there!" she said. She scooted away from the things, farther into the shadows of the closet. "Josey, get rid of this stuff. Now! People can't know you have this."
"Shh! My mother will hear you," Josey said. "And I don't have it. It's yours. No one knows."
Della Lee's eyes went from Josey, to the box and bags, then back to Josey. "Was Julian still there?"
"The man with long hair? He was asleep on the couch with his hand halfway down his pants. Does he sleep like that all the time? If he had a nightmare, I bet he could really hurt himself."
"But you saw him," Della Lee said, seeing past Josey's too-casual assessment of him.
"I saw him."
"Then you understand."
Josey swallowed. "Yes."
"Bastard. I hate that he's still in my house. That was my mother's house. I wonder what's going to happen to it."
"Well," Josey said, "if you're really leaving, you can sell
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