Home for a Spell Read Free

baggie—“after I talk to him and collect your fee. For all I know he’s just concerned about personal security.”
    With identity fraud being one of the fastest growing crimes in the world, it certainly seemed a valid concern to me. And not just identity fraud. Consumer shadowing was happening every day, too. Viruses, spyware, malware. And that was only the beginning. Just the other day a story had hit the news about a school corporation using the webcams in the students’ school-supplied laptops to spy upon them outside of school hours. Big Brother is watching . . . and evidently, personal privacy doesn’t seem to matter in the least.
    Lou’s friend was right to be cautious, in my humble opinion. Better to be safe than sorry.
    “I’d insist on wiping it myself before just handing it over, but whatever he decides is fine by me. It was just an idea.” Marcus got in the truck and started the old engine with a rumble and a powerful surge as he toed the accelerator to keep the pistons churning. He gave the dashboard an affectionate pat.
    “Oh, hey. I almost forgot,” Lou said as an afterthought. “You ready for next week?”
    Marcus cleared his throat, but it was the hesitation that made me pause. “I, uh . . . well, I meant to talk to you about that.” His gaze flashed in my direction and then back. “I, uh, think I’m going to have to postpone that. Just for a little while,” he said when Lou’s brows knitted together slightly. “I’ve waited this long. A little longer won’t hurt matters.”
    “But you’ve already paid for your cl—”
    “I’ve done a little checking. I can defer. Extenuating circumstances. It’s okay, Uncle Lou. It’s a few months, not forever.”
    Wasn’t it the thought that counted?
    “Okay. Well. You know what’s best, I guess.” A pause and then, “I just thought, with everything arranged and all, that—” He bit the words off suddenly. “Well, anyway. Will we see you two at Sunday lunch next weekend? Your Aunt Molly’s talking about doing it up right. And with your mom in Wisconsin for the last couple of months, she thought you might enjoy a little togetherness with the family.”
    “Sure, sounds great.”
    “Yeah? Maggie, you okay with that?”
    “Great,” I echoed warmly, not about to let my questioning nature get in the way of a home-cooked meal surrounded by good people. Good people who didn’t put me on the hot seat with regards to my job, my finances, my relationships, my attitude, or my lack of interest in getting on with it and getting married and popping out grandchildren. Like my own family. Well, like my mother, to be more precise. “With any luck I’ll have this thing off me by then, and you can finally teach me how to do the limbo properly.”
    Lou laughed. “I’ll look forward to it.”
    He let us go then, with a wave and a blinding smile that stripped years from his face.
    Marcus looked over at me when we were on our way. “Limbo, huh? I don’t think you’re going to be dancing anytime soon, sweetness. Not for a while anyway.”
    We would see about that. I didn’t know when I’d hear the verdict from Dr. Dan on my healing progress, but I had high hopes for that very afternoon.
    “So,” I began, gazing over at him curiously, “what was all that about?”
    “All that?”
    His attempt at nonchalance did not fool me. “Yes, all that. With Uncle Lou. About next week.”
    “Oh. That.”
    “What was next week?”
    “Nothing for you to worry about, Maggie. Honestly. I’ve got it covered.”
    Something wasn’t sitting right with me. He was keeping something from me for sure. But why? “Uncle Lou mentioned you having paid for something,” I persisted. “If you’ve already paid up for whatever it is, there’s no sense in putting it off. You should get what you paid for.”
    If a man could squirm without actually, in fact, moving a muscle, Marcus would be doing just that at that very moment.
    A sudden suspicion struck. “It was because