Young Squatters Read Free

take the hint and walked past him, heading to the mudroom to collect her coat.
    He told himself that Nora would be fine, that she wouldn’t blow a gasket over the temporary dismissal of the “help,” but deep down he knew that she would indeed have a fit.  He thought about leaving her a note, but then thought again.  What would a note succeed in doing but fueling her wrath?  Instead, he decided to just let her figure it out, put two and two together, and she could leave all her anger on his voicemail while he worked.
    Walking over to the counter, he pressed the lid onto his cup, scooped up his keys, his wallet, and his watch, and let himself out into the garage where his Land Rover was waiting.  The garage smelled like trash; Sarah hadn’t taken it out yet.  Tomato-y, egg smell.  Nora would be even less pleased.  He didn’t have time to think about it.  He’d have to handle it when he got back, once things had hopefully cooled down.
    He unlocked the Land Rover and opened the door, letting himself into the vehicle.  He put his key in the ignition and started the engine, plugging his iPhone into the car charger.  He reversed out of the driveway and made his way to work.
     
    ***
     
    A blonde-haired, blue-eyed young man sat in the passenger seat of a silver 2005 BMW, watching the house through dark sunglasses as the Land Rover left the driveway.  A cigarette hung idly from his lips.
    Behind the wheel was a young woman--black hair, blue eyes, red lips.  She was wearing a white button-down blouse and a cable-knit sweater.  She tucked a small bottle of moisturizer into her Gucci purse.  She glanced over at her partner.  He looked very attentive and smart sitting there, dressed in his plaid shirt and clean jeans.  He didn’t seem to notice her looking at him.
    “Do you think this will really work?”  The young woman looked slightly worried as she looked over at the Land Rover driving away.
    “It was your idea, Harper.”  The young man kept watching the house as Nick left for his office, taking a drag from the cigarette and tapping it outside the window.
    The young woman, Harper, flashed him an irritated look, sticking out her lower lip in a pout, tasting the cherry-flavored Chap Stick she had put on earlier, even though he still wouldn’t look at her.  She hated that.  When he got focused on something, really focused, it became nearly impossible to get his attention, even if she tried her hardest.  “So?  That doesn’t mean it will work, Bradford.”
    “Trust me, I looked it up on Wikipedia.  It’ll work.  If those Occupy clowns can do it, why not us? And the best thing is, once she leaves to take Colin and Clara to school, they’ll be gone all day.  Come on, let’s go get the truck.”
    Those simple words, “let’s go get the truck,” made her body shiver a little.  They were really going to do this.  The situation was becoming a little too real, and the consequences loomed in her mind.  She fingered the wheel, pressing her sweaty palms up against the leather.  It almost felt as if she couldn’t feel her toes; her body started to numb.
    “But what if something goes wrong?” she asked him, feeling like she was about to choke.  “Both of them may not go to school, one of them could stay home sick.  Or the old lady may not be gone all day and may come straight home after dropping them at school!” She still sat behind the wheel of the BMW; she had to remind herself of that.  The panic Harper was feeling showed in her voice, making it shake a little.  She shut her eyes, trying to get rid of the unpleasant feeling that made her want to die, to hide forever.
    “Now come on, baby, don’t go getting yourself into a state.  None of that is going to happen.  Try not to worry so much.  I have told you the most important part for this to work is acting completely normal like we haven’t done anything wrong.  You need to stop worrying, and believe me when I tell you everything is