Chapter 11
Alethea heard the doorbell chime first and then the loud knocking began. She looked over at Danica who was balanced easily on the step stool, the roller stretched high over her head, painting the ceiling in a bright and clean white called Queen Anne’s Lace, which had been too perfectly named to pass up. Danica rolled her eyes. “Seriously, he can’t get in again? This guy is killing me, Al.”
“Tell me about it.” Alethea put down her paintbrush and wiped her hands on one of the many rags strewn about on the drop cloths. The doorbell chimed again and the knocking grew even louder and more impatient. “I’m coming, keep your pants on!” Alethea made her way down the stairs, trying to block out the incessant knocking as she went. She opened the door to a very flustered and red faced Wilbur, who quickly pushed his way past her inside.
“Wilbur, the door was unlocked. I keep telling you, you can just let yourself in when you get here in the mornings.” Alethea tried not to let her irritation show in her voice.
“The dang thing wouldn’t open! I swear it!” Wilbur was clearly agitated. Alethea gave him a skeptical look in return but didn’t argue. She didn’t want to engage him in yet another discussion about his inability to open the front door.
Things had not started off on the right foot between them. On Wilbur’s first day, after he had taken a tour of the house and jotted down some measurements and notes, he had gone outside to unload his tools, only to have locked his keys inside the truck. Waiting for his nephew to drive over with the spare set of keys, Wilbur went to go back inside the house but found that he couldn’t open the front door. Alethea had come running at the sound of the loud banging and cursing and had opened the door easily.
“Locked myself out of my truck and the house!” Wilbur had thrown his hands up in the air in exasperation.
The front door hadn’t been locked, but Alethea had shrugged it off, figuring he was just frazzled from bungling things his first day on the job. But the next day when he showed up for work with his tools in hand, he yet again was unable to get the front door to budge. Priya had answered his agitated knocking and assured him the door had been unlocked, which had only seemed to irritate him more. The following day had brought more of the same, with Wilbur occasionally needing to be let in by whomever was within ear shot.
“Hold this door open all the way, will ya?” His tone was a little more rough than Alethea would have appreciated. “I need to go get the ladder.”
Alethea did as instructed while Wilbur went back outside to haul in the rest of his gear. A loud HISSS came from the top of the stairs, and there poking through the banister was Dandelion’s small black head. Alethea let out a sigh, but she couldn’t really blame her cat. In truth, Alethea had to fight down the urge to hiss at the inept contractor herself. What kind of grown man couldn’t even open a door? The handle could get a little sticky now and then, but it was nothing a good jiggle didn’t fix.
“Careful!” Alethea yelled as Wilbur almost tripped over a loose stone going up the front steps. Wilbur scowled as he eased the ladder through the double doors. He was going to be working on the light fixture in the entryway today and needed the huge ladder to reach up that high. Geez, this guy just gets more and more grouchy. Dandelion hissed loudly again, and Wilbur’s eyes shot up to where the feline crouched.
“Oh no, you get that thing away from me!” Wilbur retreated towards the dining room as Alethea went up the stairs to go retrieve her cat.
“Her name is Dandelion, not that thing.” Alethea was beginning to lose her patience with this man. It was one thing to be a little forgetful and clumsy, but he didn’t have to act as if Dandelion was out to get him. He had been getting more irritable and jumpy with each day on the job, and Alethea found his unprofessional behavior unbearably annoying. Every word out of his mouth seemed to work her nerves, so she tried to avoid him as much as possible.
“Come on Princess,” she murmured to her cat, scooping her up in her arms. “You can come hang out with Danica and me, where you’re wanted.” She glanced down at Wilbur who was trying to untie an extension cord that had gotten all tangled on the foot of the ladder, and she shook her head.This was going to be a painful couple of months.
“Did our contractor extraordinaire finally get himself in the door?” A tiny drop of white paint hit Danica on her forehead, and she laughed as she wiped it away.
Alethea rolled her eyes in response as she settled Dandelion onto the open window sill away from the paint fumes, then looked up to see how the ceiling was coming along.
“Wow, great job, Dani. I can’t believe you got the whole ceiling done already!”
“Yup. One down and only a dozen left to go!” Dancia may be pretending to complain, but Alethea knew that her friend loved home improvement projects like this. She was the kind of person who enjoyed getting their hands dirty and having a physical accomplishment to admire once all the hard work was done. It was why Danica had always known she’d never make it in an office environment or a corporate job: she liked physical work.
Priya ducked her head into the room from the hallway. “Hey, I think I’m going to run to the market to get a few things for lunch. How does a salad with roasted asparagus and fontina cheese sound? I saw the recipe for it in the newest issue of Bon Appétit and I’ve been dying to try it.”
“It sounds like heaven!” Dancia patted her stomach in anticipation. “Our breakfast smoothies will only hold me over for so long.”
“Mind if I tag along for a ride downtown?” Alethea wanted to stop by the cafe to apologize to that cashier before any more days elapsed. She hopped into the Jeep with Priya, who dropped her off on the corner in front of the cafe. “See ya back home!”
Alethea took a deep breath and opened the door, the bells hanging from the handle jingling melodically. Mercifully, it was during a break in the usual morning rush and there was only a single patron inside, who sat in the far corner, typing away busily on their MacBook. Alethea smiled at the same cashier who had been working last week during her run in with Brent Cornerstone. The intense smell of freshly picked blueberries, so ripe they stain your fingers purple, made Alethea’s stomach growl in anticipation.
“Can I help you?” The young woman with strawberry blonde hair tied back in a neat bun smiled warmly at Alethea.
“Yes, can I have three slices of blueberry coffee cake please? Also, I’d like to apologize.”
“Apologize?” A confused expression replaced the sunny smile on her freckled face.
“Um, yeah.” Alethea tried not to fidget with her wallet. “You were working when I got into a little…argument with another customer.”
“Oh you mean you and Brent duking it out over the last orange-raspberry muffin?” The cashier’s face broke into a wide smile. “I have to admit, that was the most entertaining thing I’ve seen in some time. You shoulda seen the look on Brent’s face!” The cashier’s bubbly cheeks grew round as she laughed in amusement and wrapped up the slices of cake in butcher paper. “Joanie, the owner, got a real big kick out of it, too! When I told her that we had two customers fighting over the last of one of her muffins, she said she could finally cross that off her bucket list.”
Alethea felt her cheeks start to redden. Just great, news of her little unhinged altercation had been spreading.
“Joanie does all the baking,” the cashier continued, ignoring Alethea’s embarrassment. “I’m Emma by the way.” She extended her hand over the pastry case toward Alethea.
“Nice to meet you, Emma. I’m Alethea. And I don’t normally fight with other people over baked goods. It’s just that guy, he really got under my skin.”
Emma arched an eyebrow and looked at Alethea like she was waiting for her to continue, so she did.
“He was so arrogant.” Alethea felt her jaw tightening at the memory. “Just because he’s good looking doesn’t mean he gets to strut around taking whatever he wants!”
“Well now, I think you both might’ve been having an off day and things got a little mixed up.” Emma spoke with certainty and nodded her head as if she was agreeing with herself. “Sooo, you had a recent breakup, I take it?”
Alethea blinked in surprise and took in the cheerful cashier. Emma was younger than herself, she guessed around college age, but she looked at Alethea with wise eyes. She had a warmth and an openness about her that Alethea immediately liked. “That obvious?”
Emma smiled at her sympathetically. “I’ve had my fair share of the type of person you’re talking about. Beauty that ends up being a Beast. But don’t worry, that’s not Brent. He’s one of the nicest fellas in town, always helping Joanie out with one thing or another that’s fallen apart over here. He never accepts any money from her either. Refuses the cash and tells her to pay him in pastries, that they’re worth their weight in gold.” Emma’s wide smile let Alethea know just how loyal she was to the Corner Bakery and how proud she was of Joanie”s work. Alethea decided not to argue. No point in coming here to apologize just to die on the hill that Brent Cornerstone was a conceited jerk. Clearly this woman was under his spell, thinking he could do no wrong.
“So you’re Scarlet’s niece then?” Emma rang up the three slices of cake in the register, and Alethea nodded to her in the affirmative. “Well, any friend of Scarlet’s is a friend of mine!”
Alethea said her goodbyes and left the cafe, ripping off an edge of one of the slices of coffee cake and popping it into her mouth as she walked the tree-lined streets home. It hit the spot, bursting with blueberry juiciness over a light hint of cinnamon. Just a little nibble to tide her over until lunch, she rationalized.
Priya got back to the house not long after Alethea and brought the groceries into the kitchen, dropping her canvas tote onto the prep table where Alethea began to help her unload. Hearing her friends come home, Danica walked into the kitchen carrying a very contented Dandelion and glanced over at the pink box on the counter, a smirk creeping up to her lips.
“So you actually got pastries this time?” She settled the sleepy feline on one of the kitchen chairs and then reached for the box. “And managed to make it out of there without getting into a fist fight with a plumber or drop kicking an electrician?”
“Yes, I did get some goodies and none for you if you keep it up.” Alethea smacked her friend playfully on the arm. “I also got a chance to apologize to the cashier, too. Nice girl, her name is Emma.”
“Good. Now you just need to apologize to Mr. Muffin Man.” Danica gingerly picked up a slice of coffee cake, careful not to let any crumbs escape.
“Absolutely not! And why should I apologize to him exactly? He needs to apologize to me! The absolute nerve of that stuck up jerk!” Alethea launched into a rant about Brent as she absentmindedly put the rest of the groceries away and began washing the spinach and asparagus in the sink. “Why do these guys think they are God’s gift to the green earth? It’s like, just because you’re good looking doesn’t mean you have the right to tell everyone else what to do!” She was forcefully cutting the Fontina now with a large kitchen knife, accentuating each word with a slice of the steel blade.
Danica and Priya exchanged wordless glances but didn’t interrupt. Alethea could feel the anger and hurt bubbling up from inside her trying to break free. She minced the shallot on the oversized wooden cutting board like it had been the one responsible for offending her. “Must be nice to waltz around town, having women swoon at you and do whatever you want!” Alethea looked up from her tirade to find Danica and Priya both staring at her, Danica’s mouth actually hanging open.
“I know, I know. You guys think I’m overreacting. So did Emma. But I’m not! I thought of all people, the two of you would understand.”
“No, Alethea. It’s not that.” Priya’s voice was quiet and Danica stood motionless next to her, like a deer caught in the headlights.
Alethea gave her friends an exasperated look. “Well, what then? Why are you both staring at me like that?”
“Ummm…you’re cooking.” Priya’s expression looked like she was trying to believe it herself.
Suddenly, Alethea snapped out of her resentment-filled rage and looked down at the baking tray of asparagus covered with a shallot vinaigrette that she held in her hand. She had been in another world, her anger consuming her to a point where she hadn’t been aware of what she had been doing.
“What the…?” Danica let the last word of her question trail off.
“Al, how did you even know how to make the asparagus salad?” Priya shook her head in disbelief. “You just literally took over as I was going to start making it!”
“I…I don’t know.” Alethea was stunned. How had the asparagus even ended up on the baking tray in the first place? She had been so caught up with complaining about Brent Cornerstone to her friends that she must’ve zoned out. “I didn’t even realize I was doing it. But now I have no clue what to do with the rest of this stuff.” Alethea looked helplessly back and forth from the tray of asparagus to the pile of sliced fontina on the cutting board.
Priya laughed and took the tray out of Alethea’s hand, still marveling at how far along her cooking-phobic friend had gotten before they had interrupted her.
“I knew it! It’s your intuition.” Danica clapped her hands together in a matter of fact gesture. “See, when you stop overthinking it and just let go, you know exactly what to do!” Alethea looked at her friend skeptically but didn’t have a chance to respond. Just then a loud scream and crash followed by a horrific shattering noise came from the front of the house. Alethea suddenly felt so dizzy that she doubled over and had to hold onto the side of the counter for support. She steadied herself, regaining her bearings, and then dashed after the other two as they ran out of the kitchen toward where the noise had come from, only to stop dead in their tracks once they got to the entryway.
“My god, Wilbur! Are you okay?” Alethea felt a wave of panic surge through her. There on the ground sat Wilbur, surrounded by hundreds of shards of broken colored glass, his towering metal ladder sticking straight through a hole in the house where the stained-glass window had been. Her insides twisted, as seemingly thousands of tiny sharp pains stabbed into her stomach at the same time.
“I think so,” he said shakily, scanning the bare skin of his arms for any cuts.
“Yeah, well the window certainly isn’t.” Danica said flatly, glaring at the contractor who sat pathetically slumped forward on the ground.
“Danica!” Priya whispered, lightly jabbing her in the ribs with her elbow.
“It was that stupid cat! She spooked me as I was carrying over the ladder and I tripped! I told you to keep her outta here, I coulda been killed!” Wilbur’s face had gone from shaken to angry in an instant, and splotchy red spots started creeping up his neck.
The three women looked back and forth at each other and then to Wilbur.
“That’s impossible.” Danica put her hands on her hips and turned to face where Wilbur was still sitting on the ground. “She’s been with us the whole time.” As if on cue, Dandelion chose that moment to saunter out from behind the women to see what all the commotion had been about. She came to a seat next to Danica’s feet and began idly cleaning her whiskers.
Wilbur’s eyes grew wide in disbelief. “But, but, it was right over there!” He pointed a shaky finger over at the stairwell. “It jumped out at me as I was walking by!”
Danica rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner and let out an, “Mm-hm,” that dripped with sarcasm.
“I knew that thing wasn’t right. It’s evil!” Wilbur was visibly shaking now. “That’s it, I’m done with this place! Doors that won’t let me in, cats appearing out of nowhere and trying to kill me.”
“Dandelion DID NOT try to kill you!” Alethea couldn”t hold back her frustration any longer. She couldn’t help but feel defensive on Dandelion’s behalf. Here she had been patiently putting up with Wilbur’s bumbling ineptitudes and now he was going to start blaming her cat of all things? She wouldn’t stand for it.
“Whatever, I’m out of this whacko house!” Wilbur got to his feet and started collecting his tools, but he was shaking so much it made the job difficult.
“Why don’t you calm down a bit, have a seat and I’ll get you some lemonade,” Priya said in a soothing voice, intending to deescalate the situation.
“Outta my way lady!” He gruffly gathered the rest of his things and hurriedly made his way to the door. “You can keep the ladder!” he yelled over his shoulder, almost breaking into a run down the front stairs.
“Gee, thanks.” Alethea looked up at the shining steel ladder, still sticking partially out through the gaping hole in the wall, and her eyes started to well up with tears. She couldn’t believe the window had just been destroyed. While she and Danica went to work sweeping up the mess, Priya took Dandelion with her to the kitchen to finish up making lunch. There was too much broken glass laying around to leave the cat to her own devices.
“What a shame.” Danica shook her head sadly and held the dustpan while Alethea swept the shards toward her.
Alethea gave a small nod in agreement, unable to speak. She was absolutely gutted. The artfully crafted stained-glass window had been the focal point of the entryway, sitting proudly over the landing on the back wall. Her tears refused to stop, and Alethea wiped them away with her sleeve. It would crush her to install a plain, boring window in its place but where on earth would she ever find a replacement? A piece like that had to be custom made, and that certainly wasn’t in her budget. Nevermind where would she even begin to look for a skilled stained-glass artisan? Alethea let her shoulders sag. The window was sadly the least of her worries she realized. Now that Wilbur had bailed on the job, she had a house full of half-started projects with no contractor to finish them.