AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Of course. I completely understand.” Rowena was pouring it on so thick, Arthur thought he’d go into a diabetic coma.
“I can give ya a holler in the morning. That OK with you, ma’am?”
“Is there any possible way you could get it to me tonight? It could be later. I would be happy to compensate you for your time. Say a thousand dollars?” Rowena iced the cake.
“Well, in that case, I can run back to my place and get it for you within the hour. In the meanwhile, I’ll send you a Venmo, or if you’d rather, PayPal?”
Rowena pulled the phone from her ear and gave it a curious look.This guy is a fast operator. “Whichever works for you,” Rowena replied.
“PayPal is good. I’ll call you in a bit. Is the number you called me a good one to reach you at?”
“Yes—617-555-1954,” Rowena answered.
“Seriously? Well, I’ll be darned. That’s the year of my birthday. Ooo-eeee. Ain’t that some kinda co-inky-dink?”
Rowena was getting impatient. “Happy birthday, Mr. Nelson.”
“Well, no, it ain’t my birthday today, ma’am. It’s the year I was born.”
Rowena’s head was going to explode. Rowena started to respond, “No, I didn’t mean—oh, never mind. Yes, a co—whatever you called it.”
“Co-inky-dink. When two things happen at the same time. Get it?”
“I do, Mr. Nelson. I’ll send that payment over to you as soon as you send the request.” She was not in the mood for a game of wits, especially with someone who was totally lacking the equipment to play the game. She gave him her e-mail address to send the PayPal invoice.
“Right. I’ll get that info to you A-SAP!” Just before he ended the call Rowena heard him say to his friends, “Gotta run, guys. I’m about to make myself a sweet grand. Drinks on me!” There was cheering, then the line went dead.
Rowena looked up at the weary Arthur. “How do you like me now?”
“Better than I did ten minutes ago.” He walked over to the credenza and poured two triple shots of scotch. He downed half of his before he turned to Rowena. “Here. You earned this.”
It was Arthur’s most expensive scotch. The richness of chocolate-covered oranges, malt, and oak fetched a mere $5,000 a bottle for the Macallan thirty-year-old elixir.
“Yes, I certainly did. Let’s hope it will get us what we want.” She raised her glass in the air. “Cheers!”
Arthur finished his in one more gulp. Such a waste of good scotch. Not the slightest opportunity for the palate to enjoy the smoothness of the blend.
Rowena sipped hers. “I’m going to take a shower. This guy is going to be a while. Although I’ll bet there is a PayPal invoice waiting for me to deal with.” She set the glass down and went back to the computer. “Bingo. And there it is. You think he doesn’t trust us?”
“Do you think we should trusthim?” Arthur asked in return.
“It’s a gamble I’m willing to take.” She hesitated but couldn’t resist. “Come on, Arthur, since when did you ever walk away from a sure thing?”
He shot her a vile look. “Don’t start, Rowena. I was close to being in a better mood.”
“Fine. I’m going upstairs. I’ll leave my phone here in case he calls while I’m cleaning up my act.”
“I might want to do the same. I’m not exactly tidy myself.”
Cranberry Lake—Cobblestone Hill
Saturday Night
After dinner was over, everyone helped clear the dishes and wash and dry the pots and pans. The kitchen was spotless by the time they were done.
“Not only haven’t we eaten this well, but I don’t remember the last time the place looked this good.” Clive glanced around the room. “Let’s go sit out on the porch for a bit.”
“I will have to get Max ready for bed,” Colette said.
