Page 32 of Buddy System

“We need to discuss our plans with Skyler, if you’ll excuse us,” Brooke tells her. “Um…actually, do you think you could just come back tomorrow instead? Skyler is feeling pretty awful, and I’m not sure he’ll want much for dinner. If he does get hungry later, I’ll be happy to fix him something. We have plenty of groceries.”

“Well, I think I ought to check with my employer before I make any decisions like that…”’

“Ma’am,” I interrupt. “No one was expecting you today. If you go home now, it won’t make a bit of difference to Skyler, and you won’t disturb him.”

“Well! You’re a little sure of yourself, mister. I’ve been taking care of him for a long time, and…”

“Mrs. Henshaw? What are you doing here?” Skyler croaks. He walks into the kitchen in nothing but boxers, looking mussed and wobbly. He’s squinting and has his hand shielding his eyes, so I quickly reach to turn off the overhead lights. “Thanks, Levi,” he says. “I need more Gatorade. Do you mind?”

“What you need is some of my chicken broth, young man, not that awful yellow stuff!” Mrs. Henshaw says too loudly. “You’re obviously not taking good care of yourself, and you’re running around practically naked in front of company. What would your parents think?” Skyler flinches at the volume.

I reach into the fridge and root around for another bottle. I offer it to Skyler, noticing that his hand is a little shaky. Poor guy.

Ignoring her comments about chicken broth and his lack of clothes, Skyler takes the Gatorade and twists off the lid. He chugs a few gulps and then looks at her with a pained expression. “Mrs. Henshaw, If you really need to accomplish something worthwhile, why don’t you just go change the bed linens in all of the upstairs rooms? Forget the master suite for now. That’s all I need for today. I’m going back to bed in a few minutes. Please don’t bother my friends aboutanything, and the next time you insult me or one of them, you’ll be looking for another job. They’re going to be living here permanently. Consider Brooke and Levi your employers too from now on, and whatever they say goes for me.” Apparently, he heard some of the conversation before he entered the kitchen, and well…wow. He has made a public declaration that we’re here to stay. Honestly, there’s nowhere I’d rather be. This place already feels like home.

Brooke adds, “We’re covered for dinner tonight, thanks. Maybe another time you can fix Skyler’s favorite for all of us. I’m sure he’d appreciate that.” You can always count on Brooke to try to smooth things over in a tough situation. She probably developed that talent from being around me with my difficult moods. In any case, it makes me love her all the more.

Mrs. Henshaw ignores Brooke and says in a stilted voice, “Yes, Skyler.” She heads for the stairs where she stops and turns back asking, “Are you having financial trouble and need paying roommates all of a sudden? Are you trying to cut my hours and pay me less because of that?”

“My personal life is none of your concern. You’re on thin ice, Mrs. Henshaw.” Skyler glares at her through his pained expression.

She sticks her nose in the air and huffs away, clomping up the stairs. Apparently, she doesn’t do “quiet” very well.

Skyler sinks down onto one of the kitchen chairs as if this exchange cost him dearly. He looks miserable, so I step behind him and resume my scalp massage, hoping to give him some relief. He pushes against my fingers like a cat and makes a satisfied hum. Smiling at his appreciation, I can’t help wondering at the housekeeper’s familiarity in calling him by his first name, while he calls her Mrs. Henshaw. We haven’t exactly gotten off on a good foot, so I hope it gets better…or he fires her. I wouldn’t miss her.

“She seems a tad protective of you, Skyler,” Brooke points out. “What’s her deal?”

With his eyes closed he says, “Oh, that’s so good, Levi. Thanks. When I first got back from Walter Reed, I stayed with my parents for a couple of weeks, and then my mom suggested I hire Mrs. Henshaw if I wanted to move back here. It seemed like a good idea for a while. But she’s been getting on my nerves more and more. I was happy to tell her to take a couple of weeks off when I hoped you might come back with me. I thought I’d see how I did without her. Then I worried maybe you might think I was having you guys move in so Brooke would do all of the cooking and cleaning, and believe me, thatnevercrossed my mind.”

“You’ve easily done as much of the cooking as I have, if not more. I don’t see why we can’t all just share the housework. Do we really need a housekeeper? You could just get rid of her. Levi and I can help,” Brooke says.

We hear a gasp from the doorway. Uh oh.

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Brooke

Why didn’tMrs. Henshaw stay upstairs where she was asked to do her work? She’s such a busybody, and she acts like she owns the place. I’m sorry she caught me suggesting that he can her though. I should have stayed out of it. I open my mouth to tell her I’m sorry when she screeches at me, “Who do you think you are telling Skyler what to do with his life?”

I blink in surprise and answer in a soft voice, “I’m someone who cares deeply for his well-being. Keep your voice down. He’s in pain.”

Skyler’s hand goes over his eyes again; he was beginning to look relaxed there for a second. He says in a wobbly voice, “What are you doing down here, Mrs. Henshaw? I asked you specifically to do your work on the second floor.”

“Oh, so you all could plot against me and plan to ‘get rid’ of me? For your information, I came down to grab the laundry basket for all the sheets you want laundered. There’s a lot of beds up there, you know.”

Skyler lets out a big sigh and reaches to still Levi’s hands and then wave him off. “Look, I know you haven’t worked up there before, but there’s a laundry chute right next to the linen closet in the hall. I distinctly remember showing it to you. Also, I never asked you to do any laundry today—only to change the bed linens.” He rubs his eyes and adds, “I can’t deal with any of this right now. I don’t like the way you’re speaking to me or my friends, and I wish you’d just go home. Now. We’ll discuss your job tomorrow. Right now, I need to go back to bed.” He stands and heads toward the hall.

“You better not try to skip out of paying me for today,” she hisses at him as he passes.

“Listen, lady, you haven’t done a damn bit of work, and you weren’t asked to show up, so there’s little chance you’ll be compensated,” Levi points out. “All you’ve done is complain since you barged in.”

“Mind your own business,” she snaps.

“One last time, Mrs. Henshaw, Levi and Brooke are also your employers from here on out,” Skyler says. “Go home. In fact…don’t come back. You’re done here.”

Bursting into deafening sobs, she flounces past us, heading to the back door. She turns at the last minute and shouts, “You’ll be sorry!”

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