Page 32 of Lyrical

I glanced over to see what she could’ve eaten. “Those are my olives. Stuffed with jalapeños.” She grabbed a paper towel, running it up and down her tongue. I couldn’t help laughing. “A little dramatic much? There’re very mild, Perry.”

“If my taste buds were fried like yours.” She stomped off down the hallway. “Now my nose is running.”

“Don’t forget to check the basement when you’re done,” I yelled out.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Knock, knock.” Michelle was standing on my back patio, her head stuck through the doorway.

“Come in, Michelle. Did you convince Henry?”

She took off her boots by the door. “Pfft. Now he says our steps are too icy. He’s worried about falling.” She came into the kitchen. “Think I could borrow one of the big, strong men to throw down some salt? The bags were delivered, but the numbnuts didn’t put it down for me.”

“Sure, I don’t think that’d be a problem.”

She peered closely at me. “I share all my secrets with you, so how ’bout you do a little of the same?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” I said, opening another Spotted Cow and pouring it into the bowl. Sure, I could use a can of cheap beer, but this was my magic ingredient to make it pop.

“Your skin shouldn’t be getting better every time I see you. You’ve found the fountain of youth and you’re not spilling.”

I laughed. “I’m not doing anything different, Michelle.” I shrugged. “I’m just happy, I guess.”

She rubbed her chin. “No, that’s not it.”Oh God, Michelle. Do not start talking about ‘facials.’“When I was engaged to that youngster, my skin looked good, but not that good.”

“I appreciate the compliment, but there’s really nothing I can tell you. I would definitely share any miracle potion with you, but I’ve been doing the same routine for years, using the same moisturizer. You already know what I use.”

“So the only thing different is Chase?”

“Yep.”

“And if you had something, you’d share it with me?”

“Of course.”

“Boys still in the basement?”

“Yes.”

I heard her tromp down the stairs, and I wondered if I should have warned them first. Oh shit, I just remembered that Perry was down there too and I wasn’t around to keep her in check. Fortunately, Michelle was the type to let things bounce off easily.

A few minutes later, Perry was up as I was figuring out what I needed to make next. I was having a few trays of sandwiches delivered from Angelina’s later, but I wanted to have enough sides and snacks out.

“What’s she doing here again?”

“Perry, she’s invited.”

She swiped a bottle off the table and poured a cinnamon roll into a glass, topping it with whipped cream. She put her can back in the fridge, then chugged half of it down.

“She’s asking for big, strong men to help her at the house. I don’t trust her.”

I laughed. “What’s she doing to do? She just needs someone to pour salt on her steps. They’re too slippery for her seventy-year-old husband to walk down. That’s understandable.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”

“What are you talking about?” I stood over the sink, washing berries for the fruit salad. They really sucked this time of year. I couldn’t wait until farmer’s market season.

“You know, a little flip and dip. She’ll lure one over to a patch of black ice, he’ll fall and flip over, she’ll dip down and make her move. Before he knows what hit him, she’ll be on top of him making it look like an accident. She was probably the one to dump water on the steps and—”

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