Page 101 of Three Not-So-Little Words
At least now, if we fall through the floor, I’ll fall first. My ass is too big to really go anywhere.
Trying to keep Beth occupied, I grab the remote and turn on Finding Nemo. Beth watches the screen and takes the remote to gnaw on the end. We both get so engrossed in the movie that I actually jump when Liz starts talking to me.
Looking up at her, I say, “Jesus, Liz! Announce yourself!”
“I’ve been standing here for about five minutes.” She leans down to pick up Beth and hand me my slimy remote.
“So, what’s the verdict?” I ask.
“He said the damage isn’t too bad.”
“Liz, there’s a hole in my kitchen floor that would disagree.”
“I made that same excellent point.” She smiles, but it quickly fades. “They’re going to have to tent and then come in to do the repairs on some of the framework.”
“Get to the point, Liz,” I urge.
“You're not going to be able to stay here for about a week.”
“As much as that sucks, I don’t know if I could stay here knowing the termites are having a feeding frenzy.”
“Do you want to come stay with us? It’s not great, but our couch is comfortable.”
“Couldn’t I stay in a room at the inn?” I ask.
Her face scrunches up. “The inn is full.”
“What? How?”
She looks offended.
“I didn’t mean it like that. But seriously, what? How?”
She sighs. “There’s a knitting convention one town over.”
“Come again?”
“You heard me. There’s a knitting convention, so the inn has been taken over by sweet old ladies.”
“Great,” I mumble.
“You could probably stay with Dylan or with Mom and Dad.”
“I’ll figure something out,” I tell her. “I always do.”
Later that evening, I’m knocking on Drew’s door with a large pizza in hand. I didn’t text him that I was coming until about twenty minutes ago, and I’m sure it didn’t make much sense.
He opens the door with his classic smile. “Hey, beautiful.”
“Hi.”
As he lets me come in, he asks, “Everything okay? Did you say something about termites?”
I set the pizza on his kitchen counter and start pacing.
“Yeah, you heard me correctly. Termites. Apparently, they’re using their little teeth to dismantle my home one board at a time.”
“Jesus.”
