Page 14 of Her Alien Neighbor

She chuckles, the sound spiteful. “Yeah, well, you deserved that.”

I shove my hands into the pockets of my work pants and lean back on my heels. “So we are even, then?”

She ignores me and starts jumping as she tries to reach the birdhouse that I made for Lady Norton that sits two branches up. There is no way Vanessa will reach it. Her jump is not high, and she is far too short.

“What do you want with the birdhouse?” I ask, coming to stand behind her.

“None of your business,” she mutters, brushing the hair out of her face in frustration. When she seems to accept defeat, her shoulders sag, and I find myself compelled to help her. “I just need it, and clearly, I can’t reach it. I tried to find a step stool, but I don’t think Aunt Franny has one.”

“Yes, she does,” I reply quickly. The layout of Lady Norton’s home is as familiar as my own. I know where she kept almost everything. “It is in the dining room closet.”

Vanessa’s brows lift as her eyes widen. She was not expecting me to know that. I have a feeling Vanessa does not expect me to know anything at all. Just in the way she looks at me, I can tell she has written me off as some provincial simpleton. But this seems as good a time as any to prove her wrong, if only to keep those eyes of hers wide and locked on me.

“You do not need it, though. Move,” I tell her, stepping around her. With a short leap, I grab the lowest branch with one arm. Then, swinging my legs, I am able to propel my body to the next branch, planting my feet on the lowest one. I carefully remove the birdhouse from its nook and hop down, landing quietly next to a gaping Vanessa. “Here.”

She takes the birdhouse from my hand without dropping her gaze from mine. “Uh, thanks.”

I should probably say “You are welcome,” or “my pleasure,” or something else polite, but I cannot seem to form words when she looks at me in such a way.

Eventually, the trance is broken, and she turns the birdhouse over in her hands, inspecting it closely. She runs her fingers along the hand-carved woodland scene I etched into the roof. “Wow, this is beautiful,” she says.

“Thank you,” I reply, eager to acknowledge her praise.

“You made this?”

“I did,” I reply, my voice low and suddenly hoarse. Her astonishment at my skill level is mildly insulting, but the way she looks at it feels like a compliment. Then she turns it on its side, dumping out the birdseed, and yanks the little door open, almost tearing it off its delicate hinge. “Careful!” I shout. “You are going to break it.”

“I’m sure the birds will find another house,” Vanessa mutters under her breath as she uses two fingers to poke around the inside of the small box. When she lifts the corner of a piece of paper with her pointer finger, she yells, “Aha!” and hops in place. She shoves the birdhouse back into my arms as she frantically unfolds an envelope with her name written across it.

She shoves the torn envelope into the pocket of her jacket and then reads the letter silently to herself. Her lips move as she reads. She is unaware that I can read lips, even at a great distance, so I could follow along easily, but I do not. I am far too distracted by her scent as it creates a thick cloud around my head. She smells like freshly bloomed freesia, and I breathe it in while she reads.

When she is done, she purses her lips, and her eyes dart back toward her house.

“What is it?” I ask.

Vanessa gives me a look I cannot decipher. “You think I’m going to tell you what it says after the shit you pulled today?”

Ah, rage. This is her rage.

I shrug. “Fine. Do not tell me. But if it has anything to do with the large amount of money she left for you, just know it is not exactly a secret.”

She jerks back. “You know? She told you she was going to send me on a treasure hunt throughout the house, solving riddles?”

“Uh, no. I was not privy to the riddles or the treasure hunt. Lady Norton only told me she was going to leave money for you that her lawyer did not know about.”

Vanessa’s spine straightens and a determined glint appears in her eyes. “She said you could help me.”

Me? What could I possibly do to help other than pluck items down from high surfaces?

“She said if I can’t figure out the clues, you’d be able to help.” Vanessa stares at me as if waiting for something. “Well? Will you?”

I suppose I do not have much else on my task list for the day. Vanessa’s meeting with the listing agent has been ruined. That was all I set out to accomplish. My work can wait until tomorrow.

Though, it seems this vexing female needs me, which means I have the upper hand. “What happens when you find the money?”

She sighs, looking so tired, I wonder how she still stands. It is as if she has been awake for years. “That money will be used to fix all the problems around here that Denise said would keep this place from selling. I can’t afford to buy a new water heater or repair the damn roof. I’m barely able to make it now, living paycheck to paycheck.”

I hate the nagging, twisting feeling that settles in my gut. Her pain affects me in ways I was not anticipating, and it is clear she has felt deep, suffocating pain. From what, I am not certain, but I am sure I want nothing more than to ease it.

---