What I'm Writing...

Third Times A Charm

 Chapter One

 

            Mickie laid the newspaper down on the table and sighed. She pushed her long blonde hair back and looked at the little girl sitting next to her.

            "Nothing again Katie." she picked up a napkin and wiped peanut butter and jelly from her daughter’s face. "Maybe we should just pack up and go home."

            Katie looked at her mommy with a puzzled expression. "We are home Mommy."

            "Yea, you're right sweetheart, this is our home now. But we can't live in this house anymore. Somebody else is going to live here so we have to find a place to move real fast."

            "Why?"

            "Because Tony rented the house to someone else."

            Kate frowned. "Don't like Tony no more. He hurt me." Her lips puckered into a pain-filled pout.

            "I know sweetheart, but he won't hurt you ever again. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I promise." She hugged her close and kissed her freshly washed cheek, then sent her off to play.

            Mickie poured herself another cup of coffee and returned to the classifieds. She gave up on the job search and turned to the rental section. As she scanned the page, one ad jumped out at her.

	Wanted: Housemate, male or female, private room and bath, share half rent, utilities, and chores. Smokers and pets okay. 555-2210 anytime.

 

 

 

She shrugged; it couldn't hurt just to check it out. She picked up the phone and dialed the number.

            "Good morning, Phone-Mate services. May I help you?" A female voice asked.

            "Ah, well, I may have the wrong number. I'm trying to reach someone about an ad for a housemate."

            "Yes, that's Mr. Langstrom. If you'll leave your name and number, Mr. Langstrom will contact you as soon as possible."

            She left the necessary information, then went back to the paper, not expecting anything to come from the call. When the phone rang a few minutes later she practically jumped out of her skin.

            "Hello." she answered somewhat cautiously.

            "Hello." A male voice responded. "Is this Michelle Reynolds?"

"Yes, it is."

            "Hi, I'm Mason Langstrom. You called about my ad?"

            "Oh, yes, I did.”

"Would you like to see the house?" he asked.

"Well, I'd like to ask a few questions first."

            "Sure, shoot."

            "I need to know how much half the rent and utilities would be."

            "Okay, the rent is a hundred and fifty a month, but the utilities fluctuate a lot, especially when the seasons change. They could be anywhere from fifty a month to a hundred and fifty a month. Sometimes higher in the coldest parts of winter."

            Mickie nodded to herself, she could handle that with the job she had now.

            "Is there anything else?" he asked.

            "Oh, yes, your ad said smokers and pets okay?"

            "That's right."

            She grimaced. "What about a child?"

            "You have a kid? Great! So do I."

            Mickie raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You do?"

            "Yea, his name is Daniel and he's four years old."

            "My daughter is four too."

            "You're kidding! What a coincidence."

            She paused at her next thought, not sure she should even ask, but felt that she needed to know.

            "One last thing Mr. Langstrom. Is there a Mrs. Langstrom?"

There was a long pause before he answered. When he finally spoke his voice was deeper, a bit gruff.

            "No, there isn't." he cleared his throat. "It's just me and Danny."

            "I see." Mickie suddenly felt uneasy. "Okay, well, I guess that's all I needed to know. Thank you."

            "You want to see the house now?" he asked, his tone back to normal.

            She shrugged. "Sure. What's the address?"

            "Seventeen Wilmont. Do you know where that is?"

            "No, could you give me directions?"

            "Where are you coming from?"

            "Lakewalk Avenue."

            "You're kidding? Which house?"

            "Last one, right by the lake. Why?"

            "Hold on, I'll be right there."

            With that, the phone went dead. She shrugged and hung up. She slipped on her shoes, then grabbed her coat and went to get Katie. Before she'd fastened the last button on Katie’s coat there was a knock on the door.

            When she opened it, she found a very rugged-looking man standing on her porch. He was about five foot eleven with shaggy dark brown hair sticking out from under a black baseball cap. His face was covered with a neatly trimmed reddish-brown beard and mustache that served to enhance his rugged appearance. His build appeared to be lean, but it was hard to tell through the black quilted coveralls and heavy black boots. His eyes lit up and he smiled cheerfully when he saw her.

            "Hi. Michelle Reynolds?" he asked.

            "Yes," she answered, returning his contagious smile.

            He extended his hand. "Mason Langstrom."