Chapter 50.

Jess was already at the apartment when I showed up. She was in the kitchen, preparing our dinner. I unceremoniously grabbed a fork and speared a meatball from one of the pots, bubbling away on the stove.

Jess chuckled. "If I thought it would do any good, I'd tell you to wait until your served." I half expected her to wrap my hand with the wooden spoon she was using to stir the sauce.

"Hungry," I said around the mouthful of ground beef, spices and sauce so that it came out as 'unry'.

Jess knew it was no use trying to change my habits, and frankly didn't even want to try. "How were the places Bonnie showed you?"

I swallowed. "Both were OK," I allowed. "And both had jacuzzi tubs."

"Definitely a selling point. We'll have to see whether Bonnie shows me the same places."

"You talked to Wilson?"

"Yes. Followed our script and he responded just as we thought he would." She frowned. "He did seem a bit disappointed when I confirmed that there was someone else. Surprisingly, he didn't ask any questions, but I'm sure that will come."

"Our favorite neighborhood Oncologist has a thing for you."

"Just like his BFF?" Jess teased.

"Well, not exactly like. So he sent you to Bonnie?"

"Yes. I called her but all I got was her voicemail."

"Because she was busy showing me our new home."

"So you already decided?"

"I'm leaning toward one," I told her. Normally I'd make my decision without consulting anyone, but I was just beginning to realize I couldn't do that anymore. "I'd like to hear what you think." I just hoped she'd like the same one I did, but nothing was certain. How could I stack the deck? "I'll just say that I'd prefer that I didn't have to climb a flight of stairs every night."

Jess wasn't fooled. "And one of them has stairs. Gee, how am I going to figure out which one you picked?" She rolled her eyes.

"That is if Bonnie shows you the same two." That was the key and worth repeating.

"That's true. Well, there's no use talking about it until it happens." But that seemed to be a cue for her phone to ring. She glanced at it. "Looks like Bonnie's not wasting any time calling me back." She pressed the speaker phone button so I could hear what the realtor had to say.

"Hi, is this Jess Giordano?"

"Yes, it is. Bonnie? Wilson said I could call you. I hope it's OK. Um, my boyfriend and I are thinking about moving in together, but he has a small place, and I'm new in town. Just moved into a furnished efficiency apartment. So we need something, say with two bedrooms."

I marveled at how well she could prevaricate. The best lies are based on truth.

Bonnie must have replied enthusiastically, because Jess picked up on her mood and said, "Do you really? I'd love to see them! I don't want to say anything to my boyfriend until I have something to show him, so it'll just be me."

She listened for a few more minutes, then said, "Let me get a pen and paper." I handed both to her, and she went on. "When can I see them?" Another wait while Bonnie went on. "How about lunchtime tomorrow? About noon or twelve thirty?" Jess nodded as she listened. "OK. I'll see you then."

I took the sheet of paper she'd written on. Both of the places I'd seen were on it, along with a third a little farther away from the hospital. "Let the bidding war begin!"

"You do realize that will jack up the price."

"Not too much. We can decide on the point where one of us drops out."

"What if Bonnie insists on meeting my elusive..."

"...and nonexistent..."

"...boyfriend."

"We'll handle that when the time comes. In the meantime, I think this will be fun."

"You're sure Wilson won't tumble to what we're doing? He's not stupid, you know."

"But he has preconceived notions and they blind him to the truth sometimes. I think, between the two of us, we can keep him in the dark."

"OK." Jess went back to her pots and soon announced, "Dinner is served."

The food was hot, tasty and plentiful. "Where'd you learn to make such good spaghetti and meatballs?" I asked.

"We're Italian, remember? My father's mother was the best cook I've ever met. She taught me a lot about cooking."

"Why didn't your father start an Italian restaurant in Dorsey?"

"Actually, there was one, but after Grandma died it was never the same. I suppose I could have made a go of it, but I was just finishing my accounting degree at the time and wasn't interested. So my father added a bar and turned it into Boomers."

"And the people of Dorsey didn't complain?" I wondered.

"When my father decrees something, no one would dare to."

"It almost explains why Petey ran off the first chance he had. Added to the way your father treated him after the accident."

"I've been meaning to ask you—you seemed to have some thoughts on what happened that day."

I shook my head. "The accident was clearly the fault of the driver who hit your car. I just wondered whether Petey's ailment had something to do with his reactions, whether it prevented him from avoiding being hit. And I also wondered about your mother, whether there was anything medically wrong with her that contributed to her death."

"Oh!"

"I'm still wondering." I shook my head. "I don't have anything to go on, just some speculation. We may never know."

"Petey's still being uncooperative. I don't think he wants to face the fact that there's anything wrong with him and especially not more than one thing."

"He doesn't care that he passed his hyperacusis on to Christopher, does he?"

"At least my father thinks of his children as an extension of himself. Petey doesn't think about his son at all."

"How did we get onto the topic of your brother?" I suddenly realized I'd finished all the food on my plate. "Is there more?"

Jess smiled. "I guess you really did like it."

"You know me well enough by now. I don't lavish praise indiscriminately."

She stood and took my plate. When she returned, it was refilled, and I dug into my second helping.

"So, a jacuzzi tub is a must? And no stairs?" Jess turned the conversation back to the apartment.

I nodded. "The two places I saw were brighter than this."

"We can always hang heavy drapes."

"I knew it would eventually come down to drapes! No, I guess I don't mind a bit more light."

"Greg, are you still sure you want to do this? You've been in this apartment for a long time, and you're not very amenable to change."

"As long as you're there with me, and as long as I have my books, my piano, a few other things, I think I can manage."