Chapter Ten
AARON
“Damn, I’m gladEaster is over. If I never see another fuckin’ lily again, it’ll be too soon.”
Lennie and I were taking a late afternoon break in the office. Marie had brought in a box of doughnuts, and I bit into a jelly one with relish, welcoming the sugar rush.
“Yeah, I know. The smell makes me think of funerals.” I wrinkled my nose. “Sickly sweet.”
To my surprise, Marie handed me a cup of coffee.
“Uh, thanks.”
“What about me?” Lennie asked. “How ’bout making your big brother a coffee?”
“Get it yourself.” She rolled her eyes and sat down on top of the desk, facing me. “So, you wanna come out with us tonight, Aaron? Me ’n my girlfriends and couple of guys are going to a comedy club.”
Instead of responding, I took another huge bite of my doughnut and chewed it slowly.
“You think bribing him with doughnuts is gonna work? Pfft.” Lennie snorted. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.”
I swallowed and took a sip of my coffee. “I’d love to—”
Cutting me off with a squeal of excitement, Marie jumped off the desk. “Oh, that’s great. Wait until I tell my friends! They’ve all been dying to meet you.”
“No, wait,” I said, protesting with alarm. “You didn’t let me finish. I’d love to, but I can’t. I’m busy.”
“You’re always busy every time I ask you to do something with me ’n my friends. If you don’t wanna hang out, just tell me.” A disappointed pout rested on her full, red lips.
“It ain’t that. I used to do some construction, and I promised a friend I’d help him renovate his house. So that’s where I spend all my time after work every day now that the weather is better. Sorry.” I gave her my best smile and took another sip of coffee.
“Construction?” Lenny asked, taking another doughnut. “Me and my guys do that too. Like painting and plastering. Where’s your friend’s house at?”
“In Bensonhurst, the corner of Twentieth Avenue and Seventy-First? His grandmother died, and his parents don’t wanna deal with it, so he offered to fix it up and sell it. I’m helping him.”
Impressed, Lennie nodded as I spoke. “Nice area still. You can make good money doing that shit.”
“Yeah?” Interested to hear Lennie’s take, I tipped my chin at him. “Like how?”
“I know guys who buy these run-down, piece-a-crap houses, fix them up, and then sell them. They make bank.”
And here I thought Lennie was only interested in getting laid and getting drunk. “Yeah, that’s what my friend thinks too. But this ain’t his house.”
“Still, good practice to see what can happen. See the interest. Maybe I’ll come by sometime and check it out.”
“Yeah, sure.” I finished my coffee and crumpled the cup. “I’d better get back outside.”
“Okay. I’m comin’ with you.”
Out the window, we could see people milling around the flats of pansies, begonias, and impatiens. I spied two men standing in front of the rhododendron bushes and recognized them from a few weeks back. The married guys.
“I’ll go help those two, and you can deal with the flowers, okay?” At Lennie’s nod, I crossed over to them, passing by a couple deciding whether to buy an ugly cement planter we’d discounted to try and get rid of.
“Hi. I remember you both. Back again? Looking for another rhodo?”
The two faced me, and the tall, dark-haired one peered over my shoulder, back to where I’d left Lennie to help the customers with flowers.
“Oh good. We were both hoping you were here today.”
