I crouch down. “What do you mean?”
“The sound the light makes. I can hear it too. The light in my room makes the same sound. I don’t like it.” He shudders, and I immediately stand.
“Show me your room,” I tell him, then follow him as he shuffles into a small bedroom. I sure hope this is the tiny room Ella mentioned, because if not, I can’t imagine the smallest room size. “Wow. This is … wow.”
Oliver points to the light switch beside me, and I turn it on. The same noise as the hall light comes out. It’s a mix of a hum and static. “I’m glad it doesn’t make that sound while I sleep. I don’t think I could sleep if it did.”
“Me neither,” I comment. Looking back at Oliver, I nod. “I’ll get it fixed for you, kid. I promise.”
Oliver studies me. “Auntie Ella doesn’t like you.”
I frown. “Maybe she doesn’t. But it’s okay. I’ll get the light fixed so it doesn’t make any more weird noises.”
“You should check the dishwasher too.”
“Oh yeah? What’s wrong with that?” I ask, mentally making a checklist. I should look online, see if there’s any kind of list for new renters or homeowners on things they should check during an inspection. While I do a tremendous number of odd jobs around Everlasting Inn and Spa, becoming a jack-of-all-trades for my family’s boutique hotel, I’ve never done an apartment inspection. I might miss some things that Ella should check on every year.
“The dishwasher screams,” Oliver says bluntly.
“It screams.”
He nods. “I don’t like it, and it makes Violet scream too.”
“That sounds less than ideal,” I say with a sigh, right as Ella stomps into the room.
“It doesn’t scream, Oliver,” she says with her hands on her hips. “It just makes a high-pitched sound. It’s done that for as long as I can remember, but since it still cleans dishes, I haven’t felt it needed to be addressed.”
“I don’t work on dishwashers too often, but it could be something easy like a piece of debris is in the filter, or even lodged in the drain pump.”
Ella stares at me blankly. “There’s a filter in the dishwasher?”
I muffle a laugh. “Yeah.”
“One that I have to replace every so often? Because I guarantee that if I didn’t know about it, my sister didn’t either.”
“Usually you just need to dump it out, or wash it out. It’s plastic. Shouldn’t need to be replaced. I can take a look at it if you want,” I offer.
She looks at me, studying me in a knowing way that unnerves me. Ella was always the one who could make me be uncomfortable in silence. Usually I appreciate silence and solitude. But when she was quiet, I knew her mind was racing. Finally, she speaks. “No.It’s been a long afternoon, and I need to get these two settled down for bed. Thank you for all of your help, Leo.”
Ella walks away, and I have no choice but to follow her. Gianna is already getting her coat on, and she gives me an apologetic smile. As Ella opens her door, motioning for me to walk outside, I realize I’ve been excused. She doesn’t want me here in her space. She whispers goodbye to my sister, then closes the door without another word. Gia gives me an awkward pat on the arm.
“I’ll walk you to your car,” I murmur.
“Pretty sure I can do it myself, but okay,” Gia teases. “How mad at me are you?”
“I’m not mad, G. A little confused. Frustrated. You could have warned me.”
Gia sighs. “I couldn’t. I knew you wouldn’t come. You’d have paid someone to show up in your place, and Ella would have been even more mortified had that happened. You saw the state of her apartment. She’s struggling. She needs support.”
“I’m mad at myself for assuming the worst,” I confess. We reach Gia’s car, and she turns to me. “I saw her with a baby all those years ago, and I was so hurt that she’d moved on. I couldn’t stand the thought of her being with someone else.”
“If it matters, I don’t think she’s dated anyone, Leo,” Gia says quietly. “Especially since her sister died. But I haven’t heard anything about a relationship. Granted, she and I haven’t talked that much in the past few years. When she ended things with you, I said some things. I probably hurt her, then didn’t reach out at all. So she lost me as a friend as well.”
“Why?” I ask. “That’s such bullshit. You were her best friend for a time.”
Gia shrugs. “We’ve talked occasionally since then, but not as often as before. I assumed it was too hard. Maybe she feared I’d tell her you had moved on.”
I look back at Ella’s building, watching as a curtain moves almost imperceptibly in her living room window. “I don’t knowhow much I can be around her without blowing up. I want answers. At the same time, I’m not ready to hear what she has to say.”
