Lie, Lie Again(40)
Why hadn’t she thought of this sooner? Well, no matter. She would text Embry with her request tonight. Finishing the cracker, she dusted her hands on a kitchen towel and took a swig of water before resuming her spot in front of her laptop. Showtime!
She started with the most recent. How many photos had he taken at the horse races? Scrolling through quickly, she came upon pictures of the two of them at Christmastime. There they were, standing in front of the giant tree at Disneyland. She’d looked so festive in her red-wool Kate Spade coat with the cute bow at the collar. He wore the creamy fisherman’s sweater she’d found for him. She sped past the photos she recognized until she reached one she didn’t.
Hugh was pictured standing proudly next to an adjustable bed where a hospital-gown-clad Lily lay with a freshly born baby in her arms. She studied the photo with interest. It was fascinating that women lost all sense of vanity after childbirth, allowing others to photograph them when they looked like they’d just plowed a field barefoot in the blazing sun. Every picture she’d seen on Facebook or otherwise was essentially the same. If she were to have a child, she’d be certain to apply a touch of makeup before any photos were taken. It’s not like the baby would change in the first fifteen minutes of life. No need to show the world that she’d been through a tough ordeal.
A knock sounded, and she darted her eyes to the door. Flipping her laptop shut, she crossed the room and peered through the peephole. Dave.
“Is it all fixed?” she asked as she opened the door.
“Uh, no.” He looked legitimately disappointed, as though he had really tried. How cute. “All I could do was tape it up.” He shrugged. “I had some bright-orange tape, but it’s not caution tape or anything. It’s a bigger fix than Jonathan described. I’ll let him know he needs to get someone else out here.”
“Well, thanks for trying. Hopefully the garbage disposal will be straightforward.”
“Yeah. No kidding. See you later.”
“Bye.”
She closed the door and sighed. Leave it to Jonathan to cheap out on repairs. Resuming her spot in front of her laptop, she wondered what she would do with the photos. They could be of some use. The camera, too, for that matter. Huh. Maybe her luck was taking a turn for the better.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Monday, March 13
Before sunrise, Embry set the plastic container outside her door, just as Sylvia had asked. She tried not to think about how odd the request had been. While drying dishes last night, she’d received the text from Sylvia, asking to meet between their apartments for a quick chat. Even though the rain had started up again, she’d sloshed outside with the hood of her jacket up, praying fiercely that Sylvia wasn’t going to ask if she’d told Brandon the baby news yet. The expression she’d worn as she stood there in the grocery aisle had been downright strange.
“Hi there,” Sylvia said from beneath her massive umbrella. “Did Dave the repair guy fix your garbage disposal today?”
Couldn’t she have texted that? Embry shivered. “Um, he did. It’s fine now,” she said stiffly, bracing herself for questions about the baby.
“Lucky you. Sadly for me, Dave couldn’t fix the step.” She raised a brow. “Which means I’ll have to call Jonathan again. For two reasons.”
Embry reeled in her desire to demand she just get to the point already. “What’s the other reason?” She wondered why Sylvia was being so cryptic. And the look on her face was a little scary, to be honest.
“Are you aware that Jonathan is putting our place on the market?”
“What? No! He’s going to sell this?” She nearly dropped her umbrella and scrambled to tighten her grip.
“Apparently so. Dave told me. His dad is Jonathan’s real estate agent.”
“What on earth? What does that mean for us?”
Sylvia shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. But I’ll find out. It doesn’t sound good.” Embry wanted to ask more, but Sylvia continued before she had the chance. “There’s one more thing I wanted to talk to you about.” She paused to take a breath. “I have a favor to ask of you.” She almost looked embarrassed, which was unusual.
“Sure. Do you need help with dinner? Is your arm bothering you?”
“No, no.” She smiled. “I’m building up the muscles in my left arm, which isn’t a bad thing, I suppose,” she added, lifting her umbrella higher. “I called you out here because I have a situation with my job.” She smiled that uncomfortable smile again. “We’re randomly drug tested, and I have some inside information that it’s going to be tomorrow.” Embry felt her eyes grow wide, and Sylvia shook her head. “Oh, don’t look so worried. I’m not a druggie, but with my wrist, I’ve taken several Vicodin that weren’t prescribed to me for this injury.” She frowned. “They told me to take two Motrin and to rest it, as if that would do the trick. The bottom line is, I’m worried I’ll be written up. This is going to sound bizarre, but will you pee in this cup first thing in the morning and set it outside your door?” She clumsily fished from her coat pocket a small plastic container like the ones Embry used to pack grapes or Goldfish crackers in for Kylie.
Embry rushed to take it, not wanting Sylvia to drop it in the rain. A reflex, not a sign of her willingness to comply, but a wide grin spread across Sylvia’s face. Embry struggled for words. “I, um . . .” She could picture her grandmother, pointing her polished cane at her as she said, “For crying out loud, say no, young lady. When in doubt, you always say no.” Well, Embry didn’t have any trouble saying no, but this request was so disturbing, it left her uncharacteristically speechless.