well-shaped hips and cocked her head. When she did the swirls that hung from her ears danced merrily and twinkled in the sunlight. “Well, whatcha standing there wasting time for, big guy? You got somewhere to be? Go be there!”
P.J. shook his head at her in mock disgust. “Piece of fucking work,” he muttered under his breath. Then without sparing a glance at Juliet, P.J. turned on his heels and headed for his truck.
“Stop by the house on the way home, Reggie’s got some fresh catch sitting on ice for you.” Layla called out to him.
“Yeah? I’ll go check it out.” P.J. looked at Juliet then. “Don’t take any shit from this one, she may look like an angel, but make no mistake she bargains like the devil.”
Layla’s laugh rung out again as she waved him goodbye. “Thanks again, goof ball.”
Now Layla’s kind blue eyes moved over Juliet in a quick, keen assessment.
“Hey, you look familiar. I’ve seen you before. I know you, right?”
“What?” Juliet felt her mouth go dry.
“I mean like did you graduate from Port Harbor High? It’s been a while now, but you look kinda like a girl that was on the dance team with me?” Layla cocked her head and rocked back on her heels.
“Nope, no Port Harbor and definitely no dance club.” Juliet felt infinitely relieved. She’d take a member of the dance team over the wife of a serial killer any day of the week.
“It’ll come to me. Or not!” Layla laughed. Then she looped her arm through Juliet’s and led her straight through the door. “I think you are going to love the house! I’m afraid it’s all a little dated, and full disclosure, it hasn’t been given a thorough cleaning in a while. You may have to scrub a bit, but I’ll take off some of the rent for that, and there is a closet full of cleaning stuff. You’ll find the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter. There’s a nice fireplace in the main living space and a cord of wood is stacked around the side of the house if you’d like to use it, feel free. But no worries about the heat, everything has been updated…furnace…water heater…wiring. And of course, it comes furnished. There’s a satellite dish for cable television and a flat screen in the living room. You can get cell service and wi-fi out here, but both can be a little tricky at times. Are you okay with everything so far?” Layla took a deep breath then exhaled loudly, as if exhausted by her own exuberance.
Juliet listened to Layla with rapt attention and more than a little fascination. Her circle of friends had usually been more the staid, somewhat sober, intellectual type. Layla was about as far from staid and sober as one could get. She had a warm, whimsical way about her. Carefree might be the right word to describe what seemed to be Layla’s laissez-faire attitude. Layla’s looks were fresh and clean with her white blond hair and sparkling blue eyes. But it was her voice that Juliet liked most of all. She talked like someone who knew a wonderful secret and couldn’t wait to share. Layla’s words tumbled merrily like dancing water over smooth rocks.
“I can be a motor mouth, I know.” She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Reggie is after me all the time about the way I go on and on. But I always tell him that it’s better to get it all out in one fell swoop instead of beating around the bush! Okay, then! Let’s take a look at the house! After that I can show you the backyard. I’ll give you some time to check out things on your own, and then we can talk business!” Layla continued her chatter as she pushed a key into the deadbolt.
Juliet’s first impression was a sense of warmth and comfort. It was like the sturdy beams and heavy logs wrapped their arms around her and whispered welcome home. She could not help but release a long pent up sigh, to which Layla nodded knowingly and said, “I know, right?”
The room had an open floor plan typical of log homes. It smelled a little musty, and the windows had lost their shine. The heavy curtains sagged under a thick layer of dust and the Naugahyde couches were beginning to dry and crack. But the cushions were deep and inside the hearth of the field stone fireplace sat