Page 77 - My FlipBook

T R A I L O F C R U M B S

toward a flowered couch and two recliners. “Have a seat.
I was expecting…that woman.”
So he, too, had been terrorized by Patty.
“Sorry if we interrupted you”—while getting dressed, Greta
silently added. “We don’t mind waiting.” They settled side by
side on the couch.
“No, no.” Elgin perched on a nearby recliner. “You haven’t
interrupted anything.”

Even more disconcerting. “Mr. Doyle—” she began.
“Elgin, please.” He said it with a hard g. Mystery solved.
Greta wanted to unzip her sweater, but she wore only a
tank top underneath, and she didn’t want to show that much
skin in front of him. Especially with him being so bare. She
started to sweat, struggling to extract enough oxygen from
the moist air.

“Warm, isn’t it?” Elgin said. “If I set the thermostat to a
regular temperature upstairs, I’m told it’s cold in the base-
ment. I don’t want my tenants to suffer.”
Greta didn’t have the heart to tell him the basement felt
like a refrigerator anyway, despite the sauna upstairs.
“It gets uncomfortable for me too,” Elgin continued, glan-
cing down at his bare arms and legs, “which is why I dress
light. You don’t mind, do you?”
Greta and Ash shook their heads in unison.

“Your feet don’t get too warm in those shoes?” Greta
asked. Or too heavy for his skinny legs to haul around?
“This pair has my best orthotics,” Elgin said, lifting a foot.
“Helps my back.”

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