Free Touch Me and Tango by Alicia Street, Roy Street Page B

coming. And they meant business.
    Boom, boom, boom .
    Her mother swiveled round in her seat. “It’s the back door.”
    Tanya walked over and lifted the curtain that covered the
door’s window.
    A short stocky lady in a Star Trek cap stood on the other
side of the glass. With a gleaming smile, she made a gesture for her to open
the door. Who are these people?
“We’re eating our breakfast,” Tanya said. “Sale starts at seven.”
    The woman yelled, “I run the Good As New over in Riverhead.”
    “That’s very nice. Bye.” Tanya lowered the curtain.
    No sooner had she returned to her seat when they heard the
front doorbell.
    “I’ve got it,” Eva said. “This is my battle, too.” She
snatched hold of her crutches and hopped into the main hall.
    Seconds later Tanya heard the familiar voice of Joel
Greenberger talking to her mother while appeasing the restless hordes of
deal-hunting nomads behind him. “Relax, I’m not cutting in front of anybody.
I’m not even here to buy. Just helping with the sale.”
    Eva greeted him as if she were surprised, but Tanya had told
her Joel was coming today. She knew it would prompt her mother into a little
makeup and hair action. In fact, the trousers and blouse she wore were a bit
dressy for a house sale.
    “Holy crow, Eva. What did you do to yourself?”
    “I look that bad, huh?”
    “No. You look great. I just hate to see you on crutches.”
    Tanya couldn’t help eavesdropping on her mother and Joel,
hoping for a sweet exchange. He’d always treated Eva special, his attraction to
her obvious, and right now she thought her mom could use a good dose of male
attention.
    Joel wasn’t exactly a hunk, and the baggy Mets tee he wore
today didn’t do much to conceal his bulging middle. But Tanya loved his pale
blues eyes that seemed to twinkle when he smiled. And he was a born nurturer.
So different from Victor Gentilliano, who’d been handsome, charismatic—and
tyrannical. She wondered what he was like now. Had he changed in the last ten
years? Would she ever see her father again?
    The three of them shared coffee and muffins before the sale
began, all agreeing that Joel’s help was needed out front at least for the
beginning. Tanya mentioned that he was here to look over the financial records
and see what could be done. She held her breath, catching her mother’s eye. A
tiny nod assured her Eva would keep silent on the plan to search for Uncle
Harry’s loot.
    Throughout the day the three of them haggled with customers,
keeping one eye peeled for any unsavory guests with a tendency to lift without
paying. The action ebbed and flowed. Eva reigned from a comfy old chair next to
the cash box by the front door. They’d made roadblocks so folks couldn’t
venture beyond one section of the house, but the area was still large enough
for Tanya to work up a good sweat running from room to room.
    “Homerun,” said Joel. “I just sold that lamp with the
curlicue base and antique glass fixture. I told them it came off the Titanic.”
    “You didn’t.” Eva put her hand to her cheek.
    “Hey, all is fair in love and house sales.” He shot a
playful wink at her. “Tanya, I saw you close out on that deal with the
revolving bookcase. Nice going. Triple in the right field corner. That it isn’t
to say selling books and small items doesn’t put runs on the board. You need
singles and doubles too.”
    Eva rolled her eyes. “Watch out, Tannie, he’s in one of his
all-life-is-baseball moods.”
    Joel clasped his hands together like a holy man imparting a
blessing. “May the forces of the universe bring the World Series to Flushing.”
    By the afternoon, Tanya’s back ached. Her black zipper
hoodie sported dark blotches from the coffee a buyer had spilled on her. The
updo she’d fixed her hair in this morning had turned into a down-do. And her
dry, sleep-deprived eyes burned.
    She’d told her mother it was the thunder and lightning that
had kept her awake last night. But it