Free Mad Girls In Love by Michael Lee West Page B

carved dolphin feet. Four of the chairs matched. The chandelier was full of glass doodads that hung down and caught the sun. She led us up a grand staircase with worn red carpeting. Kenny raced ahead, panting with the effort. He ran down the hall and stopped in front of a door. Mrs. Finch ambled over to him, fishing in her pocket for a key. Then she flung open the door. As I followed her into the room, I saw that the walls were much brighter than Violet’s back home. They reminded me of an Easter egg that had soaked in lilac dye too long.
    â€œDon’t let this shade put you off,” Mrs. Finch said. “You can paint it over if you like. But you will have to supply your own paint. I do have my limits.”
    â€œNo, the purple’s fine,” I said quickly.
    â€œWell, all right, then.” Mrs. Finch smiled, and I thought the old woman might like us, just a little. While Kenny patrolled the hall, I opened a closet and peered inside.
    â€œIt’s an old house,” Mrs. Finch was saying, snapping her fingers at Kenny, “not much in the way of storage, but it has lovely views. That French door opens out onto a veranda. It’s got steps that go down to the lawn.”
    Alice Ann turned the glass knob and peered out. I could see green wooden steps leading down to the yard, with camelia bushes at the base. There was a path to the beach, and a tall hedge grew alongside it. The path stopped abruptly, and the road began. Traffic drifted across the boulevard. Beyond the road, the beach started, and farther out, in the gray water, were whitecaps. Alice Ann reached down and scratched Kenny’s head. The dog’s lips pulled back, showing a rubbery blue edge, and his tail thumped wildly against the floor.
    â€œWe can stay here, I guess,” she said, looking up at me. Mrs. Finch cast a quizzical glance in our direction. I put the baby in Alice Ann’s arms, then unsnapped my purse and opened my wallet, counting out Claude’s money. The green bills, which were mostly ones and fives, made a thick pile in Mrs. Finch’s cupped hand, but she didn’t seem to mind. She tucked the cash into her bosom.
    â€œWelcome to Finch House,” she said, and reached out to shake my hand.
    After the woman left, Alice Ann spread out her arms and wheeled around the room. “It’s a mansion!”
    â€œWell, not exactly,” I said, thinking of the Wentworths’ estate back in Crystal Falls. A five-foot-tall black wrought-iron fence hemmed in their property, which was three acres near the downtown.
    â€œWe’ll have to find a used furniture store and get a crib or playpen for the baby,” I said, staring at the bed. It was a double, with a high, carved headboard. The chest of drawers had a cracked marble top, and pieces of wood were coming loose along the seams, but I could fix it with glue. Of course, to afford a crib and glue, I would have to find a job, and soon.
    The next morning, I put on my polka-dot dress and stood in front of the spotted mirror, frowning at my reflection. The circles under my eyes matched the purple room.
    â€œYou look pretty,” Alice Ann said, pulling Jennifer into her lap. “Where you going?”
    â€œJob hunting.” I reached down to straighten my wrinkled skirt.
    â€œYou need a black dress,” Alice Ann suggested. “Blondes look more intelligent in black.”
    I laughed. “Where’d you hear that?”
    â€œMama was a blonde.” Her brow furrowed. “ Is a blonde.”
    â€œSo where’d you get that red hair?”
    â€œNobody knows.” Alice Ann shrugged.
    â€œFrom your daddy?”
    â€œNo, Eunice says he was brown-headed.”
    â€œHow do I look from the rear?”
    â€œLike a brick shithouse,” said Alice Ann.
    â€œIf I could afford to buy soap,” I said, ruffling the girl’s hair, “I’d wash your mouth out.”
    While Alice Ann entertained Jennifer, I filled