The Art Of Listening

Chapter 3

I felt her eyes on my back as I walked away and knocked on the office door. "Come in!" A voice called and I opened the door to see what could have been Sally's twin sitting behind the desk, smiling at me. Her eyes showed pain as she looked at me. "Please, have a seat, Ms. Jones." I sat down, "Please, call me Artemis." She nodded, "You can call me Clair, we aren't formal around here, Artemis. So tell me about your skills. What are you looking for?" I sighed, "A fresh start. I have worked at the library at Harvard for the past three, almost four years." She smiled, "We need a new librarian, Joyce is retiring in a couple months and you can shadow her until then. How about this, do you have a place to stay yet?" I shook my head. "OK, well, how about you talk to Martin, he's our real estate agent. He can help you find a place and then you can get settled before you start working, that way you can heal. I talked to Sally, your injuries are fresh and you shouldn't have done so much, so soon." I nodded. She picked up her cell and texted someone and in less than two minutes an older man, very short and burly, comes through the door with a smile on his face. 

"Hello, Ladies! I am Martin and I am here to help you find a place to-" He gasps at my face and I sigh. He starts to apologize. "It's ok, Martin, I know it looks bad. My name is Artemis Jones." He nods and sits next to me. "We have a few rentals in town, but one house is for sale and super cheap. It is only $10,000 and such a beautiful home." He tells me and I cock my head to the side. "Why is it so cheap?" Clair answers for him, "It's attached to the cemetery and people are scared of the ghosts." I shake my head, "People should be afraid of the living, not the dead. Can I see it?" He nods, "Sure, follow me and I will show it to you." I thank Clair and give her my cell number before following Martin out to my truck. "You can follow me in your truck, if you like it, I have the paperwork ready." I nodded and climbed into my truck. 

The drive was about ten minutes and the scenery was beautiful, trees and life everywhere. The air was fresh and clean. We drove around the cemetery and pulled up to a beautiful two story home. It had a wrap around porch with a swing and I fell in love. With a bit of paint, it would be perfect. I hopped out and walked in with Martin. "Now, people say the place is haunted, I will warn you now about that. There is a bunch of furniture here that comes with the house." He guides me through the home. All hardwood floors, large open rooms, lots of windows. Upstairs has three large bedrooms and two big bathrooms. "I love it, I will take it!" Martin's face lights up. I know that I have about $20,000 in cash, but I am going to need to fix the place up. "Will you take $7,000 cash for it?" I ask and he shakes his head, "I can go to $9,000 cash." I think for a second. "$8,000?" He frowns, "$8,500. Cash." I smile, "Deal. I will be right back. Get that paperwork ready." I bounce out to the truck and dig through my purse getting out the money and then head back into the house. After I pay him and sign the paperwork, he is quick to leave and I just chuckle. 

I look around the house, making a list of repairs and supplies that I will need before testing to see if the place has electric and water and I am surprised to see it has both. I carry my things into the house and grab a shower before heading back to town. I find the hardware store first. I head in with my list and grab a cart. "Can I help you, Miss?" A deep voice asks from behind me, causing me to jump. I spin around to see the deepest blue eyes I have ever seen staring into mine, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. My name's Trevor, I own the place." I smile, "Artemis, I just moved here. I bought the house by the cemetery."  He smiles, "That's a great house, if you don't mind the neighbors." I chuckle, "Not in the least bit. I have a list of repairs and such, do you know of a handyman around here that works for cheap, I sunk most of my cash into the house, but it needs some work." He nods, "Let's see your list, I may know just the guy."  I hand it to him, "I can do some of it myself, but I need to check the wiring and plumbing out and I don't know the first thing about it." 

He hums and looks at me, "I know just the guy. He's reasonable, and knows all about house repair." I grin, "Great, I appreciate the help, Trevor. Can you give me his number?"  He shakes his head, "He will come to  you, He is open tomorrow morning, about nine?" I nod, "Sounds good. Now, I need to get the stuff on my list and then find a good place to eat. Any ideas?" He chuckles, "Leave the list to your handyman. He knows what you need. As for dinner, the diner down the street is the best in the state." I thank him and head down to the diner. 

As I walk in the door, the whole place goes silent and everyone stares at me, suddenly, I am not so hungry. I turn to leave and run into a hard chest. I look up to see those deep blue eyes smiling at me. "I thought you were going to eat?" I take a step back, "I changed my mind." I tell him quietly. He lifts his head to look around and glares at the people staring. "Come on, Artie. A girl's gotta eat. I will sit with you." He places his hand on my back to steer me forward when he hits a bruise that is incredibly tender and I wince. He rips his hand back and looks at me. "I'm so sorry, Artie, I didn't mean to hurt you." I smile, "I'm fine, come on then. Lead the way." He chuckles and I follow him to a booth. We sit across from each other and a waitress bounces over. She is young, probably my age, shoulder length brown hair with blonde streaks, too much makeup, but she's pretty, thin, perfect. Her name tag reads 'Laura'. 

"Hey there, Trevor. What brings you in?" She is chewing gum like a cow chews grass, it's very annoying. He looks at me and rolls his eyes, "I came here to have dinner with my friend here, Artemis." She turns to looks at me and starts laughing. "What in the hell happened to you? You look like you got into a fight with a bull!" I sigh, "Not a bull, a jackass." Trevor stifles a laugh, "I would like a coke, and the special cheeseburger, please. Artie?" He looks at me I shrug, "Sounds good, same, please." She snorts, "That is a lot of calories, dear." Before winking and swaying her hips so hard I think one will dislocate as she walks away. "That looks painful." I thought I said it in my head, but by the laughter that comes from Trevor, I said it out loud. 

"Oh, Artie, we are going to be good friends, I can tell." He winks at me and I chuckle. After dinner, he walks me back to my truck. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Trevor. I will be back in town soon, seeing as I need food for the house." He laughs, "See ya around, Artie." With that, I drive home. Home, I like that and it's all mine. Or so I thought.