“I read that you should work out wheneverâand whereverâyou can,” he said.
“Oh? You read that?”
Jude laughed. “Well, I downloaded a workout video to my iPod so I could listen to it while I was skateboarding. Same thing.”
Erinn arched an eyebrow. Jude suddenly looked up at her.
“What about Tin Lizzy? That would be an awesome nickname for you!”
“You know, Jude, I'm not sure this is going to work out.”
He looked up. “Oh? Why not?”
“Well,” Erinn faltered. “I just think that, if two people live in such close proximity to each other, there should be some symbiosis . . . if you get my drift.”
Jude looked at Erinn for a minute, then smiled.
“Oh, you mean 'cause I'm in such good shape,” he said. “Don't worry about that. I can help you get rid of that spare tire in no time.”
“No, no, no,” Erinn said. “I appreciate your offer. Although I wasn't aware I
had
a spare tire.”
“Oh, big-time.”
“It was more along the lines of, well, I don't feel we're . . . intellectually compatible.”
Jude frowned.
“I'm not smart enough to rent your
guesthouse
?”
He held up the rental agreement and waved it in her face.
“Is there an I.Q. test attached to this?” he asked.
Erinn stood up so fast she knocked the chair over, and stormed out of the guesthouse. Jude sprinted after her, and Erinn wheeled on him.
“I'm sorry, Jude, but clearly this isn't going to work.”
“Tell me about it. You think you're some sort of god because you wrote one important play a hundred years ago? Nobody can even make a joke around you? I'm out of here.”
“I assume you can see yourself out?”
“If I can find my way around your huge ego, yeah,” Jude replied, as he walked toward the main house. He stepped over the cat, which was sunbathing on the walkway.
“See ya around, Truck.”
Apparently, Jude had not succeeded in giving
her
a nickname, but poor Caro did not escape unscathed.
Erinn went back into the kitchen, stung by Jude's comments. To distract herself, she decided to make a pot of soup. She pulled out her large stockpot, added some homemade chicken stock, and started scrubbing tubers in a fury.
Who does he think he is, talking to me that way?
she thought.
I dodged a bullet with that one.
The phone rang. Erinn wiped off her hands and reached for the cordless, hesitating just long enough to grab her half-moon glasses, and checked the caller I.D.
It was Suzanna.
Erinn put the phone down without answering it. She took off her glasses and returned to her soup.