Tracy

045:

The new house was already furnished. Bridget had hired a company who did interior design and then she'd dropped the bomb--- she and Jules were getting back together--- she didn't really intend to stay at Tracy's house. Which made the house, when she and Danny and Richard arrived a little while later, rather large and prestigious, and enormously cold and echoing. Danny thought the long hallways of hardwood flooring to be cool for sliding.

Richard gifted the newly homed mother and son with their first pet--- fortunately in a cage, which he brought in as Monday Mould pulled up in her daddy-bought custom Firebird—cherry red. She was moving in as well. The permanent nanny. A few minutes later another car pulled up to the first outbuilding, the one under the only set of giant palms. These would be reserved for security.

The place was not gated--- yet.

Danny was delighted to see Richard again--- he remembered playing little cars with him at Grandma Coral's. He called him Richie.

Tracy did a walk through, perplexed as to why Bridget would have the place furnished and then choose not to live here. As she was examining the den—a room off the kitchen meant as something of a library, hung with Navaho rich tapestry floor to ceiling wall-hangings, Danny scooted by the slippery hallway, asking where his bedroom was, and Richard brought the caged animal, squeaking behind him.

"Where do you want him?"

Tracy blinked in rapid succession. "What the freak is it?"

"Ferret." It currently lay wrapped around itself, beady eyes looking up at them both as Tracy drew nearer to examine it. She grimaced.

"It's a rodent."

"The new rage in Europe."

"Because I am half European, right?" She sighed. "Put it in the great room, they call that room next to the kitchen where we watch TV the great room. No, not in the dining room, other side of the walkway. Yeah." She'd run ahead and indicated a bare shelf facing the blind covered window.

Two chairs, one on either side of this shelf which was full, chalk full—of vinyl records and had been padded with bright neon yellow, the backs painted with birds of prey feathers in an interesting design. Seeing these she let out another perplexed sigh. As soon as Richard stepped back from the ferret, it stood up and went to its water, placing the nipple between its clawed feet, and lapped at the dispenser.

"It's kind of cute." Tracy squatted to look at it closer. "I like it's black and gray stripes. They ring it like a raccoon. Very cute. Thanks."

"House warming gift."

"So unique." Her eyes rose to his and his were smirking. "Somebody gave it to you and you're getting rid of it, aren't you?"

He couldn't contain his laughter. "Fan."

Tracy snorted. "I can imagine. Oh, well. It has a home. Poor little thing. Danny will like it. What does it eat?"

"Well, that's the sixty-four thousand dollar question, isn't it?" He rubbed his neck and went to the neon green and orange covered bar stools nestled up to the cream colored kitchen counter. He perched on one, examining a frozen dragonfly in a glass paperweight that had been placed strategically on the yellow legal papers, presumably the house papers. "Ferret's are Mustelids, meaning they are strict carnivores. In the wild they would eat baby mice and day old chicks----." He eyed her scrunched up expression shaking his head. "But you can feed them reptile insects."

"Oh, that's so not happening." She gave the ferret a disgusted look. "Be real."

"Cat food. Chicken cat food. The good stuff, Iams."

She'd never heard of it, actually only had a couple of cats in her whole life. "Okay. I can do that."

Richard glanced at his watch. "We need to be in LA in an hour. Probably ought to mosey."

"I'll have to drive myself, or drive with Jake. You don't want to have to bring me home." She went in search of Monday and Danny.

"Why doesn't Jake follow us and you ride with me? For company?"

He gave her a gleaming eye, meant to be hopeful, and slightly needy. She blinked slowly again, then nodded, sighing—a leftover sigh from the emotional day. "That'll work."

*******