Alex Harris 00 - Armed

that one. Come sit down and tell me all about it.”
    I sat in the chair opposite my sister and crossed my legs letting the top one swing back and forth in a nervous habit. “A few days ago I thought he was an arrogant jerk who couldn’t do his job right, coming after me over a shovel, and now, well, the more I talk with him the more I like him. I think I could really like John.”
    “So now it’s John.”
    “John. I even like the name.”
    “I’m not sure I understand your problem. You’re free—unless you’ve met Mr. Right on that Internet thing.”
    I moaned. “Not a chance.”
    “So?”
    “Well, for one thing, do I want to get mixed up with a cop?”
    “He’s a detective. The job’s probably not as dangerous,” Sam said encouragingly, always the supportive big sister.
    “It’s not just that.” I got up and walked toward the window again and leaned against the windowsill. “None of my relationships seem to work. Take Peter. We went out for years. Years!”
    “A year and a half,” Sam corrected.
    “And we broke up. Before that came Ryan. And before that, oh, I forget his name.”
    “So?”
    “So. I think I’m probably meant to be alone.”
    Sam shook her head and smiled. “Alex. You are not meant to be alone. You’re thirty-six, for goodness sakes. That’s what you’re supposed to do. Go out. Sow your wild oats. Take a look at what’s around.”
    “You make me sound like a guy. You got married to like the first man you dated,” I said with awe. “Do you ever regret it?”
    “The truth? No. All I can say is I love Michael with all my heart. I know that sounds corny and heaven knows he drives me absolutely mad at times, but that’s what marriage is.” She looked lost in thought for a moment and then looked at me again. “Sometimes I don’t want to be with Michael, but never because I wanted someone else. Just because you didn’t feel that with Peter or Ryan or what’s his name, doesn’t mean something good might not come out of starting something with John. Take a chance. He’s nice and kind of easy on the eyes, too.”
    “You always knew you wanted to be married and have children, didn’t you?” I asked.
    Sam laughed. “Yeah. The married part, anyway. As long as the doctors could assure me they did indeed have epidurals strong enough to bring down a stampeding elephant, then I thought kids would be okay, too. Listen, you’re going through a lot right now. Finding a dead body, well, that’s got to be affecting you. The downturn in our business has us both worried, and then of course, seeing Grandpa Harris naked has probably traumatized you in ways that even Freud couldn’t unravel.”
    I scrunched up my face. “That’s true.”
    Sam walked over to me and said, “Stop worrying about being alone for the rest of your life. He’s out there. Closer than you think.” She nudged me in the arm.
    “You’re right.” I pushed away from the sill and walked to the door.
    “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
    I looked around. “No, I don’t think so.”
    “That’ll be two hundred bucks. My advice doesn’t come cheap, you know. Pay the receptionist on your way out.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

    “Alex, where’ve you been?” a ruffled Mr. Poupée shouted at me as I walked into the office.
    “I’m sorry. I overslept.”
    Mr. Poupée waved his hand. “Don’t be foolish. You didn’t overstep anything.”
    I tapped my ear several times. “Overslept,” I shouted as he adjusted his hearing aid.
    Tuesday morning and the sun, filtered through the damp winter air, streamed into my room and landed on my cheek. I had slept through the early morning hours without a stir—finally—and had decided not to rush to the factory but to have a leisurely morning with an actual breakfast. I think the fact I finally admitted some of my budding feelings for John to my sister made me feel unburdened and I wanted to take advantage of the good feeling—at least for a few hours.
    Mr. Poupée touched my shoulder giving me a pang of guilt. “Well, don’t worry about it. The funeral upset all of us. And in case I haven’t mentioned it, I just wanted to say I appreciate all your help. I don’t know how I would have managed these last few days. Having you here made a tremendous difference. I tend to forget you’re the one who found Elvira. I feel as if I’ve taken advantage and I’m sorry.”
    “There’s no need for any apologies.” I gave him a hug. “After what happened I wanted