Nobody's Fool

march.
    And indeed there were other things to be thankful for. His luck had finally turned. He still had his triple winnings and another five hundred or so from the afternoon’s poker game. He wasn’t out of the woods, but tomorrow he’d be able to go see Harold Proxmire and give him fifteen hundred on the truck, which would hold him for another couple months. And he’d have his first and last months’ rent on the new apartment he hadn’t found yet. If his luck held, Miles Anderson wouldn’t return for a while and see how far behind he was on the house. It shouldn’t take more than a couple weeks to get more or less caught up now that Rub was back in the fold. Peter had managed to convince Anderson that everything would get done. Probably the smart thing would be to turn the whole Anderson project over to Peter. If it snowed, he could afford to do that. Maybe he could afford to anyway. Sully felt the big wad of bills bulging comfortably in his pants pocket. He hadn’t even counted it yet. Maybe he was even better off than he knew.
    When he awoke with a start, he saw that over half the boxes in the living room were now unpacked and the floor-to-ceiling bookcases were now full of books. Toby Roebuck, barefoot, her hair still damp, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, was standing on a chair and filling up the top shelf with volumes Peter was handing to her. The empty boxes they had used to form a wall between themselves and him. It was Toby Roebuck who first noticed he was awake. “Sully,” she said. “How can you sleep sitting up like that?”
    In fact, he wished he hadn’t, at least not for so long. He’d slept slumped against the wall, and his neck was stiff. “Hello, Mrs. Roebuck,” he said, trying to stretch some of the kinks out.
    She gave him a look. “Don’t Mrs. Roebuck me, Sully,” she said cheerfully. “You’re a documented sinner.”
    â€œThat was a long time ago,” he said, standing up and testing his knee. “Anymore I’m too tired to sin.”
    â€œMy point exactly. Don’t criticize people who have the energy.” Shecast a glance at Peter, who didn’t look like he had any great wealth of energy himself. He must have, though, Sully reflected. There were at least two women who thought so.
    â€œI don’t recall saying anything except hello,” Sully told her. “If you decide to get married, let me know. I’ll give away the bride.”
    â€œDon’t pretend you approve, either,” Toby Roebuck said. “That’s even worse.”
    Sully flexed tentatively at the knee. “Let me see if I understand. I’m not supposed to approve and I’m not supposed to disapprove. What the hell
am
I supposed to do?”
    â€œBreak down some of these boxes,” Peter suggested. “There’s a pair of scissors right behind you on the desk.”
    â€œJust don’t throw them all away,” Sully told him, picking up the scissors. “I’m moving myself in a couple days.”
    â€œI’ll save a couple,” Peter agreed. “You think two will do it?”
    â€œI wish I’d known you were attracted to smart-asses,” Sully told Toby Roebuck.
    â€œHe has other qualities,” she said. “If it were just being a smart-ass, I’d be attracted to you.”
    They finished about half an hour later. With all the books on the shelves and the boxes broken down and in a single tall pile, the flat again looked bare. “You’re going to need a few things, aren’t you,” Sully said.
    Toby’s voice came in from the kitchen. “
Pots
and pans and plates and glasses and silverware, for instance.”
    â€œI’ve got all that stuff,” Sully said. “We can bring it over tomorrow.”
    â€œThen what would you use?” Peter asked.
    â€œI haven’t eaten a meal at home in five years,” Sully told him truthfully, pulling on his coat and gloves to leave.
    â€œThat’s sad,” Toby said from the kitchen doorway.
    â€œNot really, dolly,” Sully said, going over to the window. The street was dark, but he could make out the shape of Carl Roebuck’s sports car at the curb below.
    Peter put on his coat too. “I’ll walk you down. I’ve got to close up the trailer anyhow.”
    Sully glanced around the room again. Even empty it looked good. The fireplace, surrounded by books.