The House of Seven Mabels

sockets on each. Three, sometimes even four, if it’s a long wall. It’s overkill, but in these days of computers and all sorts of gadgets that need juice, it can’t hurt to have extras. I’ll have some time to jaw with you over the ceiling lighting over lunch if you want.“
    “That would be fine,“ Shelley said.
    So much for Thomasina being the horror that Mel described. Though rather stunningly unattractive, she was very pleasant—so far, Jane thought. But still, she hoped they didn’t have to clash over ceiling lighting. That might bring out the belligerent woman Mel knew.
    Bitsy and Joe were huddled over a piece of plywood on sawhorses, looking over the plans, which were being kept from rolling up with various blocks of scrap wood and hammers. Joe kept looking around to see how far the work had progressed. If he found fault with any of it, he had the common sense to keep it to himself in front of the workers.
    “Are those Sandra’s plans?“ Shelley asked, strolling over to look. “Bitsy and I have discussed the fact that the measurements aren’t entirely correct.“
    Jane suddenly had an insight that had nothing to do with this job. She’d been creeping through what she hoped would turn into a historical novel for a couple of years. She realized as Shelley spoke that the spooky house where the main character lived was almost a character itself> and that one of the problems she’d always faced with the writing was that she could picture the sprawling old house sitting on a hostile crag. But she had no idea what it was like inside. Her character had looked out over the dark, cold sea from her bedroom window. That was all she knew.
    Jane desperately wanted to run and get a computer program that would allow her to make the house plans so that when her heroine walked from the bedroom suite to the stairs, Jane could actually picture how many steps it would take and what other doorways were in the upper hall. And she had a new computer it would work on. The plans Shelley, Joe, and Bitsy were looking at had to have been computer-generated.
    Thomasina was back at work. Shelley had presented her own measurements to Joe Dudley, and Jane pulled Shelley aside and quietly said, “Do you really need me to talk to Thomasina? I have something I really want to do with my book today.“
    Shelley looked pleased. “I haven’t heard you mention your book in forever. I’m glad to hear you’re still working on it. Go ahead. I can handle this myself.“
    Jane rushed to her car, headed for the nearest computer center, and dashed home with the program the clerk had recommended. Not a truly professional one. Those, she learned, cost thousands of dollars and you had to take classes to learn how they worked. But lots of do-it-yourselfers used the one she had bought for a hundred dollars. She dithered a bit reading the instructions for installing the program and was astonished when she got it right on the first try.
    She didn’t have any car pool duty today and realized when Katie and Todd barged through the kitchen door, slamming their backpacks on the kitchen table, that what had seemed like mere minutes had been at least five hours of concentrated creativity. It wasn’t writing, of course, but she had the basics of the house in her mind, and when she finished the last details, she’d be eager to get back to work on the endless book. Maybe it wouldn’t truly be endless. It was odd to feel both exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.
    “Kids, come look at this!“ she shouted down the stairs.
    Katie looked at the screen. “What’s that?“
    “Where Priscilla lives,“ Jane said.
    “Who’s Priscilla?“ Todd asked, leaning closer.
    “The woman in the book I’ve been working on for as long as I can remember.“
    “I don’t see any bathrooms,“ Todd said.
    “Oh!“ Jane said, putting the palm of her hand on her forehead.
    “But it’s sure a cool program,“ Todd said, glancing through the instruction manual.
    “I have you to thank,“ Jane said. “If I hadn’t bought this computer, I wouldn’t have ever been able to do this. The old one couldn’t have coped with something this elaborate. Would you have a little time to help me figure out where to put the bathrooms?“
    “After dinner. Sure.“
    “Dinner?“ Jane asked as if she’d never heard the word. “What kind of carryout would you like?“
    “Pizza!“ both kids chorused.
    “Then spring for delivery. Todd, you can help me while we