Page 12 of Animal's Reformation
Before she could reply, Nathan rolled up the window and switched on his overhead lights then went through the light. Olivia watched the patrol car disappear into the distance and a cold shiver ran down her spine. Cursing herself for getting involved with the crazy cop, she turned at the next right and drove to her apartment with her eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.
* * *
Saturday morning hada nip in the air, but no snow, which Olivia was grateful for since it was moving day. She glanced around her room to make sure all of her things were packed. She shut the door and headed to her packed car. A wave of excitement flooded over her as she drove toward the storage unit to meet up with the movers.
“Is that it, miss?” one of the movers asked.
“Yeah,” she replied to the lean and wiry man.
“We’ll meet you at your new house.” He marked something off a piece of paper securely held in the clipboard in his hands, then closed the door to the storage unit.
My new house.
When Olivia turned into the cul-de-sac of her new neighborhood, she smiled as soon as she saw the yellow-painted cottage amid the larger homes. It seemed as though her house was one of the few remaining from when the neighborhood had first been developed in the mid-1950s, and she loved it.
Pulling into her driveway, she waved at the two moving men who smiled at her as they carried her newly purchased queen-sized mattress into the house. It felt good to finally have all of her things in one place after having them in storage for such a long time. The apartment she’d shared with Harper had been basically furnished and the few small pieces of furniture she’d purchased she had left behind. For the better part of an hour, the two men unpacked the truck while Olivia directed them where to put the pieces of furniture and numerous boxes she’d had in storage.
“We’re all done,” the wiry guy said as he handed the clipboard to Olivia. “Just sign here.” He wiped his hand on his jeans then pointed to the bottom of a form.
“You didn’t bring everything in,” she replied, perusing the document.
“The cabinet didn’t fit through the door,” he answered.
“What doesthatmean?” She walked outside and stared at the antique china cabinet on the sidewalk leading to her house.
“It won’t clear the doorway—it’s too tall.” The mover darted his eyes from Olivia to his cellphone then back to her. “We got another job to do, so just sign the form and we’ll be on our way.”
“What am I supposed to do? I can’t possibly carry that in by myself. You have to bring it inside.” Olivia hugged the clipboard to her chest.
“I just told you we can’t do that, lady. It won’t work and we don’t wanna be responsible if it breaks.” He sighed in apparent frustration.
“Can’t you take it apart? I think if you just unscrew the top half, that would work.” Olivia went over and examined the back of the piece. “I see some screws here.”
“We’re not allowed to take apart furniture—it’s not in the contract. Just sign here.” The worker stood next to her, his hand running over his shaved head.
“But—”
“No buts, lady. We just can’t do it. You’ll have to deal with it on your own.” He tapped his dirty finger on the piece of paper. “We did our job. You should’ve measured it before you bought it.”
“I thought a moving company wouldmovemy things, not leave them on the damn sidewalk.” She grabbed the pen out of his hand.
“We did our job. Dismantling furniture isn’t part of what we do.” He snatched the clipboard from her and looked at her expectantly.
“I’m not happy about this,” she said, taking out two twenty-dollar bills and handing them to him.
The man’s lips turned down and he shook his head as he looked at the money in his hand. “Really, lady?”
“Considering you just left a major piece of furniture in the middle of the sidewalk, I’d say I’ve been more than generous with your tip.”
Narrowing his eyes, he stuffed the bills in his pants pocket and stalked away. The rumble of the engine irritated the hell out of her, and Olivia watched the truck ramble away as her mind tried to process what to do.
The antique-looking china cabinet had been an impulse buy that she was now starting to regret. Olivia had noticed it in the window of a small furniture store when she’d been at the mall a few weeks before, and it reminded her so much of her grandmother’s cabinet that she had to have it. The only happy and bright memories from her childhood had been the times she’d spent at her grandmother’s house. Then her mother had a falling out with Grandma Betty and forbade Olivia and her brother from ever talking or visiting their beloved grandmother.
“Whatcha doing?”
A voice behind her pulled Olivia back to the present, and she spun around and took in a young girl with two long braids peering at her.
“Where did you come from?” Olivia asked.
