Page 11 of Home Again

4

When Sebastian went out to the tool shed, he found there was a combination lock on it.

“Dammit,” he grimaced, as he ran back to the house. He needed the power drill so that he could lock down the shutters. When he went into Armand’s room to find out if he knew the combination, the sorry bastard had no idea.

“Didn’t Neil give you the combination before he left?” Sebastian asked. “Weren’t you supposed to close up the shutters on the first floor?”

Armand lifted himself up on his elbow and frowned. “I can’t remember. I think so. Don’t need to, though. Neil always worries too much.” He flopped back down onto the mattress.

“What is the combination to the shed?” Sebastian asked again.

“Go away.”

Sebastian slammed Armand’s bedroom door shut, then went downstairs. He grabbed his phone to call Lazar; maybe he’d have Neil’s phone number, because sure as shit, his grandfather wouldn’t have the combination. His call went to voicemail.

“Dammit.”

Sebastian headed to the kitchen, hoping that there would be a screwdriver in the junk drawer. Gianna was there, mixing something in a bowl. He opened the drawer that he remembered that housed a lot of miscellaneous shit and started to dig through it.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Need to lock down the shutters. Would like to use the power drill, but don’t know the combination to the shed.”

“Won’t Neil know?” Gianna asked.

“Sure.” He nodded as he sifted through pencils, pens, gum, decks of cards, and matches.

“I have Ophelia’s number.”

Sebastian’s head jerked up. “Well hell, I should have thought to ask you. Can you give it to me?” he asked as he pulled out his cell phone.

Gianna laughed.

“I don’t have it memorized. Come with me and I’ll get my cell.”

They left the kitchen and Sebastian waited at the bottom of the stairs as Gianna ran upstairs to get her phone.

He tried not to be too obvious as he watched her breasts bounce as she ran down the stairs to hand him her phone. “Just call from mine,” she said as she handed him her cell.

“Thanks.” He pressed the contact for Ophelia.

“Hey, Gianna, how are you holding up? Did you like the ambrosia salad I made for you?”

The sound of Ophelia’s voice hit Sebastian like a ton of bricks. He hadn’t realized just how much he had missed her until that very moment.

“Hi, Philly,” he whispered.

“Sebastian? Is that you?” Her voice was a mere whisper.

“Yeah.”

“My God, boy. Oh my God. Talk some more. Say something for me, baby.”

“Gonna cook some of my favorite foods while I’m here?” he asked, trying to put a smile in his voice.

“Ophelia, are you okay?”

Sebastian heard Neil speaking in the background.