Emerald City Expatriate

  10. Dark Carriage           I turned around and found myself face-to-face with Richard. “You begin to see why we struggle to entertain in this house,” he said in a breathy voice just over a whisper.  “Mr. DiAnnon!” I choked. I could feel my heart racing. “You startled me.” I stepped away from the door, moving to put more space between us. “Don’t tell me you think the house is haunted, too?” He chuckled very softly. “I’m sorry if I scared you. I just wanted to see how the party was going. Or whatever it is you want to call it. You seem to command a room pretty well.” Where has he been watching us from? “Thank you. It’s going well, I think,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I figured inviting some friends to one of Daniel’s sessions would give me a different perspective on his social development. He’s been a little on the quiet side tonight, but I think that’s just him being a good host.” “That’s great to hear,” Richard smiled. He tucked his hands into the pocke

  9. Weird Sisters The esthetician’s name was Kimberly, and she looked like she might burst into tears. “Please,” she begged the spa receptionist. “You can’t charge her for that wax. That was, like, my worst work ever.” “It’s okay, really,” I assured them both. I leaned in so Sarah, who was getting dressed in the next room, wouldn’t hear. “Honestly? I’m here to pacify my friend in there. I told her I’d come as her guest, so she can use her coupon and get her wax half-off.” “Half price ,” the receptionist specified. “In here, the phrase ‘half-off’ has a different meaning. And yeah, unfortunately, the computer system won’t let me use that Groupon if you don’t pay full-price for your service first.” “Oh no, please don’t.” Kimberly hissed at the receptionist through clenched teeth. “This is exactly how we get bad reviews online and lose business. You wanna make jokes about half-off? That’s basically all I could manage before the appointment time ran out. Or before I started tear