Irene Brand - A Husband for All Seasons

Vicky pulled over to the curb before a redbrick dwelling with a one-story stone porch across the front. A wide doorway was centered on the porch. A sign in front of the house indicated an apartment was for rent.

“The apartment is on the second floor of that house. The owner couldn’t afford the upkeep and taxes on the property after her husband died, so she had to rent part of the house or sell it. There’s only one apartment in this house, so you wouldn’t be bothered with a lot of noise.”

She pointed to a roofed stairway on the left side of the building. “That’s a private entrance to the apartment.”

“Do you suppose we could see it now?” he asked.

“We can ring the doorbell and find out if the landlady is at home.”

Vicky was out of the car and had opened his door before Chad had time to ease his body out of the vehicle.

He grinned up at her as she stood by the car’s open door. “I’ve never had a chauffeur before. I might have to give you a permanent job.”

“You’d better hire someone with a bigger car,” she answered. “I’ll push that seat backward before we leave here to give you more legroom.”

Vicky timed her steps to his slower gait, but climbed the front steps before him and turned the old-fashioned bell in the center of the front door.

A woman opened the door on the first ring. She was a tall, bony woman, probably in her sixties. She had piercing, blue eyes, and her straight, iron-gray hair was cut short. She nodded to Vicky, apparently recognizing her, and then she turned questioning eyes on Chad.

“I called yesterday about your apartment. Would it be convenient for us to look at it now?” Vicky asked.

“You married?” the woman said, glancing from one to the other.

The comment discomfited Vicky, but before she could answer, Chad said, “No, ma’am. I’m the one who needs to rent an apartment. Vicky lives a few blocks from here.”

“Just checking,” the proprietor said. “I won’t have unmarried people living together in my house.”

“That suits me,” Chad said.

Mrs. Lashley had the reputation of being a plainspoken woman, but Vicky hadn’t expected such candor from her.

“Mrs. Lashley,” Vicky said. “This is Chad Reece—he’s from out of town.”

She nodded. “I could tell that from his slow, Southern drawl.”

Striving to hide her amusement, Vicky continued, “He’s been in OSU hospital and he needs a place to stay while he recuperates. He wants to be close to the hospital until his surgeon releases him.”

“I won’t take a lease for less than a year.”

Thinking that Mrs. Lashley didn’t need to rent the apartment as much as Vicky thought, Chad said, “If that’s the case, we won’t take any more of your time. I don’t know how long I’ll be staying. Thank you. Let’s go, Vicky.”

Mrs. Lashley followed them out on the porch, and they were halfway down the short walk when she said, “Well, I could lease it for six months.”

Chad turned and smiled. “Let me look at the apartment.”

Mrs. Lashley stood aside and they entered a wide entryway that ran the length of the residence. Coming inside out of brilliant sunlight, they were plunged into semidarkness. Wooden shutters covered windows that were curtained with white lace panels. Mrs. Lashley flipped a switch and a chandelier spread light on the stairway to the left of the hall. She walked sprightly up the wide walnut treads. Chad counted thirteen steps as he held on to the sturdy, carved handrail and slowly followed Mrs. Lashley and Vicky to the second floor.

“The apartment only takes up half of this floor,” Mrs. Lashley explained. “I have a daughter and grandchildren who visit from time to time. I keep the other rooms for them.”

At the top of the stairs, the hallway extended the length of the house as it did on the first floor. The two rooms on the left had been turned into a comfortable apartment, and Chad thought at once that it was the kind of retreat he needed. A partition divided one of the rooms into a bedroom and a bathroom with a claw-foot tub, a shower stall, a large marble pedestal sink and a toilet. The other room was a combination living room and dining area, with a small kitchenette off to the side. The rooms were sparsely furnished, but they suited Chad’s present needs.

Chad asked the price, which was less than his Pittsburgh apartment. Motioning Vicky to one side, he asked, “What do you think of it?”

A flash of humor crossed her face. “I’d snap it up in a hurry if I could afford it. You won’t find anything better than this unless you want to move into an expensive condo.”

He shook his head. “No, I think this will suit me just fine.”

He turned to Mrs. Lashley. “I’ll lease the apartment, and if I leave before the six months is over, I’ll pay you the full amount.” She had stipulated that he would need to pay two hundred dollars to hold the apartment until she checked his references. He took the money from his wallet and handed it to her and gave her the names of his lawyer, his accountant and his pastor in Pittsburgh.

“I’ll call in a few days to see when I can move in.”

Driving away from the Lashley home, Vicky said, “You made a good choice. The rooms are comfortable, and you’ll have an interesting landlady.”

Chuckling, Chad commented, “She seems that way. And this location will be perfect for my needs. The doctor doesn’t want me to drive until I see him again, so there’s no need to rent a car. But they told me at the hospital that the bus service is good, so I can explore Columbus while I recuperate.”

“The Lanham Taxi Service operates daily, too,” she suggested with a sly grin in his direction.

“I figure I’ll be calling on that service often, but I’ll try not to make a nuisance of myself.”

Vicky had learned the hard way not to push her company on a man, so when she left Chad at the hotel, she didn’t make any comment about seeing him again. Any overtures of friendship would have to come from him. She didn’t look back as she drove away.

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