In Which Joe Is Neighborly, Frankie Is Devious, And Ashlee Simpson Is An Enigma
It started when their landlady showed up to dust out and air the long-empty room directly below Ryan's. Frankie sits on the top step and watches as she comes out onto the landing to supervise some hired muscle who were lugging in some chests, a few sticks of furniture.
Then they pack up, and the old lady glares at Frankie until he runs down the steps and over to the apothecary. "We have neighbours now," he tells Macy and Joe as he crawls into a seat around her kitchen table. Macy gives him a piece of bread to chew on as he retells all he saw to her and Joe.
Joe shrugs. "I can't believe anyone rented that room - it's the worst of both worlds in there, freezing in winter, a heat trap in summer, and you still have to lug everything up the stairs, but there's only one window and it's tiny."
Macy smirks. She's pretty sure Joe knows all this because at least one if not all of the brothers have climbed through that window to have a look - the brothers Jonas are consistent in their curiosity.
When Joe walked Frankie home, there was an attractive young lady holding a small boy in her arms, having a genteel but frustrated argument with their landlady. "--led to believe the water supply would be well maintained! Instead I arrive to find--"
Frankie reached up to tug Joe's sleeve as they stood at the doorstep, taking in the confrontation. He wasn't old enough to grasp all of the incongruities of the situation, but he knew his brother's face well enough to read the surprise in his expression.
The woman had an uptown accent, and her clothing was faded and mended, but it had clearly begun its life belonging to someone moving among the elite.
By unspoken agreement, rather than push their way past, they retired to the other side of the street to watch the show.
One thing was instantly clear: this was a women used to giving orders to social inferiors. Unfortunately, their landlady wasn't used to taking crap from her tenants
The confrontation was an interesting one, but by the time it ended, Joe was ready to get home, so as the landlady walked away with the self assured stride of one who holds the power in a situation and knows it, he marched purposefully to the door, only stopping to take in the sheer number of trunks and cases piled by the door.
Joe struggled for a moment, torn between the desire for dinner and the habit of courtesy drilled into him at any early age and enforced by Gerard.
Courtesy won. "Can I help you with one of these?" he asked.
The lady sneered at him, and Joe rethought his offer. "We shall manage, thank you," she snapped, icicles forming on every syllable.
Joe shrugged and tugged Frankie up the stairs.
At least, he reflected, she'd make for some interesting stories. He couldn't even imagine anyone with an attitude like that getting by around here for long.
Frankie obviously was coming to the same conclusion. "Bet you a penny her cases go missing faster than she can get them inside."
Joe smiled. "No bet." He glanced back down the stairs. "Go sit watch, hey?"
Frankie pouted. "Why?"
Joe fiddled with the locks on their door. "Because it's the right thing to do. Go on, scoot."
When he came back up, a little under an hour later, he was grinning, holding a sweet he didn't intend to share, and a story he did. Perched on the table while Kevin darted around the room trying to get dressed for the night and keep from burning dinner at the same time, Frankie held forth about their new neighbor.
"She says her name is Mrs. Simpson, but I looked at her hand and she's got no ring. When she came down and saw me telling off Davis for going after her case she gave me a peppermint!"
Frankie's face was sticky and grinning.
Kevin caught a glimpse of the supposed Mrs Simpson as he headed out to work that night. He smiled at her and she gave an uncertain and reserved nod in return.
Kevin resolved to keep an eye on her. She was obviously unprepared for the area, and she might be a bit uppity, but she'd been kind to Frankie, which meant a whole lot more, in Kevin's book.
With that in mind, he decided that tomorrow morning he'd ask Brendon if he knew anything about her. Brendon was intrigued when presented with the mystery of Mrs Simpson. "I am intrigued," he declared. "I shall investigate further."
At first, the lack of information just made her even more tantalizing a mystery. Strangely, it was Mike who provided the breakthrough.
"Um, her sister married my mother's second cousin, actually," he said, a little bashful.
"Family came on hard times a few years back, and last I heard of this one, I think she was chaperoning for a family. I don't know, it was a while ago. Never heard she had a kid," he concluded.
The brothers shared a look. "Chaperone," Joe said meaningfully.
"No wedding ring," Nick added.
"Hard times, you say?" Kevin asked sweetly.
Mike's eyes widened. "Oh my."
Then they pack up, and the old lady glares at Frankie until he runs down the steps and over to the apothecary. "We have neighbours now," he tells Macy and Joe as he crawls into a seat around her kitchen table. Macy gives him a piece of bread to chew on as he retells all he saw to her and Joe.
Joe shrugs. "I can't believe anyone rented that room - it's the worst of both worlds in there, freezing in winter, a heat trap in summer, and you still have to lug everything up the stairs, but there's only one window and it's tiny."
Macy smirks. She's pretty sure Joe knows all this because at least one if not all of the brothers have climbed through that window to have a look - the brothers Jonas are consistent in their curiosity.
When Joe walked Frankie home, there was an attractive young lady holding a small boy in her arms, having a genteel but frustrated argument with their landlady. "--led to believe the water supply would be well maintained! Instead I arrive to find--"
Frankie reached up to tug Joe's sleeve as they stood at the doorstep, taking in the confrontation. He wasn't old enough to grasp all of the incongruities of the situation, but he knew his brother's face well enough to read the surprise in his expression.
The woman had an uptown accent, and her clothing was faded and mended, but it had clearly begun its life belonging to someone moving among the elite.
By unspoken agreement, rather than push their way past, they retired to the other side of the street to watch the show.
One thing was instantly clear: this was a women used to giving orders to social inferiors. Unfortunately, their landlady wasn't used to taking crap from her tenants
The confrontation was an interesting one, but by the time it ended, Joe was ready to get home, so as the landlady walked away with the self assured stride of one who holds the power in a situation and knows it, he marched purposefully to the door, only stopping to take in the sheer number of trunks and cases piled by the door.
Joe struggled for a moment, torn between the desire for dinner and the habit of courtesy drilled into him at any early age and enforced by Gerard.
Courtesy won. "Can I help you with one of these?" he asked.
The lady sneered at him, and Joe rethought his offer. "We shall manage, thank you," she snapped, icicles forming on every syllable.
Joe shrugged and tugged Frankie up the stairs.
At least, he reflected, she'd make for some interesting stories. He couldn't even imagine anyone with an attitude like that getting by around here for long.
Frankie obviously was coming to the same conclusion. "Bet you a penny her cases go missing faster than she can get them inside."
Joe smiled. "No bet." He glanced back down the stairs. "Go sit watch, hey?"
Frankie pouted. "Why?"
Joe fiddled with the locks on their door. "Because it's the right thing to do. Go on, scoot."
When he came back up, a little under an hour later, he was grinning, holding a sweet he didn't intend to share, and a story he did. Perched on the table while Kevin darted around the room trying to get dressed for the night and keep from burning dinner at the same time, Frankie held forth about their new neighbor.
"She says her name is Mrs. Simpson, but I looked at her hand and she's got no ring. When she came down and saw me telling off Davis for going after her case she gave me a peppermint!"
Frankie's face was sticky and grinning.
Kevin caught a glimpse of the supposed Mrs Simpson as he headed out to work that night. He smiled at her and she gave an uncertain and reserved nod in return.
Kevin resolved to keep an eye on her. She was obviously unprepared for the area, and she might be a bit uppity, but she'd been kind to Frankie, which meant a whole lot more, in Kevin's book.
With that in mind, he decided that tomorrow morning he'd ask Brendon if he knew anything about her. Brendon was intrigued when presented with the mystery of Mrs Simpson. "I am intrigued," he declared. "I shall investigate further."
At first, the lack of information just made her even more tantalizing a mystery. Strangely, it was Mike who provided the breakthrough.
"Um, her sister married my mother's second cousin, actually," he said, a little bashful.
"Family came on hard times a few years back, and last I heard of this one, I think she was chaperoning for a family. I don't know, it was a while ago. Never heard she had a kid," he concluded.
The brothers shared a look. "Chaperone," Joe said meaningfully.
"No wedding ring," Nick added.
"Hard times, you say?" Kevin asked sweetly.
Mike's eyes widened. "Oh my."