Get the words 'gargoyle,' 'teabag', and 'paperweight' into one coherent sentence.
"What the hell is this?" James asked, lifting a twisted hunk of metal off the desk through which he had been frantically searching.
"It's a paperweight," Tara informed him flopping with a sigh into an arm chair in the corner of the room.
"It's ugly as heck," James told her, opening another drawer and rifling through it.
"It belonged to my grandfather, so it's staying," she told him. "If Grandma thought it was worth keeping, I'm not chucking it out."
"Well, your grandmother apparently thought it was worth keeping shopping lists from 1976," he replied, peering awkwardly into the open drawer. "Seriously, if your grandparents had any information about the mortgage on this house, they didn't keep it in a sensible place."
"Tara? Where are you?" A voice called from down the hallway.
"In the study!" Tara shouted back.
A moment later, Lottie appeared in the doorway, dragging two shopping bags with her. "Good. I need help putting this food away. Let's hope that ancient fridge will actually keep this stuff cool." She frowned when she spotted James behind the desk. "What's he doing here?"
Tara sighed. "I asked him if he could help us figure out how much we owe in the mortgage, since I'm just as confused as you are about that."
"You know much about mortgages?" Lottie asked, dropping the bags to the floor at her feet. It had been a while since she'd seen James, although he and her sister had been as thick as thieves back in high school. He'd lost most of the bad boy look he'd sported back in those days, but there were still lingering remnants that reminded Lottie of the crippling crush she'd had on him when she was twelve.
"I work in banking, so yeah," he said, finally lifting his head up from the pile of papers he was sifting through. His eyes lit up. "Is that little Lottie? My, you scrubbed up well."
To her utter horror, heat flooded to her cheeks. There was a time when she might have longed for James's attention, but now was not it. "Well, so do you. Suits, huh? I never would have predicted that."
He gave her a wry smile. "Me neither. What are you up to? Have you started college yet?"
Lottie blushed again. "Not yet. Still trying to save up enough money so that I'm not in horrific debt by the end of it. Anyway. I need to put this food away." She gestured to her sister, but Tara merely rolled her eyes
James tossed the papers on to the desk. "I'll help. Let me just stick these under this magnificent paperweight."
Lottie peered at the item in his hand. "That paperweight looks like a gargoyle with a teabag on its head, if you ask me."
"See, she agrees with me," James said, pointing at Tara. "It's ugly."
"Yeah, well, so are you," Tara shot back, not budging from the armchair.
"Looks like this arrangement is going to work out perfectly," Lottie said, heaving the shopping bags into her arms again.
"I can help with that," James said, easing himself out of the chair.
"I've got it," she called over her shoulder as she made her way out of the room. She and her sister might be struggling, but they didn't need anyone's pity--especially not from a man like James.
Word count: 561
"It's a paperweight," Tara informed him flopping with a sigh into an arm chair in the corner of the room.
"It's ugly as heck," James told her, opening another drawer and rifling through it.
"It belonged to my grandfather, so it's staying," she told him. "If Grandma thought it was worth keeping, I'm not chucking it out."
"Well, your grandmother apparently thought it was worth keeping shopping lists from 1976," he replied, peering awkwardly into the open drawer. "Seriously, if your grandparents had any information about the mortgage on this house, they didn't keep it in a sensible place."
"Tara? Where are you?" A voice called from down the hallway.
"In the study!" Tara shouted back.
A moment later, Lottie appeared in the doorway, dragging two shopping bags with her. "Good. I need help putting this food away. Let's hope that ancient fridge will actually keep this stuff cool." She frowned when she spotted James behind the desk. "What's he doing here?"
Tara sighed. "I asked him if he could help us figure out how much we owe in the mortgage, since I'm just as confused as you are about that."
"You know much about mortgages?" Lottie asked, dropping the bags to the floor at her feet. It had been a while since she'd seen James, although he and her sister had been as thick as thieves back in high school. He'd lost most of the bad boy look he'd sported back in those days, but there were still lingering remnants that reminded Lottie of the crippling crush she'd had on him when she was twelve.
"I work in banking, so yeah," he said, finally lifting his head up from the pile of papers he was sifting through. His eyes lit up. "Is that little Lottie? My, you scrubbed up well."
To her utter horror, heat flooded to her cheeks. There was a time when she might have longed for James's attention, but now was not it. "Well, so do you. Suits, huh? I never would have predicted that."
He gave her a wry smile. "Me neither. What are you up to? Have you started college yet?"
Lottie blushed again. "Not yet. Still trying to save up enough money so that I'm not in horrific debt by the end of it. Anyway. I need to put this food away." She gestured to her sister, but Tara merely rolled her eyes
James tossed the papers on to the desk. "I'll help. Let me just stick these under this magnificent paperweight."
Lottie peered at the item in his hand. "That paperweight looks like a gargoyle with a teabag on its head, if you ask me."
"See, she agrees with me," James said, pointing at Tara. "It's ugly."
"Yeah, well, so are you," Tara shot back, not budging from the armchair.
"Looks like this arrangement is going to work out perfectly," Lottie said, heaving the shopping bags into her arms again.
"I can help with that," James said, easing himself out of the chair.
"I've got it," she called over her shoulder as she made her way out of the room. She and her sister might be struggling, but they didn't need anyone's pity--especially not from a man like James.
Word count: 561