She ran into the bedroom dripping wet from the shower, "Hello?"
"Hey there."
"Oh, hi Steve."
"Well, don't sound so excited to hear from me."
She smiled at herself, "Sorry, just thought you might be someone else." She was growing aware of standing in her air conditioned bedroom dripping wet. The cool air was causing her nipples to harden into small pebbles.
"Oh, replaced so soon?" It was a long standing joke. Steve was an ex-boyfriend, current long term friend. He'd stood in as an usher at her wedding, as he only passingly got along with Doug, who didn't want him as best man. Actually, Doug came close to saying how he didn't want Steve at the wedding altogether. Her ex-husband had seen their long-term friendship, and the fact that they were ex-lovers, as a threat. Of course, for the four years they'd been married, she'd never once considered an affair with Steve. They got along just fine, they simply both wanted something different from their long term relationships.
"Of course not," she answered, while thinking to herself that there was no way she could tell Steve about a one night stand. He was the swinger, she was the conservative one. While they enjoyed each others company, there was no way she wanted him to think she wanted that in her life. Did she?
"Well," continued Steve, "you still want some help on that monster of a house you got?"
"Hell yeah, you don't expect me to move a baby grand piano all on my own do you?" She was shivering now, and cut him off before he could ask about a non-existent piano, "Look, Steve, I jumped out of the shower to answer the phone, mind if I call you back?"
"Heck, I'll be over in twenty minutes, unless you were serious about a piano. In which case, forget it!"
"Just kidding, just kidding, no piano."
"Alright, see you in twenty."
"Great, see you then," she hung up the phone and dashed back for a towel. She was dried, clothed, and unpacking the kitchen forty minutes later when Steve finally rang the bell. The house was a monster, a large comfortable monster that left her feeling warm and vitalized since her first visit. The Victorian had gone up for sheriff sale on back taxes. A grateful client, enjoying their newly designed restaurant, knew someone who worked in real estate. It ended up being just this side of legal, and a chance she was happy to jump at. As it was, it took her a minute to walk to the front door, during which Steve rang the bell a couple more times. As she came down the hall she found herself reciting a limerick in the back of her mind;
