Sarah and Kevin 6

"No," Sarah said, looking him right in the eye. Kevin smiled and signed his paper.

"What if I don't sign?" Peter was starting to pout.

"Then you aren't staying here. It's totally up to you." She shrugged and held his gaze.

"Fine." Peter grumbled and signed the sheet and thrust it at her.

"Thank you." Sarah gathered up the sheets, signed them and tore off the top copy of each for herself and returned the second page to each of them. She stood up and began putting away the groceries. "As soon as I put these up, I'll take you on the grand tour."

The silence felt uncomfortable to Kevin, but Sarah did not seem perturbed at all. They just looked at each other, not sure what to make of her.

"Ready?" she asked when she was done. They nodded and she began walking toward the basement. "Let's start at the bottom."

There was a rather large open space to the right of the stairs. "This is where you can set up your stuff to practice. You don't have to worry abut volume. Just don't shatter the windows."

"This is a bathroom," she pointed toward a door at the back of the basement.

She showed them the weight bench and the washer and dryer to the left of the stairs and invited them to use both whenever they wished.

They followed her back up the stairs and she showed them the living room. The walls were beige and the carpet was a warm brown color. No TV, just a sofa, 3 chairs and a gas fireplace. She showed them how to turn it on.

She took them down the hallway to their rooms. "Here's the linen closet," she said and patted the closet door as they passed it. The two beds in each room were made neatly. One bedroom was blue and the other was green. The bathroom was blue and green and was situated between the two rooms.

"Go ahead and hang whatever you want on the walls. As long as you're here, the decorating is up to you." She walked past them and paused at the fourth door in the hallway. Setting her hand on the doorknob, she said,"This is the door to my space. Other than running a vacuum occasionally, I will not be in your rooms. I expect that you will respect my privacy as well."

"Is there a lock on that door?" Peter asked.

"Yes." Sarah put her left hand on her hip. Kevin smiled again. This one was not going to take any of Peter's crap. Peter looked sheepish and remained silent. She turned and caught Kevin's smile.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked quietly as she passed him, touching his arm. She walked into the kitchen again and they followed her. She picked up her cup of coffee and took a sip.

"Sunday's are my day off," she said. "I usually go to visit my Aunt. I will make sure that there is food for you to make for yourselves on that day. Otherwise I will be making a little something for breakfast and then supper each day. If you could take the time to make me lists of foods you really like and foods you really hate, that will make it easier for me to cook for you.

"Which of you is the business man?" she asked.

"I am," said Scott.

"OK. I would appreciate it if you would keep me apprised of your financial situation. When you are able to pay, we can talk about rent. The only bill you have to be responsible for now is the phone bill. There is a cordless phone in the green room. Any calls you make on that phone are your responsibility. I have already paid to have the extra line added to the house."

She finished her coffee and put the mug in the sink. "Now, unless you have any questions, I'll be off." Kevin had been staring at her the entire time and now she caught his eye. She blinked and then gave him a little smile. "OK. We'll eat around 6:00, if that works for you." She looked around and they all nodded. "Great. See you later." She left the kitchen. They heard the door to her rooms close and her footsteps up the stairs.

"Wow. She's got everything under control, don't she?" asked Scott. He flopped down in one of the kitchen chairs.

"She's kind of a bitch," said Peter. Kevin turned and gave him his dirtiest look.

"She's letting us stay here for free until we can get the band going again. Tansara, I swear to god, if you screw this up for us, I will personally tear your head off."

Peter looked up at Kevin with a sneer. "Screw it up? No way. In fact, I plan to negotiate a better deal for us after I get a chance to know her better." Peter laughed at Kevin's disgusted expression. "Why do you think she wants us here? She's lonely and she wants some action. I provide it for her and we can do whatever we want. Get it?" Peter poked Kevin in the chest.

Kevin shoved him away. "You're an idiot, Tansara." Kevin walked out of the house to begin unloading the van.