Read Plain Jane for Free Online

“So did you find out why he’s so obsessed with batteries?”
    “No, not yet. He took a circuitous route around every question I put to him.”
    Over the years Jane had treated any number of patients with obsessions—hand washing, collections, organization. But never batteries. Was the man worried there would be a loss of power? Or did he think the batteries would give him power? “Does he have any health problems?”
    Mike finished chewing before answering. “Yeah, a bunion on his left foot. The guy’s an ox. He radiates good health.”
    “What does he do work-wise?”
    “He’s some big comptroller at a mega chemical company.” Mike waved his fork. “Let’s not talk about him. It makes me crazy when I think about him lugging all those batteries around everywhere he goes. Tell me about you, Jane. I’ve seen you at various conferences, and I’ve heard you on your radio show, but other than that, all I know about you is what I remember from high school. Are you married, divorced, what?”
    “Single. Between renovating this house and my practice, I haven’t had much time to get involved. That’s not to say I don’t date occasionally. I do.” Carefully, she removed the foil on a piece of paper-wrapped chicken, popped it in her mouth, and savored the delicious taste. Paper-wrapped chicken was her favorite. After that, the dish of choice was moo shoo, which she’d learned to make herself using flour tortillas. “My parents died four years ago, which is why I bought this house—to keep my mind active and positive. I’m close to my godparents and see them regularly. And I have Olive here and a few good friends. How about you?”
    “I’ve been involved a couple of times but never tied the knot. This last time, we found we wanted different things out of life. She moved on, and so did I. Mom and Dad didn’t like her, said she thought she was pretty high up on the Christmas tree. I have a brother in Montana and a sister in England. We e-mail. But basically, it’s just me and Noodle.”
    “I had a crush on you back in school,” Jane blurted, and immediately wished she hadn’t.
    Mike put down his beer and cocked his head. “I didn’t know that,” he said, looking far too deeply into her eyes.
    “Of course you didn’t,” she answered. “You were too busy being Mr. Popularity and running after Ginger and Lonnie and all the cheerleaders.”
    He threw up his hands in self-defense. “Hey! I admit it. I was a real jerk back then. I thought only of myself, how much fun I could have, and who I could have it with.”
    “That’s a fair assessment,” Jane smirked.
    “Yeah, but I’m not like that anymore. I’ve changed. And so have you. You used to be quiet and studious, and you kept to yourself.”
    “That’s because I had low self-esteem. I had a very vain mother, who was pretty and thin and didn’t wear glasses. She loved to point out our differences to her friends.”
    Mike studied her for a moment. “If I hurt you in any way, Jane, I apologize.”
    Jane pushed her plate away. “I’m basically a vegetarian,” she confided. The food was good, but she wasn’t nearly as hungry as she’d thought. “Would you like to see the rest of the house?”
    “You bet, but first I’d like to see the well.”
    “The well?”
    “Yeah, where the guy fell down and the dog died waiting.”
    “Oh, sure.” She shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”
    They left the food sitting on the table and went out the back door and down the steps. A gently curved brick path meandered through the garden, widening and narrowing as it went.
    “I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you mentioned it at lunch,” Mike said behind her. “I’m going to sleep like a top tonight. First, I find a complete set of T. F. Dingle, and now I’m going to the site where a ghost might be dwelling. Today was an absolute fluke. I think we should both buy Duracell. My guy might be onto