Posts Tagged ‘family’

When Eavesdropping Saves the Day

Posted: September 23, 2025 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

I know that eavesdropping is rude, but for a mind reader who hears thoughts like they’re spoken out loud, it’s a whole different story. I have to work really hard to keep from hearing other people’s business, so the line between accidentally hearing someone’s thoughts and deliberately snooping has gotten a lot blurrier.

That’s why I work extra hard to keep from hearing my husband’s thoughts. He hates it when I pick things up that he’d rather I didn’t know, and I totally get it. This has been an ongoing source of contention between us, so I’ve been working extra hard to keep my shields up around him. Not only that, but Chris has been getting much better at blocking his thoughts as well. Normally, this would be a win-win situation, but not lately.

A week ago, Chris began acting strange, almost like he was auditioning for the role of “Husband With No Problems Whatsoever.” He was even extra-cheerful around me, and asking me all sorts of questions about my day, and hardly thinking about his. That was my first red flag. The second came when he started thinking about the most boring stuff imaginable. Tax codes, grocery lists, that jingle from the insurance commercial that gets stuck in your head for days… you know what I’m talking about. 

After that, I noticed him checking his phone and then immediately putting it face-down, then start to say something, but quickly change the subject. All of these things screamed “I’m fine” while meaning exactly the opposite.

If you know me, you know I’m not about to put up with that. But his mind was so closed, it was like running into a brick wall. A few days ago, it even got to the point where I tried the direct approach: “Chris, what’s wrong?” His answer? A practiced smile and, “Nothing.” Then a quick change of subject.

What’s a mind reader to do? Luckily, my answer came from an unexpected source. At Thrasher the next day, Uncle Joey broke the barrier. “How’s Chris feeling about the Brennan contracts?”

“What contracts?”

Uncle Joey’s eyebrows went up. “He didn’t tell you? I asked him to look into some contract issues for me. Nothing major, just some legal advice.”

“Uh… no, he didn’t.”

Uncle Joey leaned back in his chair, and I could hear his thoughts clearly. He had asked Chris to review contracts for a new restaurant venture, and was wondering why Chris hadn’t discussed this with me. Did than mean Chris didn’t trust me, or did it mean the situation was more serious than he’d thought. “Maybe you should ask Chris about it. I’d hate for there to be any… misunderstandings.”

That was his way of telling me to do what I do best, and listen to Chris’s thoughts so I could tell him what was going on. I shook my head. How did this happen? My boss was asking me to spy on my husband? Ugh! “Yeah… I’ll ask him.”

“Good.”

That night, I watched Chris push his spaghetti around on his plate while humming the theme from Jeopardy. Out loud.

“So…” I began. “Uncle Joey mentioned something about contracts today.”

Chris’s humming stopped. “What kind of contracts?”

“The Brennan ones?”

Chris set down his fork and rubbed his temples. “Right. Those.”

“Want to talk about it?”

He met my gaze. “Honey… this is one of those times that it’s better you don’t know.”

My eyes widened. “Because of Uncle Joey?”

“Yes. Don’t worry. I’m figuring it out, and it should all be resolved soon.”

“Sure, but what if he asks me about it?”

“Just tell him I’m working on it. Okay?”

I nodded, but this was killing me almost as much as it was killing him. How was I supposed to help my husband when he was keeping something from the mob boss for whom we both worked? I wanted to insist he tell me, but he’d gone back to singing that awful tune in his mind, so I knew he wasn’t about to relent.

I knew I had to do something. Uncle Joey would expect me to tell him what was going on and I’d have to tell him that Chris was blocking me out. It had the potential to make things even worse for Chris, which had to be why Chris wouldn’t tell me anything, right?

Luckily, right after dinner, I had to make a quick run to the grocery store because we were out of milk. I was coming out of the store, juggling bags and trying to fish my keys out of my purse, when I walked straight into someone coming around the corner. Groceries went flying, apologies were exchanged, and we both bent down to collect the scattered items.

“Shelby? Shelby Nichols?”

I looked up to see Tom Brennan. We’d only met once in Chris’s office, but I remembered him because he was well-dressed in that understated way that suggests money without flashing it around.

“Oh…hi! It’s Tom, right?”

“Yes. Sorry about this.” He finished picking up the last of my groceries, and handed them over.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“You know… this is perfect timing. I’ve been meaning to call your husband.” Tom was thinking about how relieved he was to run into me, because he’d been feeling terrible about the position he’d put Chris in.

Tom had hired Chris months ago to handle some routine contract work for his construction business. Standard stuff, nothing complicated. But recently, Uncle Joey had asked Chris to review contracts for a new restaurant venture, and Chris had discovered that Uncle Joey’s project would directly compete with Tom’s business in the same area.

But here’s the part that made me want to hug Tom Brennan right there in the parking lot: his company had just landed a huge development contract on the other side of town. He was actually relieved to be pulling out of the downtown market entirely, which meant Uncle Joey’s restaurant wouldn’t be competition at all. Tom had been meaning to call Chris and tell him about the change, but he’d been swamped with the new project.

“You know,” Tom said. “I really should give Chris a call. We just signed this amazing deal for a west-side development, and I keep meaning to update him on how it’s going to affect our downtown plans.”

“I’m sure he’d love to hear from you.” I tried not to sound as relieved as I felt and we parted ways.

When I got home, Chris was in his office staring at his computer. I rushed in to tell him the good news. “Guess who I just ran into? Tom Brennan.”

Chris’s head snapped up so fast I was surprised he didn’t get whiplash. “Tom Brennan?”

“Yeah. He mentioned something about a new project and how they’re moving the location to the west-side and leaving the downtown area.”

Chris’s brows rose. “He actually told you that?”

I shrugged. “Well… no, but that’s what he was thinking. He said he needed to call you about it. So… is that what you’re so worried about?”

Chris sighed and his shoulders sagged. “Yes.” The whole story came pouring out. Chris was stuck in an ethical nightmare. He couldn’t advise Uncle Joey on something that would hurt his other client, but he also couldn’t tell Uncle Joey about the conflict without violating Tom’s confidentiality. He’d been losing sleep trying to figure out how to handle the situation without betraying either client or getting himself disbarred.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” I asked.

“Because you would have felt obligated to tell Manetto. It would have put you in a bind, and I didn’t want to saddle you with that.” Plus, he was thinking that Uncle Joey might have done something underhanded to make Tom’s company go away, which would have totally ruined Chris’s reputation and damaged his career.

“Oh… yeah. I see what you mean.” I shook my head. “Although… I can’t see Uncle Joey doing that to you, but I guess it’s a lucky turn of events that Tom’s company is changing direction.”

“Yeah… no kidding.”

The next day, Tom called Chris, just like he’d said he would. Turns out, his company was not only pulling out of the downtown market, they were actively looking for someone to take over their lease. Uncle Joey’s restaurant project went from being a conflict of interest to being the perfect solution for everyone involved.

Chris gave Uncle Joey the legal advice he needed, Tom got help transitioning out of a lease he no longer wanted, and I got my husband back to his normal stress level, which is to say the manageable amount that comes from being married to someone who works for the mob. Of course… we both do, so it’s no wonder that we have our problems.

Still, the real lesson here isn’t about contracts, ethics, or even accidental mind reading. It’s about communication, trust, and the fact that sometimes the solution is just one phone call away, and working together is always better than going it alone.

If we’d all just talked to each other from the beginning, we could have saved ourselves a lot of sleepless nights. But then again, if we’d done that, I never would have learned that Tom Brennan thinks my laugh is “delightfully infectious,” which was a nice ego boost even if I only learned it through thought-eavesdropping.

In conclusion… is eavesdropping a bad thing to do? Yes… for the most part, that would be true. But for me, it totally saved the day.

Until next time!

~Shelby

When Your Protective Instincts Backfire Spectacularly

Posted: July 18, 2025 in Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , ,
6

You know that feeling when you realize someone you care about is in danger, but the person trying to protect them is actually making things worse? Well, welcome to my Tuesday afternoon.

I was supposed to meet Uncle Joey at his office for a meeting, but when I got there, Ramos intercepted me in the parking garage. “Change of plans. Manetto wants to meet at Tony’s Deli instead. Something about needing to get out of the office. I figured you’d want a ride over there, so I told him I’d bring you on my bike. Sound good?”

I smiled. Ramos always knew how to make my day. “You know it.”

After strapping on my helmet, I climbed on the back of his motorcycle and held on tight. I was pretty sure I knew where the deli was, but Ramos didn’t go in the right direction. Pretty soon, we were going further and further away, and I couldn’t figure out why. Had I misheard him?

Naturally, I listened in to his thoughts, hoping to find an explanation since we couldn’t exactly talk to each other. I drew a blank and knew he was blocking me out. Why would he do that?

Suddenly nervous, I lifted my visor, and shouted toward his ear. “What’s going on? The deli is the other way.”

He nodded and I picked up don’t worry, there’s something I have to do first.

I nodded and flipped my visor back down before settling in behind him. I didn’t pick up anything else – like an explanation – which he could have offered, so I tried to be patient. Soon enough, Ramos turned down another street that took us in the right direction and I relaxed.

After another ten minutes, we pulled into the parking lot of Tony’s Deli. I dismounted and pulled off my helmet. “What was that all about?”

“Nothing. Just thought you’d want a longer ride.”

I shook my head. “Ramos. You may be able to fool a lot of people, but you can’t fool me. What’s going on?”

He glanced around the parking lot before motioning toward the door. “Let’s talk inside.”

After stepping inside, I hoped to spot Uncle Joey, but he wasn’t there. Ramos led me to a corner table and we sat down. “Where’s Uncle Joey? Is he in some kind of trouble?”

Ramos closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yes and no. If I tell you what’s going on, you can’t tell him.” He was thinking that he could handle the problem, and he didn’t want Uncle Joey to know.

“That sounds bad. Are you sure you don’t want his help?”

“Shelby…” he growled. “I’m sure. I was hoping you wouldn’t pick up on it either, but I should have known I couldn’t keep a secret from you.”

I sat back in the booth. That stung. Did he resent me? He seemed more upset than I’d seen him in a while. “Fine.  What’s going on? Maybe I can help.”

He shook his head. “I’m taking care of it, in fact, by this time tomorrow, everything should be back to normal.”

My brows drew together and suddenly, things clicked into place. “Does this have something to do with Uncle Joey’s schedule changes? I swear things have been off lately. He’s never where he’s supposed to be. Is that because of you?”

Ramos let out a breath. “Yes. I’ve had to change things up because of a problem from my past. I ended this guy’s lucrative career, and now he wants to end mine by taking out Manetto. He left me a note telling me all about it. How stupid is that? But it made me realize that Manetto has a schedule that he sticks to, which makes him an easy target. For the last few days, I’ve been changing things up until I could figure out a plan to take Martinez down.”

“But why not tell Uncle Joey?”

“Because it’s my problem, not his. Maybe I would have, but Maggie and Syd are coming in tonight to visit. He doesn’t have time for this, and I can take care of it on my own. I’ve got it covered.”

I wanted to argue with him by pointing out that all of these mysterious changes were making Uncle Joey second-guess himself, and making him feel older and more vulnerable than he actually was.

But I also understood Ramos’s position. He was trying to eliminate a threat without dragging Uncle Joey into a conflict that was ultimately about Ramos’s past. In his mind, he was being noble and taking responsibility. Still, now that I knew, how could I stand by and do nothing?

“So what’s the plan? Maybe I can help?”

“No. I can take care of it.”

“I’m sure you can, but now that I know, I’d like to help out. Besides, if you won’t let me tell Uncle Joey, then at least let me help you.”

His brows drew down. Had I just issued him a challenge? Would I tell Manetto if he didn’t let me help him?

I rolled my eyes. “It depends on the plan. Come on Ramos… you know I can help you. If something goes wrong, wouldn’t you like someone there to watch your back?”

His shoulders slumped. “Fine… but what about Maggie and Syd? Aren’t you supposed to go over there tonight?”

“No. The family dinner is tomorrow night. See? I’m available.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine.”

Ramos told me all about his plan to take out Martinez in the parking lot of The Comet Club. “Martinez thinks Manetto will be there tonight. He’s usually there on Tuesdays, but I told Manetto not to come since Maggie and Syd are here. See? It’s perfect.”

“Okay, but where is he right now?”

“Oh. He’s at Lugano’s waiting for us.”

“But why did you come here?”

“To see if someone was following me.”

I shook my head. It would have been nice to know all that in the first place. “Okay. We’d better go.”

“Sure. Just make sure you keep this to yourself.” He was thinking that sometimes I had a problem not blurting out the things I heard.

“I will.”

The rest of the day passed by pretty quick, and soon I was with Ramos in the parking lot of The Comet Club, waiting for Martinez to show up. I tried to calm my nerves by focusing on the familiar sounds of the city, but my mind kept drifting to Uncle Joey, who was hopefully having a nice, quiet dinner with Jackie, Maggie and Syd, completely unaware that we were about to confront a man who wanted him dead.

Martinez showed up around nine-thirty, just like Ramos had hoped, which meant at least part of the plan was going right. Average height, stocky build, the kind of guy who looked like he’d been in too many fights and won most of them. But as I focused on his thoughts, I knew we were in trouble.

He wasn’t alone.

As I reached over to grab Ramos’s arm, he jumped out of the shadows to confront Martinez. At that moment, a car came roaring across the parking lot.

“Ramos! Move!”

Ramos dove to the left, and the car missed him by inches. While he rolled away from the speeding vehicle, Martinez changed tactics and started walking toward me.

“You must be Manetto’s niece. If I can’t have him, you’ll do just as well.”

I whipped out my stun flashlight, and held it toward Martinez in a threatening stance. “Stay back!” I knew I was in a vulnerable spot, but Ramos was fighting the driver of the car, and couldn’t get to me before Martinez did.

Martinez burst out laughing. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

A voice cut through the chaos like a blade. “Try laughing at this.” Uncle Joey stepped out from behind a parked car, and Martinez went down like a sack of potatoes.

As Ramos finished dealing with the driver (who was now sorry he’d ever agreed to help Martinez), Uncle Joey walked over to us with the kind of calm that only comes from decades of experience.

“You know,” he began, “when someone specifically tells me not to go to my own club, it’s usually because something interesting is about to happen there.”

My eyes widened. “You figured it out.”

“Shelby, I’ve been in this business longer than you’ve been alive. When my schedule starts changing for mysterious reasons, and my second in command suddenly doesn’t want me anywhere near my own establishment, I tend to notice.” He glanced at Ramos. “Especially when my sister’s in town and I’m supposedly too distracted to handle a problem.”

Ramos cringed. “It’s my fault. Martinez was threatening me, and I wanted to take care of it myself.”

Uncle Joey shook his head. “I may be getting older, but I’m not dead yet.”

“I didn’t mean–”

“I know, I know.” Uncle Joey was a little offended, but deep down, he was trying not to laugh. “But I didn’t survive this long by not being observant.”

“We thought you’d be busy with Maggie and Syd tonight,” I said.

“And you thought I couldn’t deal with one threat while entertaining family?” Uncle Joey shook his head. “I appreciate the concern, I really do, but next time, maybe consider that the person you’re trying to protect might be better equipped to handle the situation than you think.”

As we stood there in the parking lot, with Martinez unconscious and his friend zip-tied in the back of a police car (don’t ask me how Uncle Joey made that call so fast), I realized something important.

Trying to shield Uncle Joey from a threat that he probably could have handled in two minutes was a mistake, and, in the end, he’d been the one to save the day. Of course, keeping this from him was Ramos’s idea, not mine, so I couldn’t feel too bad.

Uncle Joey wasn’t angry, exactly. Exasperated, maybe. A little insulted that we’d kept this from him. But mostly, he was amused by the whole situation.

“You know what the funny part is?” He asked, as we walked back toward the club. “Maggie’s been asking me all night if my life is really as exciting as she imagines. I was running out of interesting stories to tell her.”

“Well,” I said. “Now you have a new one.”

“Oh, I’m definitely telling her about this.” He chuckled. “I think she’ll get a kick out of it.”

He stopped and placed a hand on Ramos’s shoulder. “I appreciate that you wanted to take care of this yourself, but next time, keep me in the loop.” He put his other hand on my shoulder. “That goes for you, too. We work best as a team.”

So that’s my story.

Next time someone I care about is in danger, I’m going to remember this night. Sure, there are times when we need to take care of our problems on our own, but when it involves the people we love, it’s never a bad idea to ask for help.

Have you ever tried to help someone and just made things worse? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

XOXO ~Shelby

Date Night

Posted: June 14, 2024 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
12

From the title, you probably think this is going to be about a date I had that went horribly wrong. You wouldn’t be too far off, but it wasn’t my date. As most of you know, my son, Josh, just turned sixteen and he’s in high school now. Needless to say, the last school dance of the year wasn’t long ago, and Josh got asked by a girl I didn’t know.

As most of you are thinking, yes… I checked her out, and found that she was a senior and quite popular. She was also gorgeous. So why did she ask Josh to go to the dance? I could only guess, but of course, Josh agreed to go, and he thought it was because he was hot and had his own car.

Anyway… to make a long story short, the night of the dance came and she picked him up in a limo. She even came to the door to get him, which was perfect, since I planned on finding out exactly what she was thinking about their date.

Luckily for her, there was nothing nefarious about her intentions, or it might have turned out differently. She’d asked him to go with her because she’d just broken up with her boyfriend and she wasn’t about to miss the last dance of her high school experience. She also thought Josh was really cute, and she wanted to have a fun time with him and her friends. Then I heard that the other girls in the group had asked younger boys, so Josh wasn’t the only one. I picked up that they’d done it to show the senior boys that they weren’t the only fish in the sea, which I had to admire.

Relieved that it wasn’t anything serious, I told him goodbye and hurried out the door myself. Uncle Joey had requested my presence at a dinner he’d scheduled with an out-of-town guest, and I didn’t want to be late. Inspired by the kids, I’d even dressed up a bit, wearing the red dress I’d picked up in New York a few months ago.

At the restaurant, Uncle Joey greeted me warmly with a kiss on the cheek, and introduced me to his guest, Gabe Dunn. He was close to my age, and lavished me with attention after finding out I was Uncle Joey’s niece. Naturally, I knew he was just kissing up, so I didn’t let it go to my head, although I did enjoy being called ‘beautiful,’ and ‘lovely.’

We were shown to a table by a window, and I sat between the two men, which left an empty chair across from me. Before I could ask who else was joining us, Ramos strode to our table. He wore a black dress shirt and jacket combo, and every woman in the place couldn’t take their eyes off him. He pulled out the chair with his back to the window, and sat down with a smile, knowing he was the center of attention, and loving it.

While we looked over our menus, I picked up that Gabe was nervous about this meeting because he owed Uncle Joey a large sum of money, and he didn’t have it. In fact, he was so desperate, that he was willing to gamble his life for it.

Unsure how he planned to do that, I listened real close, but got distracted by a big group of kids coming into the restaurant. There were four couples. The girls wore prom dresses that barely covered their cleavage, and were accompanied by boys in their best suits and ties. Spotting Josh among them, I gasped. Holy hell! Of all the joints in all the city, he had to come to this one?

Luckily, he hadn’t seen me yet, and I hoped he wouldn’t. Still, Uncle Joey narrowed his eyes and glanced my way with a raised brow, asking in his mind if that was Josh… and what was he doing there? Ramos and Gabe had noticed the group as well, and both of them smiled at the sight. Then Ramos’s brows rose and he glanced at me, asking if I knew Josh would be here.

I shook my head and shrugged, trying to ignore the group, and hoping that Josh didn’t notice us. We ordered our food, and Uncle Joey asked Gabe if he’d had a pleasant visit. While they spoke, Josh’s date happened to glance in my direction and her eyes bulged. She elbowed Josh and pointed me out, thinking that I was one of those moms, and maybe Josh wasn’t so cool after all.

Josh spotted me and his face turned red. What the hell was I doing there? Was I keeping track of him and his date? This was terrible. Then he noticed Uncle joey at my side and Ramos sitting across from me, and it all made sense. He relaxed, and a little smile crept over his lips. He sent me a chin-lift and leaned over to his date, explaining that I was with my boss, and that I worked as a private investigator.

Hearing that, his date’s eyes widened and her attitude changed from disgust to admiration. After ordering their dinner, she asked Josh dozens of questions about me and some of the cases I’d worked on. Josh had a great time telling her about my latest escapade with the police in solving a cold case.

Whew… grateful I’d dodged a bullet with that one, I turned back to the conversation at my table. Our entrees arrived and I enjoyed the first few bites of my rib-eye steak and baked potato. After that, I picked up Gabe’s thoughts of desperation, and that he’d have to go through with his plans to kill Uncle Joey. I nearly choked on my last bite and had to take several large gulps of water to wash it down.

“Are you all right?” Uncle Joey asked, patting my back.

I cleared my throat a few times before I could answer. “Sorry… yes. I’m fine now.”

“Good.” He glanced at Gabe and continued their conversation.

Ramos’s brows rose. He hadn’t missed my reaction, and knew something was going on. I smiled at him and nodded. I waited until Gabe took a bite of food, and turned to him. “So Gabe… I understand you’re feeling a little desperate about the money you owe my uncle.”

His eyes widened and he dropped his fork on the ground. “Shit. Uh… excuse me.” He leaned down to pick it up, and set it next to his plate. Turning his mega-watt smile on me, he raised his brows. “Not at all. Whatever gave you that idea?” As soon as he said it, he wished he hadn’t.

“Well… sometimes desperate people do desperate things, so I’m just warning you that killing someone is not always the best solution.”

I glanced at Uncle Joey, who raised his brows and sent Gabe a piercing stare. “You planning a little something to happen to me?”

Gabe swore in his mind and swallowed. “Of course not. I would never do something that stupid.” He glanced down at his hands. “To be honest, I am trying to work out a solution to solve my cash flow so I can pay you back.” He was thinking that he may have thought about killing Uncle Joey, but he’d never do anything like that in a million years.

He narrowed his eyes at me, wondering how I’d known… or maybe it was just something that happened often enough that it was a pretty good guess.

“So, is paying me going to be a problem?” Uncle Joey’s lips turned down and he was thinking that it was just as he’d thought, and Gabe didn’t have the money after all. It was so discouraging. Why did these people guarantee him a nice payout if they didn’t plan to follow through? Were they not scared of him enough? Had he lost his tough-guy image?

I wanted to tell him that he hadn’t lost anything… mostly because so many people wanted him dead, but that wasn’t something I could blurt out over dinner.

Ramos met my gaze, thinking that I’d better figure out a solution, or Uncle Joey would have to do something drastic… like have him break both of Gabe’s legs… just to save face.

My eyes widened and I glanced at Gabe. “Listen Gabe… you don’t want to end up with a couple of broken legs, do you?”

Gabe’s eyes bulged, and he shook his head. “Of course not.” He met Uncle Joey’s gaze. “I’m sure I can get the money together. I just need another day or two. Is that acceptable? I can have it by day after tomorrow?”

Uncle Joey leaned forward. “Let’s finish our meal first. While we do that, you can come up with an offer I can’t refuse. How does that sound?”

Hesitant, Gabe finally nodded. “Sure. I appreciate it. Thank you.” He licked his lips before picking up his dirty fork and began carving up his prime rib. Thoughts of stabbing Uncle Joey with the knife filled his mind, but he pushed them back, thinking that he’d have to figure out a better way to do it. In the meantime, he figured he could sweeten the deal by adding half a million in cryptocurrency. He’d been keeping his crypto for a rainy day, and even though it was all on paper, he hoped Uncle Joey would fall for it.

I wanted to roll my eyes, but I just took another bite of my steak and let Gabe make the offer to Uncle Joey. Gabe thought it was the perfect solution and his enthusiasm kept him talking a lot longer than he needed to. He nearly got all the way to the end of his spiel before he noticed Uncle Joey’s frowny face.

“Uh… excuse me.” Gabe set his napkin on the table. “I need to visit the restroom. I’ll be right back.”

As soon as he left, I turned to Uncle Joey. “I think he might take off. Do you want Ramos to follow him?”

Uncle Joey sighed. “Not tonight. Let’s finish our dinner and we’ll deal with him… later.”

I nodded. “I know it’s discouraging, but don’t lose hope. He might still come through.”

Gabe never did come back. As we finished our meal, I entertained Uncle Joey and Ramos with some of the thoughts I’d picked up from Josh’s table. Most of the girls’ thoughts were about how much they wanted to eat their food, but couldn’t because their dresses would be too tight. Some of the boys felt awkward. They wanted to look cool and make their dates laugh. But all-in-all the group was having a good time… and so did we.

The group finished up, ready to head to the dance. Since our entertainment was leaving, we decided to head out as well. Before we stood to leave, Josh surprised me by bringing his date over to our table. He introduced her to all of us, and both Uncle Joey and Ramos stood to meet her.

She seemed a little star-struck at the attention, especially when the full force of Ramos’s intensely dark gaze met hers. He also spoke to Josh like they were old friends, and it impressed her even more. Needless to say, Josh rose several notches in her esteem, and he didn’t mind that at all.

We said our goodbyes and they all hurried out to their limo. I picked up some nostalgia from Uncle Joey about his high school days, and wishing he’d enjoyed them more. Ramos didn’t have the same feelings since he’d spent most of that time involved in a gang. But it did remind him of his girlfriend back then, and how things could have been different if she hadn’t died.

Yikes. “So what’s the plan for Gabe?”

Ramos smirked. “I’ll pay him a visit later tonight.” He raised a brow. “Hopefully I won’t have to break his legs.” He was mostly teasing. “Did you pick up anything from him that I need to be aware of?”

I shook my head. “Just be on your guard. He was thinking about killing Uncle Joey, but then a lot of people do, so I don’t know if he’d really try it, but…” I shrugged. “You never know.”

Uncle Joey raised a brow. “They do?”

“Only the ones who owe you money… so you should take that as a compliment, right?”

He huffed. “If you say so.”

“Oh… and don’t worry that you’ve lost your touch. These guys are all intimidated and scared by you, so it’s all good.”

His lips twisted. “Thanks Shelby. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Who knew those kinds of compliments would ever be a good thing? I smiled at him and we said our goodbyes before going our separate ways; Uncle Joey and Ramos to plan how to handle Gabe, and me to my car and home.

In the end, Josh had a great time and even thought having me for a mom wasn’t so bad. Go me! Uncle Joey ended up getting his money from Gabe, and Ramos assured me he didn’t break any legs in the process.

It turned out that the evening was a huge success after all, which doesn’t always happen when I’m involved. In fact, it was so fun, that I’m wondering if I can manage to be at the same restaurant as my kids and their dates all the time… hehehe.

Dog-gone It!

Posted: January 26, 2024 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , ,
25

Not too long ago, my family got a dog. He was left at an animal shelter. At first glance, we just knew he was meant to be ours. He’s a German Shepard and his name is Coco. I could say that we chose him, but the truth is, he’s the one who chose us. It also didn’t hurt that, because of my mind-reading ability, I could understand some of what Coco’s barks and mannerisms meant, which led to a special bond.

To make a long story short, we also discovered that Coco had been trained as a search-and-rescue dog. With this exciting news, my son, Josh, has been training to become a certified search-and-rescue handler. He’s had some experience, since he brought Coco to the mountains to search for me a few months ago. In fact, I might not be here without Coco’s excellent nose, and I’ll be forever grateful to him for that!

Nearly ready for his first official search-and-rescue assignment, Josh invited me to watch his training session with a couple of other trainers and their dogs. I jumped at the chance to see them in action. The training session had been set up in a large nature park, with a real person who was “lost” and the three participating dogs took turns finding him.

At the end of the session, the dogs were given treats, and let off their long leads so they could relax. I joined Josh and Coco in the training area, giving both of them praise for a job well done. A few of the other dogs joined us, and I began talking to them. Before I knew it, they’d all congregated around me, and picking up what their barks meant was a hoot.

Of course, Coco was the most vocal. This my mom… she plays… takes on walks… we explore together... she smells good…

Hearing that, Benji sniffed me. I don’t know… my mom smells better… she gives good ear rubs.

I knelt beside Benji. “Do you like your ears rubbed right here?” I proceeded to rub his ears and moved my hand to just the right spot. That right spot… yes… keep rubbing...don’t stop…ahhhh.

I finished up and stood. Benjy turned to Coco. Your mom good at that…

Coco: Yes… my mom best… cuddles good… always know when I want to play… she good listener.

Coco’s friend Scout twisted his head and studied me. But she have little ears… how she listen…

Coco: I find her when she lost…I best boy…I always find her…No one else can find her…but I find her…

Scout: I find human too… lots of times… A rustle came from the trees. What that?

Their ears perked up, and all the dogs froze, staring into the grove of trees.

“I wonder what they’re looking at.” Josh said.

“It’s a rabbit. They all want to go after it, but they’re holding back because of their training.” I bent down and petted them. “Good dogs. Way to go. You’re all so good. Well done.” I ruffled their fur and continued to praise them. They loved it.

Scout barked. Your mom real good.

Coco: She best… smell good too. Treat?

Luckily I had a treat bag in my purse, so I pulled it out and gave all the dogs a treat for being so good.

Josh knew I understood Coco better than most, but now the other handlers were wondering how I did it. One of them was thinking I must be a dog whisperer. It was like I knew what they wanted just by looking at them… it was uncanny. He was ready to come over and talk to me, but just then, Lance Hobbs, the man in charge of the event, thanked everyone for participating, and told us we could go.

The dogs obediently followed their handlers, and we were soon on our way home. As Coco rested in the back seat, I listened to Josh tell me all about the search. “I think Coco was the fastest one in the field today. He was great. I’m sure glad he’s part of the family.”

“Me too, Josh… me too.”

Spring Fling

Posted: April 27, 2023 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , ,
32

I’m not sure how it happened, but somehow, I got roped into helping at the high school Spring Dance.

My best friend Holly is actually the one who roped me into it, since she was in charge. Her oldest child is a senior and Holly is president of the PTSA, so she needed the help. It didn’t seem fair since neither of my kids were going, but that was because Savannah is still in junior high, and, as a sophomore, Josh had no interest in Senior Prom. Still, when your best friend needs you, you help out.

Holly doesn’t know I can read minds, but she believes I have premonitions, which is what I tell everyone to explain my ability. Because of that, Holly thought I would be the perfect person to watch over the dance in a security capacity to make sure nothing bad happened. Considering all the school shootings, I couldn’t blame her for wanting the event to be safe, and who better to do that than someone who had premonitions? (her words… not mine)

Naturally, I said yes, but only on the condition that I was there in an official capacity. She agreed, and provided me with a black t-shirt that had SECURITY in white capital letters across the front, along with a school pass in a lanyard. That way, I could tell the kids what to do and get away with it. I’d be sure to wear my black jeans, along with a belt that held my stun flashlight. She had another t-shirt made for the gym teacher, who would be my partner, and we were all set.

That night, I arrived at the school wearing my official lanyard, along with the black security t-shirt, jeans, and boots. My stun flashlight in a case on my belt was a nice touch, and I’d pulled my long blond hair into a ponytail and wore my black cap with ‘security’ written across the top that I’d used before when I’d helped Uncle Joey. All in all, I looked pretty bad-ass.

I walked into the gym, which had been decorated like a woodsy forest, with fake trees, grass, and dangling vines and flowers, and, I had to admit, I was impressed. Holly was already there and hurried to my side. “Shelby! I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Hey, no problem. This looks great.”

“Isn’t it cute?”

“Sure is.”

She took me to her PTSA office and unlocked the door so I could leave my jacket and my purse inside. Back in the gym, she took a deep breath, hoping her news wouldn’t upset me. “Um… it looks like Coach Monson has come down with a bad case of stomach flu, or food poisoning, so he’s not going to make it. I’ve asked a couple of the other teachers to take his place, but so far, I haven’t had any luck.”

“Oh… that’s too bad, but I should be okay.”

She nodded, but she was thinking that, even though I looked official, the kids might not take me seriously. Sure, I had ‘security’ in bold letters across my shirt, but I wasn’t big enough to haul someone out of the gym on my own. But maybe I could ask someone for a favor? She wouldn’t mind seeing the hot hitman again, and he would certainly intimidate anyone who got out of line.

“You want me to ask Ramos?”

Her eyes widened. “Uh… yeah, I was just thinking that. Do you think he’d come?”

“I can’t ask Ramos. I owe him too much already. Besides, he’s probably busy.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Even if he could only come for a couple of hours, it would be worth it. We probably don’t need him until things get going, around eight or so. You could at least ask him, right?”

I shook my head. “Only if you have something to offer him. He won’t do it for free.”

“Even for you?”

“Oh… he’d do it for me, but then I’d owe him, and I’d have to do whatever he wanted… you know? I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

She blinked, immediately thinking that he’d want a night of hot love-making, and her eyes widened. “Oh! Wow! I see.” She was thinking that it might be worth it… unless Chris found out… then it would be bad. But a night with Ramos? It made her hot all over just thinking about it.

“Holly! I’m not doing that!”

“Oh… good. I mean… of course you’re not.” Her brow wrinkled. “Wait. Did I say that out loud?”

I shook my head. “You didn’t need to. It was written all over your face.”

“Sure. Got it.” The lights dimmed and a few of the kids from the dance committee began to drift inside. “I’ve got to go, but please think about asking him? I don’t want anything to go wrong tonight.” She handed me a small bag. “Here’s the other t-shirt. I’ll check in with you later.”

She hurried off, leaving me holding the bag – in more ways than one. Still, I was not going to ask Ramos. No way.

Half an hour later, I was having second thoughts. None of the kids seemed the least bit intimidated by me. A couple of the boys even raised their glasses of punch to me, thinking I had no idea they’d added vodka to them. I marched over and demanded that they hand over the flask they’d brought, but neither of them had it anymore. I picked up that it was being passed around, and they didn’t know where it was by now.

I spent the next half hour trying to track it down, but there were just too many students, and I had left my post at the doors for too long. Holly found me and asked me to patrol the hall outside the gym for troublemakers. I found a couple of boys trying to break into someone’s locker and told them to knock it off. One of them told me it was his locker and he needed something from it. Dismissing me, they went back to jiggling it open.

Since they were lying, it made me mad, so I stepped closer and pulled out my stun flashlight. “Move away, or you’ll get a taste of this.” I held the flashlight up and pushed the button. Instead of the zap I’d been going for, the light switched on. Crap. “I mean this.” I hit the other button and got the buzzing zap I’d wanted, but they weren’t impressed.

One of them held up his hands. “Oooo, I’m so scared.”

The other kid hit his friend and turned to me. “Don’t listen to him. We’re going.” He pulled his friend past me and back toward the dance, thinking that they’d come back later after I’d left.

The kid being pulled away called over his shoulder. “You know you can’t touch me with that thing… unless you want to get sued.”

I sighed. He was probably right. Kids didn’t seem to respect adults much. What was up with that? Or was it just me? Being the security person was a terrible idea. Defeated, I meandered back to my place at the doors. Was it even worth trying to do this job, or should I just let everything go and only act if someone’s life was in danger?

If Ramos were here, it would probably be different.

The next few minutes brought a new wave of kids into the dance. Most just wanted to have a good time, but I managed to catch a few stray thoughts of trouble… mostly pranks, but I didn’t like it. At least everyone had to pass through security, so I didn’t have to worry about guns or knives, but what the heck?

Holly came back to my side. “How’re you doing? Everything okay?” She was thinking that I might need some help with the crowd. “I called the coach, but he’s still too sick to come. Are you sure you can’t call Ramos?”

“Fine. I’ll call him, but that doesn’t mean he’ll come.” I pulled out my phone and pushed his number.

“Thank you.” She was thinking that the doors to the boy’s and girl’s locker rooms were locked, but someone needed to check them, along with the bathrooms and the halls again.

Ramos picked up. “Babe. What’s up?”

I sighed. “Um… I might need your help.” I explained where I was and how the coach was sick so I was going it alone. “But if you’re busy… it’s no big deal. But just so you know, my friend Holly really wants to see you again.”

Holly smacked me, but it was worth it.

He snickered. “Yeah… hang on.” I waited a few seconds until he came back on the line. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“Great. I’ll meet you in the parking lot with Holly. She’ll make sure you can get in, but you should probably leave your gun at home.” That was mostly for Holly’s sake so she’d know what she was getting into. Ramos snickered again and disconnected the call.

“He’s on his way.”

“Awesome!”

Ten minutes later, Ramos arrived on his Harley. Holly nearly fainted, but managed to stay on her feet long enough to get him through security. I handed him the security t-shirt and the lanyard that went with it. He shrugged off his black motorcycle jacket and both Holly and I froze in anticipation. But instead of taking off his t-shirt, he just pulled the new one over it. I think Holly sighed, or maybe it was both of us. Either way, we managed to breathe again and took him down the hall to the gym.

Close to the gym, Holly unlocked the door to the PTSA room so he could stash his jacket there beside my purse, and we hurried into the dance. It only took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust, but we got started right away, and I found it was a whole different story with Ramos by my side. He hardly had to say a word to intimidate anyone, and the rest of the evening went by with only a few minor incidents.

The dance ended at eleven, but by then, most of the students had cleared out anyway. Holly hurried over to thank us before we left. In the process, she managed to give Ramos a big hug that lasted a little longer than was necessary. Naturally, I couldn’t blame her, and since Ramos didn’t seem to mind, I managed to keep a straight face.

After we gathered our things from her office, we walked out together, stopping at Ramos’s bike.

I turned to face him. “Thanks for your help. It made a big difference.”

“You’re welcome. It was… interesting.”

I smiled. “That’s putting it mildly. I guess I owe you… again.”

“Yes. You do. It’s turning into a long list. I’ll have to figure out where to start, or you’ll never get to the end of it.”

I chuckled. “You mean there’s an end?”

“Not if I can help it. But there is something you can do for me right now.”

“What’s that?”

“All you have to do is stand still and don’t move.”

Alarm tightened my chest. “That’s all?”

“Yup.”

I couldn’t pick up what he planned. Still, it was a simple request. What could happen? “Okay.”

He leaned in close and I caught his woodsy, masculine scent that made me a little dizzy. Barely holding back a smile, he lingered close for a few seconds before brushing my cheek with a kiss. His mouth moved toward my ear and he spoke in a low tone. “Goodnight Shelby.”

Chills ran down my spine. He straightened and slipped on his jacket. Before he could put on his helmet, my wits returned. “So does that count? Toward the list?”

He arched his brow. “Babe… that’s just the tip of the iceberg… but if it will make you feel better, sure.”

“Great. See you Monday.” As he drove off, I sent him a wave, happy to start witling down the list. But on second thought, did I really want to do that? Maybe not, but since it was such a long list already, I’d have the rest of my life to get to the end of it.

With that happy thought, I headed home, ready to tell my kids they were only allowed to go to a school dance if I was there working security. Since they’d hate that, maybe I’d be off the hook, and never have to do security at a school dance again.

Karma is Real

Posted: May 10, 2022 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , ,
13

Yesterday, I got quite a shock.

I had just arrived at Thrasher Development where I work for Uncle Joey, who happens to be a mob boss. He isn’t really my uncle, but I started calling him that so he wouldn’t kill me. It worked because all this time later, I’m still alive, and he’s claimed me as part of the “family.” All because he found out my secret that I can read minds.

The whole reason I met him was because of a woman named Kate, who worked in the same law firm with my husband. She’d been after my husband, and, after the accident where I got my mind-reading ability, I found out exactly how much she wanted him. Needless to say, it made me angry.

Naturally, I confronted her, and picked up from her mind that she worked for Joey “The Knife” Manetto, I threatened to tell the firm everything. At the time, I hadn’t realized that would backfire on me. She told her Uncle Joey (he isn’t her uncle either, but that’s another story) all about me and I had to tell him my secret so he wouldn’t kill me or my family.

It wasn’t the ending Kate had hoped for, and, since then, we’ve had to work together for Uncle Joey’s benefit. Now Kate lives in Seattle, and I haven’t seen her for several months. She runs a shipping company with the Passinis for Uncle Joey. It keeps her far away from me, so I can’t complain.

Until now.

I’d gone into Uncle Joey’s office to speak with him, and found her sitting in front of his desk. I jerked to a stop, nearly giving myself whiplash. Uncle Joey didn’t seem to notice, and welcomed me inside with a smile. “Shelby! Come on in. Look who’s here to pay us a visit?”

I gave her a thin smile. “Kate. What a surprise. What brings you here?”

She frowned, unhappy that I’d come into the office before she could leave. “Hi Shelby. I’m just going over some ideas I have for the business with Uncle Joey.” She was thinking that, now she’d have to speak with me, but at least she didn’t have to pretend she liked me.

“Yes,” Uncle Joey said. “After the merger with the Passinis she’s run into a roadblock.” He glanced at Kate. “I’m sure Shelby could help.”

With deep reluctance, Kate dutifully nodded her head, even though she didn’t want me involved. She knew I could read minds and it always put a damper on everything. Now I’d know exactly what she’d been trying to hide from Uncle Joey. This was the worst.

“What are you hiding from Uncle Joey?” I asked. Since she knew my secret, there wasn’t a reason to act like I couldn’t hear her thoughts.

She drew in a sharp breath. She was thinking damn you Shelby and pressed her lips closed.

Hmm… maybe it was a good thing I’d come in a little early. Uncle Joey sent me a clear nod of approval before catching Kate’s gaze. “Yes Kate. Tell us what’s really going on, and don’t make up some sob story because Shelby will know if you’re lying.”

Kate sighed in defeat. “Fine. I want to dissolve our partnership with the Passinis.”

That was a shock. She and Alec Passini had become quite close. I picked up that they were more than just business partners. They’d been lovers for over a year. So what had changed?

“Any particular reason?” Uncle Joey asked.

“I don’t trust them.” She’d had a big fight with Alec, and she knew he was keeping secrets from her. If he wasn’t willing to be honest with her, then they needed to part ways for good. “He’s been making deals behind my back, and I think… I think he’s having an affair.” Tears filled her eyes and she choked back a sob. That was the first time she’d said it out loud, and it hurt worse than she’d imagined.

“How do you know?” he asked.

“I’ve heard some of Alec’s conversations on the phone. He’s been talking to someone about giving her everything she needs and taking care of her… he even has a nickname for her. It’s Red… Red Velvet. Like she’s some cake or something. It’s disgusting.”

Uncle Joey held back a smile and I picked up his mirth at the whole situation. He felt bad for Kate, but she wasn’t being rational. She’d always been more than a handful, and when she wanted something, nothing would get in her way. Even if what she wanted was right in front of her, she couldn’t always see it, and suspected the worst.

“No.”

“What?” she asked.

“No. We’re not dissolving the partnership.”

With a huff of indignation, she nearly flew out of her chair. “You can’t say that. Not after what he’s done!”

Uncle Joey picked up his phone and pushed a button. “Jackie, I need Alec Passini. Can you get him on the phone for me?… Thank you.” He put the phone down to wait. A few seconds later it rang and he picked it back up. “Alec? … Yes… I just have a question for you. Who is Red Velvet?”

Kate closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. She was totally humiliated and thinking that she was going to kill Uncle Joey for this.

“Yes,” Uncle Joey said, glancing at Kate. “She’s here. I see. Well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson. Yes… that’s too bad, but it has to be done. No… I’m afraid not. Do you want out of the partnership? I didn’t think so. Yes. I’ll tell her.” He hung up the phone and pursed his lips.

“What did he say?” As much as she pretended otherwise, Kate didn’t want to lose Alec. But now that Uncle Joey was involved, she couldn’t back down, and she braced herself for the worst.

“I’ve got some good news, and some bad news. Which do you want first?”

“The good news.”

“Alec is not having an affair.”

“He’s not? Then who’s Red Velvet?”

“That’s the bad news,” Uncle Joey said. “You remember the yacht that got blown up?” At her nod, he continued. “Well, Alec got the insurance money for it, and he ordered a new one. He named it, Red Velvet, after you, I guess because of your red hair and sweet disposition.” Uncle Joey knew that part wasn’t true, but he wanted to rub it in a little. “Alec was hoping to surprise you with it when you got back from your trip. Now he won’t be able to.”

Kate’s shoulders fell. “Oh.”

“You still want to dissolve the partnership?”

She pursed her lips. “No.” She was thinking Alec should have told her instead of trying to make it a surprise. So it was partly his fault… still, she felt horrible that she’d ruined it. Now she’d have to make it up to him, and she hoped he wasn’t too mad or disappointed in her.

She gathered her things. “I guess I’ll be going now. Uh… sorry… why don’t you come visit and we’ll take the yacht out for a few days. Bring Jackie.” She glanced my way. “I guess you can come too as long as you bring Chris. It will be fun.” She didn’t want to invite me, but if Chris came, it would be bearable. She’d always had a soft spot in her heart for him.

“Gee… thanks.”

She ignored my sarcasm and stood. “Sorry for the misunderstanding, but it was an easy mistake to make. Hopefully Alec has learned his lesson. I’ll see you later.” With a quick wave, she hurried out the door.

Ramos came in as she left, nearly bumping into her. After a quick hello, she continued down the hall. Ramos gazed after her before coming inside. “What was Kate doing here?”

I smiled up at him. “You know… at first I wasn’t sure, but now I think there really is such a thing as karma.”

Uncle Joey snorted. “Come… sit down, and we’ll tell you all about it.”

THE END.

Golf Anyone?

Posted: July 23, 2021 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , ,
14

Last week, Uncle Joey called me about something that was stolen from his home. He’d already questioned the hired help, but none of them admitted to taking anything. That’s where I came in. Since I can read minds, he knew I’d get to the bottom of it.

I met him at his house, since that was the scene of the crime, and he invited me inside.

“Thanks for coming,” he said.

“Sure.” It was nice that he thanked me, even though everyone knows you can’t say no to a mob boss. “So what’s going on?”

He scratched his jaw, feeling a bit foolish, since the missing item had no value except to him. “I just noticed that my grandfather’s old set of golf clubs is missing. I’ve kept them in the storage shed for years and I just noticed they’re gone. I’ve questioned everyone, but no one will confess to taking them.”

“Were they worth a lot of money?”

“No. That’s why I can’t figure it out. I mean… they’re old, so maybe someone would think they were worth something, but I’m pretty sure they’re not.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they’re relics from the past, and they’re made out of wood. Nothing like they make them today, and totally worthless in today’s world. I guess I’ve been keeping them for sentimental reasons.” He shrugged. “But I suppose they could be worth something to a museum, but that’s hardly a reason to steal them. All my workers are still here. Would you mind talking to them for me?”

“Okay.”

I followed him to his office. “Wait here, and I’ll send them in.”

The first worker to enter was the cleaning lady. She’d been cleaning Uncle Joey’s house for years, and she was miffed that he suspected her of stealing from him. I smiled and asked her about the golf clubs. “I’ve never seen them. I don’t clean the storage shed, so I don’t know anything about them.”

She was telling the truth, but there was something she was nervous about. “That makes sense,” I said. “And you’ve never seen anything missing around the house?”

She frowned, wondering why I was asking that. “Like what?” Her thoughts flashed to the master bedroom closet where she’d helped herself to a few items of jewelry that Jackie, Uncle Joey’s wife, had kept in the panel of drawers. The worker knew the real stuff was in the safe, but Jackie had so many sets of similar earrings, that she’d never miss the few she’d taken. Besides that, the drawers were stuffed so full of jewelry, it was like a browsing in a jewelry store. There was no way Jackie would remember what was in there.

“You know who my Uncle is, right?”

The skin around her eyes tightened. “Of course.”

“So it’s probably not a good idea to take anything from… say… his wife’s stash of jewelry, right?”

Her face paled. “Of course not.”

“Good. You’re free to go.”

She swallowed, and hurried out of the office. The next person to come in was the groundskeeper. He admitted that he had access to the storage shed, so I figured if it was anyone, it would be him. I asked him about the missing golf clubs and he nodded. “Yes, I know. Mr. Manetto is quite upset about them, but I don’t know who took them. I think they’ve been gone for a long time, though, and he just noticed it now.”

“When was the last time you saw them?”

He shrugged. “A year ago, maybe two.”

“Oh wow. Okay. That helps.”

He was thinking it was around the time that Jackie and Manetto got married. After she moved in, she made several changes, and he remembered that she’d cleaned up a lot of old junk. Maybe she did it?

“Thanks. You’ve been very helpful.”

After he left, the pool maintenance guy came in. He was more nervous than the others, but that was because he’d overcharged Uncle Joey a lot of money, and it had something to do with the pool filters.

“So do you keep an eye on the pool filters?”

His eyes widened. Why was I asking him that? “Yes. That’s part of my job.”

“How many filters are in Uncle Joey’s pool?”

“He has three.”

“Wow. So how often do they need to be cleaned or changed?”

He swallowed, completely thrown by my questioning. “It depends on how much the pool is used. I test it weekly.” He was thinking that he’d told Uncle Joey he needed the pool filters replaced every month, but it was more like every six months to a year. During that time, he just exchanged the filters with some he already had, but charged Uncle Joey the full price. But there was no way I could know that.

I sighed. Was everyone a cheater? “Look… I know you’re overcharging my Uncle for the pool filters. I don’t think he’ll be happy to know about that, but you’ve brought this on yourself. If you’d just been honest, you could have saved yourself some pain, now I can’t promise anything.”

“What? How? Wait… you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My brows rose. “Yes I do, and I’m telling him.” I shook my head. “If I were you, I’d leave while you’re still in one piece.” He jumped up from his seat and hurried out the door.

I wandered into the kitchen to find Uncle Joey. He was pouring himself a soda and offered me one. I thanked him and he smiled. “So how did it go? Did you figure it out?”

“Not exactly, but I have an idea. Before I tell you what it is, I have some bad news. You’re going to have to hire a new pool maintenance company.” I explained what I’d found out and watched his face darken.

“Anyone else?”

“You might want to find a new cleaning lady too. The gal you have has taken a couple of things that don’t really matter, but I wouldn’t trust her in your house, either.”

“Damn.” Uncle Joey took a breath. “I guess it’s a good thing you came, but what about the golf clubs?”

“None of your workers had anything to do with them. But… you might want to ask Jackie. The groundskeeper said she cleaned out a lot of junk when you first got married. She may have gotten rid of them. Did you ever tell her they had sentimental value?”

He shook his head. “No, I guess I didn’t.”

I patted his arm. “Well… that might be what happened then.”

His lips twisted, and he gave a resigned sigh. “You’re probably right. I’ll ask her when she gets home.” He shook his head. “Well… that’s not what I expected, but thanks for helping me out.”

“You bet.”

“It’s kind of discouraging to think people aren’t as honest as they should be.”

“I know, and I wish it was different. I mean… they all know you’re a mob boss, so you’d think they’d be more careful, right?”

“Exactly.” He was thinking that he’d have to brush up on his image, so this wouldn’t happen again. Maybe make a few threats, that sort of thing.

I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s necessary. These guys just got complacent. But your groundskeeper’s a good guy, so it’s not everyone, and I’ll be happy to come over and check out your new workers, just to make sure.”

“Thanks Shelby.”

We said our goodbyes and I left, glad I could help.

Who knew being rich came with so many problems?

So that’s my story for today. If you’re at a thrift store and you happen to see some old wooden golf clubs, be sure and let me know. There might even be a reward!

Until next time,

~Shelby

School Play

Posted: April 24, 2018 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , ,
5

Some of you may know that I work for a mob-boss and he has an 18 year-old son who recently played the lead in his high school play of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Needless to say, my daughter Savannah, who just turned 13, has a huge crush on Miguel.

After seeing him playing the lead, I can’t blame her. In fact, most of the girls in the auditorium were practically swooning, and the sighs…oh my gosh…they came from every female no matter what their ages.

Of course, a lot of those sighs were in their minds where only I could hear them, so maybe that’s why they seemed so loud. Still…you get the picture.

Anyway, Miguel’s sudden rise to stardom inspired Savannah to try out for her Jr. High School play. They’re doing a watered down version of Beauty and the Beast. It should be a lot of fun for Savannah, but she’s hoping for the lead. The only problem with that is…she hasn’t got the chops for it.

Don’t get me wrong, her singing voice is great. It’s just not lead singer material. I hope she’s not too disappointed if she doesn’t get the main part. She’s been taking dance lessons forever, so she should get into that dance scene during the dinner and I hope she’ll be happy with that.

But it has given her a chance to talk to Miguel about trying out for the play, which he is totally encouraging her to do. So in her estimation, it’s a win no matter what, especially because it’s an excuse to call him for advice.

So what’s a mother to do? I don’t think she’ll get the part she wants, but I’m not about to tell her she’s not good enough either. That’s the hard part of being a mom. There are some days when you just have to know your kids will get disappointed. But I guess that’s just part of life. We all get disappointed, but it’s how we respond that builds our character.

I just hope I don’t have to worry too much about her crush on Miguel. I mean…they’d never end up together, right? Can you imagine having a mob-boss as my daughters’ father-in-law? Yikes! It gives me the shivers just thinking about it.

She’s bound to get over her crush with him at some point, especially with Miguel heading off to New York. They’ll hardly see each other after that. Although my family is planning on going to his opening night performance of Aladdin this summer.

That’s another thing I have to worry about. Not the part about going to Aladdin, but how I’m going to explain that my kids have a grandmother they’ve never met who lives there. She’s not really their grandmother, but I had to go along with Uncle Joey’s story that his sister is my mother for Miguel’s sake, since he thinks we’re cousins.

Why did I ever agree to do that? Well…it might have something to do with him being a mob-boss, but still…how am I going to explain all that to my kids? Just thinking about it gives me a headache.

I think for now I’m going to put it from my mind. No use worrying over something that hasn’t happened yet, right? Besides, Savannah will be coming home soon with the verdict of whether or not she made the school play. I sure hope she did, but I’d better have a alternate plan just in case. Like a consolation prize of some sort. But what should I do?

Wish me luck!

 

Walking a Tightrope

Posted: March 22, 2018 in Advice, Consulting, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , , , ,
5

I work for a mob-boss. Doesn’t that sound nuts? There are some days I can’t believe it either. But, I have to say that he’s not your typical mob-boss, mostly because he runs several legitimate businesses, and he’s never been arrested…not even once.

Before you start thinking that I’m rationalizing about working for such a person, let me just clarify that I do it under duress. He found out my secret that I can read minds, and threatened harm to my family if I didn’t cooperate.

Sure, it may seem like I enjoy it, and sometimes I really do, but since I’ve nearly died a few times because of it, I know I should work harder at getting out from under him.

Still, if I’m honest, I do like being an indispensable part of his organization. That feeling of importance is pretty amazing. He’s also made sure I have someone to watch my back when I get in trouble, and I’ve grown quite fond of that person…and his motorcycle. Uncle Joey’s also deposited copious amounts of money into my checking account, and given me bonuses. I’ve even gone on his private jet to some great cities a few times.

So…what I’m trying to tell you is that I guess I’m in too deep to get out now. That should bother me a whole lot, but what can I say? I passed that point a while ago. Which brings me to my next conundrum. I also help the police. My partner, Detective Harris, aka Dimples, knows that I sometimes help Uncle Joey, he just doesn’t know how much.

So far, he hasn’t made a big deal out of it, but I just found out that he’s looking into it. What am I supposed to say when he tells me that he has a plan to take Uncle Joey down, and he wants my help to do it, especially when I know he’s doing it for my sake?

To top it all off, my husband also works for Uncle Joey as his lawyer. Could this get any worse? Actually, yes, because now my kids think Uncle Joey is my uncle and therefore related to them. In fact, our whole family had a chance encounter with his. I had to introduce my kids to his wife and son. Since then, he’s claimed us as part of The Family.

My thirteen-year-old daughter, Savannah, has a huge crush on Uncle Joey’s eighteen-year-old son. She thinks he’s not blood-related because of a story I made up about how Uncle Joey was first married to my aunt but they got a divorce and his son is from a different relationship. Complicated, right?

It’s no wonder that when taking a good look at my life, and all the complications involved in it, that I start to get a little stressed out. Which brings me to my next conundrum. You see, I’m meeting with Dimples this afternoon, and Uncle Joey just asked me to spy on the police department about a special case that could have repercussions for him.

He’s never really asked me to do that before, although it’s been implied, and it’s stressing me out. Can a good person work for people on both sides of the law? How long can I sit on the fence between the good guys and the bad guys without getting caught, hurt, or killed?

Honestly, I don’t want to find out, because I know one thing for sure…I could never betray Uncle Joey. But just as important, I don’t want to end up in jail either. So I guess for now, I’ll just have to keep balancing on that tightrope, and hope I don’t fall off.

It’s what you’d do, right?

Wish me luck – I’m going to need it!

 

 

This year I’m…

Posted: January 12, 2018 in Advice, Experiences, Thoughts
Tags: , ,
22

I don’t know about you, but I’m not someone who likes to make new year’s resolutions. Not that I don’t want to accomplish things or set goals. But it seems like most of the time, resolutions are for stopping a bad habit, or changing something about yourself to make you a better person.

I’m totally aware of my shortcomings, because as a mind-reader, I’m always hearing what people think of me. While some of it’s nice, a lot of it isn’t, and trying not to take it the wrong way is hard, but since none of them would ever say such things to my face, I have to try and get over it.

So you can see why I’d rather not concentrate on my shortcomings. But what else is there? Glancing through my Facebook feed (which is probably something I should make a resolution to change because it’s a huge time drain) I found a post about a resolution that I could really get behind. The first thing it said to do was plan a vacation.

Doesn’t that sound like fun? I thought so too, and I started thinking about where I’d like to go. Italy came to mind. One of my favorite shows from a long time ago was Only You, with Robert Downey Jr. and, after seeing that, I’d always dreamed of going there someday. Now I could go with Chris, and it would be so romantic.

That’s when things got strange. Not too long ago, I’d mentioned to Uncle Joey that Jackie was thinking about how much she’d like to go to Italy. He hadn’t seemed too excited about that, and I picked up that he’d been there a few times, and he wouldn’t be able to go back without paying his respects to the “family.” It didn’t seem like it was something he wanted to do again. Now why was that? Was there bad blood between them?

Still, that didn’t have anything to do with me. If I went to Italy, I’d be safe from them because I’m not really part of the family. But since there was a part of me that had some misgivings, I decided to test the waters and mention it to Uncle Joey, just to see what he thought.

If you’re thinking that was a bad idea, you’d be right. I should have just planned my trip and told him I was going to Canada. I would have been better off, even if I lied.

As soon as I mentioned that I was thinking about planning a trip to Italy, he got that calculating look in his eyes, and his thoughts turned to how I could solve one of his biggest headaches. He’d avoided going back because of what had happened the last time, but if he sent me as his emissary, I’d know if they were still upset with him, or if he’d done enough to earn their forgiveness.

Then if the way was cleared, he could take Jackie for a visit like she’d wanted and he wouldn’t have to worry about his reception. It was a win-win.

He caught my widened eyes and knew I’d picked up everything. His lips turned into a frown, but he patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Shelby. I’d never send you to see them if I thought it was dangerous. It would just mean taking a moment to stop by, say hello, and give them my regards, then you could leave. You’d know right away if they still held any animosity toward me.”

“But I can’t speak Italian,” I blurted. “So it wouldn’t work.”

“That’s true,” he agreed with a slight twist to his lips. “But it wouldn’t take a mind-reader to know how they felt. And it seems like you can pick up feelings almost as well as you can hear people’s thoughts.”

He had me there. I did pick up strong feelings of anger or revenge along with the thoughts that accompanied them. But I wasn’t sure if that was because of the way they said the words in their minds, or if it was how they really felt.

His stern gaze sent my heart into palpitations, so I quickly agreed. “Uh…yeah, that’s right. I guess I forgot that part.” At his satisfied smile, I continued. “Well, I’ll be sure to let you know if Chris and I decide to go. There’s a few other places we’re also thinking about, so it may not happen this year. In fact, Canada might be nice too.”

Uncle Joey wasn’t fooled. Canada might be nice, but it certainly wasn’t Italy. “If you decide to go, I have some connections that would save you a lot of money. I’m on good terms with a second cousin who owns a beautiful villa right on the coast of Tuscany. He’s turned it into a bed and breakfast and he hosts guided tours and amazing dinners. You’d love it.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I would. That sounds great. Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Uncle Joey had me over a barrel, just how he liked it. Now if I wanted to go to Italy, I’d have to tell him. On the other hand, it was always nice to have connections. I mean, that villa sure sounded amazing. Still, I wasn’t sure it was worth it. Sure, he’d said it wouldn’t be dangerous, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t get into some sort of trouble.

It made me realize that even a simple task of making a fun new year’s resolution could backfire. So… I think I’m not ever going to make resolutions again. I’m also going to check on some vacation spots in Canada. It may not be as fun, but it would be safer, and they speak English.

But I really want to go to Italy. So, if you were in my place, what would you do?

 

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