Posts Tagged ‘husband’

When Eavesdropping Saves the Day

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

Juicy Details…

Posted: April 19, 2016 in Experiences, Thoughts
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After my trip to Paris, I looked forward to going out to lunch with my best friend, Holly, and telling her all about it. She’s one of the few people who can really appreciate a certain hit-man, and all the juicy details that I always leave out with everyone else.

Naturally, I told her all about my brush with the terrorists, and how Ramos came to my rescue. I picked up that her jealousy spiked a little, mostly when I told her about the motorcycle ride with Ramos through the city. She tried to tamp it down a little, and rationalized that since I’d almost been killed a few times, she wouldn’t ever want to trade places with me.

That reasoning worked for her, especially when I told her about the bomb. Of course, it went out the window after that, because…what kind of a friend would I be if I couldn’t tell her what happened after we took care of the bomb? Her mouth dropped open, and I think she even drooled a little. After that, she was thinking that maybe all the bad stuff that happened to me wasn’t so bad after all.

In some ways, I had to agree that there was a silver lining in there somewhere, but I wasn’t sure coming so close to death made up for that. Still, I had to believe that the outcome was worth it all, or I might want to stay home and never leave my house again.

Then her thoughts turned to Chris, and the time she’d seen him with another woman while I was in Paris. It had troubled her, but after hearing about my adventure, she decided to leave it alone, thinking there had to be a reason for it.

I picked up more details, that she’d seen him at a furniture store with a pretty, younger woman. They were laughing together, and looking at a fine leather couch set and some artwork. Probably something to do with his job, although she couldn’t figure out what that might be.

Now my mouth dropped open, and my stomach tightened with dread. All those old feelings I’d had when Kate was around came to the surface, and threatened to overwhelm me with panic.

“Shelby? Is something wrong?” Holly asked.

“Oh no…nothing. This sandwich is really good. How do you like yours?” While we ate, all kinds of scenarios about what Chris might have been up to filled my head, but I decided that I’d try not to worry. I had no doubt that he loved me, and we were good, so there had to be a reasonable explanation. We’d talk and he’d think about it, and then I’d know. I was sure it was nothing, but I couldn’t help seeing the irony in the situation, either.

In the end, it kind of ruined my enjoyment of telling Holly all the juicy details about Paris, and this was one of those times I wished I couldn’t read minds.

 

 

 

 

 

Paris with Chris

Posted: March 22, 2016 in Experiences, Thoughts
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My trip to Paris was quite the adventure, but once Chris arrived things settled down. Still, we had an amazing time there, and I’m so glad he came. Of course, he wasn’t too thrilled about me leaving him at home in the first place, but since he got to come and spend a few extra days with me, he couldn’t complain too much.

At least that’s what I told him when I had to explain all the little details about my crazy adventure there. Most of them I’d sort of left out when we spoke on the phone, but I couldn’t do that in person. In fact, there was hardly anything I could leave out. Although I did manage to keep a few details from him, 😉 ;).

He thought most of my story was pretty crazy, but knowing me, he had to believe it was true, especially after meeting Inspecteur Dumont, and my friend, Suzette. But it got him to thinking about my experience in the cemetery, and he wanted to go there in the worst way. Me? Not so much. Still, in the light of day, it was hard to refuse a visit there. Maybe I’d sleep better at night with a different memory of that place. It was worth a try, right?

We determined that the cemetery I’d been to had to be Père Lachaise, the most famous cemetery in Paris. My kids weren’t too thrilled about a cemetery, so we left early, telling them we’d be back in an hour or so and took the metro to the nearest stop. Exiting onto the street, Chris thoughtfully bought me a bouquet of spring flowers from a vendor to help cheer me up since I wasn’t real excited about revisiting that part of my adventure.

From there, we followed the map toward the address. Once we came to the tall wall on one side of the street, my heart picked up speed, and I knew exactly where we were. All those feelings of helpless fear came surging back, but I stoically pushed them away and held onto Chris’ hand a little tighter. “This is it. The gate should be coming up on the left.”

It was opened this time, and we followed the little cobbled street between the ornate tombs up the slope while I explained the details of where I’d walked to Chris. In the light of day this place seemed like a place of peace and tranquility.

We came to a crossroad, and I glanced down one side to find the special tomb where I’d hidden. As I pointed it out to Chris, the cracked door hardly seemed big enough to hide behind. Then I read the name carved into the stone. “Colette Marie Joubert, 1843 – 1879”

Was she the one I’d felt there? The one who’d helped me escape? Just then, a breeze carrying the fragrance of Hyacinths caressed my cheek with a gentle touch. As much as it freaked me out, it also sent a swell of serenity down my spine, leaving me a little breathless.

With a sudden idea, I took the flowers Chris had given me, and arranged them on her tombstone. A happy smile lit up my face and I turned to Chris. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like to leave them here.”

“Not at all,” he said. “Are you glad you came back?”

“Yes. Thanks for bringing me.”

“Ready to go?” After I nodded he continued. “Good, because I have a surprise for you.”

I listened real close to his thoughts, but he’d shut them up tight. “Wow, how’d you do that?”

He chuckled. “Pure survival. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

A car waited outside the cemetery and Louis opened the door with a broad smile. “Bonjour Madam, Monsieur.”

I had no clue what was going on, but since surprises were rare for me, I could hardly contain my excitement for what Chris had in store. He explained that Suzette had the kids for most of the day, leaving us with a little free time. To make a long story short, we ended up spending the next few hours together doing the most romantic things and treasuring every moment. It ended up being the perfect finale to a trip I will never forget.

 

Shelby’s Christmas Surprise

Posted: December 15, 2015 in Experiences, Thoughts
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I heaved a sigh and tried not to get discouraged. Having mind-reading abilities was helpful for my business as a private investigator, but not so good at Christmas. As much as I tried to block people’s thoughts, it was still hard not to pick up what they were getting me and everyone else for Christmas, and I hated it.

It reminded me of the time I was snooping around in my parent’s bedroom one year and found the mother-lode of unwrapped presents in the closet. I knew I shouldn’t, but the temptation was too great and I looked. I don’t even remember what was in there for me, but it ruined my whole Christmas. It just took all the fun and excitement out of ripping off the paper and opening the box.

Kind of like this year, when I knew there was a crock-pot waiting under the tree for me. Not that I wasn’t grateful, since mine had cracked and I needed a new one…but it wasn’t really anything to look forward to.

At least I was excited about the present I had for Chris. Not long ago, a retired detective had nearly died helping me with a case, and we shared a special bond. He also had a talent for crafting fine watches. Chris had an old watch, but nothing compared to what I could get from Geoff, and I’d spent a few happy hours with him designing the perfect watch for Chris.

When he called to say it was ready, I couldn’t wait to see how it turned out. Geoff seemed pretty happy with it as well, since he had an extra sparkle in his eyes. Once I saw it, I understood that sparkle and my lips spread into a big grin. He explained that it was a gold Swiss watch in a stainless steel case with an exhibition back in sapphire crystal, making the inside visible, and had a twenty-five jewel movement.

Even though none of that really made sense to me, I knew from the way he explained the workings of the watch that it was the highest quality possible…and a Geoff Parker original to boot…which meant a lot to me. It was a beautiful watch and I knew Chris would love it!

I took it home and wrapped it up in a big box so he wouldn’t know what it was and put it under the tree right next to the crock-pot. I grinned, realizing that it didn’t even bother me anymore that I knew about the crock-pot, and I couldn’t wait to see Chris’ face when he opened it.

Christmas morning came and I couldn’t believe how hard it was to open presents. Just before the wrapping paper came off, the person it was from always thought about what was inside and spoiled it for me. I put up my shields, but in the excitement, I failed more often than I liked. At least I had Chris’ present to look forward to, and I couldn’t wait to see his expression when he saw the watch.

After the kids were done, Chris and I opened our presents from each other. I grabbed the present with the crock-pot in it first, just to get it over with. Once the wrapping paper came off, my breath caught in astonishment. It wasn’t a crock-pot box. I glanced at Chris and he smirked.

“This isn’t a crock-pot?” I asked.

This time he chuckled. “What made you think that?”

My lips twisted in consternation. He’d played me! My heart hammered with excitement and I opened the box. Lots of tissue paper blocked my view, so I dug through it until my fingers touched a box. Black and small, it resembled the kind of box that held jewelry, and visions of sparkly diamonds clouded my head.

I glanced at Chris. His thoughts were locked up tight, but his eyes held quiet excitement. Taking a deep breath, I opened the box, then gasped in surprise to find a beautiful watch. I barely heard Chris talking about my detective friend, Geoff, and how he’d made it for me.

As Chris helped fasten it around my wrist, I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out…and the tears that clouded my vision. I blinked them back and playfully hit him. “You tricked me,” I said. “And I love it!” I pulled him into a hug. “Thanks for the surprise.” He gave me that special grin that always made me warm inside. I sniffed and got under control, then hugged him again before pulling away. “Now it’s your turn.”

I found the big box I’d wrapped and set it on his lap.

“Is this what I think it is?” he asked.

“You mean a crock-pot?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’m afraid so,” I responded.

With a bark of laughter, he ripped off the paper and opened the box. Of course, he had no idea what was inside, so when he pawed through the tissue paper and found a little black box just like mine, he froze, glancing at me in complete shock. “Is this…?” He hesitated before pulling it open and I felt his surprise and pleasure as soon as he saw the watch inside. He shook his head in disbelief, and we both started laughing.

“This is crazy,” Chris said. “Who would have thought?”

“I know!” I agreed. “I just picked that up from Geoff a couple of days ago, and I had no idea. Of course, come to think of it, he did have an extra sparkle in his eyes.”

Chris heaved a huge sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you didn’t know, especially since I’ve been thinking about a crock-pot all this time.”

He slipped on the watch, and we sat side-by-side admiring our wrists, both of us in a happy daze and surprised by how perfectly everything had turned out. As I nestled closer to Chris I sighed with contentment, knowing this was going to be a special Christmas I would hold close to my heart for a long time to come.

How I Saved A Wedding

Posted: September 16, 2014 in Experiences, Thoughts
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I recently attended a bridal shower for my cousin’s daughter. I don’t normally like showers where they play silly games and all that stuff. I prefer the drop-in, open the gift, give a hug, eat the goodies, and get the heck-out-of-dodge-kind. Not very sociable, but there it is. I would have skipped this shower all together if it hadn’t been for my mom. According to her, this was one shower I couldn’t miss, or I would get blacklisted on that side of the family. So, of course, I sucked it up and went.

Interestingly enough, there was some tension between the mother of the bride and mother of the groom. Turns out, they knew each other in high school, and the mother of the groom blamed the bride’s mom, my cousin, for something bad, but I couldn’t pick up what. On the outside they were acting all happy and nice, with big smiles that showed lots of pearly white teeth. But inside neither of them wanted this marriage to take place. Especially considering their thoughts that sharing grandchildren was making them both sick. YIKES!

I checked out the bride and groom and, after listening in on their thoughts, there was no question they were in love, so I just had to hope things would work out. But it really bothered me that these two women held so much animosity toward each other. Maybe I could help? Who knew? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding?

“That’s really something that you two knew each other in high school,” I said. “Weren’t you guys like best friends or something?”

Their surprised gazes turned to me, and the whole room got quiet. Then my cousin narrowed her eyes and took a breath to ask me how the hell I knew that. Oops. Before she could utter a word her daughter gasped with surprise.

“You guys knew each other? You went to high school together?” she asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

My cousin’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. As she took in the curious glances of everyone there, she turned toward the groom’s mother with a tentative smile curling her lips. “We had a falling out,” she admitted. “It involved a boy, as I recall.”

The other woman raised her brows, and was thinking that if my cousin was going to spill the beans, she’d better make sure her side of the story got told first. “He was my boyfriend,” she stated. “You knew how much I liked him, but you got him to go out with you while I was away on a trip. He broke up with me because of you. That was pretty low for someone I considered one of my best friends.”

“Is that what you thought?” my cousin asked. “I didn’t go after him. He asked me out. I admit I shouldn’t have gone, but he was really persistent, and I didn’t think you’d ever find out. It was just supposed to be one date.”

The other woman huffed out a breath. “Yeah, right. As if that makes a difference.”

My cousin dropped her gaze. “I know. I was a bad friend, and I felt horrible about it. I really did. I wanted to explain, but you wouldn’t talk to me after that. If it helps, he dumped me pretty quick and moved on to someone else.”

“But we were friends. You shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know, and I’ve regretted it ever since. Dating him wasn’t worth losing your friendship. But you never gave me a chance to tell you I was sorry. I tried hundreds of times, but you always blew me off.”

The groom’s mother licked her lips, realizing that for the sake of their children, and with everyone looking on, it was time to get over it. “You’re right. It was a long time ago, and really…it doesn’t even matter anymore.”

My cousin smiled, then asked. “Whatever happened to him anyway?”

After that it was hard to pry those two apart. Not only did they have a lot to catch up on, but their children were getting married and now they could finally be excited about it.

I left that shower with a grin on my face, knowing I’d done something good. It was one of the few times my mind-reading skills had really paid off, and was just what I needed. Especially since right after the shower, I had to stop by Uncle Joey’s office. It was after eight-thirty at night and I really didn’t want to go, but he was meeting with someone from his past, and after this experience, I knew it could get tricky. But on the bright side, since I’d helped my cousin resolve a sticky issue, I was sure I could help Uncle Joey. I’d just have to make sure I stood out of the way in case they pulled their guns.

What to do when…

Posted: July 2, 2013 in Advice
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What to do when another woman is after your man. As I’ve recently had some experience with this, I thought I’d pass along some information I hope you find helpful. First of all, don’t freak out! Don’t accuse your husband of anything, as this will only make him defend the woman in question. Don’t assume the worst, but don’t let it go without a fight. Your husband may not realize what the other woman is up to and be flattered by her attention. He might also be uncomfortable by the attention. So … give him an out. Show up to work when she is there and meet her. Be sure you look your absolute best. If possible, try to befriend her, perhaps even go out to lunch. Find out all you can about her. Is she married? Is she in a relationship? Anything you can use as leverage (leverage is any strategic or tactical advantage, and as a verb, means to exploit such an advantage, just as the use of a physical lever gives one an advantage in the physical sense) will be helpful. Also, make sure she knows about you and your family life. How much your husband adores you and you adore him. Go to lunch as often as possible with your husband. Let her see that you are a couple and she has no chance of breaking you up. Now – for the husband part. Re-kindle the flame that brought you together. If possible, surprise him with a night out at a bed and breakfast (no kids!). Buy sexy lingerie. (He will love it). Above all, don’t give up! Your marriage and your husband are worth it. Plus, it just might bring you closer together and that is always a good thing!