CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

As Aric entered the living room, he recoiled in horror at the scene that confronted his eyes.

Josephine and a stressed-out Henry stood in the room, holding clipboards.

The first thing we need to do," he overheard her remark as she scribbled on a sheet of paper, "is scrape off all of this horrible old wallpaper and paint this house in a brilliant red."

She looked at her brother dead and said, "Not blood red, mind you." I'm referring to a shade of pink-red, the color of my go-to lippie.

She proceeded to jot down notes as she said, "All this old furniture can go too."

Leaning on a column at the entrance, Aric said, "Don't order anything yet."

Josephine yelled, "Darling," as she pressed a clipboard into Henry's hands.

She walked over and threw her arms around his neck, biting at his ear gently.

She exclaimed, "Daddy phoned this morning and told me two excellent news," kissing his cheeks with lipstick.

In response, Aric said, "Yes," and he took a few steps back.

He wiped the red wax from h