Page 43 of Baker

I widened my eyes in more false excitement. “Really?”

She pushed herself away from the desk and crossed her arms. “Guess who’s moving in?”

“I’d hate to try.”

“Seriously. Guess.”

“Ben Harper?”

She laughed. “The musician?”

“What do you know about Ben Harper?”

“I know that Diamonds on the Inside is what most would describe as his best album, but I disagree. I think The Will to Live is much better. Not everyone likes live albums, though.”

I stared at her in sheer disbelief. Ben Harper was one of my all-time favorite musicians. For her to have heard of a lesser known musician such as him, and to like him, was a shock.

“So, it’s not Ben Harper?” I asked jokingly.

“Back up,” she said. “How do you even know who he is?”

I crossed my arms and gave her a look. “How do you know who he is?”

“I listen to his music, that’s how.”

I looked her over. Her hair was a little lighter than normal, and I liked the new shade. I cocked my head to the side. “Who else do you listen to?”

“Everyone from The Delfonics to James Blunt, why?”

Both were artists that I had listened to, and enjoyed. I was surprised that our taste in music was so similar.

“Just wondering.” I glanced around her office, and wondered why she hadn’t given it a woman’s touch. When she came back into my line of sight, I grinned. “What makes you angry?”

“What do you mean?

“What irritates you in life?” I asked. “Day to day life. Give me the top ten.”

She counted on her fingers as she responded. “Tailgaters. Lines at the grocery store. Oranges that I can’t get the peel off. People who don’t use their turn signal. Call centers who call me and try to sell me something. Stubbing my toe. Upside down toilet paper. Having the cashier hand me change on top of a receipt. People who park crooked, and burnt toast.”

Her response was without hesitation, which I thought was impressive. I agreed with everything she mentioned except for one thing.

“What’s upside down toilet paper?” I asked.

She twirled her finger in a circle. “When it’s upside down.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“When it comes off the back instead of the top.” She exhaled a breath through her clenched teeth as she shook her head. “If I’m at someone’s house, and their toilet paper is like that, I’ll fix it. It drives me insane.”

“I’m the same way.”

“Why’d you ask me what irritated me? Nobody’s ever done that.”

“If your favorite car color is red, and mine is blue, we’re not going to argue about who’s right. We’ll just accept it. But, if you hate it when people park crooked, and every time we went somewhere I parked crooked, it’d drive you nuts. A person’s dislikes reveal far more about their compatibility than anything.”

She leaned away and looked down her nose at me. “Why are you worried if we’re compatible?”

She had a good point. I really had no idea why I asked her the question. It was time to change subjects.