High C

16. Clothes Encounters

******

With three other cars taking up room in the driveway of the Wurtz mansion, they parked along the street. The mini hike up a gravel hill to the house gave Natasha time to dispense a little advice to Bob.

"Tread lightly with Gene, okay."

At first, Bob thought she was warning him not to drop character to make an impression, but it didn't make sense in front of DeeDee. "In what way?" he asked.

"He can be a little intense."

"Oh sure, eccentric genius. Inside carrots. Got it."

"Let's just say he's a little more eccentric than genius is all."

"I've seen his sets. He is a genius," Bob said.

Natasha halted for the briefest moment, considering something she then quickly dismissed. "Forget I said anything," she said and moved again.

"What does that mean?" Bob said to DeeDee who was trailing slightly behind.

"You know those parents who let their kids wear Spider-Man costumes to the grocery store to get them to behave? Parents are happy, the kid is happy? There's no point telling that kid he isn't really Spider-Man, is there?"

Bob loved those kids but assumed he wasn't supposed to. "Have you ever been sprayed with silly string in the eyes?"

"No."

"You tell enough Spidey trick or treaters to grow up and they'll web sling right at 'em."

"Don't worry," Natasha said over her shoulder with a toying smile. "Gene's not after you. DeeDee's his Mary Jane."

A little head shake was accompanied by an eye roll and sigh. "At some point he decided I was good girlfriend material," DeeDee said to Bob. "I've never indulged or encouraged it, but once he gets something into his head he can be a little obsessive."

"Yeah, well then maybe someone needs to get it out of there," Bob said with a seriousness which took DeeDee aback. She waved his concern aside.

"He pulled out all the stops to woo her," Natasha teased, "but DeeDee doesn't want to marry into Broadway royalty so she said no. Now Gene pretends it was the other way around."

"Like he turned you down?"

"Yep. Because he doesn't want to get married."

"Even with you holding out?"

"Gross. No. He tells everyone he's too young to be married, and acts like he set me free because he didn't want to string me along. Sometimes, I think he's actually convinced himself that's how it happened, but all I'd have to do is crook my finger..." DeeDee shuddered and laughed. "He's harmless, though," she said.

We will see, Bob thought with the distinct feeling he was about to be out-weirded by someone who didn't need to employ method acting to do it.

The Wurtzes had nicknamed their home The Armadillo because of the way its intricate modern design seemed to have more overhangs than levels. If one had the imagination, it could bring to mind the scales of the creature, even though it was more likely a pangolin being pictured. In any case, it was a fancy way of saying enormous grey house, which it definitely was. Natasha rang the doorbell under a porch cover so protruding the door seemed to be illuminated by a searchlight.

Steve Wurtz, dapper in a dark blue suit, welcomed his guests with a friendly cheer for their arrival.

"Merry almost Christmas everyone! Look at this sexy bunch! Get in, get in. Let me take your coats."