popping in

Liz hadn't wanted to talk about Syd with Kip. Really, it was there me time. Still he wasn't sure if he really wanted to make the move here. And she couldn't decide if she'd want to move there even if she knew getting an apartment in Boston was a hard thing to do. He didn't want to give up his place.

Still when Syd and Olivia showed up, Liz wasn't sure how to play this. Exactly.

"Well, hello, stranger." Olivia brought a basket of goodies.

"You've been the stranger." Liz informed her taking the basket. It wasn't like they'd called her anytime this summer to see how she was doing.

"Have we?" Olivia looked at Syd as if they'd come directly from their NPR show about bran muffins. Olivia was all smiles.

"We've all been busy." Syd nodded.

Before Liz knew it they'd made themselves comfortable in the kitchen. As it was Kip was in the bathroom, taking a shower. Of course, it was a little too late for the surprise. They caught him with just a towel around his wet self.

He cleared his throat.

"Sorry." Liz winced as if she wasn't pleased at all by the unwanted guests.

"We thought we'd missed you." Syd looked at him then.

"Right." He half way smiled and went to the bathroom with some clothes then to put on.

"So how long is he staying, Liz?" Olivia wanted to know as she planted sugar cookies on the table.

"Indefinitely, possibly." Liz sighed as she looked at the platter of cookies.

"How did that happened, anyway?" Syd put Liz on the spot.

Liz kept silent. They didn't need to know everything. Did they?

Kip came back dressed in slacks and a plaid shirt. He went to make coffee. Liz guessed they were actually going to have a good old sit down and do that neighborly thing her parents always liked to do, to keep the peace with the folks next door to them. Honestly, she knew the neighbors thought her parents were the oddest people. She had a feeling, Olivia and Syd felt the same way about them.