Excerpt: M is for Mouse (Novella)

M Is For Mouse

The bell on the front door dinged. I was in the back office, and my shirt was covered in ketchup. There was no alternative.
"Jake! Get the door."
Jake came out of our bathroom, combing his hair. He gave me that scared look.

"It's all right, Jake. If it's a customer, have them sit in the client chair, and tell them I'll be out in five minutes. Otherwise, have them wait anyway. Then offer them a soda."

That entire week we had been gentlemen of leisure, and our finances were fraying at the seams. I hoped fervently for a client. Jake's voice came from the front office. Too much of Jake's voice. I strained to hear, then decided that I'd better just get out of my shirt fast and get a clean one on.

I loosed my tie, tossed it over a coat hook, wrestled my shirt into the sink, and quickly restored my usual attire. As I crossed the office to sit behind the desk, I looked over at the client chair. Then I looked down. Then a little more. Our client was tiny.