Stories from the Savvy Simmer:
Pinups' Place: Emily Doll
Chapter One: The New Neighbor
Emily was a little bit nervous about moving into Pinups' Place. She relocated to begin with because of hard times on the former home front, and because of her love for retro and rockabilly culture, in the hopes that she might make some friends and find somewhere to belong. As a writer's assistant, Emily was somewhat reclusive. She was friendly, but she usually kept to herself. She purchased a very tiny starter home for less than 10,000 Simoleons and moved in right away. The house next door was a veritable mansion, and as she drooled over the beautiful pool she swore she could see over the fence and all the wonderful things she imagined inside, Emily couldn't help wondering who lived in that big house.
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| Boyish charm. |
One day, while she stood in her own front yard, a new neighbor stopped by to introduce himself. He said his name was Norman McSims, and Emily's first impression was that he was goofy, smart, and a little bit nerdy, too - just like her! Freckled and redheaded, Norman exhibited a sort of boyish charm that quickly appealed to Emily. He had a great sense of humor - and actually, it didn't take him very long at all to start flirting with her.
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| He needs a good sense of humor to be with a goof like her! |
The best thing about his personality, for her, was that when she pretended to slap him silly for being a humorous flirt, Norman took it in stride and laughed it off. Em reflected that she never could resist a cute guy in washed-out jeans and a white tee shirt, but she really had no idea what she was in for...
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| "What'cha thinkin' about?" |
As they got close on her white couch under the pretext of watching a movie, Emily wondered if there was anything Norman could be hiding. He just seemed so damn confident, but he didn't have those rugged good looks she was so used to. It was part of what she liked best about him. He showed up on her front step in his punk rocker Chucks, and she knew there was more to the picture. She just couldn't put her finger on it. "What'cha thinkin' about?" he asked, quirking a sandy red brow at her.
"Just...how cute that werewolf guy is," she blurted quickly. "Shame she didn't do some kinda background check after she started seeing him, right?"
"Yeah, you never know," said Norman, nodding in agreement. He smiled at her and stood up. She stood, too, wondering what was going to happen next.
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| It was surprising and a little awkward... |
The first time Norman kissed her, Emily swore she could feel fireworks going off in her chest. It was surprising and a little awkward, but she soon figured out that that, too, was part of his charm. He just did things, in a sort of sweet and bumbling way she had never seen in anyone else. That was why she let him kiss her that night, even as she wondered about all the things she didn't know.
Before Emily knew it, just a few short days later, she was calling him her boyfriend. They didn't move in together right away, but Norm came to be at her house so often that they might as well have been roommates. As soon as she became known as the girl on the arm of Norman McSims, Emily Doll began to make friends.
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| Norman's buddy Jackson stopped over to watch a football game one afternoon... |
Norman's buddy Jackson stopped over to watch a football game one afternoon, and he brought his girlfriend along with him - a stunning redhead named Cherry Dollface. Cherry and Jackson were both goofballs, too, which Emily quickly figured out when the guys started volleying jokes back and forth and Cherry, who was not at all shy or reserved, launched into a hysterical story as soon as she walked in the door.
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| "I dunno...I like to paint..." |
"So, what do you do?" Cherry asked Emily over a plate of freshly made sugar cookies.
"Uh...I don't," said Emily awkwardly. "I mean, I'm a writer. Well, I mean, I used to write. I used to be a writer's assistant, but I really don't think I'm into that anymore."
"So what are you into?"
"I dunno," Emily said thoughtfully. "I like to paint..." She knew she didn't have it all figured out, and Cherry was clearly trying not to be rude about it in any way.
"Hell, you could be an awesome artist, if that's what you're really passionate about. Jackson loves his music, but he's still learning the finer points of his guitar. You didn't hear this from me, but he could really use some more practice...I don't want to be rude, but sometimes...yeah, no, it would be rude to finish that." Cherry rolled her eyes and chomped on the last of her cookie.
Shaking her head and trying not to smile, Emily asked, "Well, what do you do? Norm's an assistant at NASSA, he's really into their space program. I think that's pretty cool."
"I know," said Cherry, with a little grin. Maybe Emily had forgotten that it was Norman who invited them over. "I'm a registered nurse over at Newcrest General Hospital."
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| "I'm telling you, these might be the best cookies I've ever had." |
"You're a nurse?" Emily had to smile to herself. Cherry was on her second sugar cookie and she hadn't said a single thing about them being unhealthy.
"Yeah, my patients are great," mumbled Cherry with her mouth full. "But these cookies are bomb. You should do this."
"Do what now?"
"Do this. You know. Like, be a baker or something. I'm telling you, these might be the best cookies I've ever had."
"Oh, stop." Em had to roll her eyes, but she couldn't help feeling flattered, and pretty good about herself. She'd never really considered opening her own business before, but even as she fell asleep next to Norman that night, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had to find out what was up with him first...
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