Carl had just lathered up the right side of his face when the phone rang. Wiping the shaving foam off his hands, he went to the living room to answer it before it went to voice mail.
“Hello?” he said and then cursed himself when he realized that he had instinctively brought the receiver to his usual ear, thus getting foam all over it.
“May I speak to Mr. Carl Lockwood?” asked the pleasant-sounding man on the line.
“Speaking,” Carl said, switching the phone to his left ear. “What do you want?”
“Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hank Deanley. I’m the editor of Beards & Whiskers Magazine and I would like to speak to you about your beard.”