"I am not!"
"Oh yeah?" She gave a bark of laughter. "Tell that to the six pages of instructions you left for the tenant."
"Hey, I thought they'd be helpful." Okay, I sohadmade one little mention of coasters, but that was only at the very end.Call it a friendly little footnote.
And, as far as the sinks, I hadn't mentionedthemat all…well, except to caution against abrasive cleaners, but that was helpful, too, right?
On the phone, Myra said, "Listen, if there's damages, he'll pay for them."
I froze. "Damages? What kind of damages?" I felt myself swallow. "Do you know something?"
"I knowthis," she said. "Youwere the one who came tome, looking for help."
"Yeah, but—"
"So I hook you up, andthisis the thanks I get?"
Ihadthanked her, not only with a bunch of free mocha coupons, but also with a tin of peppermint chocolates from the candy store where my sister worked part-time.
Plus, there was the matter of Myra's commission. She hadn't done the deal for free, not that I'd expected her to.
Still, I had to admit, shehaddone a pretty impressive job of lining up professionals to complete our emergency repairs. And to help fund those repairs, she'd also found a renter who was willing to pay all of his rent in advance while Lexie and I stayed at our aunt's place.
It had a been a win-win all-around, and I'd been suitably grateful. But that didn't mean I was willing to close my eyes and let some stranger remodel my house.
Still, I deliberately softened my tone. "You're right. You were a huge help. And I'm thankful. Really, I am. I'm just worried about the house, that's all."
"I know. Which is why I didn't want you involved. You worrytoomuch. It's not healthy for anyone." Under her breath, she muttered, "Especially me."
I tried again. "But the thing with the vehicles, you've gotta admit, itispretty strange."
"Not as strange as you spying."
Ignoring the jab, I said, "The renter guy, what does he do for a living? You neverdidtell me."
"Well, if youmustknow, he sells little houses."
"How little?"
"Littler thanyours."
Considering that my own home was a modest two-bedroom bungalow, I was finding this a little far-fetched. "So he's a realtor?"
"No. He's an e-commerce guy."
"So he sells houses on the internet?"
"Housesandplans," she clarified. "Plus, he owns a bunch of big burger joints in Florida – some regional drive-through chain. And before you ask, yeah, his financials are solid."
"Howsolid?"
"Alright, if you want the truth, the guy's loaded."
"Seriously?"
"Trust me," she said. "If the guy's bank account were a wallet, the thing would be bulging."
For some reason, this surprised me. Ishouldhave been relieved, and Iwas…mostly. Still, withthatkind of money, maybe the guy wouldn't blink at wasting a wad of cash on so-called improvements. I just had to ask, "So…do you think he's messing with my house?"
