AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I hope your travels went well.”
I nod and look back at the car that made the long haul. “We managed.”
“Good. Good.” He pauses, and I glance back at him. “Chicago, huh?”
“Yep,” I answer, pocketing my hands in my jeans pockets. “Born and raised.”
A tiny frown furrows his bushy eyebrows. “If you don’t mind me asking, why Fairview, Utah?”
I shrug a little. “My best friend moved here after college. She offered me a job.” And a way to escape, but Ikeep that to myself. He doesn’t need to know all the details. It’d probably frighten him off, and I really need this place to stay, even if it might be infested by termites. In such a remote area, there weren’t many places to rent.
“It’s a small town, Tegan. Everyone knows everyone here, so color me curious when I ask who your friend is.”
“Tori Townsend.”
“Ah, the realtor.”
I nod. “She also owns a metaphysical shop in Mount Pleasant. She’s almost ready to open it.”
He smiles a small smile. “Interesting. I hadn’t heard. She’s a restless one, that one. I’m surprised she’s stuck around for as long as she has.”
My grin widens as I agree with him. “She said she’d never get tired of the mountains.” She complains about the lack of available booty-calls though.
“Fair enough,” he says, stepping aside and sweeping his arm out. “Well, welcome home. It ain’t much, but I’m sure you and Cole will have it fixed up in no time.”
“Cole?” I ask, scowling. I had assumed all this work would be me and many self-help videos.
He puckers his lips again. “Did I forget to tell you about the handyman?”
I rub at my eyebrow. I was hoping for solitude, but now I’ll have some strange man running around my space, making constant noises and endless messes. “Yeah. Yeah, you did.”
“I hope you don’t mind. It’s just too big of a project for one person to handle.”
I drop my hand back down and try not to flatten my lips. “Totally fine, Derek. We will make it work.”
“Great to hear.” He bows his head in approval. “Are you ready to see the inside?”
“Sure,” I say chipperly.
Together, we start to walk toward the door. “Now, this isn’t a palace by any means. It hasn’t had anyone living in it for over a year.”
“A renter?” I ask because perhaps the previous renter destroyed the place. It’s not unheard of. They definitely didn’t maintain it. Or maybe that’s Derek’s fault.
“My brother, actually. Not a renter.” He glances at me from over his shoulder for a second. “It was his place. He inherited it from our parents with the hopes of fixing it up, back to its original glory.”
“Did he decide against it?” I press as he pauses with his hand on the door handle. I could totally see someone looking at this and thinking it was too much work and just walking away.
“He-uh-” He pushes his glasses up with his free hand, hiding the pinch of his eyebrows as he looks down at my neck. “He disappeared a year ago.”
“Oh,” I whisper. I can tell there’s more to that story, but by his expression, he doesn’t want to be forthcoming with information. So instead, I touch his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugs, and the hinges squeal as he opens the screen door. “Anyway, the place is mine now. That’s all you need to worry about.”
He steps inside as a waft of dust and mold stuffs its way up my nose.Oh boy.I brace myself and follow him inside. My eyes adjust to the darkness of the space, and I almost wish they wouldn’t.
The front door leads to the living room. The first thing my eyes zoom to is the cobwebs in every crevice. The meager sun shining through the gritty windows reflects on them, announcing their presence in each corner, across the faded dark green couch and matching recliner. A fireplace sits on one wall, but I don’t think it’s been cleaned since thehouse was built. Black soot crawls up the sides of the brick, and a generous pile of ash rests at the bottom.
In the corner is a grand piano. I’ve never played myself, but I do like the sound of a good melody.
