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“Not a problem, sweetheart. I was going to call you later. The life insurance money has been deposited into your account.”
“Great. Thank you. I have to run, Richard. I need to get to the bank for a cashier’s check and head to my new house.”
“I know why you’re doing this, Claire, but that house. I couldn’t believe the pictures you sent.”
“I know.” I sighed. “But once I’m finished with it, it’ll be a brand new home. And if things don’t work out here, I can sell it.”
“Okay. Keep me posted.”
“I will. Bye, Richard.”
I parked along the curb of my new home. As I was climbing out with the large envelope in my hand, I saw a teenage girl two doors down staring at me. I knocked on the door, and Raphael answered.
“Come in, Claire.” He grinned.
“Who is that teenage girl two doors down?” I asked.
“That’s Riley. She’s Gabriel’s daughter. Sweet girl. She makes the nicest pottery pieces.”
“Oh,” I said.
“You don’t have to worry about her causing any trouble around here. She’s a good kid,” he said. “Once you get to know the entire Kind family, you’ll love them. I will admit, though, that sometimes they can get a little loud on the weekends—not always, but some.”
“What do you mean?” I furrowed my brows.
“Don’t listen to him.” Crystal walked over. “They’re a very tight-knit family, and they spend a lot of time together. Good family. You can barely hear them.”
“We can be out within a week,” Raphael said. “We’ve already started packing.”
“Okay,” I grinned. “When you're out, just call me and let me know, and I can swing by and get the keys.”
“Will do, Claire. Thank you again for this. I know you’ll be happy here.” Raphael smiled.
“I think I will be, too.”
Later that afternoon, as I was getting a mani/pedi for tomorrow night, my phone rang with an unfamiliar number.
“Hello.”
“Is this Claire Monet?” a man’s voice asked.
“Yes, this is she.”
“My name is Shaun Kind from Sterling Capital, and I got your number from Raphael, who lives a few houses down from me. Could you stop by my office today?”
“What’s this about Mr. Kind?”
“I’d rather discuss it in person.”
“Sure. I can meet you. When?”
“How about an hour? I’ll text you my office address.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you then.” The corners of my mouth curved upward as I ended the call.
A few moments later, my phone pinged with a text from him. Looking up the address on Google Maps, I saw that his office was ten minutes from where I was.
After I left the nail salon, I stopped at Starbucks down the street, grabbed an iced coffee, and headed to Sterling Capital. When the elevator doors opened, I was greeted by two big security guards.
