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"Maybe six months," said Trey, but he sounded doubtful.
"Give me a realistic estimate, Trey."
"Let's say a year."
Another breath. "In other words, what you're saying is, I can't finish this place for another two years?"
There was a very long silence.
"Trey?"
"Yes. It could be that, but there is something else too.”
“What?”
“You are going to have to move out until it is all resolved. They deem it unsafe living conditions.”
She tried to fight back the rising wave of panic.
"Is there no way we can sort out the permit any faster? Before everyone goes on holiday, I mean?"
"I rather doubt it." He hesitated. "It's going to be complicated. I learned today that several requests have been made for building permits in the past few years, and they've all been refused."
My heart began to thud painfully in my chest. "Who made them?"
"One was a property developer. One was an architect. The third was Saul Turner."
"The bastard," she hissed. “He did know and didn’t tell me.”
"You were right about him, it seems."
She couldn't sit still. She had to move. She told him she had to go and got out of bed, tossing on some sweats and setting out on a long walk to clear her head. What was she going to do? Her dream home was quickly turning into a complete nightmare. The lack of permit was going to push back the completion, the quarries were going to eat away at money. Trey's fees, reduced or not, were going to add up quickly and she was going to have to pay to live elsewhere for the interim.
A thought struck her. The best answer was to get out of this with whatever little loss she could manage. She could take up Paul Turner on his offer to buy her out.
She flopped onto the nearest bench and sat with her head in her hands. Contacting Paul Turner was the last thing she wanted to do. Accepting his offer was the next to last. But it seemed to be the only solution. If she could sell the house to him, then her problems went away, and she found something without so many pitfalls.
She got to her feet. Her decision was made. She looked up at the sky. There was a storm on the way. She hurried back to the house to make some calls.
The street was quiet, as usual. No faces appeared at the windows, no doors opened or closed. The houses were silent behind their screens of leaves. She stared at them in frustration. Now she knew why this street was mostly empty. Those that remained here were old. They had lived in these homes for years, not making improvements as they knew to request a permit would require quarry issues which had not affected them when they had come here.
The thunder rumbled louder. She was nearly back at the road when she heard the sound of voices and stopped. The Turner brothers stood on her front lawn, waiting. Saul was frowning, and Paul was gesturing. They hadn’t noticed her yet, but she was still too far away to hear what they were saying.
And then, at the same moment, they saw her. Saul moved away from the house and stopped beside his brother. They gazed at her, the two of them looking particularly evil to her today. What the hell were they bringing her way today?
For several seconds, they all stared at each other. Standing side by side, they were formidable. Saul was impassive. Paul sneered. She realized then just how foolish she had been. How blind she had been to think she could play off one against the other. They must have been working in tandem all the time. There was no point asking them if they would like to buy back their house.
The first drops of rain began to fall. She turned her back on them and walked away, unsure of where she was going, but eager to put some distance between her and them. She heard her name being called but didn’t answer. There was the sound of steps on the cobbles. She quickened her pace.
Jo reached the corner and glanced back over her shoulder. Saul was coming after her. He called her name again. It was lost in a tremendous roll of thunder overhead. She began to run, and so did he. She crossed the road and entered the park. By now, it was raining in earnest. Everyone else was leaving, scurrying for the gate, running for cover.
Saul caught up with her and grabbed her arm.
"Jo, you're crazy! You're going to get us both drowned!"
He sounded annoyed, but at the same time, he was laughing. The heavens opened, and he pulled her under a tree.
"What are you running away for? Why didn't you wait?"
Jo jerked her arm away and turned to face him. "What were you doing at my house?" He opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't give him a chance.
