Page 23 of Steel

I remained where I was for a few seconds, trying to keep tears from giving away my disappointment. At least there was a lock box on the door as I’d been told. Plus, nothing looked rotten on the exterior, just well used.

Very well used.

How bad could it be inside?

We were here and we were going to make the best of it. At least I didn’t need to avoid Kenny’s phone calls while here. That was a plus.

With a little more pep to my step than I felt, I headed up the stairs onto the porch. There was a swing. That was nice. Even though it looked a little dangerous. But I could work around that.

“It’s ugly,” Damon insisted.

“Nothing a few pots of flowers won’t cure.”

“We won’t be here that long. Thank God.”

Great. This wasn’t going well at all. The code worked so I allowed myself a mental cheer. As soon as I opened the door, we were hit with the stench of Clorox bleach. That wasn’t a good sign, but it could be worse.

He tipped his little head before we even walked in, wrinkling his nose.

“We’ll buy some air fresheners.” While I’d been told we’d have everything including bedding and fresh towels, I was now very glad I’d insisted on bringing our own. “Okay, mister. Let’s see what we got.”

With a heavy sigh, he ran in first, standing smack in the middle of the living room with a scowl on his face. Finally, he sauntered away as if I’d just sentenced him to long term in a boarding facility. While the place was even more of a dump inside, there was a spectacular view of the mountains behind us. I closed the door, immediately pulling out my phone, pulling up the pictures I’d been sent.

Maybe the place had looked that way ten years ago but not any longer. At least there was evidence of fresh paint, but I was worried about what the owner had covered up from the recent tenants.

Nope. I wasn’t going down that road.

There was a stone fireplace. Nice. And the couch and chair appeared new. Fantastic. I even tried the two lamps in the room to find them working. Okay. We could work with this.

The kitchen was… bleak, but with every cabinet I opened, I was pleased to see pots, pans, and plates. The glasses were mismatched, but at least I wouldn’t need to spend money on purchasing anything. Thank God, I’d brought my coffee machine.

I heard little feet running through the halls and was still hopeful he’d find the house acceptable. When he went to the back door, figuring out how to unlock it, I was still hopeful. Until he groaned.

“What is it?”

“Trees. Lots of trees.”

With a light chuckle, I joined him on the back deck. “You can make forts with all the fallen limbs.” It appeared the ownerhadn’t bothered cleaning up the yard after recent storms. Or any for several years before that.

Or centuries.

“We’ll hire someone to clean up the yard.” With what money?

My little man just looked at me as if I was kidding him. His face twisted in disappointment before he spun around and stomped back inside.

I was already at my wits’ end for so many reasons that I remained on the deck, moving closer to the edge and gripping the railing. Brenda had been so thrilled to find me a nice place to stay that I couldn’t tell her it was horrible. That wouldn’t be fair. Nothing that a little hard work and elbow grease couldn’t handle. I was a tough girl.

So tough that’s why a tear managed to slip past my eyelashes, sliding down my face. I bristled and furiously wiped it away. Yet as soon as I ripped my hand from the aged wood, I felt a sharp pain in my hand.

My entire arm was shaking as I stared at my palm. Really? Fucking really? A splinter? With my teeth gritted, I breathed out, three seconds later gasping for air. While I’d never experienced a panic attack before, I was at that point. I could feel it in my bones.

I took several deep breaths and shoved aside the irritation. This was going to work one way or another. I resisted slamming the door once inside.

“Hey, Damon. Why don’t we get everything from the SUV? Okay?” Even as I shouted the words with delight in my tone, I could feel myself crumbling from the pressure.

He appeared a few seconds later, his eyes full of curiosity and condemnation, a strange but oddly comforting quality. As he walked closer, his eyes narrowed and the big frown he was known for was right there in plain sight.

When he was standing right in front of me, he studied me in the same way I’d seen his therapist do with him. “Did someone hurt you, Mom? If they did, I’ll beat them up for you.”