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“I mean, obviously imagine all the stuff is gone. What do you think?”
Callie answered. “I think you’ve got your work cut out, but if you can turn this place around, it’s exactly what you need to prove to your parents that they should take you more seriously.”
Paige squealed. “I really hope so.”
“Check this out.” Lennon yelled from the corner where she had pulled a piece of ugly red carpet up. I think the original oak floors might be under here.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” Paige asked.
“Yeah. It will save you a fortune if you can restore the original floors and add real class to the place.” Lennon answered.
“I knew I was onto somethin’.” Paige smiled.
Lennon screamed, leaping backward.
“What is it?” Jayda rushed over to her friend.
Lennon pointed a trembling finger, and Jayda started to chuckle. “Looks like you might have some guests already.”
Paige’s eyes flew wide open as she spied a rat scuttling across the floor.
“First things first, we need to call a pest control company. I don’t do rats. Or bugs. Basically, anything that moves apart from you girls gives me the heebie jeebies.” Sophia shuddered.
“Agreed. Small problem.” Paige made an inch shape with her fingers in the air and her friends’ heads all whipped around to see what the hiccup was.
“My parents agreed to lend me the deposit for this place. Nothing more. I may have sent them an alternative set of images and they may think they’ve invested in an idyllic five-star hotel by the sea.”
“They haven’t seen this place?”
“They’ve seen a version of it. I sent them some pictures from my vision board. I know what I want this place to look like, so I had plenty and there’s no way they’d invest if they knew it looked like this. They think it needs a make-over. It wasn’t a total lie.”
Sophia shook her head. Jayda and Lennon stared at their friend in disbelief and Callie started a giggle-fest, seeing the funny side.
“You have a plan, though, right?” Jayda asked. “Some savings?”
“Well, they think I do but I got a little carried away on my trip to London a few weeks ago. It wasn’t my fault Jimmy Choo launched a whole new summer line. I mean, the shoes alone were to die for but the matching bags just about finished me off.” Paige shook her head in despair and joined in with the laughter that broke out amongst them all.
“So, no savings?” Jayda asked when the giggles died down.
Paige shook her head. “Zilch. I just bought a bed-and-breakfast without a penny in the bank, and now I’m royally screwed. Except, I’m not because I have you girls.”
“We can lend you as much as we have, but even if we put all our savings together, it wouldn’t be enough to cover the cost of this place,” Lennon explained.
“Not by a long shot,” Callie agreed.
“So, we’ll have to find another way. Shall we check the bedrooms out before we go? I’m going to need to grab a coffee after this.” Paige frowned.
“That I can cover,” Sophia nodded. “I’ll leave the stairs for now. Did Kate say she was taking Daisy to see the garden?”
Jayda nodded.
“I’ll go and catch up with them. Take pictures for me. I need to know what we’re dealing with.”
“I love how you say that like this is all of our problem.” Paige grinned from the top of the stairs.
“Isn’t that what friends are for?” Sophia shouted back over her shoulder, making her way back to the fresh air.
CHAPTER 49
