“All of the shows on TV agree that mitigating termite damage will be quite costly,” Connor informed her. “Depending on the severity we would need to tear out walls and joists to replace them.”
I knew I shouldn’t have let him binge watch the home improvement networks.
“Would Thomas have given you a house with potential structural damage?” Deborah asked with a confused look on her face.
Connor stared at Deborah long enough for her to become uncomfortable before he shifted his gaze to me in unspoken demand.
“Don’t look at me,” I said with a shrug. “It’s a relevant question.”
Thomas didn’t strike me as the type to give a flawed gift. He was much too snobbish for that. If the house ever had termites, I was sure they were long gone by now.
Connor stared harder at me.
“Fine.” I rolled my eyes at him. “Do what you want.”
If he wanted to inspect the house, have at it.
“But if I were you, I would start with the basement,” I added. “That’s usually where you find the most things wrong. Including termite damage.”
Connor gave the door off the kitchen a considering look as I started into the living room.
“Take the master,” he called after me.
I waved a dismissive hand at him, not really caring where I ended up. As long as it had a bed and good black out curtains, I was happy. A bathroom would be nice though.
And a closet. A walk-in if I was lucky.
“I can take the smallest room,” Deborah offered as Connor disappeared into the basement.
“No need,” I informed her. “I’m sure there’s no shortage of rooms.”
Knowing Thomas, he’d have thought of everything. I was betting he’d been planning this for a while and had renovated this place from top to bottom long before my old apartment burned down.
“Take whichever one you want,” I added. “As long as you don’t try to kill us in our sleep, we’ll get along great.”
Not that I was really worried about that scenario. Connor didn’t have the same limitations as me. The moment she made a move he’d end her life.
A better person might have reminded her of that fact, but I refrained. You could learn a lot about a person from how they acted when they thought no one was looking. Whether they were selfish or selfless. Malicious or caring. It would be interesting to find out which end of the spectrum Deborah landed.
When Deborah simply stared at me, I gave her an arch look. “Something wrong?”
“Why haven’t you asked me why I rejected Chadwick?”
I threw myself onto the couch, finding it as comfortable as it looked. “Why should I care about that? It’s your business. I don’t make a habit of prying into things that aren’t mine to know.”
I searched around for the TV remote.
“You’re different than I expected.” Deborah crossed the room, plucking the remote from an end table and handing it to me.
I thanked her with a smile and pointed it at the TV.
“Everyone always says that to me.”
I still hadn’t figured out if it was supposed to be a complement or an insult.
The TV turned on, taking us to a home screen of apps. It looked like Thomas had already signed me into a few.
“Don’t worry,” I told Deborah, gesturing for her to join me on the couch. “When it becomes pertinent, I’ll be sure to give you the third degree.”
