“Everything is easy when you don’t overthink it.”
I raised my hand in the air. “Guilty as charged.”
“I know. Go on in your office and overthink our conversation. Make a list or whatever you need to do, and we’ll talk about it on our next break.”
* * *
Landon knockedon my door a few hours later. “I’m getting ready to leave for my doctor’s appointment.”
“Crap. I completely forgot about that,” I admitted. “Go ahead and go. I’ll be right out there.”
“All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I moved Kalen and his bouncy seat to the area behind the front desk and made myself comfortable in Landon’s usual spot. The afternoon was relatively quiet, so I was able to finish sending out late notices while keeping Kalen entertained.
I was just about to start my closing routine when a customer came through the front door.
“Hi, can I help you?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to someone about renting a unit here,” he said.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have any units available right now, but I can add you to our waiting list if you’d like.”
“That’s okay. I don’t need one immediately. I’m still shopping around. How much are your units?” he asked.
“It depends on the size you want, but here’s our price list,” I said and handed him a printout.
He took it and nodded without so much as glancing at the information before shoving it into his back pocket. “What kind of security do you have?”
“The property is surrounded by a fence with a locked gate. Each renter is given a unique code to access the property. We also have twenty-four-hour surveillance with security cameras,” I explained.
“So, you don’t have someone here all the time?”
“No, we don’t have a caretaker who lives on site, but the owner does live close by.” Stuff It was set up with an apartment above the office to have someone live at the property, but it wasn’t necessary since I lived in my grandparents’ house next door. It also wasn’t necessary for me to share that information with strangers.
“When are people here?” he asked.
His questions were starting to make me uncomfortable, but I answered anyway. “Our office hours are Monday through Saturday from ten to six. We’re closed on Sundays.”
He nodded and took a long look around the office. I was more than ready for him to leave when he finally spoke again. “Thanks for your time. I’ll be back if I decide to go with you.”
“Thanks for stopping by,” I said and locked the door as soon as he was in his car.
“That was weird,” I mumbled to myself and set about closing up shop for the day.
Once I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about the strange man and his questions. I wasn’t sure if I was being paranoid or if there really was something odd about his visit, so I decided to call Landon and see what he thought.
But I couldn’t find my phone. Anywhere.
After thoroughly searching the house, I picked up Kalen and went back to the office hoping I’d accidentally left it in my haste to get out of there. But it was nowhere to be found.
Sighing, I picked up the office phone and called Landon.
“Why are you calling me from Stuff It?” he asked immediately upon answering.
“Because I need your help.”
“With what? I’m already in my PJs, so if it requires regular clothes, I’m out.”
