“Uh, luv, about that.”
I stilled at his tone.
“The old tenants moved out, and we moved in to do a tidy up for you, and I’m afraid they were a bit careless about a few things.”
Oh no.
“What things?”
“Well, there are several repairs that have to be done. However, sadly, we can’t get to them because we discovered black mold.”
Holy shit!
“This means the council won’t allow us to have another tenant until it’s been eradicated,” he continued. “Obviously, we wouldn’t want you there until that happens either. But not only do we need to see to that happening, we need to make the repairs. In the end, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to have you for two, maybe three months.”
Oh no.
Two to three months?
“I can imagine this is very inconvenient for you,” he kept talking. “I’m so sorry. So very sorry. I asked around to see if anything else is available, hoping to find a stopgap for you, but with the summer holidays coming and tourist season picking up, I wasn’t able to find anything. Of course, we’ll do what we can, money-wise, to make this hurt a bit less. And obviously, if you find someplace, we’ll let you out of your lease with us. But that mold is highly toxic, and even if the Council hadn’t deemed it unfit for use until the mold is gone, I wouldn’t want you in there.”
Okay, this had to suck for him. He was losing rental money on top of whatever it had to cost to clear out black mold and do repairs.
But…
Shit, shit, shit, what was I going to do?
My phone vibrated with another call.
I took it from my ear and looked at it.
Battle.
Calling me.
For the first time.
My stomach pitched.
This reminded me I’d see him tomorrow.
My stomach pitched harder.
I put the phone back to my ear and said, “I have another call coming in I have to take, Mr. Atkins. Um…can I call you back?”
“Of course, luv, just…anything me and my Molly can do. She’s still looking and making calls. We’re so sorry.”
“Yes, thank you. I’ll call you back.”
“Okay, luv.”
I disconnected with him and took Battle’s call.
“Hey,” I greeted.
“Vivi,” he replied.
“You might have a million-pound set of Chippendale candlesticks in your attic, and that’s for starters.”
