“Andthere’s the backhanded dig.”
“You wiped out everything?” Sadie asked, wiping her eyes.
“Everything except for about fifteen thousand in student loans, but since Parker was a dick, I just took a dick tax from his bank account and paid it. Since it was a lump sum, I negotiated them down to forty percent,” Garrett bragged. “I suspect you’ll need any extra money to fix up that house Greg saddled you with.”
“It can’t be that bad!” Sadie protested.
“Take it from someone who just bought an old house: it’s a lot of work.”
“We can make him swap it out for a different one,” I said.
Sadie shrugged. “I already signed the paperwork. Besides, I can live near Jasmine. Don’t discount that!”
“We should drive by and see it first,” I said then scowled. “I don’t have my car.”
“We can take mine!” Sadie said brightly.
68
Sadie
The house Greg was offering as part of my sign-on package to run the Rural Trust was a rambling Victorian.
“It looks fine!” I said as my borrowed rust-bucket car jerked to a stop in front of the large house.
“Does it?” Parker frowned.
I angled the car so that the headlights shone on the house. “It needs some love…” Several of the windows were busted out, and the front door was boarded up.
“I think this house needs to be condemned,” Parker said. “I’m going to kill Greg.”
“It needs paint and new windows, and it will be fine,” I said, opening the car door.
“You’re not seriously considering accepting this?” Parker asked, long legs easily catching up to me as I walked up the cracked path.
“Look!” I said, pointing to sycamore trees that had grown together to make a natural arch over the walkway. I shone my phone flashlight up at them. “Newlyweds would plant husband and wife trees and tie them together. It’s so romantic! This is definitely my house!” I peeped my head through a large window to one side of the porch. “Help me up! I want to see inside.”
Parker picked me up and easily carried me through the window. I kissed him when he set me down, then I shone my phone flashlight around.
“It has good bones,” I said. “And look, the chandelier is still here! This is going to be the perfect home.” I reached up on my toes to kiss Parker.
“I love you,” Parker said, swinging me around.
“I love you too!” I said, kissing him.
“Do you think Bob is going to be happy here?” Parker asked, smiling.
“I hope so! Hunter’s not going to let him live at the estate.”
“He’s going to have to live there while this house is being renovated,” Parker said, stealing another kiss. “Are you going to be able to wait?”
“I can stand staying at Ida’s apartment for a little while longer,” I said. “As long as I know I’m going to have my dream home eventually!”
“You’re going to stay with Ida?” Parker asked incredulously.
“I can’t live in your house!”
“You could stay in my condo.”
