Chase pushed open the door to reveal a dark hallway lit only by a single bulb hanging about midway down the hall, the others burned out or not working, and the open door at the far end with the white curtains I’d seen from the street.
“It’s dark up here,” I noted, reluctant to step out. I’d never been a fan of darkness, thanks to the intruders. I’d slept with the light on for years, trying to keep it a secret from Vivian when I could, taking the punishment she doled out when I couldn’t.
“Sorry about that,” Chase said in a rush, striding from the elevator and disappearing into the semidarkness, making me think he must’ve been the one who’dopened the door to nowhere. A moment later, more sunlight spilled into the hallway. “Hadn’t had a chance to finish opening things up.”
The sunlight revealed the reason why the hallway was so oppressive. The burnt-orange paint on the walls made the corridor feel claustrophobic. The paint peeled in places to reveal the plaster wall beneath, glimpses of white that were like quick gasps of untainted air.
“Are you adding more lights?” I asked, pulling Henry closer. “And I gotta be honest, the door at the end of the hallway makes me nervous. There’s nothing to prevent Henry from falling out if he got too close.”
Chase had opened another door at the other end of the hall, creating a welcome cross-breeze in the stifling heat. “Yes, ma’am,” he answered. “I’ll get these light fixtures back up today so you have some more light. There’s supposed to be a locked wrought-iron gate on that door like on the other one. I’ll see where that might’ve gotten to and take care of it as soon as possible.” He turned to Henry. “You promise me you’ll stay away from that door until I can get the gate back up, alright?”
Henry nodded. “Yes, sir, I promise.”
Chase tussled Henry’s dark hair and winked. “Atta boy. See, Mama? He’ll be fine until I can fix it.”
I eyed the door again, still uneasy. “What about the apartment on the basement level? Could we just stay there instead?”
“Afraid not,” Chase said. “It’s completely torn up. The new crew will be here Monday to get started on the renovations. There’s still some work needed on your apartment, but it’s livable, so Whit asked me to put you up here.”
I tried to set aside my hesitation, determined not to let Henry see that I was starting to regret my decision.
It’s only temporary,I reminded myself.
And, besides, it wasn’t like I had any other choicebutto make it work until I had saved enough money to move again.
I nodded without much enthusiasm. “Okay. So, which one is ours?”
“That one there.” Chase gestured to the door farthest down the hall, but at least it was the one nearest the door with the gate. “Sorry about the heat up here. The duct work is being worked on, so only the lower floors are air-conditioned right now. I’ve set you up with some window units until we get it taken care of.”
I swallowed hard, thinking about how hot it already was. And it was only late spring. It’d been hard enough at our little house, but getting through a Savannah summer with only window units on the fourth floor of an old house…
My feet dragged a little as I followed Chase. “Do you have an ETA on when that will be finished? Henry has asthma. Summer can be tough on him.”
But asthma was only one of the issues that plagued my son. The inexplicable, persistent anemia led to countless appointments, ER trips, a suppressed immune system, and days when he was too tired to function like a normal, healthy kid. Heat just made his exhaustion worse. But I couldn’t say anything more or the tears I was holding back would come spilling out.
“I’ll see what I can do,” Chase promised, the look in his eyes a little too close to pitying for my liking. He unlocked the door and swung it open. “Here you go.”
I stood in the doorway, wide-eyed. “I…I thought this was being renovated. I mean, I didn’t think…”
Chase chuckled. “That’d be this nice?”
Sure, the walls had yellowed with age and needed new paint, and the area rugs were worn and threadbare in places, but the living room immediately inside the apartment was in great shape, all things considered. Chase went to the windows across the room and pulled open the heavy drapes, revealing the air conditioning unit. He turned it on, checking that it was secure.
With the drapes open, I could get a better look at the apartment. The furniture was covered in sheets, but as Chase went around the room, pulling them off, revealing heavy (and no doubt expensive) couches, side tables, a coffee table,lamps with stained-glass shades, it was like I was watching a magician’s stage show. It was all too surreal.
“Mr. Proffitt mentioned that the apartment was mostly furnished, but I didn’t expect this much,” I said, taking it all in.
Chase pulled off the last sheet, revealing a credenza over which hung an ornately framed mirror. “Yeah, the previous tenant left all this here. We haven’t had a chance to do anything with it.”
“Did they leave recently then?” I asked. “Mr. Proffitt said the apartment became vacant unexpectedly.”
Chase shrugged. “About a month ago, I guess. Just up and left. Didn’t take much—just clothes mostly. Skipping out on rent, if you ask me.”
I glanced around once more, seeing it differently this time. I’d left behind the furniture at the tiny house I’d rented, giving some of it to my neighbor and some to charity. Whit assured me he’d dispose of the rest. We’d brought what had meant something—thepersonal.So I was baffled by the previous tenant’s ability to just pick up and leaveeverything.Books, artwork, plants (now dead). There were even baubles and knickknacks that looked sentimental—amateurish clay fingerbowls made in a kindergarten art class, Disney World souvenirs. Not really the kinds of things you just discard on a whim.
Or maybe that was just a rich-person thing. Growing up, I’d never left any of my meager belongings behind if I could help it. Anything nice or meaningful from Vivian was rare and performative. Like when she was putting on a show of how good a mother she was. So maybe I was more attached tothingsthan I should’ve been. But even when Vivianwasskipping out on rent, we’d load up the car or a friend’s van in the middle of the night so we could still take our personal things.
“Mama, can I see my room?” Henry asked, tugging my hand to get my attention.
