That was a lot of paperwork, and at first glance, I noted dates going back weeks, an official-looking logo, and plenty of legal wording. I probably wouldn’t understand half of it even if I read it carefully.
“Come in.” I didn’t want to continue arguing on the doorstep.
He glanced around, and his expression became even more desperate as the color drained from his cheeks and he clamped his teeth on his bottom lip.
“This isn’t how the place looked in the photos.”
Oh damn, that wasn’t a good sign, because I’d read the address on the lease and it was here. I suspected this guy had been conned, but I offered him a coffee. Mine had gone cold, and I needed caffeine to get me through this.
While I was waiting for the coffee to brew, I asked if he was a tourist here for an extended stay or a writer, because there were plenty of the latter scattered around the district.
“No, I have a job offer, and I’m starting in two days.” He was fidgeting with his collar, and I hadn’t told him the bad news. “I’m an accountant, and I’m going to work for Mr. Sampson at the general store. I’ll be a manager slash accountant, slash doing a bit of everything.”
I served his drink and took a sip of mine.
“Look, the lease is for my cabin.” I held up the paperwork and pointed to the relevant line. “So you came to the right place.”
His eyes lit up, and he leaned forward as if expecting good news.
“But I think you’ve been conned.” Damn, I should have let him down easily.
The coffee slopped out of the cup onto his jeans, but he didn’t appear to notice.
“No, that’s not possible.” He snatched the papers from my hand and shook them. “It’s all legal. I went through a lawyer.”
As he spoke, I thought about where he could live. There’d be somewhere in town. The B&B where Weston, Asher’s mate, stayed would have a room.
“Lawyer or no lawyer, I didn’t sign this.” I pointed to the landlord’s name and scribbled signature. “That’s not me. I’m Zack.” I read my visitor’s name on the document: Ford.
I knew the guy would be upset, but it wasn’t the end of the world. He had a job, and I’d call the B&B and make sure they had a vacancy.
“Ford.” His head jerked up. “That’s you, right?” He nodded, and his eyes welled with tears. I explained about the accommodation in town but suggested he get in contact with his lawyer.
He grabbed his phone and dialed. I didn’t mean right now, but okay. I’d drink my coffee while he explained what had happened.
Ford put the phone down as tears rolled over his cheeks, and he brushed them off. “The message says the number’s been disconnected.”
“Let me guess, this was a lawyer the so-called landlord recommended?”
He nodded. Oh gods, I winced as I imagined how much he paid.
“They took all the money I had.” He pointed to numbers in the paperwork. “Not only in lawyer’s fees, but I forked out a six-month deposit.”
Oh shit, it was much worse than I thought.
“I’ve got nothing else until I get paid.”
Damn, so that ruled out the B&B. I could pull in a few favors in town and get him somewhere to stay for a few nights. My friend Jamie and also Theo at the diner owed me favors. But their generosity wouldn’t last a month until he got paid. Sleeping in his car was a possibility.
“Well, we need to get you a bed for tonight, and I’ll talk to some people.” I picked up my phone.
“No, I can’t leave. You don’t understand.”
Huh? Was I going to have to heave him onto the porch? If he was intending to stay, he might pitch a tent outside my door. Oh yeah, he could do that. There was a camping ground not far fromthe B&B. I had a tent in the shed. That might do if the weather stayed fine. The shed itself was pretty drafty, and besides, there were always mice breeding in the corners, so he couldn’t sleep there.
“This is my home. You can’t invade it and refuse to leave.” It wasn’t my fault he’d been fooled by crooks.
“I have nowhere to go, and this,” he pointed to the kitchen, “was supposed to be my home.”
