Page 45 of My Soul for Sale

“I’m slightly shocked you actually came,” she greets us.

We meet on the walkway to the house and I wrap my arms around her, kissing her lips.

“I told you I’d do anything to show you how serious I am about this… about us. So tell me, baby, why are we here? Dad said this is your grandma's house, but that’s all we know.”

Dad steps around the van and smiles at Sloane.

“Good morning. Does Diane still live here?”

Sloane looks taken aback and her face contorts in a mix of surprise and sadness.

“Grandma passed away. She left this place to Ali, but she didn’t pay the bank, so they foreclosed on it.”

“Do you need us to help you get some stuff out? We can smuggle stuff out, but it’s better to do that at night,” I tell her.

“No.” She laughs. “This is why I was in the auction. This is my house now.”

“You sold yourself to buy a house?” Dad asks.

“Yup,” Sloane answers, turning to look at her house and smile. “This was the only place that was a constant my whole life. Grandma was the only person that was always there for me. I don’t know why she held onto the hope that Ali would change, but she did. I lost my constant because of it, but then I saw the for sale sign and had to do something.”

“Why not just get a loan?” Dad quirks a brow.

“I’m a bartender, Rip. I don’t exactly scream safe bet. There was no money for a down payment either, so when the auction dropped into my lap, I jumped at it. One weekend to make enough to buy the house plus some? Seemed easy enough.”

I never thought she was in the auction for anything illegal or materialistic, but hearing she did it to buy her grandma’s house was not what I expected. Honestly, I don’t know what I thought. Why wouldn’t she tell us it was for a house when we asked?

“If it was for the house, why not tell us that?” I say the words I’m thinking.

She throws her hands up in the air. “I don’t know. When it was you who bought me, it seemed, I don’t know… pathetic? Like I sold my soul for a freaking house. It’s just another thing in a long list of ways that Ali has fucked up my life.”

I don’t know what to say and obviously, neither does my dad, so I change the subject. It’s said and done. She owns the house and she’s happy.

“Okay. So why are we here, baby?”

“The house isn’t in the best of shape. It needs some TLC. I did all the cleaning last week and honestly, I thought of calling and hiring you so I could be a bitchy boss, but then you showed up at the bar.”

I swat her ass, causing her to giggle. “You wanna roleplay, baby? I can be the contractor and you be the naughty client who needs a very specific lesson.”

“Atlas,” my dad growls.

“Jealous?” I wiggle my brows at him.

“Enough.” She slaps my chest and grabs my hand. “Come in and we’ll get to work. I do plan on paying, but I want the ‘I was an asshole and a super asshole’,” she looks at Dad, “discount.”

“Deal.”

Sloane leads us through the front door, her excitement palpable as she strides into the house. Behind us, my dad follows, his eyes scanning the space. "What are you thinking, Sloane?" my dad asks, his voice carrying a tone of curiosity mixed with admiration. The house is amazing. Needs work, sure, but the bones are good.

Sloane doesn't miss a beat, launching into a rapid-fire description of her vision for the space. Her words tumble out in a rush, painting a vivid picture of what the house could become with a little elbow grease and a lot of determination.

"Wow, baby." I chuckle, unable to contain my amusement. "Let's start with what ya wanna do first?”

Her smile widens, and the twinkle in her eyes makes my heart race and dick harden. "I wanna move in ASAP, so I'm thinking of starting with the master upstairs. That way, I can do the rest while I live here."

We follow her up a short staircase, then another, until we reach the master suite.

"So the floors need to be refinished, and fresh paint wouldn't hurt. But I want to replace all the trim with larger, white trim," she explains, gesturing around the room. "I also have a new lighting fixture to put up."

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