Page 27 of Daddy By Design

Deb pulled her mini iPad close to her and flicked it on. She scrolled through our app for the building. We put in our maintenance requests and paid our rent through the building app. Her brow furrowed. “Okay, you might not be totally making excuses there. I have a few requests regarding slow drainage. I’ll talk to Davis. But you know that’s not what caused the water damage.”

“No. But it definitely didn’t help.” I cupped my fingers around my mug, happy to have something to keep me from nervously picking at my nails. “I know we aren’t supposed to have cats...”

“Nope. We don’t allow pets here.”

“Not even cats, though? They’re so quiet. Gizmo is the sweetest boy, really.”

“Except when he turns on faucets?”

“There is that.” I took a sip of my coffee. Deb did have some sort of magic when it came to making it, that was for sure. “I couldn’t leave him at the work site I found him at. I kept trying to find him a home and the shelters are just busting at the seams, and I was afraid he’d be euthanized.”

“I know, kiddo. I sympathize, but it’s in your license agreement, no pets.”

I braced myself. “So, what now? Do I get evicted?”

“We’re not going that far.”

Relief washed over me.

“We’ll have to use your security deposit for the damage. Some should be covered by your renter’s insurance. Did you have flood damage on it?”

One thing I didn’t mess with was policy coverage. Being in the rehab business, I knew that was stupid, even if it meant my premiums were a bit higher than the usual. “I have the max coverage, actually.”

“Good, then it should just be your deductible that will come out and some things that won’t be covered, I’m sure. We’ll figure it out, but you’ll have to find a home for the cat.”

“Yeah, I figured.” I already loved him so much. The idea of giving him to someone else made my heart hurt.

“Now, tell me why you look like you’ve been trying out for a disaster film.”

I laughed. “Do you get out to the lake much?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I’m usually working too much to get out there, but I have driven around there a few times.”

“The old Barrows house on the lake? The green Victorian...”

“Oh, right. The haunted one.”

My jaw dropped. “You’ve heard of her too?”

Deb laughed. “Yeah, that’s why no one has bought the old place. Every time someone does, they get driven away by the ghost.”

“No…” I leaned forward. “Really?”

She nodded. “One story I heard was that all the power tools stopped working when they tried to replace the roofline. The ladders kept getting toppled over and the workers would get stranded on the roof.”

My eyes widened. “That’s crazy.”

“Yeah. Wild goings on at that place.”

“How have I never heard about this? I love that house. I’ve done all the research about Harriette and her family.”

“Think you’re missing the important parts of the research. Check the haunted Reddit pages. You’ll be in for a wild ride. Is that your next job?”

I nodded. “A man by the name of Nolan Devereaux bought the property. I’m trying to convince him to let me rehab it with my company.”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, the ghost doesn’t like a lot of change.”

“How the heck did you hear about this?”

---