Page 35 of Just One Fake Date

“No!” Tyler said with heat. “Don’t do that.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your mortgage is comparatively new.”

“How can you know that?”

“It has to be. You must have graduated ten or eleven years ago. Which means that you’re still in the phase when most of your payment is interest and not affecting the principle. It takes a good fifteen years to start paying down the principle.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I am. The bank is counting on you for interest, which is revenue on their side, so don’t make any early payments. Make every single payment exactly on time, not one hour late or one day early. If you have extra money, save it until the mortgage renews and have it applied to the principle as a lump sumthen. That’ll directly reduce the outstanding principle. In the interim, you can invest it somewhere so it earns some interest until the renewal date.”

“Damn,” Shannyn was impressed despite herself. “I never thought about that.”

“You don’t want to spook a bank. Slow and steady is the way. There’s an old trick of building a good credit rating by borrowing money you don’t actually need, then paying it back right on time.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense to a bank. It means they get their interest on time and proves that you’re a reliable borrower.”

“Okay.”

“In your case, by the time your mortgage comes up for renewal, you want them to just look at your payment history and rubber-stamp the renewal without reviewing your income qualifications. The proof that you can pay the mortgage will be that you have been paying it. If you put ten thousand dollars against the principle then, for example, they’re not losing any interest they expected, and it makes you look like even more of a sure bet.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“So, you don’t want to add the roof to the mortgage, which is fair. If you don’t have a lot of equity, then a second mortgage isn’t likely. You don’t have a car, do you?”

“No.”

“Because that would be too easy if you had one that was paid off. Any other assets?”

“My sparkling wit.”

“Point to you,” he said, a smile in his voice. “Sadly, the bank might not put a dollar value on that.”

“Do you?”

“I’d put a premium on your ability to surprise,” he said, which made Shannyn sit up straighter. “Is there anyone who could lend you the money?”

“No and I wouldn’t ask.”

“How much do you have?”

“Two-thirds of the quote.” She could hear something tapping, maybe his fingers. Should she add a calculator or a pen to her mental image of him? Once again, she could almost hear him thinking.

“What if I can solve this?” he asked abruptly and Shannyn’s thoughts stilled.

“How on earth could you solve this?” There was only one way she could imagine and she was outraged that Tyler would even suggest it. If he thought he could pay for her roof and put her in his debt, he could think again. “I will not let you pay for my roof or lend me any money to have it done...”

“What if?” Tyler asked, interrupting her in turn.

What was he up to? How could he possibly fix her roof? Maybe he had secret carpentry skills she knew nothing about. That idea made her smile, although the mental image of him on her roof without his shirt did give her a little glow.

“Is this about the dinner to make our wedding date more plausible?” She knew she sounded suspicious and she didn’t care.

“Yes, that is what I would like in exchange for solving the issue of your new roof.”

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