Page 179 of One Bad Idea
"Well, maybe they need the money. Youdidsay those shifts were the best, right?"
"Sure, but don’t you think that's odd? I mean, to be asked every single time to switch?"
"Maybe a little," I admitted. "But hey, they've gotta make their rent somehow, right?"
At this, she gave a hard scoff.
Obviously, there was more to the story. With growing concern, I asked, "What now?"
"Rent," she said. "How much do we pay a month?"
"Twelve-hundred." I smiled. "As if you didn't know."
"Yeah. Twelve-hundred. Wanna know what thelastpeople paid?"
"I dunno. A thousand?"
She gave another scoff.
I tried for a joke. "You should probably stop that or you're gonna hork up a lung or something."
From the look on her face, she wasn't amused. "Ha ha. Now, guess again."
I gave it some thought. "Nine hundred?"
She shook her head. "You're going in the wrong direction."
No, I couldn't be.That made no sense. "Sorry, what?"
"The last person – or who knows, maybe a few persons ago –theypaid more."
Now, I was really confused. "How much more?"
"A lot."
"How much is a lot?"
"Eighteen hundred."
I was beyond stunned. "Wait a minute, so they paid eighteen hundred for this place?"
"No, it's worse," she said. "They paid three thousand. I meant thedifferencewas eighteen-hundred."
The numbers hit hard and fast. I heard myself say, "No."
"Yes."
Silently, I took a slow look around. The place was absolutely fabulous, and only a block from the beach. The first time I'd seen it, I'd been blown away by our good luck.
But apparently, luck had nothing to do with it.
Still, I was having a hard time processing what she'd just said. "But I write the checks," I murmured. "They go to that realtor."
"Yeah," Cassidy said. "A realtor who manages the property – ontheirbehalf."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh yeah."
