Page 109 of The Love Ambush
“Jamie didn’t say anything about that,” Dad says, hands on hips, his smile hardening.
“He sent you an email,” Deacon says, already wandering toward the kitchen.
Dad pulls out his phone and scans through it.
“Oh, wow,” Deacon says, hugely dramatic. “This is going to be a problem.”
Dad and Trisha hurry into the kitchen, but I don’t follow. I head out to the front porch to be sure to catch Deacon before he leaves.
I’m still there an hour later when Deacon comes out, Dad and Trisha following him, looking decidedly grim.
“We don’t have to reveal this stuff to a potential buyer,” Dad says.
“Of course not,” Deacon says cheerfully. “But they’re going to hire a home inspector and find out on their own. The smart thing is to go ahead and make the repairs now to facilitate a quick sale. Your wife said you want to sell the house as quickly as possible, right?”
Dad glances at me and winces. He doesn’t like that I heard that. Interesting. “Getting a good price so our family will be taken care of is more important than selling quickly,” Dad says. “But we don’t have the money to make all these fixes before the sale. We’re just going to have to hope the buyer hires a shitty home inspector.”
Trisha twists her hands together, frowning furiously.
Deacon shrugs. “It’s up to you, of course. Do you still want me to check your roof and gutters?”
“No,” Dad says firmly. “I don’t want to know about anything else that’s wrong with this house.”
“Okay,” Deacon says. “I’m sorry to have wasted your time, folks. Enjoy the rest of your—”
But Dad and Trisha have already stomped back into the house, slamming the door behind them.
“Wow,” Deacon says with a warm grin my way. “I guess they don’t appreciate my findings.”
“What did you find?” I ask.
He scratches his head. “There were several nail pops visible, which means they really should tear out the walls and replace the drywall. I saw a hint of a stain on the ceiling under the upstairs bathroom, definitely significant water damage. They should probably have the house inspected for black mold. The stair railing is loose. The appliances are outdated. The floors inside are tilted, which probably means there’s damage to the foundation. And the windows are outdated. Any home buyer who knows what they’re doing would ask for all of that to be fixed.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Yep,” he says as he shakes his head in the negative.
“Wow, that’s got to be expensive,” I say, finally letting myself smile. Worry slides off my shoulders. “Let me walk you to your truck so you can tell me more.”
Deacon links his arm through mine as we walk. “It’s good to see you again, Gentry.”
“You too.” I wait until we’re standing next to his truck and far out of earshot of the house to speak. “Want to tell me what’s really going on here? Jamie Stinson’s going to be by later today for photos, and there’s no way Dad’s not going to bend his ear about what you’ve said to him about the house.”
“Not a problem,” Deacon says. “Jamie knows I’m here. Like I told your dad, I’m working for him.”
“So Jamie’s in on this whole thing?” I never imagined the Sullivans had that level of influence in Catalpa Creek.
“Jamie’s been an excellent partner to Sullivan construction and we’re looking to strengthen that partnership. I help him out whenever he asks.”
Oh, wow. So, concessions are being made. I hope the Sullivans actually want to work with Jamie Stinson more. I don’t know anything about the guy or his business. “What are you all getting yourselves into?”
He pats my shoulder. “Levi says you’re family. We do whatever we can to help family. Always.”
My chest is aching like a piece of it has been lasered out. I want Levi here now. I want him to tell me everything about the plan. I want to be able to thank him with a thousand kisses, because… The truth lands in my gut like a boulder, knocking the air from my lungs.
I’m in love with Levi Sullivan.
“Where is Levi?” I ask. “He’s not answering my calls or texts.”
