Page 14 of A Light in the Dark
My house would sell for well above what I paid for it, however.
I’d done great work on the place, and it would last through the years with minimal repairs to the foundation.
If I needed to leave, I could in relative comfort.
In Mr. Accor’s office, even more papers had bred since I’d last been in there, and it amazed me the man had room behind his desk for two chairs. Somehow, we both fit, and I even had a spot on his desk to put my bowl while we browsed the latest real estate offerings. Since I’d moved in, housing prices had gone up, quality had gone down, but I spotted a building that looked rough yet had a solid foundation and could be turned into a place like mine with some work.
I pointed at the listing. “That one is worth looking at.”
“It looks like a dump,” my boss complained.
“That dump has a new foundation, and it’s been magically shored.” I took the mouse, opened the pictures of the foundation, and pointed at the tell-tale signs of magic having been used to make sure the floods couldn’t defeat the concrete. Most importantly, the company’s sigil remained in place beside where the stairs had once been. “See that marking?”
“I do. It looks like somebody with a love of triangles had been given a stamp and free rein.”
I giggled, as the sigil had so many overlapping triangles,I’d amused myself counting them. I’d gotten up to fifty unique triangles by the time I’d gotten bored and given up. “That’s the company I used to do the work on mine. They’re more expensive, but they have a twenty year warranty, andanythingthat damages that foundation counts, no questions asked. If I damage it taking a sledge to it, their magic wasn’t done correctly, and they’ll fix and reshore the foundation. My place has a basement, but I don’t use it. I’ve been told that no matter what the disaster, my foundationwillbe left standing. I paid a lot for the work, but they mean business. Part of the contract means I can call once a year to have the foundation inspected, which I’ll do in a few weeks after the flood rush tapers down a bit.”
“That’s really good to know.”
I checked through the other pictures. “Most of this is cosmetic damage, and I bet twenty grand will get the repairs done.”
“That’s it?”
“It just looks awful. Yeah, it needs to be painted, but there aren’t any cracks in the wall, the fixtures look okay, and while you’ll definitely want an inspection, it more looks like whoever lived here just didn’t care about the cosmetics.” I shrugged. “My home was similar.” Then, because I’d kept my place pristine following the flood, I went out on a limb and offered, “You can come to my place and see what it looks like, but it was in similar condition when I bought.”
Mr. Accor checked his clock. “Actually, I’d like that. Do you have anything that can’t wait until tomorrow?”
I considered that, then I shook my head. “I don’t.”
“I’ll get an appointment to see that house; I know the agent, so I bet we can get in today. You go finish your lunchand get your things. While you do that, I’ll poach Madeline and get the paperwork on her acquisition started. I’ll offer a free month of services to take their refugee off their hands, and I suspect she’ll be in much better hands with you than with them.”
If their paperwork related to how they handled employees, I could believe that without hesitation. I picked up my chili, saluted my boss with the bowl, and said, “Give me thirty, and I’ll be ready to go.”
SIX
The wise sheltered at the first sign of trouble.
The real estate agent,a younger man who couldn’t have been in the business for long, waited for us outside of the home my boss intended to purchase on behalf of the company to house Madeline. The client, upon hearing we actuallywantedthe woman, had been more than happy to trade her employment contract for a month of free labor. That had astonished me.
Me, have value? Me, have value enough the company was willing to drop a month of profit so I could have an assistant I liked? Then to acquire a home for my new assistant?
Nothing added up, especially not with a hundred thousand on the line for the property.
While my boss greeted the real estate agent, I inspected the sigil, pressing my hand to the stone nearby, which warmed at my touch, a sign that legitimatized the mark.
The foundation alone was worth a hundred thousand,and if the real estate agent was unaware of that, I would not enlighten him.
“Robbie, this is Valerie. She’s our incoming documents specialist at our firm, and she needs an assistant. This is where we’re intending on housing her assistant after we do the mandatory repairs.”
My boss’s announcement warned me I needed to be present rather than inspecting the foundation, and armed with my best smile, I went over to greet the agent. “It’s nice to meet you, Robbie.”
“You’re the woman who bought the property up on Wayward Street, middle of the row. The foundation was about done, so you got it on the cheap and turned it into one of the best properties on that street.”
No matter what I did, Joel’s home would forever outclass mine, which I didn’t mind in the slightest.
Well, at least on the outside. On the inside, I was of the opinion I had the best home, perfect for me in all ways.
Joel had a great deal more work to do after each flood restoring his place to his usual standards. I’d have to mention the real estate agent’s knowledge of our street to him, though. Maybe my neighbor would be able to illuminate me. “Yes. I shored the foundation, and I had planned my budget to shore it.” As the cat was out of the bag thus far, I decided to do some calling out of my own. I pointed at the sigil. “This property has been shored. The shoring work is worth more than you’re charging. Why is it so cheap?”
