Page 18 of A Light in the Dark
“I will be. What time?”
“If we leave here at eight, we might escape before the place becomes a madhouse or a furnace.”
Within a few weeks, the city would become a steaming swamp, especially if people insisted on refusing to clean out the puddles in their yards. As the waters below the city evaporated, we’d deal with air so laden with moisture breathing became difficult at best. If I stayed, I’d invest in solar panels and a battery to help run my AC.
Life without AC in Stonecreek needed to be deemed illegal.
“On that note, I need to get back to the office to finalizethe papers and make sure the accounting department knows they’ll be cutting a check to the bank tomorrow. My boss has informed me we’ll be putting Madeline up in the hotel near the office until her new home is ready. I’d like to teach her about the flood schedule personally.”
I wondered if my boss was aware of the true number of deaths and, like me, did what he could to prevent others from perishing. Rather than ask, I smiled, nodded, and said, “If there’s a problem with the hotel, I can open my guest bedroom.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine, but I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I waited for my boss to leave and head up the hill to where he’d parked his car in one of the public lots before heaving a sigh and saying, “I hope that wasn’t a bother, Joel. I don’t usually bring work home with me.”
“I try to avoid bringing work home with me, too. May I ask who you’re buying a home for?”
“I’m getting an assistant at work. We poached a refugee from one of our clients. Apparently, I need the help, and my boss thought she’d be a good fit.” I heaved a sigh and bowed my head. “I do need the help, but it’s been a whirlwind since my boss met Madeline and decided he wanted to poach her.”
I wouldn’t mention anything about a raise until it actually happened, but if I did get a raise, I’d be set. Not only would I be able to renovate my basement, I’d be able to have my dream garden and pursue my hobbies with wild abandon.
“How unusual.”
No kidding. Rather than express my misgivings, I said, “How bad was the damage to your yard?”
“It was about the same as usual, but I need to have all myshoring checked. I expect to lose my sanity by the end of the week. They’re coming tomorrow to give me an estimate on the repairs if any are needed. My garage is going to need some love, but I might escape another year or two without having to redo the front.”
I leaned out of my door to regard my foundation with a frown. “Mine came with a twenty year warranty.”
“I have a five year warranty on mine, and I’ll probably upgrade to twenty this year. It’s because it’s a corner lot and takes the brunt of the flood waters. It’s worth the price I pay, but I stayed on five year policies for now because of how much damage it takes. It’s painful. Worth it, but painful.”
Ah. That made sense. “And your neighbors on both streets?”
“If they would shore up properly, I’d be a happy man, but they seem to believe I shore so they don’t have to.”
Every year, people wondered why houses washed away from the foundation and collapsed, often taking the neighboring buildings out with them when they went. “I think I’m going to dish out to have my walls shored, too, just in case.”
“I did that the year I moved in. Of the houses on this street, yours and mine are the only ones I trust not to go on a trip down the hill if the going gets truly tough.”
“How much do you think the wall shoring will cost me?”
“It’s roughly ten grand per side. It’s not bad, and it’s a fifty year warranty on the walls. It’s a lot easier to set up than the foundations. The shoring just has to bounce off the debris during the initial collapse.”
I’d do all four sides as a precaution; while I would only need to do two, if somethingdidhappen, I would beprepared. The investment would make it more likely I stuck around, however.
I hated wasting time, effort, or money, and I’d be investing all three into my home.
Heaving a sigh, I regarded Joel with a pout. “They’re going to laugh at me when I request they do all four exterior walls.”
“They didn’t laugh at me when I requested all my exterior walls be done. Have them shore up the weight-bearing beams in your home at the same time. They’ll usually toss it in for a pittance when they’re doing the exterior walls.”
“What’s a pittance?”
“They did mine for two hundred a room.”
I could afford that without even thinking about it out of my rainy day fund. “Good call. I’ll try that. I hope your fairies like their new steps.”
Joel grinned at me. “I’m sure they will. With steps this nice, the fairies are getting a true mansion this year. It’ll be a work of art, one so nice people come to see the fairy house instead of the flowers.”
