Page 7 of Eternal Devotion

Dany spun from her computer, brow hitched. “What was that?”

“Nothing. Talking to myself.”

I hit reply and typed a response to Mom’s email, giving her a rundown of my boring day. Our daily email exchange had been going on for years, ever since I left Strathroy and moved to Owen Sound when I was twenty-four. I worried about her being all alone in the house without company. My father died fifteen years ago, but not a day passed when I didn’t feel responsible for my mother’s happiness and well-being.

My dearest Queen Ann,

I hope you enjoyed afternoon tea in the palace with your humble servant, Grace. Do regale me with all that was on offer in your next correspondence. If you should meet a handsome prince, be sure he pampers you as you deserve.

I smiled to myself, knowing my mother would get a kick out of the reply.

It’s been a typical day for me. I had a house showing this morning, met with a new client after lunch, and spent the afternoon at the office doing paperwork. My evening plans include vodka coolers and dungeon raids with the crew. Do not despair, Your Royal Highness. Ziggy suggested a night on the town Saturday with real face-to-face socialization. See? I do get out from time to time. Maybe I’ll meet my own Prince Charming, but I won’t hold my breath.

Dany pushed back from her desk.

Eyeing her over my screen, I willed her to reach for her coat and leave, but she didn’t. Instead, she pivoted and aimed for my work area. I clicked away from my personal email and brought up a standard work form to look busy.

Her heels clicked, and her hips swayed. She carried a brown folder close to her chest, expression unreadable. “Hey, Ensley.” Uh-oh. The sweet-cherry-pie voice was never a good sign. “What’re you up to this evening?”

Her fake kindness was patronizing.

I scrambled for an answer that didn’t involve ten-man raids or paint me as the antisocial slug she’d pegged me to be ages ago but came up empty. The pause lasted long enough that Dany drew her own conclusion, a syrupy smile accenting her wrinkles.

“Good.” She dropped the folder on my desk. “I need you to close a deal. I know it’s last minute, but the whole thing is unconventional. The money has already gone through, ownership has technically transferred hands, but we still need a signature. They also need the keys. They’re from overseas somewhere. The heavy lifting was done electronically. Since the new owner hasn’t seen the place outside photographs, it would be respectful to offer a walk-through. The gentleman is supposed to be there around eight.”

“Whoa. Wait. I can’t…” I flashed my attention surreptitiously from Dany to the tiny, unclear property picture attached to the folder with a paperclip. Still, I couldn’t make out the image. “I didn’t say I was free.”

“You didn’t say you were busy.”

“Well, I am busy.”

She arched a brow. “Oh? Doing what?”

Words eluded me once again, and I made like a fish, opening and closing my mouth.

“Excellent.” Dany pushed the folder across the desk. “You remember the Branvilla Estate? Oh wait. You’re not a local. Never mind.”

I darted my gaze from the unclear image on the brown folder to Dany, eyes widening, evening plans forgotten. No, I wasn’t a local, but I’d heard plenty of rumors.

“The derelict mansion? Are you serious?”

I grabbed the folder and spun it to face me, getting a better look at the real estate photo clipped to the corner. Dense trees suffocated much of the weathered façade. The picture had been taken in the summer months. A false sense of beauty gave a different impression than the stories that circulated among my friends.

“Wasn’t this place condemned?” I asked.

“Yes, in the nineties.”

“But… How can it be for sale?”

Come to think of it, the property had been on the market for decades, and I’d never thought to question it. The asking price was astronomical for a crumbling piece of shit mansion. In all the years I’d been with the real estate company, I’d never heard of a single person requesting to view it.

“It’s not for sale. It’s sold. Aren’t you listening?”

“Yeah, but… I always thought they should raze it to the ground and sell the land for new development.”

“It’s a historic landmark. It can’t be torn down. A company bought it in 2001, did some structural renovations, and brought it up to code, but they ran into money problems and filed for bankruptcy. The city took ownership, but they won’t fork over the money required to finish the repairs, so it’s been sitting empty. Rather, mostly empty. As far as I understand, some rooms still contain a lot of old furniture and junk.

“Anyhow, thanks to the structural repairs, it’s no longer considered condemned, but I sure wouldn’t want to live there.”