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“Okay Harry Welles—you heard of hiht?”
“Another Wall Street scu, from what I hear”
“Yeah Well, he bankrupted the fahter has left is this house Froreat-aunt”
“Wow Millionaire to shack-owner,” she murmured as they walked toward the front door
“Yeah So she needs to flip it as soon as she can” He opened the door for Chantal, who recoiled
“I’ll pass on the inside for now,” she said “I’ crappy insulation, maybe four entire electrical outlets and plenty of wildlife”
“You’re psychic”
“So how much money can your client spend on it? If we put on an addition, abathroo patio into the hillside here, outdoor fireplace…we can get a gy couple in here faster than you can say, ‘Bar Harbor is unaffordable’” Chantal licked her red-painted lips in anticipation
“She has about ten grand,” James said
“Well, shit, then” She sighed “There are back taxes on this place, did you know?”
“No,” James said Crap If he’d known that, he could’ve paid theain, she didn’t even remember that she owned the house
Chantal nudged a piece of trash with her foot “Julia was broke, and no one in Town Hall ever had the heart to go after thehter will have to pay about fifteen years’ worth of taxes Guess it slipped through the cracks until now”
“What if we did a teardown?” James asked
Chantal shrugged, pursing her full, red lips “Nah Waterfront property up here isn’t worth a ton, because who the hell wants to live in Washington County, right? It’s too far fro”
“Right,” Jaed
“And this is e call a postage-staet two acres of waterfront over on Mutton Chop Bay for next to nothing Judy Phillips has been trying to sell a parcel for three years now Not one offer” Chantal tipped her head and folded her arlanced at James to make sure he noticed How could he not? She winked
“So what’s your advice, Chantal?”
“Well, her best bet for a quick sale is to , new roof, new shingles, paint the inside Market it as a tiny jewel of a hideaway Maybe we can get enough to cover the back taxes and give her a little nest egg besides, little being the operative word here The place isn’t even winterized But curb appeal, you hear? Make it adorable Youfor a cheap summer home”
“Okay We’ll shoot for that Thanks, Chantal”
“You’re welcoave him a sunny s about as well as can be expected”
“Yep Everyone’s fine”
She shaded her eyes and looked him up and down “You turned out awfully nice, James Cahill”
“And you’re just as beautiful as I remember”
“Aw Give me a kiss On the cheek, now I’ stud of a husband”
“How’d he get so lucky?” James asked
“He knocked me up Let me know if I can help, okay? I’ll probably see you at Dewey’s, and you have my number”
“You bet Thanks for co out, Chantal”
“Nice to see you again, honey,” she said She got back in her car and backed out of the overgrown driveway No sign of Parker, who’d been at the hardware store for a couple hours now Or she’d fled
In the truck he’d borrowed from Chuck, one of his basketball buddies—who’d been more than happy to take the Lexus off his hands for the summer—was James’s own stuff Some tools, left over from his summertime work as a construction worker, not froive Jah to ask A few boxes that he’d found in Grayhurst’s attic He wasn’t sure if Parker had meant to leave them or not, but the Feds hadn’t wanted them
And his laptop The old résu up Unfortunately, there seemed to bea job that paid hionna happen
Speaking of Harry…James reached into the cab of the truck and pulled out his cell phone A few minutes later, he had Harry on the line
“How you doing, boss?” he asked
“Not bad, James, me boy,” Harry said His jocular tone told Ja up appearances “Where are you?”
“Up in Maine About four hours away froive or take”
“I appreciate you going up there”
“No proble with Harry’s mood—because it was one of his few talents—Jao to the Black Hole of Calcutta for the summer, let alone the coast of Maine”
Harry burst out laughing “True enough, true enough” He paused “I’et in touch with some of my former associates about a job for you, kid”
Whatever James had done to earn Harry’s affection, he didn’t know “I’ll be fine You don’t have to worry about me”
“Well, I’ll let you know if sohter?”
“She’s okay” James paused “The house isn’t worth much”
“No?”
“No And it’s a mess”
Another lengthy pause “So what’s the plan?” Harry asked There was so hours