Page 182 of Share with Me

“It’s a silly game, I think. Dad still comes over to Mom’s house when we have birthdays and such because nobody cooks like Mom and he knows it.”

“I’ll pray for your parents.” Brinley meant it.

“Pray? You’re sounding religious, Brin.”

They slowed down behind some traffic.

“It’s not religion, Toby. It’s a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.”

“God. Jesus. Religion. Case closed.”

“Got to believe in something, Toby.”

“Myself. I believe in myself. I am my own god.”

“Your choice.”

“Yep. My choice.” Toby slowed down. “Tell me where to go.”

“Beyond those trees—”

Brinley gasped. In front of Yun’s house was aFor Salesign. In the yard were boxes, full trash bags, old lamp shades, broken shoe racks, and general garbage waiting to be picked up.

“Pull up, Toby.” On her iPhone now, she called her real estate agent. She got out of the truck as Tobias parked, all the time talking on the phone. “Foreclosed? Do you have a courthouse date? Uh-huh. Find out if there are other bids. Call me back pronto.”

In Georgia, a foreclosure meant the McMillans had missed three months of house payments. It could be a quick sale if the lender wanted to get rid of it.

Brinley knew that if she had to bid for it, she would. She didn’t care how much it would cost. She almost always won bids.

But at a high price.

Look what happened when I bought the Schoenberg Strad.

Brinley went up the front porch. She rang the doorbell. Nobody answered. She peered through a window. The entire floor was bare.

Ivan had lost Yun’s house.

* * *

“Let me get this straight.” Tobias frowned as he looked up and down the building facade. “You want this entire warehouse gutted and then nothing?”

Brinley knew it looked bad. Dirty and grimy with age. Abandoned. Broken windows patched up. No one had dared to touch it with a hundred-foot pole.

“Right. Fix any structural or foundation problems.” Brinley stepped on the cracked cement driveway to get to her general contractor. Right there in front of them the entire bottom part of the brick exterior wall was covered with graffiti. Nice street art if the building hadn’t been devalued by vandalism. One block down from Mallery Street and the landscape had surely changed.

“If you let this building sit too long, you’re going to lose money.” There was strain in Tobias’s voice.

“Patience, friend. There’re no bids. You get the rest of it.”

“I’m not worried about that. I have plenty of work to do around town. I’m thinking about you, Brinley. You’re buying up this entire block. It could be a royal flop.”

“You’ll still get paid.”

Tobias raised his palm. “Don’t look at me as your GC right now. Look at me as an old friend. If this entire project fails, you’re going to lose a lot of money.”

“I hear you, Toby.”

“You mentioned something the other day I didn’t catch on to until now when we’re standing here looking at this space with all its acoustics.”

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