Page 3 of The Midnight Order
“I’ve got you down for a large already, Hun. By the looks of you, it’s what you need. Pardon my saying so.”
She takes my card from me as I’m stunned at the price.
“I’ve been driving forever. I’m certain I look like death,” I tell her with a fake smile curling up my lips.
“You can clean up in the restroom while I make your coffee, if you’d like. It’s right through there.” She points down a hall to the right of the counter, and I swallow.
She’s charming, but so was the witch who lured Hansel and Gretel into her cabin.
“Thank you.”
I relieve myself and try to fix my messy, dark hair, which has been a mess for days from travel. When I’m happy with how it’s lying, I head back into the coffee shop, startled by how many people have come in.
I was only in the bathroom for a few moments.
“There ya’ are!” the woman shouts. “Your coffee is up!”
I weave through the crowd, making my way to my coffee before snatching it up and getting outside.
I take a deep breath, turning back to look through the weathered glass of the shop’s window at the crowd I’d neither heard come in nor heard bustling when I was cleaning up.
I chalk it up to being tired and get back on the road.
I almost hate the woman more when I take a massive mouthful of the latte and moan at how good it is.
“Fuck you, Blackmoore!” I shout, never wanting to see the spooky little town again.
I nearly smile to myself, too.
That’s before my GPS tells me to take the next right, and I’m not out of town yet.
Fuck.
My great aunt’shouse is tucked back in the woods at the end of a mile-long driveway. Its exterior is dilapidated and appears to have been white at one time.
It’s a dingy grey from the weather and years of disrepair.
I had planned on staying here while I got it ready to sell, but by the looks of the outside, that might not be in the cards.
I groan as I brood over returning to town and staying there for more than a night.
Parking in front of the monstrosity, I stare at it as I sip the sickly sweet coffee that’s slowly altering my DNA and turning me into a fall coffee drinker—which I fucking hate.
In my mind’s eye, I assess the work that needs to be done.
A thorough inspection is likely warranted to ensure that the foundation and exterior are not only sound but also in compliance with current building codes and regulations.
And that’s before I can even start updating the interior.
Years of being New York’s top real estate broker have earned me more money than I know what to do with. When this project came along, and my therapist agreed I needed it, I leaped at the chance to get the hell out of the city and do something where I could stop breathing into brown paper bags every time I turn around.
But this…
I’m starting to wonder if I bit off more than I can chew.
My eyes flick down to the time on my dashboard screen, and I notice it indicates my phone has no signal.
Great.
