Page 62 of Haunting Phantom
He stops at the door, fiddles with the keys for a few seconds, then opens it, only standing with enough space to hold it open for me. “I’m not grumpy. I’m annoyed. There’s a difference.”
My nose scrunches just a tad. “How can I already be annoying you?”
“You’re older than expected.”
“You keep saying that? Why is my age so important?”
His mouth sets into tight-lipped silence, motioning for me to go inside without another word said.
Once through the door, my heart drops to my feet. The place is in absolute shambles. Everywhere you look there’s something that needs replacing. A broken tile here, a faulty light there. The oven looks ancient and too old to use, and there’s so many cobwebs, I’d hate to know what kind of eight-legged freaks are lurking in all these dark corners.
“Um, are you sure this is the place? The way Mr. Moseley described it had me believing it was in pristine condition.”
He folds his arms. “Are you not happy?”
“Oh, I’m definitely happy. I just expected… I don’t know… something more modern and not so rundown.”
This man must live on frowns and anger issues, because he’s always scowling and definitely not the welcome committee I expected.
“It’s fine, I swear. I’ll make it work. It just needs work.”
“Any work to be done needs to be approved through Moseley first.”
Nodding in agreement, I smile, doing my best to combat his gruff exterior with optimistic sunshine. It doesn’t work. “Landlord approval needed first. Got it. I’ll make sure I do a thorough walkthrough and run everything by him before I make any necessary repairs. You don’t think… nah, forget it.”
“What?” he questions, huffing out in frustration again.
“Well, you don’t think he’ll help with some of the repairs, do you? I mean, since he didn’t disclose the current condition of the building through our prior correspondence?”
Good, Mindy, show him you’re business savvy, and not some stupid girl that has no business running a bakery all on her own.
He laughs, but it’s a bit mocking and hurtful.
“Good luck with that,Girl.”
“Oh, please, call me Mindy.”
He looks at my outstretched hand again and rejects it, his mouth falling to another frown. One full of disdain and disgust. “I’d rather not. If you need help with financing, he may be able to work a deal out with you, but after looking you over, don’t be too surprised if his price is higher than you can pay.” His eyes rake over me, making me uncomfortable in my own skin.
“Why does it seem like you hate me?”
He shrugs, already making his way to the door. “Because you’re not what was expected.”
“Are you ever going to explain what that means?” I shout after him, but it’s too late, he’s already gone and out the door before I have the chance to say thank you.
Once he’s gone, my heart sinks all over again, taking in the meager accommodations and the extra money and work I’m going to have to put into this place. I scrimped together a nice little nest egg, but now I’m not sure if that’s enough to get this place going like I want it to.
Sighing, I make my way back outside, desperate to empty the moving truck before it gets too dark. It’s times like this that I wish I had a boyfriend or husband, someone with big manly arms that can carry in boxes for me without batting a pretty eyelash.
A few hours roll by before I have most of my stuff unloaded into the front of the shop. I’m just starting to carry in the last of my boxes when I whip around, knocking into someone walking on the sidewalk.
“Oh, fudge sticks, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hit you like that.”
I can’t see who I knocked into, so I peek around my box, gasping when I’m met with only half a face, a face hidden behind a strange white mask.
“You should watch where you’re going,” he grumps, making sure to stay hidden just enough to conceal the rest of him.
What a pity. From behind that white mask, are eyes so blue and soul-sucking that I’m already getting lost in them.
