owners never trimmed them back. Over the winters, snow would collect between the bushes and the wood siding. As the heat from the house would melt it and it would refreeze, it caused extensive damage on the entire outside of the house. The old owners bought it at the top of the market and were in the middle of massive renovations on the inside of the place when they found out about all the rot happening on the outside and walked away instead of finishing any of the renovations or fixing anything.”
“They must’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” breathed Cali.
“They weren’t smart about it. They bought the place for too much to begin with and after all the damages, they would’ve been out a bunch of money anyway. They probably had enough in investments and trusts that even if they foreclosed, the hit to their credit wouldn’t even make a dent. This wasn’t a personal loss. Just a business decision.”
Cali wasn’t wrong about the place being huge. It was over ten thousand square feet and had over ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Even at the foreclosure price, it had cost him a big chunk. The outside didn’t look all that bad, but the moisture that had gotten into the walls was devastating and the mold damage was extensive. A lot of the work wasn’t anything he could do himself, but he had good relationships with the local contractors, so he knew he wouldn’t get ripped off and would get good deals.
A cold breeze whipped through the trees that surrounded the property. There were so many, it was almost as if he and Cali stood in the middle of the forest. It would be a great sales feature when the house was put on the market. “Let’s get inside before you freeze to death.” He set a hand on the small of her back and had to hold back a satisfied grin when she didn’t swat him away.
Unfortunately, he had to let her go when they reached the door and he fished the key out of his back pocket. He held the door open for her as she entered the dark entryway. “Hold up,” he said as soon as she was inside. “Let me get the lights.” He flipped the switch and the few bulbs still wired in lit up.
“Oh wow. You weren’t kidding about the renovations.”
Cali’s eyes traveled around the work in progress. The wall that separated the entryway from the first sitting area was torn down, just studs in its place. They could see straight through to the back of the house where there was a mixture of high-end finishes and barebones structures.
But the real selling feature of the house was the lake view. He was looking into the cost benefit of adding a dock feature in the water, but even with only the view, it was breathtaking.
The house was three stories tall, and the main living area was open for all three stories, allowing for a giant wall of windows. Each of the panes was around six feet tall, and the view of the bay was completely unobstructed by trees. The dim lights in the house combined with the moonlight reflecting off the water and gave the entire house a soft glow.
“Are you sure you’re not going to move in here instead?”
Rourke shook his head. “Nah. This place is pretty, but there’s nothing like your first.”
Cali let out a sigh. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave. This place is beautiful.”
He looked at the woman next to him, her face illuminated by the moonlight, and he had to keep himself from telling her that she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She ran her hands up and down her arms and he realized that she must be freezing. “Let me start up the fire.” He went to the wall opposite of the windows, where the gas fireplace was.
“You don’t have to do that,” said Cali.
“Well, do you have anywhere better to be?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Then I might as well make us comfortable here.”
“Are we staying for a while?”
“Until I manage to piss you off again.” He shot her a cocky grin over his shoulder.
“So sooner rather than
“They must’ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars,” breathed Cali.
“They weren’t smart about it. They bought the place for too much to begin with and after all the damages, they would’ve been out a bunch of money anyway. They probably had enough in investments and trusts that even if they foreclosed, the hit to their credit wouldn’t even make a dent. This wasn’t a personal loss. Just a business decision.”
Cali wasn’t wrong about the place being huge. It was over ten thousand square feet and had over ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Even at the foreclosure price, it had cost him a big chunk. The outside didn’t look all that bad, but the moisture that had gotten into the walls was devastating and the mold damage was extensive. A lot of the work wasn’t anything he could do himself, but he had good relationships with the local contractors, so he knew he wouldn’t get ripped off and would get good deals.
A cold breeze whipped through the trees that surrounded the property. There were so many, it was almost as if he and Cali stood in the middle of the forest. It would be a great sales feature when the house was put on the market. “Let’s get inside before you freeze to death.” He set a hand on the small of her back and had to hold back a satisfied grin when she didn’t swat him away.
Unfortunately, he had to let her go when they reached the door and he fished the key out of his back pocket. He held the door open for her as she entered the dark entryway. “Hold up,” he said as soon as she was inside. “Let me get the lights.” He flipped the switch and the few bulbs still wired in lit up.
“Oh wow. You weren’t kidding about the renovations.”
Cali’s eyes traveled around the work in progress. The wall that separated the entryway from the first sitting area was torn down, just studs in its place. They could see straight through to the back of the house where there was a mixture of high-end finishes and barebones structures.
But the real selling feature of the house was the lake view. He was looking into the cost benefit of adding a dock feature in the water, but even with only the view, it was breathtaking.
The house was three stories tall, and the main living area was open for all three stories, allowing for a giant wall of windows. Each of the panes was around six feet tall, and the view of the bay was completely unobstructed by trees. The dim lights in the house combined with the moonlight reflecting off the water and gave the entire house a soft glow.
“Are you sure you’re not going to move in here instead?”
Rourke shook his head. “Nah. This place is pretty, but there’s nothing like your first.”
Cali let out a sigh. “I can see why you wouldn’t want to leave. This place is beautiful.”
He looked at the woman next to him, her face illuminated by the moonlight, and he had to keep himself from telling her that she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. She ran her hands up and down her arms and he realized that she must be freezing. “Let me start up the fire.” He went to the wall opposite of the windows, where the gas fireplace was.
“You don’t have to do that,” said Cali.
“Well, do you have anywhere better to be?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Then I might as well make us comfortable here.”
“Are we staying for a while?”
“Until I manage to piss you off again.” He shot her a cocky grin over his shoulder.
“So sooner rather than
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