“Of course you do.” Spencer pasted a pleasant expression on his face. “That’s why my brother and his wife allowed Ivy to live here.” Turning to his niece, he said, “Your parents told you that you had three rules when they agreed to let you move out of the dorms: no drinking, drugs, or hooking up in your apartment.”
“Uncle Spence,” Ivy sobbed. “Tippi, Starr, and I were at the library studying for next week’s finals, and when we got home, there was this gigantic party in our apartment. Kylie was locked in her bedroom with her boyfriend, and we tried to make everyone leave, but they were too drunk or high to listen to us. None of this is our fault.”
“The library closes at two.” Spencer crossed his arms. “You called me at five after three.”
“We thought we could handle it.” Ivy scuffed the toe of her sneaker on the brown carpet, sliding a glance at Tippi, whose guilty expression revealed exactly who had been behind that idea. “Then when those guys tore off their clothes and started having dick races in the hall, I knocked on my friend Dani’s door for help. But I forgot she’d moved away. Remember I told you about the house she inherited?”
“Uh-huh.” Spencer held on to his patience with a firm hand. If he’d learned anything about dealing with his niece, it was that she’d get to the point only after she told the whole story.
“So with Dani gone…” Ivy sniffed back a tear.
Although Spencer had never met the woman, Ivy had been telling him about her neighbor Danielle Sloan for the past eight months. At first, he’d thought she was a college student like his niece, but then he realized that Dani had to be close to thirty. He’d wondered about their friendship, but Ivy had said that Dani was the big sister she never had and that she supplied Ivy and her roommates with baked goods and nourishing meals. In his mind, Spencer pictured her as the supporting character in a movie, someone who played the star’s best friend.
“Anyway, with Dani gone…” Ivy sniffed again and glanced at her friends. Spencer noticed that they stepped backward. “Before we could decide what to do, Mrs. Edwards came running down the hall and threatened to call the police.”
From the safety of the wall, Tippi muttered, “And she stopped the elevator so no one could leave.”
Although a couple of years older than Ivy, Tippi looked about twelve. When Spencer first met her, he thought she resembled a tiny, dark-haired pixie, but he’d quickly learned that she was often the instigator when his niece and her friends got into any mischief.
“Probably a good thing.” Spencer glared at the punks. “I doubt that bunch should be allowed to go anywhere on their own.” Turning to the apartment manager, he said, “Mrs. Edwards, if my niece and her roommates agree to shampoo the hall carpet, pay for any damages, and put a deposit down against any future problems, can we pass on involving the police?”
“Well…” Mrs. Edwards looked Spencer over and licked her glossed lips. Spencer briefly wondered if the landlady slept in her makeup, then refocused when she clasped his hand to her chest and said, “I suppose I could do you a personal favor and not call the cops.” She turned toward the girls. “But no matter what, I’m terminating your lease and you have to be out of the building by Sunday.”
Ivy gasped. “But that’s only five days from now! And we have finals starting on Monday.”
Mrs. Edwards smirked. “I guess you should have thought of that before you violated the morals clause in your lease.”
Chapter 3
Probate had finally been settled yesterday morning, and Dani had officially moved into Geraldine Cook’s mansion that afternoon. The sensation when the lawyer had handed over the keys was indescribable. She owned a home. As long as she paid the taxes, no one could throw her out. It was the first time she’d ever felt secure.
And today, she could finally examine her new kingdom in detail. With the exception of the two unfinished bedroom suites, the rest of the house was amazing. Dani fell in love with the arched doorways, the perfectly restored front parlor, and the stately library—a spot she planned to spend a lot of time in as she read though all the books on its packed shelves. And her suite on the third floor was the pièce de résistance: the cozy sitting room, spacious bedroom, and huge bathroom were almost too good to believe.
Finishing with the interior, Dani walked outside. The exterior of the Italianate-style Victorian was in good shape—the tan clapboard and dark-brown, ornate trim freshly painted, the metal and cedar-shingle roof brand-new, and the cupola on top of the house tempting Dani to break out her telescope and star charts. She hadn’t been stargazing in years, but her interest was still there.
Unfortunately, before she indulged in any hobbies, she needed to do something about the overgrown weeds and bushes that overwhelmed the front yard. A lawn service wasn’t in her budget, but she wasn’t sure she could hack through the enchanted forest growing around the mansion by herself. Besides, she was only willing to get sweaty for two activities: one was cooking, and the other certainly wasn’t doing yardwork.
Moving on to inspect the carriage house, Dani was disappointed to see that it was pretty much just a huge, empty building. Maybe someday, she’d make the structure into apartments, but for now, she’d use it as her garage.
Suddenly, her stomach started growling, and she checked her cell. Seeing that it was after five o’clock, she let herself in the back door and headed for the refrigerator. She was contemplating what to make for dinner when the doorbell rang.
She hadn’t expected to receive her first visitors so soon, but she wasn’t too surprised when she opened the door to find Ivy and her posse on her front porch. The
