Durbin is on his way to discuss home security cameras. I’ll let you know what I think.
The doorbell chimed and she jumped from the barstool.
She checked the time on the phone and headed to the entryway.
When she opened the door, her eyes traveled upward to gaze at Durbin. His afro seemed to have grown since seeing him at the gym. She restrained herself from offering a dollop of Afro-Sheen to help with the dry, brittle appearance of his hair.
He appeared neat in a button-down khaki shirt, which bore a red patch with the name of his company, The Wright Home Security, written in white cursive letters. Tucked beneath his arm, he held a black binder and laptop. The oversized, square-shaped glasses covering otherwise nice eyes, creeped Olivia out for some reason.
“I see you’re on time. It’s ten o’clock on the dot. Professionalism and timeliness go a long way with me,” Olivia said.
“That’s the way I work. People don’t have all day to wait for someone to show up.” Durbin responded with a smile and raised the center of his glasses higher on his nose.
“Amen. Come on in.” Olivia ushered Durbin into the kitchen after closing the door.
“Nice home. How long have you been living here?” Durbin stood with his hands on his hips surveying the house.
Olivia’s transformation of the forty-nine-year-old house into a home made her proud. Colorful, eclectic, unique décor replaced the furniture she’d lost in the fire. “Not quite six months. I love this community. There are a lot of single professionals with kids in this area. This location is close to my favorite spots on foot, for the most part.”
“Yeah. I see you have great access to the Riverwalk.”
“Exactly.” Olivia waved her hand to the kitchen table. “Please have a seat.” Durbin settled into a chair.
“Thank you.”
“Would you like a smoothie, or juice, or a cup of coffee?”
“No. I’m good. I have a thirty-two-ounce mug of coffee in my truck.”
“Thirty-two-ounces of coffee? Are you kidding me? How do you sleep at night?”
“Forty winks are about all I need to be well-rested. Pretty much a night owl.”
“I guess you are. There’s no way you sleep after drinking the amount of coffee you do. My whole face would twitch all day.” Olivia chuckled. “Sorry, I flipped into Mama mode on you. You’re a grown man who makes your own decisions.”
Durbin laughed. “I have to admit you’re correct. You remind me of my doctor and mother. I’m weaning off, believe it or not. This is an improvement.”
“Oh my.” Olivia dramatically clutched her chest. “I believe I’m talking to a human time bomb.”
Durbin chortled and ran a hand through his afro. It made his hair crooked on one side. “That’s a good way to describe me.”
“By the way, what a coincidence seeing you at the gym the other day.” Olivia grabbed a chair to sit across from Durbin. “How long have you been playing racquetball?”
Durbin shifted in his seat. “Uh. I started playing recently. I’m not good at it yet.” He scratched his neck and cleared his throat. “I play a lot of sports, but hadn’t tried racquetball.”
“Un-huh. I see.” Olivia suspected he had to have known she and Savvy were going to be on the court. “What did you think?”
“Um. I did well, considering I didn’t have anyone to play against.” Durbin dropped his gaze before appearing to conjure up extra confidence. He made eye contact with her and a half-smile formed on his lips. “How about giving me a few pointers and we can play sometime?”
Olivia realized she talked herself right into a dating trap. She leaned back and drummed fingers on the table. “You know, I’ve been playing for about five years now. I’m not a great teacher for new players. My patience runs thin on the court. I’ll refer you to a few people who play at your level and see if they’ll assist. You might want to sign up for the free racquetball clinics they hold at the gym as well.” Olivia knew she sounded condescending. She hoped he would catch the hint and not persist in asking her to play.
“Oh. Yeah.” He chuckled. “Good idea. I wouldn’t want to slow down your game or anything.”
“Sorry to get us off course. I’m sure we both have a lot going on today. Tell me about this home camera security system you have.”
Durbin seemed to shake off any discomfort he may have had. He whipped out the binder he carried in. “Sure. As I mentioned previously, I create, develop, install, and monitor the system. It’s a one-stop-shop. I’ll review the various components with you. We’ll determine what will best fit your needs.”
Olivia followed Durbin’s show and tell in the binder. “Wow. You have everything covered. Are we talking something with an expensive price tag? I don’t want to spend a whole lot of money on it. This is, after all, a rental property.”
“Not at all. Let me know how many cameras and where you want them. I’ll install motion detector lights as well. Those will be a deterrent to anyone who comes onto your property.
Even with your house being a rental, you’ll be able to transport the cameras with you when you move at some point.”
“I’m glad they are transferable. I like your idea about the motion detector lights. I guess they will also help illuminate the face of anyone on camera better, too.”
“Exactly. The cameras I provide are not grainy and the distance captured is outstanding.”
“Based on what you see, how many cameras do you think I need?”
“I recommend one above your front door and back door for sure. I’d like to suggest you put additional cameras above a blind spot on the side of your house. At the minimum, three cameras.”
Olivia raised her left eyebrow in surprise. “A blind spot?”
“I peeped it out when I drove up.”
“Well, since it’s obvious, you better put one there for sure.”
“Most definitely.
