"Oh, shut up."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Homeowners Association Rule #28:
You must keep the HOA up to date with a current list of residents in your home.
It was a long sleepless night with Nola in my bed. She tossed and turned. Still, I’d made the right decision to have her stay with me. That man, Sally...there was something different about him. He was hiding something. The jolly, neighborly routine seemed too forced. With that loud of a voice, I would have recognized him if he’d been a fourth-floor dweller. And then there was the fact that his country twang mysteriously disappeared as the evening rolled along. His sharp green eyes didn't miss a thing. It made me automatically suspicious.
I left Nola sleeping in the bed while I made my way into the kitchen and started the coffee. Sunday mornings were my favorite. Lazy days, I tried to do as little work as possible on Sundays. I needed the time to regroup and think about things other than the office. It was also high time to call my parents.
Once the coffee pot finished, I poured myself a mug then headed outside to the patio so I wouldn't risk waking anyone up.
I sat down in the hammock and pulled out my phone, dialing my mom.
"Hello, sweetie!"
"Hey mom, how are you?"
"We're doing great! How are you, baby? I've been so worried about you. Have you been taking your vitamins? Have you been sleeping okay? What about the office? You're not overworking yourself, are you?"
I smiled as she listed her questions. No conversation with my mother could happen without her worrying about me.
"Everything's great mom. Work is taking off, and I feel like I'm starting to hit my stride in the office."
The grass was still crisp from the early morning cold. Oregon summer mornings were deceivingly brisk. It would easily be in the eighties or nineties later that day, but at the moment, it felt like a cold fall morning. Goosebumps lined my arms, making me wish I'd grabbed a sweatshirt before I came outside.
"Are you going to be able to go on the cruise with us?" Mom asked, hopefully.
Mom’s excitement at a new adventure was always contagious. It was something I loved as a child. But the excitement ran out when the bill for the fun came due. Some things never changed. Mom and Dad were already in debt as high as they could go. Unless they won that cruise in a sweepstakes, they were only going to be adding more stress to their lives.
I held off on answering a beat too long.
"Oh, I see." My mom sighed.
"I'd like to, Mom, I really would, but I've just got a lot going on here. Otherwise, I'd like to go on the cruise with you. How are you and Dad doing?"
"We're doing great, honey. We're hoping to spend more time with you. Dad bought an RV last week so we can drive down there and visit you way more often."
My groan sounded more like a whimper. "A brand-new RV?"
"Yes..."
The back door opened, and Sally stepped onto the deck with a cup of coffee in his hand.
"Hey, I’ve got to go," I told Mom.
"Okay, dear. I love you."
"Love you too." I ended the call and looked at Sally.
"Your girlfriend?" His expression was hard when he gestured to my phone.
I shook my head. "Mom."
He nodded once.
"Can we be honest with each other?" I asked.
He jerked his chin once. I was taking it as assent.
"You're not Nola's neighbor. I don't know what hold you have over her; but leave her alone. You don't have to lie to me. We're all in this mess together now, but I can make your life a living hell if you're planning on hurting Nola in any way."
Sally sat there unmoving. Unblinking.
Finally, he tapped a hand against the arm of the chair he sat in. "Fair enough."
"So who are you, really?"
The silence stretched. I could practically hear the dew melting as the morning sun grew warmer as Sally sat there studying the cement stamped pattern on the patio.
"I'm Sebastian Mercier—"
I leaned forward, pushing the hammock back. "What?"
"—partner," he finished.
"What did you say?"
"I’m Sebastian Mercier’s partner."
I couldn’t have heard that correctly. "You’re Sebastian Mercier’s partner?"
"Yes," he drawled.
I swallowed the softball-sized lump in my throat. This was it. This was the end of my career. This was the end of living in this house. This was the end of Nola and me—not that we’d really ever gotten started.
There was a sparkle in Sally’s eye. "You’re looking a little green, Bane."
"Why are you here at this house?"
"The owner is a friend."
"And has Mercier decided if he’s going to rethink his luxury apartments?"
Sally shook his head. "I’m here to look into some things. We kept getting emails from a Bartholomew Fox."
He raised his eyebrows at me.
"I never heard back from the office. I assumed they weren’t willing to look into it."
"Well, here I am. You got our attention."
Nola stepped outside, still wearing the baggy sweatshirt and shorts from the night before. The sweatshirt hid the shorts from view. Her hands wrapped around a pink mug as she eyed the two of us warily.
"You don’t have to pretend I’m your neighbor anymore. Bane got the truth out of me." Nola’s eyes widened comically before Sally continued. "I explained about me being Sebastian Mercier’s partner, and that we have a mutual friend."
"So that's what brought you here?"
Sally nodded at her, then continued. "Of course, we also kept getting long, scathing emails from Nola."
"I like to do my part." Nola waggled her eyebrows at him. "I’m assuming you explained everything to him?"
Sally frowned at her. "I was trying to, but I seem to be the only one here who doesn’t know what’s going on. Now why don’t you tell me about the eviction. I’d like to know everything I can before I go speak with Chippy."
Nola spoke first. "There’s not much to tell. We all received the eviction notice on the same day. Since it was a condemnation notice, we were expected to leave
