Sway With Me(12)
She’d have to schedule a date with her battery-operated “friend” for later tonight. She refused to call it her boyfriend or give it a name. It wasn’t as if they had a commitment. She’d drop it faster than a lit firecracker if she could substitute it for the real thing.
They walked past the staircase and into what she guessed was the great room, although the house was so big, who really knew what her uncle had called this space. The two couches were white—who’d ever sit on a white couch?—trimmed with dark wood which matched the hardwood floors. Her hands trembled as she rubbed them along the smooth wood at the top of the couch. How much was it worth?
“It’s too bad we can’t sell the furniture until the end of the ninety days. This stuff would take in a fortune at an estate sale.”
Okay, so she’d thought the same thing for a split second. The furniture wasn’t exactly her taste, but she wouldn’t sell it. Everything in this house was part of her legacy. “How could you think of selling something that belonged to your uncle? Don’t you have any sense of tradition?”
He considered her question for a moment then shrugged. “No.”
She didn’t believe him. Someone who spoke fondly about skating on helipads with family, and aunts who baked apple pie couldn’t be that heartless, could they?
A drop of liquid hit the top of her head. She looked up at the ceiling and spotted a foot long water stain directly over them. “Ryan? We’ve got a leak.” Her gaze lowered to the warped floorboard under their feet. “And we’ll have to replace this plank.” She brushed her foot along the board and stepped out of the way of the leak. “Know anything about home repairs?”
Squinting, he tipped his head back to examine the ceiling. “A little. Enough to figure out how to identify the problem. If it’s the entire roof, we’re in trouble because that costs thousands. But if it’s a few shingles or a burst pipe, then I might be able to do the work.”
He scratched his chin, which had already begun to grow a five o’clock shadow despite the early hour of the day. His motion drew her attention to his hands—his very large, masculine hands, dark with a sprinkling of hair. Those capable hands could lift and hold her high over his head as they danced a pas de deux, a duet. As sure as she knew her own name, she knew he’d never drop her.
“I have a friend I can call to take a look, but first, let’s see what else this house has in store for us,” he said, walking across the long room.
They made their way into the biggest kitchen she’d ever seen. It had the potential to be beautiful, but it had obviously been neglected. The stainless steel appliances were scratched and in the middle of the kitchen over the island, a range hood was dented, and the oak cabinets and pantry doors were falling off their hinges. A sliding glass door spanning half the length of the kitchen was draped in the ugliest dark green crushed velvet curtains she’d ever seen.
Yet changes must have been made at some point because the rest of the kitchen appeared more modern with dark gray granite countertops, a light gray marble backsplash, and gray marble tile.
It smelled as if someone had mixed raw fish with an egg and left in to bake in the sun. “Ooh, what is that smell?” she asked, pinching her nose. A scan of the area immediately identified the cause—a stack of dirty dishes in the sink. She reluctantly crossed the kitchen and discovered plates and bowls caked with moldy food.
Ryan laughed. “My uncle was a typical bachelor. He didn’t do his own dishes. He expected the maid to do it for him. Same with all the cleaning.” He leaned back against the counter, his face growing serious. “His move to the home was sudden and my family must have forgotten to call the service for a final cleaning. It was a crazy, emotional time.”
She wanted to ask how it affected Ryan, but the moment her lips parted to speak, he walked out of the room. Releasing the grip on her nose, she followed his lead. First chance she got, she’d clean the kitchen. They wouldn’t be able to handle that smell for long.
Stepping into the next room, she gasped in horror. Black marks caused by smoke damage streaked along all four walls and a chandelier sat in the middle of the otherwise empty room.
Ryan stood motionless, staring at the wall as she came to stand next to him. He jerked when she touched him lightly on the shoulder.
“What happened here?” she asked, dropping her hand to her side.
He glanced down at her hand and back up to her face. “My uncle started a fire. He didn’t expect it to get out of hand.”
“Why wasn’t anyone with him? You mentioned he had round the clock care.”