“Gee, thanks,” she muttered. She eyed his hand warily and then reached out her own. His hand enfolded hers easily, his skin browned and slightly calloused, fingers masculine and sturdy. An unwanted shiver moved through her blood. “Scarlett Lattimore.”
He nodded once, dropping her hand. “Just you?”
“What?”
“Just you living here?”
“Oh, um, no. I have a daughter, Haddie. She’s seven.”
He kept watching her as if waiting for her to continue, noting, she was sure, that there was no Mr. Lattimore. Much to her dismay, heat rose in her cheeks, and she hated herself for it.
Being a single mother is not a scarlet letter. Though if it was, she’d been aptly named to play the role.
A knock sounded at the door, causing Scarlett to jump, bringing her hand to her chest again. God, she must seem like a scared deer. “Come in,” she called, a little too exuberantly.
Deputy West turned as the door swung inward and a wiry, dark haired young man entered, his face breaking into a smile. “Hey there, Cam. Didn’t expect you to be here.”
“Louis,” Detective West—Cam—greeted, his tone several shades warmer than when he’d addressed her, Scarlett noted. “How are you?”
“Well now, can’t complain much. How’s that hot water heater?”
“Better. Thanks for helping out with that.”
Louis nodded and then looked at Scarlett. “Mrs. Lattimore?”
“Scarlett.” She stepped forward, grasping Louis’s outstretched hand. “Thanks for coming.”
“You bet. Damn near fell over when I heard someone bought the old girl. Musta been a quick sale, no one’s buzzin’ about it in town.” He looked around, his eyes going from the stairway to the walls to the ceiling and then back to Scarlett. “Sure do have your work cut out for you, sprucing the place up.”
“I’m hoping that’s all it needs—some heavy sprucing. That’s why I called, so you could tell me exactly what I’m looking at here.”
“You didn’t have the place appraised before you bought it?” the deputy asked, raising a dark brow.
“Louis is right, it happened quickly,” Scarlett said. As if it was any of his business why she’d bought this place. “It seemed like a deal whether it needed major fixes or not. So I jumped on it. The property itself is pretty fantastic.”
The deputy glanced out the window, a shadow of something Scarlett didn’t know how to identify darkening his features for a moment and then smoothing out. He offered no comment.
“Course the place does have a history,” Louis said, eyeing the deputy. “Figure that’s why it’s sat empty for so long. People hear what happened here and shy away, you know?” He scratched at his cheek. “That and it being so remote and all.”
Deputy West shot Louis what looked like a warning glance. “Well,” Scarlett said, “I was looking for remote. And I’ve heard there are stories about this place—some of them bad—but that sort of thing doesn’t bother me. Houses have history. People have history too, some of it unpleasant. It doesn’t make any of us less valuable.” She glanced back and forth between them. Deputy West narrowed his eyes, staring at her with even more directness. She looked away from that laser focus.
“True enough, I guess,” Louis said. “So, uh”—he held up the toolbox in his hand—“should we get started?”
“I’ll show myself out,” Deputy West said.
“Yes, absolutely. Feel free to come and go as you please,” Scarlett said, adding a note of overly sweet sarcasm.
The deputy’s full lips twitched so quickly that if Scarlett had blinked, she’d have missed it. Perhaps the man had the smidgeon of a personality after all—somewhere deep down inside. Deep, deep down. He gave a short nod. “Ma’am. Louis.”
“See ya, Cam.”
She watched him walk away and Scarlett tamped down another wave of annoyance as the door shut behind the deputy. She mustered a wide smile, turning to Louis. “Okay then, how about we start with the plumbing? Also, are you able to get me set up with Wi-Fi?”CHAPTER FOURThirteen Years AgoKandace stepped into the foyer of Lilith House, glancing disinterestedly around. Stuffy. Expensive. She yawned. God, if one lavish hellhole had turned her into what she was, what made them think another was going to reform her?
What a joke.
The man who’d picked her up at the airport set her suitcase down and gave her a stiff nod. “Good luck, ma’am.”
“Catch ya later, Eddie.” She winked and took satisfaction from the blush that burned his ashen face. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned with an awkward shuffle and exited through the front door.
Kandace stood there for a moment, an unfamiliar feeling of doubt settling in her limbs. What the fuck was she supposed to do? Go looking for someone to greet her and tell her where she would be sleeping?
Her gaze moved over the wall to her right where a large crucifix hung next to the portrait of a severe-looking man. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment, the hairs on the back of her neck rising. She looked away, leaning slightly to the left so she could peer down the hallway beyond.