April let out a burst of laughter.
Samson ignored her. “For starters, I wasn’t in the state when it happened. Are you this belligerent with everyone who comes into your office, or am I just special? Are you familiar with renters’ rights in your state? Because I have been involved in real estate since I turned twenty-three, and trust me, Texas may have one of the more unforgiving standard contracts, but you cannot simply do whatever you want.”
“Miss Lucas skipped out on her contract and is legally obligated to pay rent for the rest of the time on her lease!”
Samson pointed at her sternly. “You evicted her illegally and then re-rented the apartment, and she is not obligated for the amount of rent after you have someone else in that apartment. Her lease is very clear on this matter.”
Samson’s voice was beginning to rise in spite of himself. This woman was tremendously stubborn. The owner must have taught her to reject any claim from a tenant out of hand.
“But she is still obligated for the door, for the deposit—”
“You already kept the deposit, which should be deducted from the cost of the door.”
“Cleaning fees—”
“And part of the damage to the door frame came from your handymen and should not be given to her.”
“—Re-renting fees and rent until that apartment was filled!” Erin shouted. “She has been negligent in payment and owes the complex money, starting with a water bill that she never paid. So unless you are here to pay her bills, Mr. Bennett, you should leave!”
Samson looked at his watch, sat down, crossed his legs, and glanced over to April.
“I told you so,” she said.
“Do you ever tire of being right?”
“Nope. I am tired of arguing with this bitch, though. She’s even worse over the phone.”
“You two need to leave my office before I have to have you removed,” Erin said.
The phone rang.
“You need to get that.” Samson folded his hands. “We’ll wait.”
Erin waited for another two rings staring them down before picking it up. “Imperial Apartments, this is Erin Morris speaking… Oh, hello, sir.”
Samson smirked at April and waggled his brows.
“What did you do?” she whispered.
“Yes. Yes, sir, he’s here.” Erin’s eyes bulged as she looked up at Samson again. “You sold him the complex? Um, okay.” She took the phone away from her ear. “Mr. Scott would like to speak with you.”
“Excellent.” Samson took the phone and grinned from ear to ear. “Bob! Good to talk to you again.”
Samson had not paid much for the complex as far as his investments went. However, the expression on Erin’s face was absolutely priceless. After chatting with Bob for a moment, since he had asked the man earlier to give him a call shortly into his meeting with Erin, he put down the phone and watched Erin silently, waiting for her to respond.
Finally, he sighed and looked at his watch. “Well, I don’t have all day. As the new owner of the complex, you should know that I’ve resolved April’s debt. You should also know that every member of the management here, especially you thanks to that delightful conversation we just had, is fired for gross incompetence. Effective immediately. You should clear out your desk before I have you removed.”
Chapter Eleven
April hadn’t asked Samson to intervene. She wanted to handle it herself. But after watching him breeze in and take on the Wicked Witch of Imperial Valley Drive, she couldn’t help but be both proud and impressed. This definitely wasn’t the kind of property most businesses would take on unless they were looking for some good PR.
After they got back in the car and Samson assured her that he had the new management coming up that afternoon, she talked his ear off about what they could do to make the complex both better and more profitable. He listened, but he was also smiling this odd little smile. Not quite smug, and not quite happy, but quietly both. He snuck glances at her whenever he could.
When she asked him to pull over to a Sonic, he laughed outright.
“I’m hungry,” she whined.
“I can take you someplace nice.”