Annabel asked, after she’d given the contractors a tour, “what do you think?” Chad looked around the place. “To really fix everything up, to do the kinds of things you’ve drawn up in your plans, will cost a lot of money. We’re looking at six figures. I can maybe keep it under two hundred grand, but I can’t guarantee it.” Annabel frowned. “That was what I was afraid you’d say.” Chad shrugged. “I wish it could be less. But the house is really falling apart. All the electricity is going to need to be updated. And the plumbing . . . from what I can see, I’m surprised you haven’t had a major episode yet. The pipes are all rusted out.” “Well, we’ll start slow,” Annabel said. “A bit at a time.” Chad smiled at her. “That’s what Dad and I usually tell our clients. Go room by room.” Annabel returned his smile. “And this is the room where we will start. The parlor.” Chad liked her. It helped, of course, that she was pretty damn hot, with that shapely body and shiny auburn hair.
