Chapter 13
Kat
The doorbell rang and Noodle shot across the house, barking at abnormal decibels.
My heart lurched, still feeling a little PTSD after the fire. We were a few days past that, but it would take awhile before I could hear Noodle’s emphatic barking without spiraling.
Dad followed her to the front door. “Hush now. We can hear the bell just fine without you.”
I was seated at the kitchen table, refilling Dad’s weekly medicine box. It was no wonder he got mixed up. I could barely keep it straight myself.
I heard the door open. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Ivan. Come on in. You can meet my daughter.”
Ivan?
My dad walked back into the room with a gentleman in a dark tailored suit. I guessed him to be in his late forties, with dark hair gelled back and a diamond stud in one ear. He reached out a hand to shake, and I noticed a gold signet ring.
“Where have you been hiding this beautiful woman, Larry? I thought we were friends.” He bared his teeth in an awkward smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I’m Ivan. Your dad sells me vegetables.”
I blinked, trying to hide my shock. Vegetable guy was a real person? I stood up and shook his hand. “Kat. Nice to meet you. I’m from out of state but came down for a few weeks.”
“A few weeks? I hope it’s for pleasure and not something more serious?” His eyes lit up before a look of concern masked his face.
“It’s those stupid people at the hospital.” Dad scoffed. “They called her down here, scaring her into thinking I was on death’s door. Crackpots. As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. But I’m happy for the company.” Dad turned to me and smiled.
“Ahh.” Ivan gave me a knowing look. “I see. Well, I’ve been telling you Larry, this is an awful lot of house for one person. I heard about the fire the other night.”
Dad shrugged. “It was the damnedest thing. Somebody must have thrown out a cigarette from the road.”
Right. And then the wind blew it a thousand feet to the back of the house.
Ivan’s eyes cut to mine before returning to Dad. “Don’t you think you’re getting too old to manage this place? Chasing away illegal hunters and fishermen is a young man’s business. I’d hate for something unfortunate to happen.”
“Illegal hunters?” I asked, looking between the men. What fresh hell was this?
“Oh yeah,” Ivan continued. “Your dad doesn’t allow anybody off the street to hunt on his land, which is very smart. You obviously don’t want strangers running around your place with guns and crossbows.”
“Crossbows?” My eyes widened. I’d barely gotten used to the idea of guns, now I had to worry about crossbows?
“But some people out there don’t respect people’s right to their property. You remember what happened to Justin Snowfield. Got shot walking through his woods one day. By the time they found him, it was too late.”
Dad nodded. “Yeah, that was a real shame.”
“What? He died?” My head darted between the men.
“Oh yeah, poor guy was what, seventy? Eighty?” Ivan’s voice lowered, and he leaned toward me. “That’s why I’ve been so worried about your dad all alone out here.”
I nodded, feeling a little shell shocked at this new thing I had to worry about.
“I guess it’s good there’s a motorcycle club next door.
” Surely someone wouldn’t wander dad’s property with those guys around.
And since Dad allowed them to hunt, they probably took care of any unauthorized people. I’d have to remember to ask Mav.
Ivan’s eyes narrowed. “Those thugs?” He spit the word out and shook his head. “Hardly.”
Thugs? My heart stopped. They didn’t come across as Boy Scouts, but thugs seemed a bit strong.
“You want to wait here while I get your veggies?” Dad asked.
Ivan smiled. “Sure. If Katie doesn’t mind keeping me company.”
“Kat,” I reminded him. “It’s fine.” I’d have preferred not to be left alone with Mr. Shit-Don’t-Stink, but I didn’t want to upset Dad. He’d been having such a good day.
“Perfect. We’ll be right back.”
Dad grabbed an empty grocery bag from the drawer and left with Noodle trailing behind.
I walked to the sink and filled a glass with water to get a little distance. I was far from an expert on the Exiled Reapers, but what I’d seen so far didn’t make them thugs. Baller had sat with my dad for hours watching the fire before trading off with another guy when the sun came up.
Maybe this guy in his high-priced suit didn’t like edgy bikers. I looked down at my own designer clothes. I wasn’t a snob, though. At least, I didn’t think I was.
“So, you’re the guy who pays a hundred dollars for my dad’s vegetables? I have to be honest, I wasn’t sure you were real.”
He smiled, the scowl gone. “Oh, I’m definitely real. Larry and I go way back.”
“Oh really?” I asked, eager to learn more about Dad’s life. I waited for Ivan to continue, but the silence stretched.
“Anyway,” he finally continued, “When he stopped coming to town as often, I decided to come to him. But he is a proud man, so I made up the excuse of buying vegetables.”
“That’s an expensive excuse.” I took a sip of my water.
He lifted one shoulder. “I can afford it.”
I took in his suit again. “Yeah, I guess you can.”
“I’m glad you’re here. I’ve tried talking to Larry about this, but he hasn’t wanted to listen.
This place is too much for him. I know his mind’s not right these days.
Thank God you were here when he set the woods on fire.
But what happens when you go back? What if next time, he sets the house on fire? ”
I bristled. He might have a point, but what right did he have to make me feel even shittier?
“I’ve offered to buy the place.”
I set my water down before I dropped it. “Wait, what?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand, cash. Say the word, and I’ll have my lawyer draw it up. You said you’re here for how long? Six weeks?”
Four now, but I didn’t bother to correct him. He reached a hand to cover mine.
“I’ll buy it as is. You won’t even have to worry about cleaning the place.
You can find your dad a nice spot at the retirement home here or with you in Maryland.
Those places aren’t cheap, but this will give you a nice start.
Think about it. You can have your dad taken care of by the time you need to leave.
No worrying about this property, the house, nothing. What do you say?”
“I, uh…” I didn’t know what to say. Compared to prices back home, that was a ridiculously low offer.
But out here in the country? Maybe that was fair.
And it would be hassle free. I could be back at work when my leave was up and have enough cash to get Dad set up somewhere else.
Maybe I should consider it. As it was, I wasn’t sure how this situation would get resolved in the time I had left.
“That sounds nice, but Dad hasn’t been interested in moving.” Best to be honest with the guy. “I’m trying to ease him into the idea, but I don’t think selling is on his radar right now.”
Ivan’s eyes narrowed. “Katie, there’s no point in deluding yourself.”
“Kat,” I gritted out.
“We both know your dad’s got some form of dementia.
The sooner you get power of attorney over him, the better.
If you wait too long, to the point where he doesn’t know his name or day of the week, it’ll be too late.
The courts will be involved and you’ll lose all control to make decisions for your dad.
You don’t want to leave his fate up to some judge, do you? ”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d thought about getting a durable POA. What dad had in place at the hospital only covered health decisions. But it wasn’t any of this guy’s business and he was starting to piss me off.
The door opened and Dad and Noodle walked back inside. “Here you go, Ivan. Tomatoes, peppers, a few greens, and some okra.”
“Perfect. Thank you, Larry.” Ivan stood up and pulled out a fat wad of cash with a gold money clip.
Like a cheesy movie, he peeled off a hundred dollar bill and handed it over.
“I’ll head out and let you enjoy your time with your daughter.
It was good seeing you.” He handed me a business card.
“Think about what I said. You’ve got a hard road ahead of you.
” His eyes darted toward Dad. “Let me make it easier.”
I took his card and watched as Dad walked him out.
I’d always heard that if something seemed too good to be true, it probably was.
But in this case? Wasn’t there another saying about not looking a gift horse in the mouth?
Maybe the guy wasn’t a jerk, and I was being too sensitive.
Maybe this was the nice and tidy solution I’d been looking for.