3 Chapter 3: Charleston Manor

“Where you from?” the stranger asked, ignoring Aliyah’s request for directions. His voice was softer, warmer than she expected.

Aliyah, officially fed up with this man’s strange behavior, decided to move on. Plus she noticed the middle-aged man working on the car in the garage had begun to stare at them, and a third tattooed guy watched them from behind the grimy windows of the storefront. She would figure out how to get the rest of the way to Charleston Manor on her own.

Without saying another word, Aliyah turned and got back into her car, starting the engine with a firm twist of her wrist. It came to life and the handsome stranger stepped slowly away from the car. In the rearview mirror, Aliyah spotted something like a smile on his face. Her stomach fluttered for a moment at the hint of a dimple, but she scoffed and took off down the road.

***

If Aliyah knew the Charleston Manor was only two miles straight down from the station she’d just stopped at, she wouldn’t have stopped at all. If she hadn’t stopped she probably wouldn’t have been on the verge of such a sour mood. And, when she saw the state of the manor, she wouldn’t have immediately entered a state of anger which her sister referred to as “the red dawn.”

The manor was nearly completely overgrown with weeds, and the ivy had taken over more than the columns. The pure white from the photo was actually a putrid gray-yellow. There were a few broken windows, just at the front of the home, and the railing of the porch was broken in several places.

This is not what she signed up for.

Aliyah reluctantly went onto the porch to peek in a window. There appeared to be some old furniture still covered in sheets, and there was so much dirt and debris on the floor.

Oh boy, she thought, It’s going to take a whole week just to get this place clean enough to start working.

She had to contact the mayor to get the keys, so she would certainly demand a new contract. The current state of the manor would probably add another couple months to her schedule. She hated to think what the inside might look like. Would she have to hire a plumber and an electrician? She would have to argue for a higher budget for sure.

Once she was settled back in her car out of the cool breeze, Aliyah dialed the mayor’s office. This was the first time she’d talk to him on the phone, and she knew she was angry, so she took a couple deep breaths to calm herself before anyone picked up.

She got the secretary but was quickly transferred.

“Mayor Cursor. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

He sounded nice enough, but there was something off-putting in his voice. She checked herself before she replied.

“Hello, Mister Mayor. This is Aliyah Adams. I was just contacting you to let you know that I’ve arrived at the manor. I realize I’m a few hours early, but I was hoping we could meet soon so I can get the keys. I’d also like to discuss a few things regarding the contract.”

“Oh!” the mayor exclaimed. “Yes, Aliyah Adams. I’ve already cleared my afternoon so I could welcome you to the town. In fact, I could meet you at the manor shortly. I’m about to take a lunch break.”

Aliyah agreed to meet the mayor at the manor in thirty minutes. Since she was already there and had nothing to do besides worry about what the inside of the house looked like, she set a timer on her phone to allow for a short nap. When she awoke she had just enough time to brush her hair out with her fingers and flatten some wrinkles in her shirt.

The mayor was one of those people who was obviously good-looking and he knew it. You could see it in the way he situated his tie at the base of his throat as he got out of the car. You could see it in the way he flattened his eyebrows and straightened his cuff links. He had fine blond hair and a round chin. He was fairly tall and thin. His biceps weren’t about to bust through his suit sleeves like the stranger’s from the filling station, but he probably had some good definition based on the fit of the shoulders.

When Aliyah stepped out of her car to meet the mayor, he stopped in his tracks, visibly shocked. Aliyah thought she had missed a crazy tangle in her curly hair, so her hand went up to search for it.

The mayor cleared his throat and took a few hasty steps toward her. “I’m sorry for gawking,” he said grabbing one of her hands in both of his, “but you are a vision.”

Aliyah let the man shake her hand a couple of times before drawing it back to herself. She forced a polite smile. “Thanks.” She hesitated to know what to say next. “Well…” she stumbled, “I hate to be so blunt, but the house--at least the exterior--appears to be in much worse condition than the pictures from the listing let on.”

The mayor stroked his chin. “Oh, well, yes. I apologize. The house has been virtually untouched for about seven years. I suppose I should have had my secretary update the photos, but I’m very busy you see, and I rarely make it this far from my office or my house.”

Aliyah was irritated by his flippant response. Even now he was standing there with an expectant smile.

“Well, considering this house’s current state, it’s going to require more work than I previously quoted you for. I’d like to discuss a revision of the contract before I get started.”

“Hmm.”

Aliyah watched as he rolled his eyes in thought and continued to stroke his bare chin.

“I have a proposal!” he finally exclaimed.

Aliyah waited for an explanation.

A flirty, shy smile slid across the mayor’s face. “Dinner,” he said with a twitch of one of his eyebrows. “You and me. At Stefano’s. My treat of course.”

Aliyah thought on it for a moment, and as much as she didn’t want to go to dinner with this haughty man, she knew she had to do it for her career, so she agreed.

Mayor Cursor had turned to leave, but when he reached his car he looked back at Aliyah. “Oh, and Aliyah, this place is a 5-star joint--best in town--so wear your best little black dress, yeah?”

Aliyah nodded. As the mayor drove away she looked down at her distressed jeans and dirty converse and over to her ‘02 Chevy Blazer. She said to her car, “Do I look like I’ve just got a little black dress stashed away for moments like this?”