“Okay, I’m off today, so if you come now, you can take a look,” Chelsea said, reluctantly. She knew seeing Logan again would be hard, but she needed to find out what was going on with the house. If Logan couldn’t give her a satisfactory answer, she’d call another realtor to get another opinion. She only hoped she could keep herself calm when she saw Logan because a part of her wanted to feel his lips on hers again, despite everything she had read.
Chapter 13
Chelsea sat on the couch in the Great Room, waiting for Logan to come back from his inspection. She was proud of herself for not turning into mush when she saw Logan, but in reality, she just wanted to run into his arms, feel him hold her tight and tell her that everything was going to be alright, even if she knew it wasn’t.
“Those bastards,” Logan said, coming into the room. “Chelsea, they are crooks. The only thing I can see that needs to be repaired is your hot water tank, but everything is fine."
“Really?
“Come see,” Logan said, gesturing her over to one of the windows. “He said that all the windows showed signs of wood rot. When your father built this place, the windows were all coated and sealed. There is absolutely no sign of rot on any of them, including the basement windows.”
Chelsea looked closely and touched the frame of the window. “It feels solid and firm.”
“Exactly. Your electrical was done by a professional. It all meets regulations, even if it was done years ago. The same goes for the plumbing. There's condensation on the pipes in the basement, but that's normal."
“So, what about the cracks in the foundation?”
"There is a very small crack on the outside foundation, but it's a surface crack. There is no sign of water damage on the inside and no mold, so there is no water seeping in. Repairing that might cost about $300, but that’s it.”
“But … but, why would he tell me $40,000 worth of repairs?”
“Which realtor was it?”
Chelsea ran to get the realtor’s card, handing it to Logan.
“Ernie Withers,” he read out loud, pursing his lips, “I’m going to give Ernie a call,” he said, already dialing the number. "Get your phone, so we can record this one," he said to Chelsea while it rang. When the realtor answered, he put it on speaker so Chelsea could hear.
“Ernie Withers?”
“Ernie, it’s Logan Darlington calling. How are you?”
"Hell of a lot better than you, I hear. What’s going on?”
“I saw that you’re selling the MacDuff Estate.”
“Oh yeah, we’re going to make a killing on that one.”
“Really? She called me first, and I walked away. I hear there are lots of repairs that need to be done.”
"Not that much, really, but we have a deal going with contractors."
"Oh, really? Could you let me in on it? Might be good for Darlington Realty.”
“Well, we tell the client that all kinds of things need to be repaired and recommend some contractors, tell them they’ll give our customers discounts. The contractors go in, pretend to do the repairs, and we get a nice cut from the profits. Works every time.”
“So, let me get this straight. You tell the client they have loads of repairs to make, even if they have none, and that they should use the contractors you suggest, so you can get a cut?”
“Yep, I thought you Darlington’s did the same. According to the latest article, you do some pretty shady deals. In fact, did you see the article this morning about your old girlfriend?”
“No, I didn’t” Logan's tone changed slightly, and his face darkened.
“She’s in the business section. She’s dating some big lawyer who just got an award. She moves fast.”
“Thanks, Ernie. We’ll be in touch.”
Logan hung up the phone and looked at Chelsea, who was looking at him in shock.
“I don’t know what to say, Logan. How could I have been so stupid?” Chelsea said.
“Do you have today’s paper?” Logan asked.
“Yeah, it’s over there on the chair. I haven’t looked at it this morning," Chelsea said, pointing to the chair.
Logan opened the paper up and saw the picture of Vanessa and some guy named Henrick Porter.
"Is that Vanessa?" Chelsea asked, looking at the picture.
“Yeah. How I regret ever getting involved with her.”
“Hang on, I know her,” Chelsea said, looking at the picture more closely. "Well, I don't actually know her, but she’s in my yoga class. I always thought she was full of herself. We’ve chatted a few times.”
Logan looked worriedly at her. “You should stay away from her, she’s dangerous.”
“I have an idea,” Chelsea said,” and it may just solve a few problems.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about it. I have to get ready for yoga now. Thanks for coming over and solving my repair problems. I’ll be in touch,” she said, walking Logan to the door.
As she arrived at her yoga class, Chelsea smiled when she saw Vanessa getting ready in the changing room.
“Hi,” Chelsea said. “I saw your picture in the paper this morning. I didn’t know you were the one involved with Logan Darlington.”
Vanessa looked at her and smiled smugly. “Yes, sometimes you have to teach these men a lesson. My ex will be sorry he messed with me.”
“What do you mean?”
“He kicked me out − no one kicks me out,” Vanessa said, admiring her reflection in her hand mirror. “When I am done with the Darlington family, they are going to wish Logan had never met me.”
“So, everything you said about them wasn’t true? The abuse, crooked deals, everything else?” Chelsea asked.
Vanessa shook her head. “None of it, but don’t tell anyone. I made it all up. Like I said, they’ll be sorry.”
Chelsea raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you think that is kind of mean? I mean, you could ruin their name and get them into serious trouble.”
“Rather their name than mine,” Vanessa said, closing her locker. “All is fair in love and war, and this is war.”
✽✽✽
Chelsea marched into Logan’s office, plopping down in the chair in front of his desk. She had come straight from the yoga studio without changing; she knew he had to have this information as soon as possible.
“Hi there," he said, giving her a puzzled look.
Chelsea pulled out her phone and put it on Logan's desk, pushing a button before sitting back while Logan listened to the conversation she had had with Vanessa in the changing room.
“Chelsea, you are amazing,” he said, running around his desk and planting a kiss on her lips. “Let’s go see my brother.”
Lucas looked up when the two of them walked into his office.
“Lucas, this is Chelsea MacDuff, and she just saved our asses.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lucas said, frowning. “But, Logan, I don’t think anything can save us right now.”