She was holding a stack of files, but that wasn't what Mike noticed. Her dark hair still in a bun, she was wearing a bright red blouse, the top buttons straining to hold it shut, with a knee length white skirt.
"Mr. Radley," she greeted him, a warm smile on her face. "I thought I would drop by and bring you some paperwork. There are several things the firm needs you to look over before we can finalize a transfer of assets. May I come in?"
"Um, yeah. Certainly." He stepped back, and she stepped past him, the smell of soap and lavender following her in. He shuddered internally, this human woman somehow ten times more daunting than the mystical creature upstairs. "Here, this way." He led her to the kitchen, where she set down the pile of documents.
"It looks like you're getting ready to tackle a project," Beth said, picking up the trowel. "Hopefully nothing the Historical Society would disapprove of."
"Just cleaning some gunk out of the fountain," he told her. "Hoping to see it running soon."
"Those don't sound like the words of a man who is still debating keeping the place."
"You're correct. I've decided to stay."
"In that case," Beth slid one of the folders out, checking its contents. "This was an offer from that group of women I told you about. They call the firm almost every day, they're absolutely in love with this place."
"I hate to disappoint them, but the place is growing on me already." Mike smiled, thinking of Naia. "Not sure why, but I feel like this is where I was meant to be."
"I'm very happy for you Mike." Her smile was genuine, crinkling the skin next to her eyes. "I know what you mean. I've been over here several times to make sure the place is being cared for properly by our interim team, and admit I'm a little sad that I won't get to see it much longer."
"Nonsense." Mike waved a hand dismissively. "You're welcome over here anytime. Besides, you're the only person I even know in this town. My job doesn't offer many opportunities to meet new people, so I'm afraid you are my entire social group."
"I may just take you up on that." Beth sat at the table. "I've been a bit obsessed with this place since I was a little girl. I was convinced a fairy queen lived here, probably until I was thirteen. I used to ride my bike past every day, hoping to catch a glimpse of her. Turns out that it must have been someone who worked for your great aunt, a young woman who I sometimes caught working in the garden. She had this brilliant radiance around her, almost like she was stuck in an old Disney movie. I half expected birds to circle around her as she broke into song or something. I won't lie, I tried to figure out who she was once your aunt passed, but there weren't any records." She chuckled, stroking the files with a finger. This action pressed her breasts together, causing a tiny gap to form between the buttons of her blouse. Mike stared into that dark space, wondering what color her bra was. "It's silly, I know, but I can't help but love this place just a little."
"I've only been here one night. Trust me, I know what you're talking about." Snapping his eyes away from her chest, Mike leaned forward, opening the top file. "Ugh. This looks like a bunch of legalese."
"In triplicate. These are some additional assets, plus some agreements I need you to sign since you are taking ownership of the home. Per the will, there are a few protective clauses, primarily stating that you can never bulldoze the home and start from scratch. This was per your Great Aunt's wishes, but I'm guessing that isn't a problem."
"You would be correct." Mike slid open a drawer looking for a pen, but Beth had one ready.
"You can have an attorney read these over first. I prefer that you would, actually. There isn't any hurry-now that we have an heir, the clock sort of resets for a bit." She set the pen on the table. "However, I am just on delivery duty today. I need to get in to the office to begin processing some additional documents. Today is Tuesday. I would be happy to drop by on Friday to pick these up, if you have them done. Otherwise, I can just drop by to make certain you are getting settled. That is part of the provisions as well."
"Um, yeah. Sure. Thank you." Mike followed her outside. He walked behind her, watching the gentle sway of her ass until they arrived at her car, a cute little convertible he didn't recognize. Beth gave him a wave and a smile before driving away. He walked back up the walk, stopping to pat one of the lion's paws for luck. In his mind, he was planning to take the bucket straight out back and see what he could do about that pesky fountain.
He was up the stairs, his hand on the door when he heard the swing next to him squeak. Turning his head, he saw her sitting there, kicking her legs gently as she stared across the front yard, her eyes distant.
"Hey." Mike said, moving to get a better view of her. Her skin was unnaturally pale, her hair white. She was wearing a simple white dress with a thick, black belt around her waist. The skirt stopped just above her knees, white stockings visible above a black pair of shoes. The swing creaked as she swayed, coming close to the siding of the house. She ignored him.
"Hello? Hey?" He stood in front of her, waving his hand in front of her face. Her slightly milky eyes stared forward. Maybe she's blind, Mike thought, staring at her now. Her skin was paper white, but her facial features made Mike think of a mixed European heritage. Small breasts pushed against the front of her dress, filling out the top as if it had been custom made for her. Her eyes didn't budge, her dark eyed gaze settled on eternity.
"Now look..." Mike grabbed the chain of the swing, halting its forward motion.
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