Iva gave a brusque laugh. "No we don't. You have a problem. I rented the house for the summer and you have to leave now. And not come back until after I leave town to return to Toronto."
He cocked his head. "Toronto? I thought you were a native Vancouver citizen. Your family owns the Fry Shack---which has been around since I was a kid."
"Yes, I was born and raised here, but I went to school in Toronto and have been living there for seven years now. I'm only home to help my parents out."
"Surely they can hire some local teens. Nobody would quit a good Toronto job to sling fries for a couple months."
"I didn't quit
"Hm. Got laid off? The economy's been bad everywhere." A tone of sympathy warmed his voice and Iva couldn't tell if he made her feel better, or just more irritated.
"You know, I do not want to talk to you," she reiterated. "Please leave. Please."
"Well, that's the problem," he said apologetically. "This is actually my house. My grandmother gave it to me. And I came here for the summer, too. Somehow Britney didn't get the message. Or lost it. Or ..." his voice trailed off. Meaning it wasn't his fault. And Britney wasn't particularly bright or organized.
Iva blinked at him from the staircase.
"I paid for this house under a good-faith clause that the property was available. You can't kick me out. I had nothing to do with yours and Britney's lack of communication. And I have the law on my side."
"I never said I planned to kick you out."
Iva took two steps down the staircase.
It was beginning to annoy her to only see the top half of his head while they talked.
"Before this conversation goes any further, would you please hand over a photo ID and the key you employed to gain entrance into the house while I was, um, upstairs?"
He studied her, a quirk of a smile crossing his lips. "Are you a lawyer by chance?"
"No, but my fiancé was a lawyer. My ex fiancé that is," Iva corrected, and then regretted saying anything at all. Admitting Noah Graham existed made her feel more vulnerable. And, after a strange man had barged in while she was taking a freaking bubble bath, she didn't want to feel any more vulnerable than she already was.
"Aah, I see."
Emotion flared in Iva's chest. "No, you don't see anything. Besides, didn't you just get off the tour bus yesterday? That doesn't mesh with you being a Vancouver descendant of heir to this house."