He looked about 15.
His baseball cap had faded from years in the sun, and his sneakers had been patched so many times I couldn’t tell what color they’d originally been.
“You the new owner?” he asked.
“I am.”
Instead of answering, he looked past me at the house.
Not just a quick glance.
He studied it.
His eyes drifted from the front porch to the upstairs windows before settling on the detached garage behind the house.
He stared at it a second longer than everything else.
A faint smile crossed his face.
“Good,” he said quietly.
“I was hoping somebody finally moved in.”
I frowned.
“What do you mean?”
He looked embarrassed.
“Sorry. Empty houses always make me a little sad.”
Then he gave an awkward smile.
“Anyway… I was wondering if you needed somebody to mow your lawn.”
What happened next changed everything… FULL STORY on the next page.
