“Sounds like it’s been difficult.”

“Understatement. Renting this space will offset some of the costs of hiring help for these things.”

Erin smiled. “I definitely want the space. I hope you’ll consider my application. I know it’s thin on details. I’m not a felon, I won’t throw parties. You’ll hardly know I’m here.”

“I wonder if a felon would admit they were?” she mused aloud.

Erin chuckled. “Probably not.”

Parker walked past her and out the door. “We have a shed to put any personal belongings, or some of the furniture in here if you want your own things.”

“Are you saying we have a deal?”

Parker shook her head, lowered her hand holding the application. “I need to talk to my sister and brother.”

Erin smiled through thin lips. “I understand.”

They walked out of the guesthouse and across the lawn to the main drive where Erin had parked her car. “If you’d be kind enough to let me know that you’re passing and not leave me hanging, I’d appreciate it. The seclusion of this space feels perfect for me.”

“I need to check on a few things with this.” Parker waved the application.

“Of course.” Erin opened her car door, stepped around it. “You have my number.”

“I don’t care,” Austin said around a spoonful of chili. “If renting the place means I won’t have to muck out the pool every weekend, I say move her in tomorrow.”

Parker shifted her gaze to Mallory.

“Was she nice?”

“Perfectly. A little quiet. The best part is she’s going to pay six months in advance.”

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“Because she just moved to the area, doesn’t have a job or any local references. I spoke to one friend with a Washington State phone number.”

Mallory shrugged. “You have to have credit to get credit. We all have to start somewhere. Besides, it isn’t like we have people rushing the gate trying to rent the place.”

No, they hadn’t.

“What would Dad have done?” Austin asked.

“Dad wouldn’t have had this problem.”

Mallory pushed her bowl of chili aside, half-empty. “If Dad had died and Mom had survived, she would have rented the place by now.”

Their mother had been the practical one.

Parker picked up her spoon. “I’ll call her in the morning, tell her she can move in.”

“Your second call is for a pool man,” Austin demanded.

“And someone to set up some rat traps,” Mallory suggested. “The De Lucas are killing almost one rat a day over at their house. It’s only a matter of time before they get into our cars.”

Yeah, the rats survived the fire and were relocating to the first available homes. Parker was surprised they hadn’t found theirs yet.

“Pool man, exterminator . . . anything else?”

“I could use a new spoiler for my car.”

Parker rolled her eyes at her brother. “Then get a job.”

He shoveled in a bite. “I had to try.”

Classes for both her brother and her sister had started the previous week, so their conversation switched gears. While Austin pissed and moaned about school, her sister seemed excited. Even though Mallory had been accepted to colleges outside of the area, she picked Cal State Northridge so she could live at home and commute. Unlike Parker, Mallory declared her major before the first semester was even over. Psychology had sparked her interest after they’d all attended a few grief counseling sessions the court had mandated before Parker got custody.

Mallory never took for granted that she was able to go, especially in light of the fact that Parker had needed to drop out in order to get custody of both of them after their parents died.

In midconversation about school, Parker’s cell phone started to ring.

She didn’t recognize the number when she answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Miss Sinclair?”

The man’s voice sounded familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it.

“Who’s calling?”

“This is Colin Hudson . . . with the county.”

She immediately matched his voice with his face. “Oh . . .” She wiped her mouth and pushed away from the table.

“Ted Bundy?” he clarified.

Okay, that made her smile. “I remember you.”

“Good. I told you I’d call if I had any news.”

“And do you?” She pictured his dimpled easy smile and the way he looked at her when she walked up to him carrying the shotgun. Unease and amusement all rolled into one.

“The city and county are working on emergency funding to help with the situation there in Creek Canyon. I wanted your permission to give your phone number to the people in charge of permits and access paperwork.”

She shook her thoughts away from TDH to his words. “I guess.”

He hesitated. “They can go through other channels to find your number, but that may take some time. I didn’t think you’d like strangers in suits showing up at your gate.”

“I’d rather not have that. Go ahead and give them my number.”

“Perfect. You should hear from them in the morning.”

“That fast?” He moved quick.

“Rainy season starts in November. That doesn’t give us a whole lot of time.”

Parker moved to the panoramic window and looked down at the property. All images of the man talking vanished. “They’re going to need my permission to do anything, aren’t they?”

“The space we need to work on is on your land.”

“Will they want to do something up in the forest?”

TDH paused. “I haven’t seen the engineer’s plans.”

She closed her eyes and lowered her head. “Oh, boy.”

“I know it’s uncomfortable, but when the rain comes, you’re going to want us there.”

She knew that.

“Your neighbors need your cooperation.”

“I know that, too.”

He paused and then said, “Expect a call tomorrow. My guess is they will want to set up a meeting by the end of the week.”

Her aide work at the elementary school was starting on Thursday. “I need to arrange time with my job.”

“They’ll work around you.”

“How many of them are there?”

“Half a dozen or so.”

“A room full of suits.” Probably all older men who would look down their noses at her and tell her how it needed to be. Dealing with the estate attorneys had put a bad taste in her mouth.

“They don’t all wear suits.”

“You know what I mean. Will you be there?” The stranger she knew versus the six she didn’t.

“Not normally.”

Disappointment released in a sigh.

“I can be.”

Her head was starting to ache. “It’s okay.” Put on your big-girl panties, Parker!

“I’ll be there,” he told her, switching gears.

“You don’t have to.” She sounded pathetic. One-on-one she felt strong enough to deal with . . . this, not so much.