Chapter 16 - THE AUCTION
By late January, the winter chill over Oak Creek had turned brittle and bright.
On a frosty Monday morning, Nora received an unexpected registered letter from her landlord. The small 3rd Street bungalow—the one with the roof damaged during the December blizzard—was being put up for immediate private auction. The property owner had decided to liquidate his local real estate holdings, giving existing tenants ten days to match the opening reserve bid or vacate.
Nora sat at her kitchen counter with her head in her hands. She had managed to rebuild her savings slightly over the past two months, but coming up with a down payment on short notice was impossible.
That evening, Adrien came over to Willow Lane carrying a batch of cedar trim for the hallway. He found Nora sitting on the porch steps, staring at the white auction notice in her lap.
"What is it?" Adrien asked, setting his tools down and sitting beside her on the cold wood.
Nora handed him the paper without a word. "He wants eighty thousand dollars for the lot. If I can't buy it, we have to move out by the end of next month."
Adrien looked down at the document. Eight-five thousand dollars was less than what his former hedge fund spent on executive luncheons in a single week. Six months ago, his immediate instinct would have been to pick up his phone, buy the deed outright through a shell company, and hand her the title with a bow.
Instead, he folded the letter carefully and handed it back.
"Let's go talk to Marcy at Oak Creek Community Bank tomorrow," Adrien said gently.
"Marcy?" Nora asked, looking at him in surprise. "I don't have the credit rating for a conventional mortgage, Adrien."
"You don't need a corporate loan," Adrien said, meeting her eyes with quiet confidence. "You've worked two jobs for six years without missing a single rent payment. You have a verified employment history at the bakery, and the income you earned managing the cottage repairs is recorded on my tax filings. You qualify for the local first-time homebuyer assistance program."
Nora stared at him, her lips parting slightly. "You... you aren't going to buy it for me?"
May you like
Adrien shook his head, a soft, warm smile touching his eyes. "I'm not buying anything, Nora. I'm going to sit beside you in the bank chair while you apply for your own home. And if you need a guarantor for the small gap, I will sign as a guarantor—not as the owner."
Tears pricked the corners of Nora's eyes. For the first time in her life, someone was offering her a ladder instead of a cage.
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