“You the new owner?”
“I am.”
Instead of introducing himself, he looked past me at the house. His eyes moved slowly from the porch to the upstairs windows before settling on the detached garage in the backyard. He stared at it longer than anything else, and for just a second, a strange little smile crossed his face.
“Good.”
I frowned.
“Good?”
“I was hoping somebody would finally move in.”
“What do you mean?”
He seemed embarrassed.
“Nothing. Empty houses just make me sad sometimes.”
Then he nudged the mower with his shoe.
“Anyway, I’m Chase. I live with my mom over at Cedar Creek Trailer Park. I’m trying to make some money before school starts. Need your lawn done?”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five dollars.”
That was less than half what a landscaping company would’ve charged.
“I’ll give you fifty if you do a good job.”
His eyes widened.
