Jenny stopped and did a double-take in front of her house. Was there a man on the roof?
She looked around for a car. Surely, a man would come with a car. No car. The guy was working his way along the roofline now, and she could see a few spray-painted circles on her shingles. Hey!
Was he real, though? She'd been under a lot of stress, and he couldn't have just flown there... she turned around, looking for help.
"Steve!" She ran across the street, as Steve stood to greet her. She loved how he did that. She pointed over her shoulder, her mouth open to ask the question. "Yes, there's a man on your roof." She closed her mouth and sat down in a plastic chair next to Steve. It was so nice to live with someone who understood her illness without judging, throwing out her medication, or trying to "fix" her like Mom did sometimes.
Live with? She shut that train of thought down for now, and turned back to the immediate problem as Steve continued talking. "He was there when I got in this morning. He's been under the house , around back, looked at your water meter for a while, and then went up on the roof." He anticipated her question "He climbed on the fence." Jenny winced, and stood up to confront him.
Jeff climbed down off the roof, amazed Jenny had never complained of leaks, and walked across the street to her as she sat with her - friend? Charlie had mentioned something about another man.
"Jeff!" Jenny's voice was relieved as she met him at the street. He was wearing cutoff chinos and a paint-stained, baggy t-shirt. "What's up?" Jeff explained he had finally had time to do an inspection on her home. He was a certified home inspector. However, he needed access to her home.
He held up her key. "Paul gave me your key, but I didn't want you to find me in your bedroom." Jenny snerked with laughter. He knew her well. "Territorial as a pitbull" Charlie said. "Permission?" Jenny nodded and went back to Steve's porch, a move noticed by both men.
"I dread your report" she replied. "I think God's the only thing holding my house together."
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