Free Mirror of Shadows by T. Lynne Tolles Page A

withstand the test of time,” she countered.
    “That sounds nice, but I still prefer new. I mean, you end up dumping two to three times more into fixing something like that up than just tearing it down and building it new.”
    “But it’s worth it. If you are just looking to make money than I suppose you are right about investing in such a thing, but if you’re in it because it means something to you, then it’s worth the added expense. Maybe if you saw it, you’d change your mind.”
    “Maybe, but I doubt it. It just doesn’t make money-sense to me. But…if you’re inviting me to your house, I suppose I could be persuaded to check it out,” he said with a devilishly sly smile and a wink.
    “Guess we’ll have to see how lunch goes first,” she said with a laugh. “So what is it that you do, Matt? And where are you from?”
    “This and that, though if you had to put a title on what I do, I suppose it would be an investment banker. My family has been rather wealthy for generations. I’m not really sure where my family is originally from, but we are centrally here on the west coast and more so in the northwest.”
    “What brings you to Dead Oaks Hollow? I mean, it’s such a tiny little place and away from the big city, what could you possibly be doing here?” Ella asked.
    “R and R, mostly. I’ve driven through here on my way to the city from time to time and always thought it would be nice to stay here and check it out when I had a chance.”
    “And what do you think of it?”
    “So far, I find it enchanting and promising,” Matt said. Ella got the sense that he was not just talking about the town but about her. Ella smiled at the compliment.
    When lunch was consumed and the bill was paid, they continued talking as he walked her back to her broken car.
    “Well, I suppose I should get home. I’ve got a lot I should be doing.”
    “Right. Probably have to fix or paint something back at the shack.”
    “It is most certainly not a shack. I think you might be surprised,” Ella said quite sure that Matt had no idea she was talking about a huge manor with tons of land, a boathouse, and its own lake.
    “Well, I guess you’ll just have to prove me wrong. You know, I’d feel a lot safer if you’d let me follow you home to make sure there are no hidden mechanical problems with your car. After all, it was a pretty good hit and you practically invited me up to your home at lunch,” Matt said.
    “Is this your sly way of inviting yourself to my ‘shack’?” Ella teased.
    “Maybe…” he replied playfully.
    “I suppose that wouldn’t be a horrible idea. It is rather a trek up the mountain. You’ll probably have to use the four wheel drive in that black monster of yours.”
    “Great. I use it so seldom, it could use a workout,” he said with a smile.
    “Okay. Follow me!”
     
     
     

Chapter 9
     
    Slowly the two vehicles snaked up the hill to the house and parked. Thankfully, Ella’s car had no mechanical problems or failures during the drive.. Jeremy’s truck was gone and Ella felt relieved not to have to explain Jeremy to Matt. Not that there was anything to explain at this point, but Ella had found when she roomed with a guy and two girls at college that when she brought potential dates home the guys always got their feathers a little ruffled at a guy living with her.
    When she got out of her car Matt was just hopping down from the crow’s nest of the cab. He didn’t seem as surprised as she had thought he would, though Ella thought, this is a guy with a lot of money; he’s probably used to much larger houses and properties .
    “This is quite a spread. This is all yours, huh?” Matt said, looking around.
    “Yeah. I inherited it from my grandmother.”
    “It’s in pretty bad shape. It’s going to take a lot of money to get this the way you described.”
    She frowned a bit at his pessimism, but retorted, “It’s not so bad. Definitely needs some paint and some landscaping, but it