44
EPOV
"Home"
Driving around, running errands in my new car is sort of a trip. It feels a little like driving a rocket ship just because it's so fancy compared to my rundown work truck. I've spoken to Bella, and while she can't recommend her friend Emmett enough, I don't think I'll be making the trip to Forks to have some work done on the old beast.
I'm still adjusting to the SUV when I'm idling at a red light, tinkering with the Apple CarPlay and moving my power seat when I glance over to see Lauren, my real estate agent, waving at me from her car. I wave and roll my window down, hoping to catch her before the light changes.
"Are you heading to your office?" I call out.
"Yeah! Come by anytime!" She speeds off when the light turns green, and I see that as the universe's sign that the idea I've had brewing for a few weeks might actually be good. After I finish up the few errands I had on my plate, I swing by Lauren's office.
She's with a couple clients but smiles when she sees me. I sit in the lobby, looking at the flyers she has printed of available houses; they're all close to base and all roughly the same model. I'm more nervous than I realize when I watch the couple leave, and Lauren waves me back.
"Edward. It's good to see you. I loved the pictures you sent of the new flooring." She smiles from behind her desk as she clicks her mouse, looking at her computer screen. "Sorry, it's been a little hectic around here. We had a bunch of people shipping in and out recently."
"I can come back another time if that's better for you—"
She raises a hand to cut me off. "Not at all." She drops the mouse, focusing on me. "What can I help you with? You don't want to sell already, do you?" She laughs, but I get the impression that in this city, it's an issue she deals with on the regular.
"Uh, no. I'm actually interested in buying." Lauren had been swinging in her chair slightly, but stops altogether at my words.
"What are you interested in buying? Another house?"
"Several, I think. I recently came into some money, and I was hoping you might be able to help me. You have houses that need to be sold, you make a commission off of them, right?" I'm leaning forward, fully invested in myself.
"That's correct." Lauren is eyeing me slightly suspiciously.
"What if I buy them, rent them out to the service members, and you or your company act as the middleman. If that's even a possibility." Sitting back, I finally breathe. Hearing it all out loud makes me realize that I really want to do this.
I love the general work that I do, but this seems right. If I have someone like Lauren on my side, who is a local and works with the community in the realm, then the possibilities could be endless.
"What exactly are you thinking?" Lauren, while looking mildly interested, wants to get the facts straight. I can appreciate that.
"I buy and fix up the houses, if they need it, and then rent them out. I'll also act as the de facto landlord if repairs need to be done or, you know, something out of the realm of normal household needs arises. But otherwise, they make rent payments through you? Or through your business? I don't know how or if it could work, but that's what I'm thinking." I sigh, waiting for the shoe to drop.
Lauren is quiet for several minutes, and I can see the gears turning in her head. "How large are you thinking about starting? Because you'll want to start small so you can get a handle on it; make sure you can manage the properties you have before you add on. When can you look at some places?"
"So, you're in?" I'm excited.
"I didn't say that. I'm going to need some more information from you, maybe a whole business plan. But, I like the idea. I've thought about it myself for a couple years, but I don't have the time for it." She flips open a planner on her desk. "I have the afternoon free or we can schedule for later in the week."
A few hours later, after viewing several houses, three on the same block, I took Lauren to lunch to discuss my idea further. She's definitely interested, but after our afternoon together, I understand that coming in half-cocked doesn't look good.
"I'll be more prepared when we meet again. Thanks for considering this, Lauren." She waves me off.
"I saw you on the news. After I sold you the house, of course. You seem like a good guy, with a good idea and a good head on your shoulders. I've been around long enough to feel like I'm a fairly decent judge of character." Lauren smiles as she walks to her car after we've exited the restaurant. "Don't disappoint me, Edward."
When I get home later, Bella is out with Wanda, so I tinker around my house for a bit. I have some loose ends to tie up in the garage that I never finished from when my father made his unexpected visit. I put on some music, get back to my organizing, and let the time slip past. When I figure Bella should be home, I start to shut everything down.
That's when I hear it. There's a yelping coming from somewhere nearby. We live in a residential area, and our street isn't at all busy, so I exit my garage and start hunting for the source of the noise. We have neighbors on either side of us, and I knock on a couple doors just to check and make sure everyone is all right.
About four houses down, a family moved just after we came back from vacation. My next door neighbor, Eli, tells me they had a young dog, but he was pretty sure he saw it roaming the neighborhood a few times.
"I put food and water out, Ed. I tried to watch to see if it ever came near, but I can't be sure. I guess it could be a coyote." Eli and his wife, Carmen, are both on the older side with grandkids who come to visit regularly.
"I'll keep an eye out. I'll let you know what I find." I start down his porch as he calls out.
"Tell Bella to keep an eye out too. I see her walking Wanda at night sometimes." He smiles and waves before heading back inside.
I can still hear the yelping, but it's starting to turn into more of a cry the closer I get to the recently abandoned house. There's a rickety fence blocking off the back yard, and as I come closer, the crying gets louder. Pulling open the gate, I scan the yard. The grass is slightly overgrown, there's a plastic kiddie pool flipped over, and a broken lawn chair lying askew. Then I see it.
Cowering in the rear of the yard is a small, young-looking bulldog. I crouch down, calling to him, trying to see if he'll come to me, but he's hunkered down, not moving from his spot. It's still light out, so I call Eli and ask him if he can bring me some water and dog food since he'd been putting it out.
"Hey." I hear him call my name softly a few minutes later. He's got a bowl and an old blanket. "That's the dog I've been seeing."
"Thanks, Eli. I'm going to try to get him so I can take him to the vet. Hopefully, he's chipped or something." I grab a small handful of the food and move closer to the dog.
"You want me to stay with you?"
"No, thanks. But keep an eye out for Bella and let her know, okay? She's got a good vet." He says a quiet goodbye, but my focus is solely on the pup.
I'm keeping my voice as low, even, and calm as possible. By the time I'm within a few feet, the dog has inched toward me a little bit. I stretch out on the grass, extending my hand with the kibble for him to sniff. It takes several minutes, but he finally feels brave enough or hungry enough to eat.
Reaching up slowly with my free hand, I gently rub his head and back, being mindful to watch for aggression. But as he eats, he melts into my touch. "You're just alone and afraid, aren't you? We've all been there, buddy."
I start to scoot back toward the bag of food Eli left, and he follows hesitantly. Once he reaches my side, I'm cooing and encouraging him to eat and drink. I try not to give him too much; I don't want him to get sick. But it's obvious that even with Eli trying to help, this little guy has been going hungry for weeks.
I wrap him up in the blanket, deciding to come back for everything else later. He's licking my cheek, and I can't help the grin that graces my face. I know the right thing to do would be to take him to the vet and have him checked for a chip, put up flyers, post in social media groups, whatever.
But I also just want to take him home, clean him up, and love him for the rest of our lives. When I reach my front porch, Bella is waiting for me with a sad smile. "Oh, Edward. What did you find?"
I tell her about it all as she drives us to her vet who has a 24-hour branch. "We have to get him checked for a chip, Edward. It's the right thing to do."
When we bring him in, the tech at the front checks us in, and he can tell what's going on without me saying a word. "If there is a chip and the contact information is still good, we'll contact the owners. After that, it's up to them." He gives me a sympathetic smile and carts my new furry friend away.
"What if it was just a mistake? What if he got lost, and they couldn't find him and—" Bella cups my cheeks.
"You sound hysterical, Edward. Calm down." I take a deep breath. "Nobody in their right mind would let that baby get away, and then leave without him. We'll just have to wait and see, okay?"
When the tech comes back, his face is grim. "Well, there was a chip. His name is Vision, and he's just over a year old, a full-bred English bulldog. I called the owners based on the contact information but left a voicemail. Vision does need some medical attention. Nothing too serious, so—"
"I'll take care of it," I say, cutting him off. He smiles softly.
"That's very kind of you, Mr. Cullen, but I feel like I need to tell you that if his owners come back to claim him, they may not offer to repay you." His name tag says Garrett.
"Garrett, I don't care about the money. He's been out on his own for at least three weeks. If he needs the care, I can pay for it. Just make sure he's 100 percent." I quietly exit the lobby and wait for Bella by her car.
After a few minutes, she comes out and wraps me in a hug. "They're going to call us if they discover anything more seriously wrong with Vision, Edward." She pulls away, forcing me to look at her. "I need you to be yourself about this. We don't know what's going to happen, and you're already attached."
Sighing, I lean back against her car. "I know. I'm sorry. Something came over me, and I don't know."
"It's like when I knew I couldn't leave Wanda at the shelter. I get it. They'll call us. Either way, okay?" She smiles reassuringly, and I nod.
"Let's grab some food and go home. You can explain to Wanda why you smell like another dog."
I laugh lightly. "Okay. Thank you." I peck her lips and climb into the passenger seat.
Later, around midnight, after Wanda has gone out one last time and turned her nose up at me for the millionth time, I lock Bella's house and start to climb the stairs to her bedroom. My phone vibrates in my pocket with the veterinarian's number flashing across the screen.
"Hello?"