“Here we are, Minnie girl.” I smiled down at my long-haired, black and brown, miniature Dachshund, then inserted the key into apartment number one. The apartment reserved for the manager.
The last thing I expected after my aunt, Mary Jane, fell down the stairs of Riverside Towers, breaking her neck, was to inherit the two hundred apartments. What did I know about managing an apartment complex? I, Crystal Waters, had never been out of the small town of Walnut Hills in all my twenty-eight years. I’d spent those years working as an administrative assistant at Riverside Elementary, filing paperwork and answering phones. Nothing in my experience prepared me for landlord duties.
I pushed open the door and stepped into a cluttered, doily-filled living room. Yikes. It would take me a year of Sundays to clear out the things that my aunt left me. Her decorating style was definitely not the minimalistic style I preferred.
Minnie sniffed cautiously at the doorframe before venturing inside, her nails clicking on the hardwood floor. The scent of lavender and dust filled my nostrils, bringing back memories of childhood visits when Aunt Mary Jane would serve tea in delicate china cups and lecture me about posture.
Leaving Minnie to get acquainted with her new home, I wandered the two-bedroom apartment. Each room was worse than the first. Porcelain dolls, stuffed animals, Victorian figurines…every surface contained so many collectables you couldn’t see the wood underneath. A brass clock ticked loudly from the mantel, flanked by ceramic cats with unsettling glass eyes. Lace doilies covered every flat surface, yellowed with age.
I sneezed, threw open the master bedroom curtains, and looked down on a nicely landscaped courtyard with tables and grilles circling a sparkling swimming pool. At least the view was pleasant. The afternoon sun glinted off the water, and a few residents lounged in chairs, reading or chatting. This place had potential, if I could just figure out how to run it.
The bedroom itself was a shrine to floral patterns. The bedspread, curtains, and wallpaper all competed in a riot of roses, daisies, and lilies. I made a mental note to start the decluttering process in here first. I needed somewhere to sleep that didn’t make me feel like a garden had swallowed me.
I headed for the second bedroom. An L-shaped desk filled one corner, and a fold-out sofa bed on the opposite wall. A small filing cabinet stood under one section of the desk. This room was surprisingly uncluttered. The walls were painted a soft sage green, and a single landscape painting hung above the sofa. This could be my office.
I sat at the desk and opened the laptop. To my right rested a bright pink folder. On the front, in my aunt’s neat cursive handwriting, were the words “Tenants, problems, and other details.” I smiled and opened the folder. I didn’t read far before I frowned.
A few of the tenants didn’t seem to care for Aunt Mary Jane. At least not according to her notes. A Mr. Hank Miller, apartment #2, complained often that Mary Jane was too nosy for her own good and never kept up with repairs. He actually told my aunt to watch her step. The note was dated three weeks before her fall. My stomach tightened at the coincidence.
The tenant in apartment 125, a Ms. Linda Hooper, professional dog walker, didn’t seem to care for the fact that my aunt was constantly on her to clean up after the dogs she walked. Told the woman to head to the nearby dog park rather than use the courtyard. The big thing written next to the woman’s name was that she blamed my aunt for turning a blind eye to the death of a dog in Linda’s care. Aunt Mary Jane had underlined the words “false accusation” three times.
Nothing major, other than the dog’s death, but something about the meticulous note-taking on residents who didn’t get along with my aunt left a bad taste in my mouth. As for the others, no mention except for repairs needed and completed. Leaky faucet in 203. Broken dishwasher in 156. Screen door replacement in 89.
The fact that I would be required to fix toilets and broken appliances scared me spitless. I could barely change a lightbulb without standing on a chair and second-guessing myself. Maybe I should consider selling Riverside Towers. I’d quit my job as an administration assistant at an elementary school, but the apartment complex should sell for enough to give me a sizeable nest egg. The one thing that kept me from listing the place was that my aunt’s lawyer said my aunt stipulated in her will that I keep the place for at least a year. After that, I was free to do whatever I wanted.
One year. Twelve months of dealing with tenant complaints and maintenance issues. Could I survive that long?
“So, we make do, right, Minnie?” I glanced at my waiting pup, who sat near my feet with her ears perked forward. “How about a visit to the dog park? Get us both out of this stuffy apartment?”
Her tail thumped against the floor, and she let out an excited yip.
“Good. Settling in and boxing up can wait.” I snatched her leash from where I’d dropped it on the coffee table, led her outside, and locked the door behind me.
The autumn afternoon air was crisp and pleasant, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass. I took a deep breath, letting the tension ease from my shoulders. The walk would do us both good.
The dog park wasn’t hard to find. I followed a young woman with five dogs on leashes, all different breeds and sizes, moving in a surprisingly coordinated pack. She must be a professional walker, I thought, watching how effortlessly she managed them all.
The dog park was situated near a small, man-made pond, although the sign said lake. In my mind, it wasn’t large enough to qualify as a lake. Ducks paddled near the far shore, and a weeping willow dipped its branches into the water. A paved path circled the entire area, dotted with benches and trash receptacles.
Minnie growled and made noises in her throat all the way around the lake and into the fenced section for small dogs. Right next to it was another for larger dogs. The small dog area had about six other dogs running and playing, their owners chatting in small clusters. After spending a few minutes making sure none of the other pets were aggressive, I removed Minnie’s leash. She promptly leaned against me and shivered.
“Don’t be scared, sweetie. Go play.” I crouched down and stroked her silky ears.
I got a mournful whine in response. A Yorkie trotted over to investigate, and Minnie buried her face against my leg and snarled.
“You’re new here.” The woman I’d followed sat down next to me on a weathered wooden bench.
“Yes. I’m Crystal Waters. The new manager and owner of Riverside Towers.” I smiled, settling onto the bench beside her.
Her eyes widened. “Really? I’m Linda Hooper. I’m in apartment two-hundred.” Her gaze fell on Minnie. “Aren’t you a beauty? What’s her name?”
“Minnie.” My smile widened as it always did when someone complimented my fur baby. “I love her so much, I want to get another.”
“I can recommend a good breeder when you’re ready.” Linda stared at the other pet owners, her expression shifting to something more calculating. “That hunk of man flesh with the German Shepherd in the next pen is Lance Hendricks. He lives at Riverside, too, in number 117. He stays to himself, unfortunately.” She sighed dramatically. “Believe me, I’ve tried getting his attention.”
My gaze followed hers to a tall, dark-haired man throwing a ball for a gorgeous German Shepherd to fetch. The dog moved with fluid grace, powerful and obedient. Lance himself had an athletic build and moved with a slight limp that somehow didn’t diminish his presence. “Any other residents here?”
“No.” She shook her head, her ponytail swinging. “But that man in the business suit who looks out of place is Richard Thornton, a wealthy developer. He wants to buy this entire park for a luxury condo project. So far, petitions from the residents of Riverside have kept him from doing so.” She cut me a side look. “I’ve heard that he’s also after Riverside Towers.”
“Really?” I didn’t see anything in my aunt’s notes. My aunt had been thorough about documenting tenant conflicts, but nothing about outside threats to the property.
“Hmm hmm. No one likes him. Rumor is that he swindled a man named Mark Shuford out of a lot of money. Then, there’s Jack Bradley, who is all about the environment. Thornton and his daughter, Victoria, keep the gossip columns running with their weekly attacks on each other over a woman named Emma…something. Oh.” She motioned her head toward a middle-aged man standing near the pond with a tablet in his hands. “That’s David Reeves. He works for Thornton. Probably measuring up the place for demolition.”
I studied Richard Thornton more closely. He stood rigidly in his expensive suit, looking completely out of place among the casual dog owners in jeans and T-shirts. His silver hair was perfectly styled, and he checked his phone every few seconds with sharp, impatient movements.
“What do you think about Thornton?”
Her smile faded, and she stiffened. “Can’t stand the sight of the man. He left his prescription medication on the bench right where you’re sitting, and a dog I was taking care of got into them and died.” Her voice dropped. “A sweet little Pomeranian named Buttercup. The owner was devastated. Sued me, even though it wasn’t my fault. Your aunt refused to back me up, said I should have been more careful.”
I felt a pang of sympathy despite my aunt’s notes painting a different picture. “I’m so sorry. That must have been awful.”
“Oh, look. Lance is leaving the dog park. Don’t look.”
Of course, I looked. I stood as his dark gaze met mine, those intense brown eyes locking onto my face. My foot hooked on the leg of the bench, and I toppled backward to roll down the hill with Minnie barking as she gave chase. My world became a blur of grass and sky, dignity completely abandoned.
Linda burst into laughter as I lay there and stared at the sky above, trying to catch my breath.
Minnie licked my face, her warm tongue swiping across my nose.
Seconds after I rolled, Lance stared down at me and offered a hand to help me up. “Are you okay?” Concern creased his forehead.
I nodded and accepted his help, his hand warm and strong around mine. “Just clumsy.”
“She’s the new owner of the Towers,” Linda said, still giggling.
Face heated, I glared at her, then bent to pick up Minnie, who wriggled in my arms. “Thank you, Lance.”
“How do you know my…oh. The local rumor mill.” He glanced at Linda. “I suppose she’s been filling you in on everyone and everything.”
“Pretty much.”
“Don’t believe everything she says.” He gave me a nod, then limped away, his German Shepherd walking obediently at his side.
“Isn’t he the most handsome man you’ve ever met?” Linda pretended to swoon, fanning herself with one hand.
“He is nice on the eyes.” I clicked Minnie’s leash on her halter, ready to escape before I embarrassed myself further. “See you around.”
After I exited the pen, then pulled the gate shut, I whirled to find my nose smashed against a T-shirt-covered chest. I gasped and stepped back, stopping when my back met the fence. My gaze lifted to see Lance. “Sorry.”
“No worries. My dog, King, seems interested in your little one.”
Sure enough, Minnie met the Shepherd nose-to-nose, her tail wagging. “She hates other dogs.”
“Not mine.” A faint smile graced his lips, transforming his serious expression into something softer. “You headed back to the Towers?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“I’ll walk with you.”
Mercy. I could barely form a coherent sentence around the man, and now he wanted to walk three blocks with me? So, I nodded and fell into step beside him.
We didn’t speak for the first block. I was acutely aware of his presence beside me, the way King and Minnie seemed perfectly content to walk together. Finally, I found my voice. “You knew my aunt?”
“Yes. Mary Jane was a good woman. I was sorry to hear about her accident.”
“Did you…did you notice anything unusual before she fell?”
He gave me a sharp look. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. I found some notes she kept about tenants who had problems with her.”
“Mary Jane kept notes on everything.” His expression was unreadable. “She was thorough, sometimes to a fault.”
We didn’t speak again until we stopped at the door to my apartment. “I helped your aunt with the handy work around here,” Lance said. “Let me know if I can do the same for you.” He turned and headed across the courtyard, leaving me with my mouth hanging open.
Once I got control of myself again, I stepped back into my home and leaned against the door. What a strange day. A handsome man I’d just met offered me his services, and a woman my aunt believed didn’t like her had filled me in on every Riverside citizen in sight.
Minnie looked up at me and whined.
“I know, girl. This is going to be an interesting year.”
- Publisher : Winged Publications
- Publication date : January 27, 2026
- Language : English
- Print length : 262 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1968792635
- ISBN-13 : 978-1968792633