Chapter Text
Mr. Gold cursed himself as he slowly climbed the steps to the apartment above the library. He’d purchased the building 3 years ago from the town, solely because he was tired of looking out at the boarded up old building located across the way from his pawnshop. He’d renovated and restored the library (a task that had been much easier and less costly than expected), and was now leasing it to the town in addition to renting out the third story apartment. What he hadn’t considered when he’d decided to turn the top level into a rental, was how strenuous it would be for him to climb the steps to it with his cane and bad ankle.
He’d received a garbled voicemail message from his new tenant, Miss Belle French, and even though he had been unable to make out half of it, he could sense her urgency from the tone of her voice. He decided to show up at her apartment in person rather than return the call. This would give him the opportunity to take a look around. It was why he always collected rent in person rather than have it mailed to him or automatically deposited into an account. He felt that his presence was an added incentive to his renters to make their payments on time and to keep their premises in good condition.
He took a few seconds to catch his breath when he reached the landing before knocking on the door.
“Mr. Gold! I wasn’t expecting you.” The look of surprise on her face gave him a sense of satisfaction. How he loved it when he caught them off guard.
“Miss French, did you not contact me about some urgent matter that needed my attention?”
“Oh... yes. Please come in.” She looked embarrassed as she apologized for the state of her apartment. “I’m still trying to find room for my books so they’re scattered all over the place. I’m usually much neater.”
Gold noted the disarray and yet still recognized that there was something cozy and homey with what she had done so far. He’d originally been hesitant about renting the space to her. Her father, the town florist, was often late with his rent and currently owed Gold a bit of money. Miss French had just returned to town after being away at college and a job in Seattle. Her references had been impeccable, however, so he had decided that he should not judge the daughter based on her father’s flaws. Added to that, she was gainfully employed as the new town librarian.
“No need to apologize, Miss French. I, myself, know a thing or two about owning more items than your home can accommodate.” He wasn’t sure why he had shared that piece of info with her. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him with those beautiful blue eyes. He remembered her from years ago as a pretty little thing with a kind smile. Had she always been this beautiful?
Gold shook his head. What was he thinking? His goal here was to establish the appropriate landlord/tenant relationship with his new renter and to address her problem.
“You sounded quite distressed on the phone, Miss French. Something about needing help and being invaded by an army?” Gold looked around and raised an eyebrow in question.
Belle giggled. “I may have exaggerated a bit.” A slight blush colored her cheeks. “There’s an army of ants parading through my kitchen. I think I found the spot where they’re getting in, but there must be a nest below me in the building. Our lease mentioned that you would handle any pest control issues.” Her eyes met his with a question in them.
Gold was impressed. This was a first. Someone who had actually read the rental contract. Hopefully, she would be as diligent about the terms when it came to adhering to her end of the agreement.
“As your landlord, that is indeed my responsibility.” He took the opportunity to point out their relationship status once again. “Do you have a commercial bug spray that you can use as a temporary deterrent, Miss French? If not, I can provide you with one. We’ll need to get the situation under control until I can hire an exterminator to get rid of them.”
“Oh, no! I don’t want to harm any of them! I was hoping we could find a humane way of removing them.”
Gold stared at her. The woman’s apartment was being overrun by insects and she didn’t want to harm them. Most people would be spraying insecticide and crushing the bugs with their shoes, himself included. “Miss French, I’ve been a landlord for many years and I’m afraid what you’re asking is impossible. Contrary to any rumors you may have heard about me, I’m not a practitioner of the dark arts who can make something happen with a wave of my hand.”
Belle bit back a smile. “I did some research, Mr. Gold, and there are ways of humanely dealing with insect infestations. I can give you the contact info for a service that I found.” She stopped to chew on her bottom lip while searching his eyes. “The only issue is that it may be slightly more expensive than traditional services.”
Gold was not sure why he was even considering her suggestion. As the landlord of the apartment, it was up to him how he would handle these types of situations. It would not be good business to spend more money than necessary and it would certainly not be good business to establish a precedent like this.
“And, Mr. Gold… I don’t listen to rumors. I like to form my own opinions.” The beauty of the smile she gave him rivaled that of her eyes.
“Well then,” he heard himself saying, “I’ll see what I can do. My associate, Mr. Dove, will be in touch with you to make the arrangements.” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Gold!” She lurched forward as though to hug him. Gold took a step back and immediately placed both hands on his cane to form a barrier between them.
“I’m not making any promises, Miss French. I’ll be weighing all factors before making my final decision.” He congratulated himself on his quick recovery. No need to let her get the false impression that he was doing her any favors.
“If that’s all, I’ll be on my way. Good day, Miss French.” He turned to leave.
“Good-bye, Mr. Gold. And thank you again!”
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“Has the problem been handled to Miss French’s satisfaction?” Gold looked at the man who was standing awkwardly before him with his hands behind his back.
“Yes, Mr. Gold,” Dove answered.
“Is there anything else?” It was obvious to Gold that Dove had more to say. Dove was a man of very few words that often had to be coaxed out of him.
“From Miss Belle.” Dove handed Mr. Gold a wrapped plate that looked like it contained cookies.
Gold’s confused expression prompted Dove to elaborate. “To thank you.”
Gold was flummoxed. No one ever thanked him for anything. This was another first. It made him wary.
“She wanted me to tell you that she was very appreciative.”
Gold schooled his features to hide his surprise. “No need to thank me. I was simply fulfilling the terms of our rental agreement,” he replied matter-of-factly. After all, spending extra money to humanely remove the ants had nothing to do with Miss French. True, she had been the one to present the option to him, but his final decision had been based on sound business practices. Any hint of pesticides being used in the library would have undoubtedly led to a lawsuit from some unhappy citizen looking to make a quick buck off of him. Using this humane approach would prevent that from happening.
He glared at Dove in an attempt to emphasize his point. He could have sworn that he’d noticed a tiny smile gracing Dove’s lips and did not like the implication. As he was staring at Dove, he discovered something that made him rather gleeful.
“That will be all then.” Gold dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Oh, and Dove,” a wicked smile formed on Gold’s face, “there’s something on your cheek.”
Dove reached up reflexively to the exact spot Gold was referring to.
“It looks like lipstick.”
Dove blushed a deep red and Gold’s smile widened. “Evidently Miss French appreciated your efforts also.” When Dove didn’t deny it, Gold chuckled to himself and returned to the back room of his shop satisfied that he’d made his point. He could now get back to his daily routine free of any further thoughts about Miss Belle French.