Fat Chance Read Online Free PDF Page A

absently. “I can take down this wall,” I suggested. “Combine the master bedroom and one of the other ones. I can build a killer closet and maybe do a spa bath.”
    Jane wandered over to the accordion doors lining one wall. As soon as she touched the scratched knob, the door fell off its tracks. The closet was narrow, and the rod was missing. She laid the cheap door on the floor, stepped over it, and walked into the adjoining bathroom.
    Coming up behind her, I placed my hand on her hip and moved her to one side. It looked like something you’d find in a youth hostel. Tiny tub, sink affixed to the wall. Mirror hanging above the chipped sink and a toilet sandwiched in between. There was a narrow rectangular window mounted in the shower stall near the ceiling line. Judging by the blistering of the plaster, I was already resigned to the fact that it leaked.
    “So,” I said as I rejoined Liv and Jane in the bedroom. “I guess I’ll need a Home Depot credit card.”
    “No,” Jane scoffed. “You need an Extreme Home Makeover.” Her green eyes glinted mischievously. “The team can do the house and I’ll do Ty Pennington. Deal?”
    “I get Ty!” Jane called as she headed back toward the smaller bedrooms.
    “Was that champagne you brought?” I asked Liv.
    She nodded. “And some fruit and cheese. I didn’t bring an ice bucket because I thought—”
    “C’mon,” I interrupted, leading Jane and Liv back down toxic alley to the kitchen. “You coming?” I called to Becky as we passed the smallest bedroom.
    “Be right there.”
    So what if my new house was uninhabitable? It didn’t have to stay that way. I had my apartment, so it wasn’t as if I’d have to sleep in moldville. “Sam will help.”
    “We’ll all help.” Liv started gathering up the picnic basket, and I grabbed the champagne. “Jane, run out to my trunk and grab the blanket. We can have drinks on the beach.”
    Jane half-ran, half-hopped across the living room mush, muttering curses as she went.
    I heard a loud bang and yelled, “Becky, what are you doing?”
    “Trying to open the frigging closet in here,” she called back.
    “Leave it. We’re going out to the beach.”
    “I can make this work,” I told Liv a few minutes later as I twisted the metal net off the top of the champagne bottle. Using the hem of my skirt, I eased the cork loose without losing a single bubble.
    “Nice,” Liv complimented as Jane arrived and spread the blanket on a level patch of sand.
    Looking back at the house, I had a zillion ideas running through my head. Okay, so I was discouraged, but I was also excited by the challenge. “I wonder how much it will cost.”
    “Won’t be cheap,” Jane said as she held up a flute for me to fill. “But you can’t go wrong.”
    “I can’t?”
    She shook her head. “It’s location, Finley. Since you barely paid anything for the property, whatever you put into this place, you’ll get back at least fifty times over. Palm Beach real estate is a great investment. If this place was built prior to 1929, I can even help you apply for some tax deferment programs and rehab grants.”
    “Really?”
    “You’ll need a contractor,” Liv said. “Though I’m all for calling in Ty Pennington.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind.”
    “Get a hot contractor,” Jane insisted. “You don’t want some old, fat guy with a bad comb-over and his butt crack showing.”
    “To Finley’s new status as a land baron. And to hot contractors,” Liv said, raising her glass.
    “Shouldn’t we wait for Becky?”
    “Naw, we’ll just refill our glasses.”
    I grinned at Liv, enjoying the soft tickle of the dry champagne as it washed over my tongue. “The lease on my apartment isn’t up for another three months. Think that’s enough time?”
    “Probably not. You need to talk to someone who knows construction,” Jane said. “What about Liam?”
    “He’s still on my To Be Avoided list.”
    “I thought what he did was gallant,” Liv