Sunny-Side Up Feud

Chapter 1 - Delivery

Four months... The goal I set for myself to open my bed-and-breakfast was three months. In the blink of an eye, time has passed and nothing worth noting has happened on my property. I didn't think this through, which is not new for me, and now I have a rundown property in my hands that is not generating any income.

It was my brother Rowan's dream to open an inn, and for a long time, it was all he would talk about. We worked at a hotel where he was a concierge and I was assigned to the housekeeping team, but did all sorts of maintenance jobs too. During our breaks, my brother always complained about the lack of warmth and personal attention from the staff to the guests. He always made sure people felt taken care of and special. When he got sick, it was the hope of opening his own place what kept him hanging on to life. But he didn't get better and I'm still having trouble letting go of the heartbreak of losing him. 

One day, my parents and I were asked to attend an appointment at a lawyer's office. Rowan had contacted him to execute his will. It surprised us all, because who has a will at 37 years old? But that's how my brother was, always responsible and well prepared. I'm the opposite. We knew he owned a small piece of land where he built storage units and had a mortgage on an apartment. He left the land and storage units to my parents and I got the large profit he made from them plus whatever was left from the sale of his apartment. The lawyer placed a check in my hand, a list of furniture and a letter, which only said: Stay out of trouble. I believe in you. Rowan.

After the tears, laughter came. Rowan was the only person who truly believed in me. I don't have many talents. If you count getting into trouble without looking for it, then that's my most impressive one. Once, during a night out with my friends, a bar fight broke out, and I had nothing to do with it. Somehow I got punched, so I punched back and since I wasn't that drunk, it landed a little harder than I had meant and I knocked the guy out. I got arrested and Rowan was the one who bailed me.

Another time, Rowan and I were having lunch and minding our own business when this guy suddenly stood next to me. He asked me if I knew a girl called Dana and I confirmed it, even though we had only gone out once and then she ghosted me. This time, I was the one who ended with a concussion, right after he said Dana was his girlfriend. Rowan explained to our very suspicious parents that it wasn't my fault, but I'm not sure they believed it entirely.

I guess my parents thought I would buy an apartment with the money I inherited, but I felt I owed it to my brother to make his dream come true after everything he did for me. With no other guidance than instinct and our conversations about his inn, I looked at properties to buy in Greenwood, but they came with a price tag I couldn't afford. After expanding the distance in my search query to quite far, I found a neglected place in Oakheart at a modest price and saw my chance. Once my offer was accepted, I told my parents about my intention. They thought I didn't see the glance they exchanged. I know they love me, but in their minds, I'm a hopeless case when it comes to sticking to a plan.

I knew little about Oakheart, except that a cousin lives here. When I arrived at the house in the Golden Maple Street last November, the trees were at their autumn best and I felt motivated to make something out of the neglected house. The yellow brick was grimy, but I could see the charm. Only said charm stopped the moment I opened the front door and three cockroaches greeted me. Since then, I've been using the kitchen door on the side for fear of crossing paths with a bug in the dim light of the entrance hallway.

After I moved the few belongings I owned, I did basic research on the requirements of running a bed-and-breakfast. Yet that plan didn't last long as I needed to prioritize my own bedroom and finding a way to earn a living in the meantime. I was lucky that the basement was large and had a simple bathroom, the perfect situation for a private bedroom. Once I cleaned the area and washed the windows, I felt satisfied having a place to rest my head. Only then I lost all interest in tackling the rest of the house.