Venus Charm Bracelet

Day Zero

I pulled into the driveway and parked next to Cole's truck. I could see him shaking his head as he walked around the old worn down house. It was definitely in rough shape, hell it would have been condemned if it wasn't for the local historical society. It was originally built in the early 1900's and had been remodelled several times over the years. Unfortunately for us, it was definitely going to need more than a few easy cosmetic updates this time. It had structural issues, the plumbing and electrical were going to have to be completely re done. New roofing, new flooring, basically new everything. Add that to the fact that the historical society had the right to approve or deny any changes we planned to make, this was by far going to be our biggest and most difficult house flip to date.

Cole didn't see it, but I could easily see the potential in this project. It was a highly desired area that was located only a few blocks from the old courthouse and Main Street area. The buildings that lined the downtown streets were older than this house but had been fully renovated to house several small boutiques, eateries, and small business shops of all sorts. It was a thriving little town that held events throughout the year. The court square would host bar-b-que and chilli cook offs, craft shows and car shows. Even parades, beer fests, and fireworks were on the calendar. People would drive from miles around to take part in the festivities, which made living within walking distance very appealing.

Pantera blasted through my speakers before I turned off the ignition and hopped out of The Beast. Ah, yes, The Beast was my most prized possession. An 89 Jeep Wrangler that I'd built from the ground up. Something about the square lights on the YJ's seemed to catch my eye. Ok, so maybe I didn't actually build it completely on my own, but it was my hard-earned money that paid the experts at the customization shop to do so. Don't get me wrong, I'd busted a few knuckles on The Beast over the years, but when it came to swapping the little four cylinder to a V8 and building a custom suspension, well that was a little out of my comfort level.

The Beast was murdered out in flat black paint with a few accessories that were painted glossy red. He wore 36 inch mud grips on 20 inch rims. He was a rock crawling, mud bogging, go anywhere in the fuck he wanted to go beast, and that's how he earned his name. If I could ever meet a woman I loved half as much as I love The Beast, I'd probably marry her right then and there. Anyway, I walked up to Cole and shook his hand, then he said.

"Damn Michael, I can't believe I let you talk me into this piece of shit. We're going to lose our asses on this flip."

"C'mon Cole, you got to learn to trust me dude. It might take a little longer to get it on the market, but we're going to make a killing when it sells. Lindsay showed you the comps right?"

Lindsay was our real estate agent. She was also Cole's ex-girlfriend. They dated for a little while but broke it off when they realized they weren't very compatible. Thankfully it was a mutual break up and they were able to retain their friendship as well as our professional relationship. We met her a few years ago after Cole and I started our small business MC Properties. Cole wanted to name it CM Properties of course, but I won the coin toss. Literally, we flipped a coin to decide the name. Anyway, not only was Lindsay a realtor, she also earned a degree from a very reputable art and design school. She'd make a commission when she sold one of our homes, we'd also pay her as a sub-contractor for her design help.

"Well the two of you better be right. I didn't start this business with you to lose money."

Cole popped his tailgate down and we started unloading the tools we would need for the day, which wasn't much. It was demo day so all we really needed were a couple of sledge hammers, pry bars, gloves and dust masks. Demo day was the best part of flipping houses, other than getting a check at the closing table. A dumpster was scheduled to be delivered in a few hours so we grabbed our tools and headed for the door. As we walked onto the half rotten porch, I was a little worried it might cave in so I tested each step to ensure the boards could hold my weight. The front door was slightly ajar when we got to it. Cole dangled the keys in front of my face and said.