Andre listened.
Harold continued.
“I assumed somebody else had checked.”
He looked toward the white mansion beyond the hedge.
“And because I assumed that, she had more time than she should have.”
Andre took a breath.
“I think a lot of people assumed somebody else was checking.”
Harold nodded.
“That's the problem.”
For a moment, the two men looked toward the water.
Then Andre smiled.
“Well, at least the new board seems interested in asking questions.”
Harold laughed.
“More than you can imagine.”
He shook his head.
“You should see how long our last meeting took.”
Andre grinned.
“That bad?”
“Three hours discussing vendor disclosures.”
Andre laughed.
Harold smiled.
“Boring as anything.”
For a moment, they looked at each other.
Then both began laughing.
Because after everything Magnolia Ridge had experienced, a three-hour board meeting about boring financial controls sounded wonderful.
No screaming.
No threatening notices.
No unauthorized wastewater discharge.
Just residents doing the slow, necessary work of maintaining a community.
Harold looked toward the patio.
Then smiled.
“Now, am I allowed to have one of those sandwiches?”
Andre stepped aside.
“Please. Before Maya eats all of them.”
They walked toward the gathering.
And for the first time, Andre didn't feel as though the arrival of someone connected to the HOA might ruin his afternoon.
That evening, after the guests had left, Andre sat beside the pool with Tanya.
Maya was inside getting ready for bed.
The patio had been cleaned.
The chairs were stacked.
And soft lights reflected across the restored water.
Tanya leaned against her husband.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then she smiled.
“Remember when we first saw this house?”
Andre nodded.
“Maya wouldn't stop talking about the pool.”
Tanya laughed.
“She asked if she could sleep beside it.”
Andre smiled.
“I remember.”
For a moment, they sat quietly.
Then Tanya looked toward the neighboring property.
Cynthia's mansion stood beyond the hedge.
The beautiful white facade remained.
The landscaped courtyard was still visible through the trees.
But the woman who once treated the entire neighborhood as her personal kingdom no longer controlled the association.
The unauthorized wastewater arrangement had been corrected under the required oversight.
The disputed HOA spending had been examined.
And Cynthia's conduct had become part of an official record she could not simply rewrite with another threatening letter.
Tanya looked toward Andre.
“Do you ever think about moving?”
He considered.
There had been nights when he wanted to.
Nights when the smell of sewage seemed to remain in his memory even after the patio was clean.