He tore the flap open standing right there on the gravel, still half-smiling, sure it was some sentimental card or an invitation he could brag about. It was neither. Inside was a formal invoice on my company letterhead, itemized and signed, for every dollar of damage from the first visit. The cracked filter housing. The ruined laptop. The professional rug cleaning. The lost booking from the bride who nearly walked out. It totaled just over nine thousand dollars.

Below the invoice was a legal notice, drafted by my attorney, informing him that the property was now a registered business and that any entry without a signed rental contract would be treated as trespassing. His face went from pink to gray as he read. Then he looked up, and the charm was gone. What came out of his mouth next told me exactly who he had always been.