He passed the slip to her and began explaining what happened in technical terms, trying to sound like he was worth more as a worker than he actually was. Although, that piece of paper seemed to show that he really did believe he was worth an awful lot. Clarke scoffed at the ridiculously high number. "What the hell is this?" she asked sarcastically. "Get the hell out, buddy. No way are you scamming me like this," she called out, ready to shoo him like a bug out the door.
Trevor put his hands up in surrender and backed slowly towards the door. "Look, ma'am, that's how it works when you're working with a franchise. I don't have much control over that. I can see that you're looking for a good deal, so I'm going to offer you some advice. Up to you whether you take it or not." She nodded him along. She didn't have all day, but she appreciated his honesty about the rip off if nothing else. Plus, she was desperate for a fast solution to her problems. "I have a cousin that does all kinds of work. He works for himself, so he's real cheap, and I bet he could help you clean up the place too and do a little remediation. I've seen him do it before. The thing is, though, he has no licenses or certifications. He just does this stuff, so you'd really have to trust him and be okay with that."
Clarke thought about it for a minute and decided that anything was better than paying that price for just part of what needed to be done. She knew that insurance wasn't going to give her anywhere near that much for something like that. "Okay, do you have his number?"
"Sure I do." The man pulled a small card out of his pocket. It had a name and number on it, but that was all; no picture or fancy business name. It was somehow comforting. The name read Vince Forester.
"Alright, thanks for the tip, buddy. I appreciate it," she said flatly, ready for him to leave now she got what she wanted from him. He gave her a toothy smile before walking out, rubbing his hands down his jeans. She didn't waste any time. She picked up the phone and dialed the number in her hand. Hopefully, this would be the solution she so desperately needed.
A young sounding guy with a slight southern accent picked up. "Hello there, this is Vince. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?" It sounded almost comical coming from such a voice, but at least he was attempting to be professional.