Page 11 of Safer Alone
I wave my arm, indicating one of the less healthy garden beds. A low chuckle comes from his throat, clearly trying to keep it from bursting out his lips. He speaks “I’ll consider those options, Miss White.”
We continue to walk together among some of the more mature oak trees, I also point out a small fish pond toward the back fence of the property, surrounded by large pieces of rock. We take a peek inside and see there are no fish swimming around, before turning back toward the house.
We are both quiet for quite a length of time that I almost jump out of my skin when his voice breaks the silence. “Miss White, would you mind terribly if I were to ask you something? It’s not related to the house, it’s actually a personal question.” He doesn’t look at me after making this request; just continues to walk slowly, shifting his head slightly, looking at the gardens, the trees, anywhere else but me.
As we begin to pass the small rose garden, I realize that we are almost back at the house. If I am going to answer, it had to be soon. Just what is he going to ask me, though? Was I seeing anybody? I can’t believe my mind just went there. Talk about wishful thinking. It couldn’t be too personal if he hadn’t bothered to stop and look me in the face. Figuring it was just going to be some random, nothing-too-interesting question, I decide to give in to his request.
“Sure, just so you know though, I might not be able to answer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
He stops at my comment and turns to face me. Uh, oh, does this mean it’s going to be serious? I take a breath and hold it, waiting for his question to come “Would you be available to look over the property for me every now and then while renovations are taking place? I would also want you to take some photos to send to me. It would save me the hassle of having to come out every week for updates. Only if you agree to assist me with this.”
A look of confusion must slip across my face. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.” Offend me? No, I’m not offended. I must have looked upset, which wasn’t my intention. Shock maybe, but not upset.
Automatically feeling bad for him apologizing to me, I have to set this straight. “There’s no need to apologize, Mr. Sands, I’m not offended, it’s just that it wasn’t one of the questions I had expected you to ask. To be perfectly honest with you, sir, I am quite busy with my listings. However, I am more than happy to help coordinate some local tradespeople to come out and have a look at the property and draft up some quotes for you, if you would like me to, of course. Oh, and there is a wonderful interior designer who I have in my contacts that I can forward to your email address…”
He cuts me off mid-sentence, “If I proceed with this project, then I’m not going to want just anybody working on it. I want you, Miss White. You seem invested in the history of this home. Just a moment ago you pointed out that antique loveseat in the garden. A normal person wouldn’t realize that it is close to two hundred years old and more than likely would have thrown it away. That shows me you have an eye for this sort of thing”.
Speaking of eyes, I couldn’t help but get lost in his baby blues. He was looking directly at me, those eyes, the color of the ocean, looking back into mine. It felt like I was locked into place, right where I stood, as though our eye contact was the only thing holding me in place. Without it, I would fall over. More than that, the way he said he wanted me. Me! Inside I’m freaking out just a little. I want him too, so badly. Down, libido, down you go. I mean to sell the house, of course. Yes, I badly want him to buy the house.
“I would be happy to pay you a consultation fee. Would that help you make a favorable decision in my direction?” He looks away, and with that, the connection I am feeling is broken. Luckily for me I don’t make a fool out of myself by falling over, or pouting. What are you doing, Angela? You need to get a grip, think of the positives. In terms of work, this would mean I would get to see the progress of this home as it was brought back to life. I would be paid for my time. And then the personal positives were screaming in my ear. It would also mean that I would have regular contact with him. Elliot Sands would be on my speed dial. I can’t think of one female who would turn down that opportunity.
I immediately know that I will need time to weigh up the pros and cons with this request. For one, it is incredibly rare these days to have an investor on your books who has readily available funds. Knowing that you are able to phone or email them when a property becomes available that suits their criteria, it’s something that most agents never get, definitely not any of the agents in the firm where I work. And here, in this moment, I have someone asking me to keep on top of things here for him. If this all goes well, he may want to purchase another property. Then I could work with him again. Not to mention, staying in his good graces would mean that he would more than likely choose me to then sell the property for him when the time comes, thereby earning me a double commission.
So, what was I waiting for? For goodness sake, all I have to do is open my mouth and just say yes. Instead I act coy, giving myself a reason to contact him again, “Mr. Sands, that’s a really generous offer, one that I promise I will definitely think about. I was hoping it would be okay to get back to you later. What if I were to email you, say later this evening?”
I hope and pray that I will hear him say “That will be fine.” Instead he surprises me, responding in a way I never would have guessed was a possibility.
“That’s a great idea, but I have a better one. Instead of sending me an email, let’s meet up for dinner, say 6:00 pm? I’m staying at The Hermitage. I understand they have a good restaurant. Come by and we will discuss it then.” He smiles at me and then begins to walk towards the back door of the home.
Dinner with Elliot Sands. That certainly wasn’t something I had even considered would happen. On the plus side, I would get to see him again, and that’s a bonus in itself. A moment of panic hits me. Dinner would be expensive no doubt. Should I say no? I don’t want to jeopardize the possibility of a sale though. I wrack my brain, trying to remember if I have some money rolled up in my underwear drawer. Then another problem hits me: what on earth would I wear? Before I had time to think about it any longer and talk myself out of going, I open my mouth, “Sounds lovely, Mr. Sands. Thank you.”
He nods, and makes no response, no doubt believing that there was no chance I would say no to his request, anyway.
I walk ahead and back into the house and wait for him to enter behind me, locking the doors once he had joined me inside. “What are your thoughts on the house, Mr. Sands? Would you like to have another look-through? Do you need to take note of any other measurements? Remember I have a list of those back in the office I can send you if you need them.”
“I’m fine, thank you, Miss White. I have everything I need for now.” He holds up his notebook to show me. “I better be going. I have to make a few calls this afternoon before we meet for dinner this evening.” He gives me a warm smile.
I don’t know why I was feeling this way; it surprised me that I was actually looking forward to seeing this man tonight. This was something that I have not felt in years. I accompany Elliot out of the house, down the pathway, stopping just a few steps from his vehicle that is still parked in front of the house. His driver hasn’t appeared to have moved the entire time. Seeing Elliot approaching he jumps out of the car and gives him a small nod.
Elliot offers me his large hand. I reach out and take it with my own and we shake hands. Once our hands drop from each other, he reaches up and plucks a small piece of paper from his jacket pocket. He holds it out in my direction. I can see from the fancy cursive on the front it is a business card. “I have written down my personal phone number. Please let me know when you are on your way tonight. I’ll make sure I’m downstairs to meet you, just outside of the restaurant.”
He points to a cell phone number and then raises his head and looks directly into my eyes before unhooking his sunglasses from his pocket and slipping them on. He then briefly looks at his watch before opening the rear passenger car door. “I’ll see you in a few hours, Angela.” He steps into the car and closes the door before I have a chance to respond.
I give him a small wave as he exits the driveway. I stand in that driveway for what could have possibly been five minutes, or even an hour, staring down the driveway that Elliot had just driven down and out of. The viewing had gone well, I thought. There was positive feedback and in addition to all that, he had also offered me a job. The job offer had come completely from left field. To say I wasn’t expecting it was an understatement. That possibility had never crossed my mind, even for half a second; neither had having dinner with him tonight. I don’t tend to be someone who gets surprised often, and yet, Elliot Sands had done it twice, during our first meeting.
The butterflies had started to fly around in my chest, the nerves I had felt at the beginning of the showing were now being taken over by that of excitement and anxiety. How do I get through this evening without making a fool of myself and blowing the sale? I look down at myself remembering that I’m wearing my one outfit that could possibly make me fit in at the Hermitage. On one hand, if I didn’t get changed, he wouldn’t think I was making an effort to impress him. But did I want to impress him though? On the other hand, if I didn’t wear anything else, he might think that I don’t have anything else to wear. Or third, he was a man. They don’t tend to take much notice of what a woman is wearing, especially not one who they are not interested in.
It has been such a long time since I have had a dinner date with someone. Liam and I catch up for dinner occasionally when Jessica is having a night out with her girlfriends, and there are those work functions where I share a meal with James. But just a one-on-one dinner with someone who I’m attracted to? It’s been too long. I would hazard a guess at nearly four years to the day, and that was surely one I remembered.
Dylan had invited me to dinner at the newly opened Thai restaurant around the corner from his apartment. This was back during the time that we were young and in love, at least I was. How could I compare tonight’s dinner with that one? First off, this isn’t a date. It’s just two grown adults, sharing a meal, trying to discuss professional items. I can’t help but wonder though, is he thinking about me like I am thinking about him?
My mind goes blank as I recall the last thing he said to me, “I’ll see you in a few hours, Angela.” Oh my, I think my heart just stopped beating, either that, or it exploded. A warm feeling flows through my entire body. Instead of being professional, he called me by my first name.
~ Chapter Six ~
Imake it home by 3:40 pm which allows me a short amount of time to get ready. I decide against eating anything substantial for a late lunch, since I will be having dinner in a couple of hours. Instead I just have a cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie.
Playing back the events of this afternoon, the memories flow easily throughout my mind. All in all, the viewing had gone well. Positive feedback was given on the home, he took plenty of notes on the condition of the property, as well as taking measurements. The linchpin had been when he had asked me for assistance with overseeing the renovation works. That, to me, showed that he indeed was serious about purchasing the property. I mean, his mind wouldn’t have gone there if it weren’t a definite possibility.
