Chapter Fourteen More Pieces of the Puzzle #2
“One.” Myra didn’t want to eliminate herself from approval. “A bichon frisé.”
“They are adorable,” Clayton faked a gush.
“They are, indeed.” Myra let Clayton continue.
“Elizabeth, can you please arrange for a golf cart for me and Ms. Regan?”
“Yes, ma’am.” The young woman ducked behind a small grove of trees and reappeared driving a small cart.
“Please.” Clayton motioned for Myra to get in. “Elizabeth, please take us to the new model.” She turned to Myra. “You mentioned you were interested in one of our single-family villas?”
“Yes. I like my privacy.”
“You are in luck. We just finished the last four on this property. They are in high demand.”
Myra took in the scenery as they drove down the winding paths. They passed clusters of beautifully landscaped duplexes until they came to an area where there were four villas.
“Here we are.” Clayton got out and held out her hand to assist Myra.
Myra pretended not to notice and easily exited the vehicle. She wanted to maintain an appearance of assuredness and independence. Not that she lacked those qualities. She simply wanted to punctuate them.
“Come. Follow me,” Clayton instructed.
Elizabeth remained silent, waiting for the next assignment.
Clayton unlocked the door. “I think you will love it here.” She stepped aside.
Myra had to admit, it was very impressive. The villa had high ceilings with an open floor plan. A large kitchen faced the living and dining area. From there, a double sliding glass door led to a lanai, which led to a stone paver patio.
“There is a lot of outdoor living space in addition to the two thousand square feet of indoor area.”
Clayton opened the glass doors and showed Myra the spacious, screened-in lanai. Tropical plants stood in ceramic pots along one wall and in the corners.
“You can garden inside or out.”
Then she led Myra to the outdoor patio. “Gas grill is connected to the gas line. Very little maintenance, and if you do need assistance, you can call an attendant.”
Myra scanned the gardens within and around the patio. “This is lovely.” Yoko must be in foliage heaven, she thought to herself. No wonder so many people flocked to the south after living in the north. Gardens all year round. Divine.
“Let’s take a look inside, shall we?” Clayton was still wearing that forced smile.
“Each villa has a laundry room, but you can always send it out if you wish.” She opened a louvered door that led to a good-sized space with a washer, dryer, ironing board, folding table, hanging rack, and shelves. It was bigger than a walk-in closet.
Clayton led the way to the main entrance. “You’ll note that the two bedrooms are on opposite sides of the villa. People love to visit, and it’s a way to assure everyone has privacy.”
“Excellent idea,” Myra said.
“This way is the master suite.” Clayton walked down the short hall to a very large room with sliding doors to the patio.
It was bigger than most studio apartments, large enough for a king-size bed on one side and a sofa and chairs on the other.
A sliding door led to the master bath, which had a soaking tub and a separate shower beautifully finished in a polished stone.
A walk-in dressing area completed the package, with built-in shelves and cupboards.
Myra thought about her wardrobe. She didn’t think she and Charles had enough clothes to fill it.
She wondered how many people at this point in their lives did, and if they did, how often did they wear them.
Clayton turned around and began to walk in the opposite direction.
When they passed the main entrance, she proceeded to the hall on the left, where a smaller suite was similarly arranged, but with only a shower and an adjoining door that led to a powder room for anyone to use.
There were locks on both doors, so privacy was not an issue.
Clayton finally asked, “So what do you think?”
Myra hesitated, then said, “I’d like to spend a few days living on site before I commit. Would that be possible? I really do want to get a feel for the area and the community.”
“That can absolutely be arranged. We have an identical villa two doors down that is completely furnished. We try to anticipate and accommodate every need and request. It’s not at all unreasonable to expect a ‘dry run,’ if you will.”
“Yes, I will.” Myra finally showed a slight tinge of enthusiasm in her face.
“Marvelous. The first two nights are free. We just ask for a deposit. If you want to extend your stay, it will cost three hundred dollars per night.”
Myra faked a chuckle. “That’s less than my hotel.”
Clayton was almost giddy. She was going to do whatever was necessary to get this woman to sign on for a long-term agreement. Longer than her life span.
“Shall we go back to the office and fill out the paperwork? I know it’s tedious, but it has to be done.”
“I totally understand,” Myra replied. She knew Clayton was chomping at the bit, having read Myra’s latest financial and family status. The woman was wealthy, with no kids or siblings. She was the perfect resident for Sunnydale.
Clayton made small talk on the way back to the main building. She already knew the answers to the questions, no doubt.
“So, there’s no Mr. Regan? Are you widowed or divorced?”
“A bit of both.” Myra chuckled. “Divorced and widowed. My ex-husband passed away.”
“Sorry to hear it.”
“Don’t be. He was a bit of a scoundrel.” Myra thought her candor might elicit some personal information from Clayton. And it did.
“Oh, do I know what that is like.” Crabby was less effusive and more down-to-earth. “It took me a long time to be able to admit it, but he left me for a floozy.” She clicked her tongue.
“Well, then, you should be happy. A man who would leave you for a floozy isn’t worth his salt.”
“Thank you for saying that. It was quite embarrassing at the time.”
“Yes, I can imagine. Mine didn’t run off with a floozy. It was my best friend.”
“Oh, that is awful!” Clayton gasped.
“I thought so at the time. Betrayed by the two people I trusted the most. Now I am much better off without either of them. Much better.”
Clayton had a very good idea of what “much better” meant in dollars and cents. Clayton babbled on about the many activities, day trips, and vacations the company planned. “Of course, some of it costs extra.”
“I like to travel, but I want to get settled in before I do any more moving about,” Myra said, as if she meant it.
They arrived at the main building, and Clayton ushered Myra into a totally different office than Izzie’s or Regina’s.
This one was off the main lobby and had large windows that overlooked a garden.
It was simply furnished but tastefully done in pale shades of blue and gray.
It had a cooling effect against the bright colors of the flowers.
Clayton offered Myra a seat on one side of the pale oak desk. She made quick work of pushing a full-color fancy folder toward Myra. “This has all the documents. As I said, we will need a deposit.” She hesitated. “For damages. I am sure you are very conscientious, but I must follow the rules.”
“I totally understand.” Myra reached into her purse, then handed a credit card over to Clayton. It was a corporate card the Sisters used under these circumstances.
“It’s a thousand dollars,” Clayton mentioned as she pulled the card from Myra’s fingers.
“That’s fine.” Myra leaned against the back of her chair as if to say, Now what?
“I’ll be right back.” Clayton bolted out of the office and hightailed it to the front desk.
“Run this through. One thousand.” Clayton waited the minute it took for the transaction to go through.
The woman behind the counter handed Clayton the card and a receipt. She turned without thanking the woman.
Myra resisted the temptation to snoop. She had no idea how long Clayton would take and couldn’t risk anything that would cause Clayton to think she was up to something.
Clayton dashed back into the room. “Ms. Regan, I have to be honest with you. I just got a call that we have an open house scheduled for this weekend. People are very interested in the villas. I would suggest you put a deposit on the one we saw today. This way, it will still be available after your trial run here.” She slapped on that fake smile again.
“I can see why they would be so popular.” Myra took a beat. Let her sweat. “How much would that entail?”
Clayton adjusted her reading glasses. “Let me see. Would you want it furnished or unfurnished?”
“What is the difference in price?”
“Furnished is ten thousand per month. Unfurnished is nine thousand.”
“Would the furnishings be comparable to the place I’ll be staying in?”
“Absolutely. There are several styles to choose from.”
“Splendid. I should probably take a furnished one and give myself time to sell my home and not have to bother with moving things around.”
“Excellent idea.” She quickly added, “We require half a year in advance.”
“But I thought I was giving you a deposit.”
“Yes, that is the deposit. Fully refundable, of course, within thirty days.”
Myra was sifting through the paperwork. It was layers and layers of legalese. Not that it mattered. But plunking down sixty thousand dollars for a deposit seemed a bit excessive. She had to be reassured that Charles could claw back those funds after the mission was over. “Mrs. Clayton.”
“Please. Call me Edith.” She peered over her glasses hanging at the tip of her nose.
“Alright, Edith. I have to call my banker. It’s required for charges over fifty thousand dollars.”
“Of course!” Edith said easily.
“Is there a place where I can have some privacy?” Myra asked politely. She surreptitiously scanned the room for cameras, but she couldn’t use her audio detector.
“You can use this office. I’ll leave you to your call.” Clayton got up from her chair and left the room.