Chapter 31
Ben was growing to dread Courtney the Realtor’s phone calls. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear from her when someone wanted
to view his house. He absolutely did. But it seemed like she called all the time for various reasons—Had he had a chance to
clean the garage? Could she come by and take better pictures for the website? Did he want to know how many views the house,
with all the new pictures, was getting per hour?
Today, however, she’d called to tell him that there was a very motivated couple who’d stopped by the realty office that afternoon.
Did he mind if she showed the house ASAP? He didn’t mind, he guessed, and he watched the couple walk around his living room,
staring at the crown molding and commenting on the apparent draft on the far left-hand side of the room. Next to them, Courtney
rattled on about the low property taxes and river access. He’d offered to leave, but the couple insisted he stay, just in
case they had any questions Courtney couldn’t answer.
They seemed to like the house, which pleased him. Ben’s grandfather had loved the house. When he’d bought it in the early 90s as a vacation home, it needed quite a lot of work. Ben remembered his grandfather talking about it with his mother, excited about the place he liked to call his “retirement villa.” His mother had come down to Clay Creek once to see it, and she’d come back suggest ing the old house ought to be condemned. But Ben’s grandfather had restored it with such love that by the time Ben and his mother moved there years later, it was more than a retirement villa—it was a home.
His throat bobbed with an emotion he couldn’t quite put his finger on—pride? Regret?
Ben didn’t have time to dwell on it, because Courtney approached him with the couple, all three smiling.
“This is a great place,” the woman breathed.
The man, who seemed less inclined to be impressed, crossed his arms. “It needs a bit of work, though.”
“Not really,” Ben replied. Courtney gave him a sharp look, but he ignored it. The house didn’t need a “a bit” of work. It
needed next to nothing, save for maybe some paint and maybe the attic fan could use a replacement. Other than that—the roof
was less than five years old and so was the guttering. He’d had it independently inspected and appraised before putting it
on the market, so he knew that the house was listed well under what it was actually worth. He wasn’t going to let some random
man looking for a deal insult the house that his grandfather had dedicated the twilight of his life to.
“Well, I like it,” the woman said. “Thank you for showing it to us, Courtney.”
“Let me walk you out,” Courtney replied, leaving Ben alone.
He sat down at the kitchen table, annoyed with himself. He should have kept his mouth closed. He wanted someone to buy the
house. What if he’d just screwed it up with his comment?
Courtney came back inside a few minutes later with a huge grin on her face. “Give them a week or two, and I think they’ll
be sending us an offer,” she said. “Maybe less.”
“You think?” Ben asked.
Courtney nodded. “They love it. But they need help to buy, and it’s going to take some convincing to one side of the parents.”
“So, I didn’t screw it up?”
“No,” Courtney said. “The wife loves it. She’s been talking about it nonstop since they got here, and she was still talking
about it when they left. She won’t let it rest until she has what she wants.”
Ben let out a breath, and Courtney eyed him.
“Having second thoughts, Lawrence?” Courtney asked. “I thought you said you wanted to sell as quickly as possible.”
“I did,” Ben said. “I mean, I do. This is great news, Courtney. Thank you.”
“I’ll let you know when I know,” Courtney said, heading toward the door. “Oh, and by the way?”
“Yeah?”
“I told them the neighbors were nice, respectable people. Don’t tell them any different.”
“Well, since they are nice, respectable people, that won’t be a problem,” Ben replied.
Courtney snorted. “I figured your time in the big city might have changed you, but I guess not.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Ben wanted to know.
“You’re still just as in love with Mylie as you ever were.”
“That’s not true,” Ben said, but his reply was half-hearted.
Courtney wiggled her fingers at him. She got to the door and said, “One more thing.”
“What?” Ben asked. What else could she possibly have to say?
“There were some weird noises coming from that vent in the hallway,” Courtney said. “You might want to check that out.”
Ben knew what she was talking about. He thought he’d heard something earlier, but he’d convinced himself it was just in his head. This time, as he got up from the kitchen table, he heard the loudest scraping noise he’d ever heard in his entire life, and just as Courtney said, it was coming from the hallway.