2. Olivia
CHAPTER 2
OLIVIA
“Y ou’re going home with Rachel after school, right?” Olivia asked her sister.
Izzy pulled her blue-streaked hair back into a ponytail. “Yeah,” she said. “And she’ll drive me home after.”
“And her mom will be there?”
“We’re just going to be studying, Liv.”
“Right.”
“And besides, I’m seventeen.”
“Yeah, and I know what I was doing when I was seventeen.”
“And did it kill you?” Izzy asked.
It hadn’t, of course — Izzy had a point. Running around with boys in her teen years might not have been Olivia’s finest hour, but she’d certainly survived it. Still, she wanted better for her sister. She would have liked to see Izzy focusing on her schoolwork, making responsible choices. She wondered whether this was how it felt to be a parent. It must be, right? She had practically raised Izzy herself thanks to the amount of time her single mother had needed to devote to working two jobs to keep food on the table.
“I wish I had a car,” Izzy grumbled now. “Then I wouldn’t have to beg my friends for rides.”
“I wish you had one too,” Olivia admitted. “I’d feel better about you driving than getting into cars with other teenagers.”
Izzy rolled her eyes. “You’re such a mom.”
Olivia felt the familiar sting of discomfort combined with flattery at her sister’s words. She’d worked hard to be a good mother figure to Izzy, and she was glad to have been successful. At the same time, she mourned the damage to the sisterly bond they should have had. They were very close, but they would never be just sisters to each other. There would always be this wrinkle.
“Have a good day at school,” Olivia said to Izzy. “I’ll see you tonight. Call me if you’re going to get home late.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Izzy got out of the car, her ponytail swinging behind her as she went.
Olivia watched her go for a moment, then she looped around and pulled out of the Old Prescott High parking lot, making a left turn instead of her usual right. She would be late to work today, but she simply had to see it.
Marge Coldwell’s death had been on everyone’s lips for the past couple of days. She was an institution here in Old Prescott, and it felt weird and wrong to know that she was gone. Also, she had left behind the largest estate in town, and as a realtor, Olivia couldn’t help being curious.
She had always wanted to get a look at the place, but she’d never had the chance. Maybe now the family would want to sell. There might be an open house, and she could actually get inside and see it for herself. Or maybe…
It seemed almost too wild to hope for, but… well, someone was going to have to handle the sale of the house, right? Some realtor was going to get that commission, and why not Olivia herself?
Her mind reeled at the thought of the money she’d earn. Her mother would probably be able to quit her night job. They could get Izzy that car and actually put some money in her college savings account. It would change everything.
Don’t be crazy , she cautioned herself. This is the Coldwell family you’re talking about. They probably already have a realtor they use for the sale of their many, many properties.
That was speculation on her part, of course. Olivia didn’t know how many houses the Coldwell family owned. It had to be several, though — everyone knew how rich the Coldwells were. They probably sold property all the time. They would be well prepared for a moment like this one.
But she couldn’t resist taking a look at that house now that it stood empty.
She drove down the winding lane that led to the address. The estate was so vast that there were no other houses surrounding it — the Coldwells owned miles of beachfront property, and Olivia nearly moaned at the thought of how much a place like this would sell for. And it would sell itself, too. The realtor would hardly have to do anything. This place wasn’t going to be on the market for more than a minute before it got snapped up — though the Coldwells would probably get less than what it was really worth. They weren’t a family that would be worried about maximizing their profits, she thought, because they had so much money already. They’d probably just take the first offer.
If they worked with me, though, I’d get them a great deal , she thought wistfully.
Reaching the house, she pulled the car to a stop and gazed up at it. The place was as old as the town of Old Prescott, and it was beautiful. She could really spin this estate, make it appeal to someone with romantic sensibilities who would appreciate it for what it was…
A knock on her car window jolted her back to reality, making her jump.
A man was standing outside. He had untidy blond hair and aviator sunglasses. He motioned to her to roll down the window.
Olivia frowned. She hadn’t expected to see anyone here. She cracked the window, unsure about opening it to a strange man. “Can I help you?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Come out here to check out the old Coldwell place?”
“Yeah,” Olivia agreed. “You too?”
“Had to get a look at it.”
She decided there was no danger and stepped out of the car to speak to him. “I’ve dreamed of getting a good look at this place for years,” she said.
“You know the house pretty well then, I guess?”
“Are you not from around here? I haven’t seen you before.”
“I’m in town from Boston.”
“How do you know about this place?”
“Saw it online,” he said. “It’s listed as one of the oldest buildings in the state.”
“Oh,” Olivia said. “Yeah, it is. And now that Marge Coldwell has died — I don’t know if you knew that or not — it might be going on the market.”
“You want to buy it?”
“I want to sell it. I’m a realtor,” she explained. “This would be the biggest moment of my career, if I could list this property.”
“And that’s why you’re out here scoping it out?”
“I’m just daydreaming. Picturing how I would set up the open house, how I would manage the listing…”
“You really want to sell this place,” he observed. “You must think you can get a lot of money for it.”
“I do,” she said.
He pondered for a moment. “Have you ever sold a place like this before?”
“No,” Olivia admitted.
“So what makes you think you’d be any good at it?”
Olivia laughed. “Jeez.”
“I don’t mean it rudely,” he said. “I just wonder how you can be so confident if you haven’t got any experience.”
“Well, I do have experience,” Olivia said. “I’ve never sold a massive estate like this one, but I’m a pretty successful realtor. And my usual clients might not be massively wealthy, like the Coldwells, but I think that would actually serve me pretty well here.”
“How so?”
“You ask a lot of questions.”
The guy shrugged. “I’m just curious.”
“I’m used to working for people who will probably sell their house once or twice in their life,” she explained. “For most people, that’s a huge moment, and getting the best offer possible is a big deal. For most people, it really matters how much you get in the sale of your house. That’s probably not true for the Coldwells. I’m guessing they’ll be willing to settle for a lesser amount just in the interest of having things over with. And I’m guessing most realtors will know that, and will be focused on giving the family what they want. I mean, it’s going to be a huge cash cow for any realtor no matter how much it sells for. But me — I’d like to get the best possible deal. That’s what I do for all my clients.”
“Sounds like they should go with you,” the guy said.
“Yeah, but they won’t,” she said with a little laugh.
“You’re so sure?”
“I mean, I don’t know if they’re even planning on selling the place at all,” she said. “It’s probably going to be inherited by some rich playboy who’ll keep it as a party house. Kind of tragic to think about that happening to this place, but that’s what I’m expecting.”
“Gotcha,” the man said.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “I’m telling you my dream career moves and we haven’t been introduced. I must sound like a lunatic.”
“I would have said passionate .” He grinned.
She smiled too. “I’m sorry I let myself get so carried away,” she said. “My name is Olivia Farley.” She held out a hand to shake. “And, as I mentioned already, I’m a realtor.”
“Nice to meet you.” The man took her hand and shook it. “Charlie Coldwell. Rich playboy.”
“Oh my God.” Olivia’s cheeks flamed. “I… oh, no. You should have told me!”
“So you could have kept your commentary to yourself?” He shook his head. “It was too good. Don’t worry about it. You only said what I’m sure everyone is thinking.”
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said. “I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t mean?—”
“Of course you meant it,” he said. “Don’t backtrack now. You don’t have anything to apologize for here. It’s fine.”
“I should have figured that was why you were here. You inherited the house, right? And now you’re here to see it?”
“That’s right,” Charlie said. “And as far as your other guess, I’m not planning on keeping it as a party house. I don’t really even know whether I’m planning on keeping it at all.”
“I really didn’t mean any offense,” Olivia said. “I’m sorry I said those things. I shouldn’t have.”
“Don’t worry about it. You don’t know me. You couldn’t have known.”
“I should probably be on my way,” Olivia said. She couldn’t have been any more embarrassed if she’d tried, and she wanted nothing more to get out from under his gaze. “I shouldn’t have been loitering around your house like this. I’m sorry. I’ll go now.”
“Hang on,” Charlie said. “You’re leaving just like that?”
“Well… I mean, yes. What is there for me to do here? I’ve already made a fool out of myself.”
“Sure. I’m just surprised that you don’t want to stick around and try to convince me to let you list the house. I thought it meant so much to you.”
Olivia laughed. Was he messing with her? “You’re not going to hire me to list the house after that stuff I said.”
“You don’t know what I’d do,” he pointed out. “You just met me. I think you and I might be able to help each other out, actually.”
Olivia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“My siblings want nothing more than to sell this place,” he said. “I was keener on keeping it in the family, until I saw how they acted when my aunt’s will was read out. Now, I’d like to sell the house and take the profits for myself. And I think that’s maybe something you can help me with.”
“Are we talking about something legal?” Olivia asked. “I mean… is it yours to sell?”
“It is,” he said. “I’m the sole inheritor — for now, at least. But I need to move pretty quickly. And everything you said about getting the best possible deal for the place sounds perfect to me. I’d love it if we sold it for even more than my family expected it to be worth and they just had to deal with the fact that they weren’t getting any of that money.”
“You really want to work with me?” She could hardly believe what she was hearing.
“I think you and I might be able to help each other out on this one,” he said. “I’ll tell you what — can I take you out for a drink, and we can discuss it a little more, at least? And then you can decide for yourself whether we have a future or not.”
Olivia was in shock. Could this be real? It was like something out of her wildest fantasies.
And she would have been crazy to tell him no.
“Okay,” she said. “I could go for a drink. You’re on.”