Chapter 23 The Best Thing
THE BEST THING
“You should take the offer,” Anya said to her mother on Monday night.
She had hoped Sally and Paula would come through and they had.
Calvin sent the offer over at two this afternoon.
He texted her at two-thirty, then again at three. The next one at four pissed her off.
Her father had a doctor’s appointment and her parents weren’t reachable.
She’d told Calvin she’d present the offer to her parents and get back to him when a decision was made.
She didn’t play games like he did and she would not be pushed around.
“I have no intention of not taking it,” her mother said. “It’s over asking. But your father is napping and I don’t want to wake him. He might sleep the rest of the night and it’s best to present this to him when he’s got a clear mind.”
“Which means the morning. But you know you’ve got the final decision, Mom.”
“Anya, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to let him be part of it. If he’s clearheaded and comprehending it, I want him to have a say. Your father has his pride too.”
“I know. I’m so excited and loved these two women. They will make the building shine.”
Amber smiled, a tear forming in her eye. “I’m happy for that. I’m sorry it’s coming to this, but I knew the day would arrive. Tell me about them so I can share in your excitement.”
Anya filled her mother in on Sally and Paula, the plans for the building and the joy they had viewing the property.
“I’m thrilled they put an offer in. I’m not shocked it was over asking and there is a part of me that feels bad about that.”
“Why?” her mother said. “Isn’t that what the object is? Getting the highest you can?”
“Calvin was jerking them around. It really bothered me. I’d never do that and I feared he was going to continue. I wanted them to have it and fibbed so Calvin moved faster.”
“It’s not like you to do that,” her mother said. “But everyone is going to win in the end. It’s only five thousand more. On two million, it’s not a large amount.”
“I know. I have to remember that.” She moved to hug her mother. It was part of the game, just one she didn’t like to play. “This has to be an enormous weight off your shoulders.”
“It will be,” Amber said. “When it’s final. I’ve learned not to get too excited until it’s done. We have to pay off close to a million in debt. Then there will be taxes on the sale of the property.”
So not as much of a nest egg as she’d hoped for her parents. She should have pushed to list it higher but hadn’t asked her mother too many personal questions.
“Do you want to hold out for more?” she asked. They could turn this down and see what happened.
“Heavens no,” her mother said, waving her hand as if she was swatting a pesky fly.
“Just having the building gone is one less headache. We got what we asked for. I want out from under it. The longer we hold on, the more we have to pay out we don’t have.
This is the best thing. And Matt seems to think we are going to get more than Shelly took from us. ”
It was the lead-in that she was hoping for to talk about Matt.
“He told me that,” she said.
Her mother was reaching for the bottle of wine that Anya brought to celebrate, but stopped to turn and look at her before she opened it.
They were in the kitchen. Anya opened the fridge to get some cheese and fruit.
“When did you talk to Matt?” her mother asked, then opened the cabinet for the glasses.
“This morning was the last time,” she said. She’d texted him right away when the offer came in. He didn’t reply for an hour. She knew he was busy.
But he called to congratulate her. She was screaming on the other line. It was her biggest sale and largest commission ever. His laughter over her news had her kicking her feet in the air.
Amber had put her foot down and said there was no way Anya wasn’t getting her commission and the thought of that check now was peanut butter sauce on her hot fudge sundae.
“Is there a problem that Matt needed to call you?” her mother asked.
“No. I’ve got something to tell you.”
Her mother handed over the wineglass. “Are you dating Matt?”
“How did you jump to that?” Talk about working herself up for no reason.
“Anya,” her mother said, the slow smile spreading across her lips. “You had such a crush on him as a teen. I knew. You told me.”
“Then I couldn’t stand him,” she argued.
“I know. Kids are kids and you two hit a rocky spot, but I knew he was a good kid under it all.”
“He was. He is. I didn’t know it then. He’s done a lot to get me to accept his apology.”
“Have you?”
“Yes. We are building trust again, but we are getting there.”
“How long has it been going on? Tell me everything. I’m so happy for you. It’s about time you aren’t dating some asshole.”
She had to laugh over her mother swearing. Nothing she heard often.
Her father could let loose with a string of swear words longer than a line to the only register opened on Black Friday.
“Yes, it is,” she said.
“How did this all start? I want the details.”
Her mother’s excitement was contagious. “It started with him butting in on my dance at Ben’s wedding back in March.”
“That was three months ago,” Amber said, her eyes wide. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about that.”
“Less then. It was the end of March and it’s the beginning of June now. It was about a month before we saw each other again. He came into Fierce a few times when I was working.”
“He sought you out? I always knew he had a crush on you too. He just didn’t go about letting you know the right way.”
“Not even close,” she said. Funny how her mother saw what she didn’t.
But she was a kid. How was she supposed to know what to look for?
She placed some cheese and crackers on a plate with a few strawberries. It was a good dinner in her eyes.
“He isn’t like the boy I remembered. At least when I’m talking to him.”
“He is and he isn’t. The first few dates were touch and go. Four dates in, I was going to end things. It’s like he was such a different person, I didn’t care for him. I called him boring.”
Her mother burst out laughing. “This is just making my day. I don’t see that at all.”
“He went so far in the other direction because of how he treated me years ago. Once we cleared the air, we had so much fun on dates. I found myself wishing I’d had this with him years ago. But we realized it wouldn’t have lasted. It wasn’t the right time for us.”
“No,” her mother said. “Do you want this to last now? Where do you see this? It’s been about a month, you’re saying?”
“Just about,” she said. “I’m not putting any long-term plans on it. Things are going well and it’s best to let it fall the way it’s going to. We haven’t talked about it and I won’t bring it up.”
“Does he know you’re telling me?”
“Yes,” she said. “He told his sister yesterday. I texted Phoebe this morning and apologized for not telling her I’d been on a few dates with Matt. I didn’t want her mad at me.”
“You never liked anyone to be mad or upset with you. I doubt Phoebe was.”
Her mother wasn’t wrong about not wanting people to dislike her or get upset. That was how she got walked on so much.
Anya didn’t have the same mentality now, but it would bother her if the one friend she had when she needed someone back then would disapprove now.
Phoebe had called her rather than texting back and they had a friendly chat.
Almost as if ten years hadn’t passed.
So much was coming together for her and she was waiting for a black cloud full of lightning to come crashing down around her feet.
“She wasn’t. We had a few good laughs before she had to go. Matt was going to tell his parents today if he got the opportunity. Last I knew he was in court, so I don’t know if it happened.”
She wouldn’t bother him tonight. They didn’t talk daily.
But that was before they had sex.
Before her heart was pounding harder at the thought, let alone the mention of Matt’s name.
She didn’t want to plan into the future because it’d hurt too much if it didn’t fall the way she wanted it to.
Like so many years ago when she’d dreamed Matt would look at her as someone other than Phoebe’s best friend.
“I’m happy for you,” her mother said. “You deserve it.”
“I never thought I did before, but I do now. He’s good for me. He gets me to see parts of myself that no one else has before.”
“Like what?” her mother asked.
“You know I’ve struggled with my career choices. I’ve been on the fence about continuing in real estate. I don’t have it in me for the swords and daggers.”
“Not everyone in that field is like that,” Amber said.
“Matt pointed that out. If I can be me and get a sale a month or so, I’ll be fine.
I’d like to be more than fine, but right now, you need help and this is giving me the freedom in my schedule.
Those few shifts at Fierce are really helping.
If I can make this work just being myself and not trying to be someone I’m not, I’ll be happy. ”
She was giving up comparing herself and trying to be someone she wasn’t.
“Then let it ride,” her mother said. “I’m sorry I need your help.”
“Don’t be sorry,” she said. “Never. We are a family and they stick together.”
“Not everyone feels that way.”
“Don’t crack rotten eggs on my happy day with thoughts of EJ.”
“I’m sorry,” her mother said, forcing a smile. “I feel like such a failure when it comes to my oldest. What or where did I go wrong?”
It never crossed her mind her mother would feel that way.
“Nowhere,” she said fiercely. “This is on him for thinking the world owed him everything. I think there’s something wrong with him. Or maybe it’s just that some people are selfish.”
“I know. He’s always been so hard to handle. I wish we’d sought specialists, but he always had good grades and played sports. He never had a lot of friends. It worried me, but I suspected it was because of his behavior.”
“That’s on him. He made life messy for all of us. It’s better he’s across the world. For everyone.”
“It is,” her mother said. “Which makes me feel guilty. I’m his mother. A parent shouldn’t feel that way.”
“Mom. You’ve got me. You don’t need him. You’ve given him more chances than he deserves and the stress of him close by isn’t needed.”
It no longer ticked her off EJ left her alone to deal with her parents. It was for the best.
It was actually easier sometimes.
Quieter for sure.
“I have,” Amber said.
“Worry about you and Dad. Not EJ. I’ll handle him if I need to.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” her mother said, shaking her head.
“Have you talked to him since that last call we had?”
Her mother looked sad. “I sent him a few texts and an email and he hasn’t replied.”
“Then you know where you stand. Don’t let it eat at you.”
“Am I a horrible mother if I don’t reach out again?”
“No. You’re not. He should check on you. I understand he doesn’t care about Dad. I can’t live like that, but you were there for him for everything. EJ should at least try to see how you’re doing and he’s not.”
“He’s not,” her mother said, sniffling. “And enough of this. I’ve got you and you did a great job. We’re going to be just fine.”
“We are, Mom. You can count on me.”
“I always could, sweetie. And you’ve got Matt if you need him.”
“You know, I think I do.”