Chapter 3
Chapter
Say something, I tell myself. Say anything.
Mara is staring at Adam and me, and we’re staring back, speechless. This is quite literally the longest anyone has ever gone without talking. Ever.
“Excuse me?” I hear my voice after what I imagine was fourteen minutes of silence. How is this possible? Adam and I haven’t lived in that house or spoken to Stanley in years. Why would we own it?!
“I’m sure there’s a mistake…” Adam says, his eyes shifting from Mara to me. Even the brief eye contact feels overwhelming.
“No mistake, Mr. Harper. It’s stated right here.” She pushes a paper in our direction.
Adam snatches the paper in question off the desk, and I see his eyes dart back and forth. After a moment he passes it to me and I get a whiff of Adam, and he smells like cedar or pine, some sort of tree.
The room starts to spin as I process the fact that both of our names are indeed printed under “Property Owners.” This flimsy sheet of paper is telling me that I own a house with a man I don’t have the stomach to even look at?
Being sued for a small fortune in rent money sounds like the ideal scenario right now.
“I’m a little confused.” Adam leans back and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Who lives there now?”
“So, it’s a vacant residence. It’s been used as an Airbnb under a property management company.
Hence the slight renovations.” Mara moves her monitor to face us, and there are photos of the house—well, a completely new house if I knew any better.
“Nobody has actually lived there since the two of you.”
From the outside, the brownstone looks identical to the last time I saw it, and my heart starts to feel heavy; 74 Perry holds so many memories, both wonderful and painful.
The interior, on the other hand, easily looks like something that would be featured on the cover of Architectural Digest. There’s a gallery wall with a variety of artwork leading up the stairs and a giant textured rug in the living room, which now holds a vintage-looking piano, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and a couch you could fall into and disappear in.
It’s a significant portion of my life, and the cosmetic makeover stirs up a pang of emotion.
This is not the same house Adam and I lived in all those years ago.
“All assets within the home are also included in the overall value,” Mara adds.
My brain is processing everything in slow motion. “Overall value?” I ask.
“Yes.” Mara licks her finger again and pulls up another sheet of paper from the pile. “So, as of three weeks ago, when the appraisal was conducted, the thirty-two hundred square feet with the included assets result in a total property value equaling approximately six-point-two million dollars.”
I nearly fall out of my chair while a sharp inhale comes from Adam. Is this a joke? Are we on a reboot of Punk’d ?
“I just…” I choose my words carefully. “I’m just confused how this happened. Why us?”
“Ah.” Mara nods. “Mr. Hill’s estate plans clearly outline that homeownership is to be absorbed by whoever resided there last. In this case, the last people were the two of you.
” Mara adjusts her glasses again. “Look, like I said, I’ve known Mr. Hill for many years.
As I’m sure the two of you know, there wasn’t anyone in his life to leave this property to.
The options were either the State of New York or the bank takes over, and he opted for this. ”
Adam and I look at each other, completely dumbstruck and speechless. What she’s saying sounds logical, but I’m still unable to make any sense ofit.
“Is there any mortgage to absorb or—” Adam leans in toward the desk and studies the paperwork. In most cases I would too, but it’s still a little difficult to think. I also can’t help but be bothered that Adam is acting like this is a casual business deal.
“No outstanding mortgage, Mr. Harper,” Mara says. “Of course, there will be logistics such as property taxes that come with owning a home…all of which will be detailed in the terms. It’s really just a matter of signing the proper paperwork to hand it over.”
“This is…” Adam says softly, and I’m still not used to hearing him talk. It’s a mix of not wanting to hear his voice but hanging on his every word. “A lot, as I’m sure you can imagine, but we’re very grateful.” He looks over at me, and I wince at the word we. There is nowe.
“Of course, it’s a lot to take in. And if you decide to go the route of selling the property, I’m always happy to recommend some people.”
Sell the property! I feel a sudden release.
Yes! Okay, now we’re talking. Let’s make this a quick and easy transaction.
We’ll sell the house and split everything fifty-fifty.
It then dawns on me that this house is a game changer.
Selling it could mean security in between jobs, a decent savings account, a place of my own… not having to see Adam again.
This house, whether I like it or not, is the answer to everything.
“I’d like to have a lawyer look over everything first,” Adam says, not giving me a chance to oppose.
“Yes, absolutely. I will email everything over by the end of the day and we can regroup.”
“Thank you, Mara.” Adam shakes her hand, and whether intentional or not, his attitude feels like a response tome.
“It’s my pleasure. Now, a few housekeeping items,” Mara says. “We’ll set a follow-up meeting at the end of the month to sign and process all paperwork.”
“Sounds good,” Adam says, nodding.
“As part of the inheritance clause, we’ll need a deposit equivalent to one month’s mortgage.” She flips to another sheet of paper and highlights in yellow a sum value.
“What?” I let out an uncontrollable scoff. There’s no way in hell I can afford to pay that amount right now.
“Legally, we cannot make the ownership transition until these terms are met,” Mara says regretfully. “You will get the full deposit back after the paperwork is processed.”
I sit speechless, because the number staring at me is more than my entire savings.
“No problem.” Adam turns to Mara, pulling out his wallet. “Is credit okay?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” she says, taking the card from his fingers.
Everything is happening far too quickly. Adam is signing something, and before I can say anything, the transaction is done. Mara opens one of the desk drawers and pulls out a white envelope.
“There are two sets of keys. Feel free to take a look at the house, make your plans, and stay there if you wish.”
I stare at the envelope, confused. “So that’s it? We own the home?”
“Well, yes and no.” Mara lets out a laugh. “Your deposit allows you to have access to 74 Perry, but you can’t legally change your address or begin the selling process until our next meeting. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, thank you.” Adam takes the envelope from her, since I clearly can’t move.
“Does October twenty-third at ten work for you both?” Mara asks.
“I’m sorry… October ?!” I say. “That’s a month from now.”
“I know it’s not ideal, but similar to being in escrow, we need at least twenty days to go through the vetting process.”
“But you said that we own the home?” I say.
“Technically, yes,” she says, clearly now annoyed. “But all the paperwork still needs to be signed.”
“Look, Mara.” I stand up and say her name as if we’re old friends, and like I haven’t forgotten her last name. “I have a life back home that I can’t put on hold. Responsibilities. Surely in this day and age, there has to be a virtual option here…”
Adam flips through the paperwork when Mara shakes her head.
“These terms were made a little before the kids were using Zoom.” She uses air quotes, and I’m sure I’m doing a bad job at hiding the look on my face. Mara awkwardly laughs and puts her hands down. “Anyway, I apologize to you both for any inconvenience, but this is a nonnegotiable.”
“October twenty-third is fine,” Adam interjects, and my face whips to his. “This is a lot of money we’re talking about here, and of course, a sensitive time for all of us…We definitely don’t want to make things more complicated than they already are.”
It sounds like he’s talking more to me than Mara.
“Hypothetically,” I say, “what would happen if we couldn’t go through with this?”
“Then the bank owns it.” Mara stands up and guides us out of her office, causing Adam and me to follow her like puppies.
“And if I could share my two cents, that would be an awful loss. Especially considering the increasing value.” She shakes both of our hands once we’re back at the front desk.
“Someone at the firm will be in touch with an appointment confirmation to finalize everything.”
“Mara—”
“Congratulations,” she says, and turns her attention to an older man waiting in the same seat I was in twenty minutes ago. He nods at us, then follows her down the hallway.
Before I know it, she’s gone. It’s not until Adam and I are awkwardly standing in the empty waiting room that I realize the only thing that was keeping me calm was Mara’s presence, knowing I couldn’t make a scene or burst into tears in front of a stranger.
It’s near impossible to not think of the history between us. Memories that took years to bury continue rushing back like a river bursting its banks. Adam’s standing there with one hand in his pocket, another one going through his hair, and he gives a little shrug.
I can’t do this.
“I have to go,” I say, pushing through the glass doors. The elevator is down the hallway, and I’m determined to be inside of it before I hear another word that comes out of Adam’s mouth.
“June,” I hear him calling out behind me. Saying my name in a way that only he can. “Can we talk about this?”
That’s a loaded question. Does he want to talk about what happened five years ago? Or the fact that we now own a multimillion-dollar home together?
My thumb jabs the elevator button over and over again, aware that he’s coming down the hallway.
I consider taking the emergency stairs but then the elevator opens up and I jump in.
He’s a few feet away and I hit the close button as many times as possible.
Just as the doors start moving, he swoops in and of course I’m here alone with Adam Harper for eighteen floors.