Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Even though it was a little ‘woo-woo’ for her regular no-nonsense approach to things, Lori often felt certain that houses had a certain kind of ‘spirit,’ a character that meant they simply fit right with a certain kind of person. She’d seen it time and again.
And she was seeing it now, for that kind, eccentric woman, Matilda, had just come into the office to put in an offer on Dorothy’s house.
Even that, Lori thought with a private smile, was a sign of eccentricity. Most people did these things via email, these days. But Matilda swanned in with the attitude of someone who did things her way or the highway, something that Lori couldn’t help but admire.
“Lori, darling, hello ,” the woman cried, coming over to give Lori air kisses on the cheek. “My dear, aren’t you looking splendid. There’s simply a glow about you.” She wiggled her fingers at Lori as if to illustrate this. “New love? New riches? New skincare? Whatever it is, my love, you must keep doing it.”
Lori smiled and hoped she wasn’t blushing. She had been uncommonly happy lately, her budding relationship with Hudson making the sun seem brighter and the grass look greener. But confiding that wasn’t exactly the cool, competent, professional air she was aiming for just then.
“I appreciate that,” she said politely instead. “And you’re looking wonderful too, Matilda. The excitement of buying a new house?” she teased.
“I certainly hope so,” the other woman answered. “And do you know my agent?” She gestured to the snowy-haired man behind her.
“I definitely do,” Lori said, reaching out to shake his hand warmly. “Kyle, it’s been an age! How are you?”
Kyle Carruthers was a real estate agent who worked primarily in Blueberry Bay and who had been in the game even longer than Lori or Hudson had been. When Lori had first been getting started, he’d been an occasional, informal mentor.
“Mostly retired these days,” he said with a chuckle. “I only spend maybe ten, fifteen hours a week working. And that’s mainly so that I don’t drive Betsy crazy with all my puttering around the house.” This was his wife, a sweet older woman who had babysat Darla and Marty occasionally, way back when.
“Do give her my best, would you?” Lori asked. “And let’s get moving, then. As soon as we get this all signed and delivered, you can get back to enjoying your retirement.”
“And me to enjoying my gorgeous new house,” Matilda chimed in.
They settled in around the small conference table in Lori’s office and got down to the details of the proposed bill of sale. Dorothy had agreed to part with many of the items that Matilda had been interested in keeping in the house though, in true Dorothy fashion, she’d had numerous requests about how those items were to be treated. Luckily, Matilda had a similar spirit to Dorothy and was delighted by the requests rather than irritated.
“Oh, that is a splendid idea,” she’d cooed periodically. She’d echoed these sentiments when Dorothy herself had arrived. Lori had scheduled her half an hour later, just in case Matilda had been irritated at the requests. That would have given Lori a chance to calm the potential buyer down before Dorothy entered the scene, something that was happily not needed.
The two women, as Lori perhaps should have predicted, got on like a house on fire, and made it only a few minutes into conversation before they were exchanging phone numbers.
“One can never have too many friends with good taste!” Matilda exclaimed happily.
“I will show you all the loveliest places in the area,” Dorothy promised. “I have been in Whale Harbor for an age, so I know all the best spots for this and that.”
“You are a dream !” Matilda praised her.
Kyle and Lori exchanged amused looks. Lori had never felt so much like her real estate business was moonlighting as a matchmaking service, albeit one that fostered friendships between women of a certain age.
Despite the happy chatter between the two women, the paperwork did eventually get done, and Kyle and Matilda departed, the latter promising to schedule “a marvelous little outing” with Dorothy soon.
“Well,” Lori said to Dorothy when they were alone. “There it is. Congratulations! You just sold your house.”
Dorothy pressed her hands briefly against her cheeks. “I am quite beside myself, my dear. This is a marvelous outcome, and the house couldn’t have gone to a better person. To think I’ve not only sold a house but made a friend! Yet, it is still rather bittersweet, isn’t it?”
Lori smiled sympathetically. She’d had many clients experience similar feelings.
“That’s common,” she assured Dorothy. “It’s a great thing, but it’s also the end of an era! But that’s necessary for your next chapter to begin,” she reminded the older woman.
Dorothy smiled gratefully. “I do know that, but it’s always nice to be reminded, anyway. Which reminds me of something else, actually.” She pulled an envelope from her purse. “I wanted to give you this, just as a little token of my appreciation. It’s a gift card to that adorable little coffee shop in town, Seaside Espresso, perhaps?”
“Seastar,” Lori said with a smile. “I know it well.”
“Yes, exactly,” Dorothy agreed. “Well, I recognize that I might have been the teeniest, tiniest bit of a handful during this project, so I just wanted to make sure I showed how much I appreciated all your hard work over these last months. I have never felt more certain that I made the correct choice in realtor as when I saw the gorgeous effect of your dedicated efforts. So thank you, Lori. Trust that I shall sing your praises for the rest of my days.”
Lori smiled and accepted the envelope. As thanks went, this one was very much Dorothy’s style.
“I appreciate that,” she said warmly. “And I had a great experience working with you.”
This was, she figured, mostly true. She was certainly grateful that Dorothy’s more difficult tendencies had led her to her increased closeness with Hudson.
With that thought, there was someone else who needed to hear the good news of the sale…
“Dorothy,” she said, getting to her feet, “it’s wonderful to see you, as always. But I want to go share our exciting developments with a certain colleague of mine. I’ll let you know timelines and next steps as they arise.”
Dorothy’s eyes twinkled knowingly. “Of course, darling. And by the by, do tell Hudson I say hello.”
Hudson was doing last checks on a contract, something he felt was still most easily done with a hard copy, a ruler under the line of text, and a red pen. The flip side of this was that he almost left a giant red slash across the paper when his assistant knocked at the door, drawing him out of his intense focus.
“Hey, boss,” the man said with a smile. “There’s somebody here to see you.”
Frowning, Hudson clicked over to his calendar. It was very unlike him to forget an appointment.
“I don’t see it here,” he said absently to Dan without looking in the assistant’s direction.
“Oh, I didn’t make an appointment.”
That wasn’t Dan’s voice.
Hudson looked up with a grin to see Lori giving him a teasing look.
“I can definitely book with your assistant next time, if that’s what you want,” she joked. “Seems a little formal to me, but maybe you’re super fancy.”
“Oh, don’t toy with me, woman,” Hudson said, crossing to her and pulling her into a hug. Once she was far enough in the office that he could close the door and guarantee them some privacy, he pulled her even closer so he could press a kiss on her smiling mouth.
He was pretty sure he would never get tired of kissing Lori Sims.
When he pulled back, she was still grinning.
“Toying with you is just so much fun though,” she teased, picking up where he’d left the conversation. “You do a little smirk, and it gives you a dimple right here. ” She poked his cheek playfully.
He shook his head and led them toward the set of chairs that sat on one side of his desk. As much as he’d like to bundle her into his arms and kiss her some more, they were at work.
“You’re gonna make me go gray before my time,” he teased her.
She dropped her mouth open in a look of horror. “Oh, Hudson… I don’t know how to tell you this, but… your hair is already gray.”
“Silver,” he corrected her. “Much more distinguished.”
“Oh, right, silly me.”
“Now,” he said, lounging back in his chair, “not that I am complaining in the slightest, mind you, but to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”
Lori perked up. “Well, guess where I just came from?” she prodded.
“Uh, work?” It was the middle of a weekday, so that was just the logical answer.
She laughed. “Okay, yes, you win, but more specifically, I just came from signing papers selling Dorothy’s house! We did it!”
The we was almost as exciting to Hudson as the news itself. He loved feeling like he was part of a we with Lori.
“That’s amazing!” he exclaimed. “Who ended up buying the place?”
She grew animated as she regaled him with her description of the eccentric woman who had purchased Dorothy’s house, including many of the furnishings.
“So she’s basically Dorothy,” he summarized.
“Maybe a decade or so younger, but yes,” she agreed. “I think they’re best friends already. So maybe Dorothy’s house is magic, bringing people together.”
He reached out to grasp her hand. “I’m really glad that it brought us together.”
She grinned and squeezed his fingers. “Me too.”
Hudson made himself let go before he couldn’t resist kissing her some more. Workplace decorum was still a thing.
“I have to say, Hudson,” she went on, “I don’t think I could have done it without you. Those demands from Dorothy were really wearing me down, and when you offered to help it was a total lifesaver. I can’t thank you enough.”
“Hey, none of that,” he chided. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“It was,” she insisted. “It was a very big deal to me.”
Hudson felt bashful. “Well, I appreciate that. And, you have to know, it wasn’t entirely out of generosity that I offered to help. You have to know by now that I was looking forward to getting to spend more time with you.”
Her returning smile was just as sweet and shy. “Well, I’m glad you did. I realize now that I wouldn’t have had the courage to do it myself, and the results are…” She blushed. “You’ve made my life better and so much fuller, Hudson. It means the world to me.”
Not even the most uptight person would have blamed Hudson for stealing a kiss at that point, so he did so, diving in for a quick peck that only left them both wanting more.
If only we weren’t at work . Hudson glanced at the clock. It was after four-thirty in the afternoon. Feeling like a kid about to ditch class for the first time and not the owner of his own small business, he gave Lori a sly look.
“What do you say we head out early and go grab a drink to celebrate our big triumph today, huh? Bubbly is on me.”
“That,” she agreed instantly, “sounds like an amazing idea.”
Hudson quickly gathered his things and neatened his desk. Even if he was feeling a little silly and reckless, he was still a responsible adult, and he hated coming into the office only to find a mess first thing in the morning. Once he was done, he grabbed Lori’s hand and together they headed toward the front door.
Dan, sitting at his desk in the reception area, shot them a teasing smile. “You kids have fun now,” he joked.
“Oh, trust me,” Hudson said back. “We’re going to.”
Lori’s laughter echoed through the vestibule as they let themselves out into the late summer sun.