We both watched as a happy young couple walked through their newly renovatedhouse.
“We could do that,”shesaid.
“Get married and renovate our new house? Hate to break it to you, Sharon, but I’m not thatintoyou.”
She laughed. “No. Buy a house and flip it. I could do the renos and you could do thedesignside.”
“Buy a house? That’s what I want to do, and I can’taffordone.”
“No. You can’t afford to buy a house in West Van. If you looked in other neighbourhoods, you couldbuyone.”
I groaned. “Is this about moving closer to you? As I was walking back to my car the other night, I saw a drug dealgoingon.”
“Well, it’s not like this neighbourhood. All the drug deals go oninsidethe houses around here. But there are things you’d enjoy; most of my neighbours are artistic as fuck. And Kayla’s school is really great. The teachers are good, and the students are more diverse. Now Kayla gets that some people are really struggling—language, money, personal issues. When we lived here, she always wanted things that her friends had and we couldn’t afford. She’s more appreciative of whatshehas.”
“So you want me to buy one of those horrible, termite-infested houses formerly owned by a satanic cult, so we can turn it into a model home? And where am I supposed to live in the meantime? I’ve watched the shows, I know how horrible living through arenovationis.”
“No, you could rent in the meantime. It all depends on how much money you get from selling this place. Oh, did you want my real estate agent’s contact info? Carole Levine isgreat.”
“Brent’s already—no wait, yes, I would.” I needed to take a bigger part in selling this place. Brent wouldn’t have to deal with the agent on a daily basis, but I would. I wanted someone Iliked.
Sharon pulled out her phone and gave me the number. “Seriously, Jackie, think about it. People are making pretty good money onflips.”
“But what would I be contributing? You already know a lot of designers. I’m not even a realdesigner.”
“You’re the one with the capital. I don’t have enough money to buy a doghouse in Vancouver. Besides, you do have a great eye for interiors. Look at thisplace.”
I nodded. “But Brent said that the real estate market is going to go down. That’s one of the reasons we’re selling. It’s a risky time to buyandflip.”
“That’s only Brent’s opinion. He can’t tell the future any better than anyone else. If you look at a graph of the Vancouver real estate market over the past forty years, it looks like a freaking comet.” She pointed upwards. “Besides, Brent divorced you and started dating Margaret Whittaker, so we already know his sanity is inquestion.”
“Preaching to the choir. But hey, he’s a good father, and he’s honoured everything in thesettlement.”
“Yeah, you’re lucky.” Sharon’s ex-husband was a deadbeat, who had fled the province and never paid child support beyond the first six months. “Still, he’s forcing you to leave thehouse.”
“Actually, I went back and reread the separation agreement. Since Brent will no longer be paying our mortgage, he’s going to have to pay alimony instead. Selling now triggers that.” I had been in a total daze when Brent left, but my father insisted that I get a really good divorce lawyer—something Iappreciatednow.
“Wow. Are you going to be rollinginit?”
“Hardly. But it will cost him more than the mortgage payments, which makes me think that he is serious about the real estatecollapse.”
Sharon nodded. “You know, you’re sounding a little like Brent today. All thisbusinesstalk.”
“Oh please. But you know how it is, once you’re a single mom you have to do everything: from taking out the garbage to paying all the bills. I had to be forced intothisrole.”
“I think you’re stronger now, Jackie.” She leaned forward. “Think about this house flipping idea. You know we’d work well together. And it’s a way to make money and be yourownboss.”
“I’ll think about it.” I wasn’t really an entrepreneur though. I liked jobs like the one Wayne gave me, where there was a job to do and praise when you diditwell.
“Okay, I’m off to use your lovely three-piece bathroom with working plumbing.” She rose and then sat down. “Oh, I almost forgot the real reason I came here. How was your second date with CoachCutiePie?”
I groaned. “It was a disaster and a half. First off, my chosen activity was something he hates. And second…” I hesitated. How much of my night of humiliation did I want toshare?”
I had Sharon’s full attention. “Oh no. You fucked him and it wasterrible?”
“No, the opposite. I couldn’t do the deed. I was way too nervous, and he sensed that. He didn’t want to keep going if I was thattense.”
She squinted at me. “So, is that it? You guysaredone?”