Page 47 of Fake-Off with Fate
“It could be worse. We could live in a town full of Buddha Belly bamboo trees.”
“Never heard of them,” I tell her.
“They’re native to China but you see them in Southern California and Florida, as well. Can you imagine buying a house on Buddha Belly Bamboo Boulevard?”
“Uh, no.” I tell her, “When I was on vacation in Hawaii, I learned about the Wiliwili tree. I could probably buy a house there on Wiliwili Way.”
“Ever heard of the screaming trees?” she wants to know.
“Are you making fun of me?” I ask as I pull over to a white house with a for sale sign out front.
Shaking her head, she explains, “They get their names because every seventeen years the cicadas take up residence in them. The insects make such an obnoxious sound their temporary homes get dubbed the screaming trees.” Without missing a beat, she adds, “But I could see how you might feel comfortable among them.”
“Nice,” I tell her before getting out of the car. I hurry around and open the passenger door for her and then offer her a hand.
A woman in her forties approaches us. She’s wearing a business suit with tennis shoes. “Abigail Farmer,” she announces. “Are you Jamie Hayes?”
“I am,” I tell her while offering my other hand for her to shake. “This is my … er …” Shoot, I forgot to ask Ashlyn if it was okay to pretend we’re a couple with everyone in town.
Ashlyn comes to my rescue by announcing, “I’m Ashlyn Thompkins.”
“The mayor’s daughter!” Abigail gushes excitedly. “I read the paper. What in the world are we going to do?”
Ashlyn removes her hand from mine before responding, “We’re going to raise money and buy the land back.”
Abigail tells us, “We had a big meeting this morning at the office and made the decision to only represent houses that aren’t on Victor MacDonald’s land. Can you imagine how this is going to affect the real estate market?” She turns and walks up the path to the front door.
Ashlyn leans into me and whispers, “I knew how serious this was, but what in the world are people going to do who own homes on Victor’s land?”
Abigail opens the door. “You have three bedrooms and three bathrooms here. There’s a fully finished basement, and a hot tub on the back deck. Why don’t I let you two walk around and get a feel for the place?”
“Thank you, Abigail,” I tell her.
As soon as we’re out of her earshot, Ashlyn says, “You can’t live here.”
“Why?” I tease, “did you kiss someone here, too?”
She scrunches up her lips. “Ha, ha. No, I didn’t kiss anyone here. Look out the window.” She points to the woods behind the house.
“You think the bears would come out of there?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “They might, but that’s not what I’m worried about.” Before I can ask, she explains, “That’s another preserve, and I think it’s part of Victor’s land.”
“But the house isn’t. Abigail said they weren’t showing houses that could be affected by this.”
“Yes, but if Alexander MacDonald won’t let us buy the land from him, then he can do whatever he wants with that property. He might even build a giant grocery store there.”
“I’m from New York City,” I tell her. “Not only am I used to having businesses in my neighborhood, but I might consider a grocery store right outside my door a desirable thing.”
“Until it brings down the cost of housing and you discover you’ve paid a lot more for your house than it will be worth.” She’s got a point.
The next house we look at is a possibility. But when Abigail asks if I want to place an offer on either of the homes, I tell her, “I’d better wait and find out what’s in store for the Ice Breakers. If we can’t use the arena in Maple Falls, we’ll probably have to move the team.”
Turning to Ashlyn, Abigail says, “I hope your dad knows what he’s doing and can make this problem go away. If not, Maple Falls will be ruined.”
The color drains from Ashlyn’s face as she responds, “I hope he knows what he’s doing too.”
CHAPTER 23
