Page 6 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she wondered what had happened. Granted, she’d avoided checking the company’s intranet. After all, this was supposed to be a vacation and all the plans for the open house were in place. Her adoring protegee Jenna had seemed perfectly capable of standing in for Marlowe.
Had her trust been misplaced? Up ahead was an Prime truck and she gunned it as she passed, wishing she’d put her top down before leaving the garage. When the lane was clear, she swerved back to the right. No way did she want to get a ticket. That would really hold her up.
The calls from Landon kept popping into her head. The ones she hadn't acknowledged or returned. That irritated feeling in her gut told her that somehow her boss was involved in this mix-up. Had he been ticked off because she didn’t pick up?
Finally she reached Naples. Getting off the highway at Golden Gate Parkway, Marlowe headed for the coast. Blasting her air conditioning, she thought of the snowy evening when they’d made angels on Sunnycrest’s driveway. Reliving their childhood that night would remain a treasured memory.
But right now she had to deal with reality. Up ahead, tall coastline condos were etched against the blue sky. How proud she’d felt when she could afford one of those primo units. Working around the clock had paid off…hadn’t it?
She was relieved when she reached her complex on Gulf Shore Drive. Buying into this complex had brought her tremendous satisfaction. But not today. She took the driveway down to the parking garage and the gate. Leonard smiled and tipped his hat as she came through. Driving into one of her two reserved spots, Marlowe quickly clicked open the trunk, grabbed her bags and marched to the elevator.
The boots that had been great for Charlevoix felt heavy now. Under her turquoise sweater, she started to sweat. Time to get upstairs and change. The parking garage was pristine and filled with luxury autos. Taking in the other cars usually gave her a deep sense of satisfaction but not this morning. The Ferrari parked in the corner reminded her of Landon's car. She had to do a double take to make sure it wasn't parked in her spot. But of course it wasn't. That would be bizarre. Marlowe had to calm down. Every nerve in her body was on hyper alert.
As the elevator whisked her up to the tenth floor, she wondered how Sam was doing with her stolen furniture problem. Marlowe would find out tonight when she checked in with her sister.
Nausea churned in her stomach. She was not used to “mix-ups.” This could never happen again. The elevator doors slid open and she stepped out. Her boots sank into the deep gray carpet in the quiet hall. Waving her keycard at her front door,she smiled. At Sunnycrest they rarely locked a door. Her condo opened with a discreet whirring sound. Dragging her carryon behind her, she released a sigh. Marlowe’s bag slid from her shoulder.Home, I’m home.
The condo glowed in the late afternoon light. Leaving her luggage in the foyer, she stepped to the master console on the wall. After pressing a button, she watched her ceiling-to-floor shades retract. This view of the ocean and the sandy beach below had always given her great satisfaction. The view had been a key deciding factor when she'd settled on this unit. At the time the three bedroom layout had been a bit out of her price range but she would work up to it. That had been an intense year of setting goals and achieving them. But she’d done it.
When she’d planned the open house for Bobby, Marlowe had even imagined paying off this condo with her commission from that sale. What a relief that would be. Maybe that wish had been a pipe dream. In any case, her condo had been a good investment. The building was designed to withstand any hurricanes. Whenever she decided to sell, it wouldn’t take long to find buyers.
The Charlevoix dream that she’d conjured up with her sisters and aunt over the holiday seemed far away as she stood at the window. Marlowe gazed down at the beach and tried to remember the last time she’d wandered the shoreline, picking up pretty stones and empty shells. One year ago? Two? Too long.
And now she had to unravel this mess. She needed to get into the intranet and their worksheet for the open house. Pulling her suitcase into the master suite, she kicked off her tan boots and shrugged out of her jacket. The white board in her office eased her nervousness. Yes, the open house was still scheduled for this coming weekend. But that meant nothing. She was the only one that had access to this board.
Landon and the other realtors in the group teased her about the archaic whiteboard. She had never been at the top of her game with technology. Although the group made gentle jokes about it, they respected her performance. The teasing stopped there. Firing up her laptop, she sat in the chair looking onto the ocean and clicked into the intranet.
A multi-colored popup exploded. “Congratulations, Jenna!!” sprayed across the screen. Her heart just about stopped. What the heck was this? Marlowe had to turn down the sound. Tapping into Projects, she went to Open Houses. What she saw brought a quick wave of nausea, followed by blinding anger. How could this be?
The open house for the property in Port Royal had brought a buyer and the selling price took her breath away. Her cut of that would be substantial. But when she clicked through to the realtors, only Jenna and Landon were listed. Anger pulsed in her forehead. She thought her head might explode.
Going back, she finally found the open house plan she’d left in Jenna’s hands. Every detail was there, but the date had been changed to New Year’s Day, not the upcoming Sunday. Someone at the agency had done a last-minute invitation to an event billed as an Exclusive Offering of a Property “bound to begin your year with a smile.”
What the heck?Marlowe’s skin burned and her hands shook.
From what she could see, Jenna or someone else from the agency had accessed her list of vetted clients. All of those buyers had been thoroughly checked out earlier. This was not an open house that would throw open its doors to just anyone. There were certain controls in place, a baseline of assets that had to be met. The ad certainly hadn't appeared inNaples Daily Newsunder Open Houses.
Who was responsible for this infuriating change? Jumping to her feet, Marlowe struggled to control her anger. She hadto think rationally. Leaving the office, she paced through the bedroom hallway into the living room and circled through the kitchen. Everything was in order. Everything but her life.
But she didn't want to overreact. No, that would never do. Despite her plans for Charlevoix, right now this was her job. This was the successful career she had built sale by sale, year by year since college graduation. No way did she want to make things worse by a fiery reaction. She needed information. Where should she start?
Not with Landon, that was for sure. She would start with the weakest link. Going back into her office she stared at the oversized monitor, just to make sure that she hadn't misunderstood anything. No, this open house had happened and this offer for Bobby Jensen’s property was in play.
Down below on the beach, the waves had picked up. From somewhere clouds had rolled across the sky and thunder rumbled. Her heart pounded and Marlowe sucked in some deep breaths. This was like trying to breathe through a colander. Okay, she would simply ask questions and not hurl accusations. And above all, she would not let anyone know that she was upset. She pressed the speed dial button for Jenna. The phone rang and rang.
Eventually voicemail picked up. “Hello, this is Jenna Whitestone from Hardy Luxury Properties and I can't wait to talk to you! Please leave a message and your number. Let's talk soon!” The words rolled off Jenna’s tongue with such ease. The younger woman's enthusiasm was almost palpable.
There had been a time when Marlowe had smiled at Jenna's energy. Their latest hire would show up in the morning, a Starbucks in hand for her new mentor. Was there anything she could do for Marlowe? Not too long ago Marlowe had been that way herself, excited and eager to please. But no one had ever been looking out for her. Did Jenna realize how lucky she was?Seeing potential in the newbie, she'd taken this girl under her wing. Later she discovered that some of the men in the company weren't pleased about that. She'd never mentored any of them.
The guys didn’t realize that she'd purposely given them some room. That’s how Landon liked it. After a certain period of time, he would have his pick of the new guys to mentor. First he wanted to see how they performed. In general he chose young men who chose to style themselves after their boss. Landon liked the fact that they too soon shopped at John Craig for timeless menswear or Mondo Uomo when they wanted a splash of modern. It didn't take long before the young men even copied his walk, confident with shoulders squared. And those Venetian loafers? Some days it was hard not to laugh. The smell of leather permeated the office.
As she sat there thinking about what to do about that open house, a text popped up from Jenna. “Are you home?! That's fabulous. We can all celebrate together!” The girl sounded almost giddy.
“Celebrate what?” Marlowe shot back, her fingers flying. “I have questions before we celebrate. Why was the open house moved to New Year's Day?”
Time passed while Marlowe watched the sun sink into the ocean. Usually the encroaching darkness calmed her but not tonight. The changing light and humidity made every sunset unique. Some nights the sky was a pink that turned to gray as a magenta sun reached the water. Other nights the sun would be a bright orange globe. The color would shimmer over the water, scorching it as the sun disappeared. Peaceful. Serene. But that was not where Marlowe was right now.
No, her nerves were jumping every which way as she waited for a response, eyes on the screen. Maybe Jenna wasn't going to answer her text. Would Marlowe have to march right into thatoffice and set things straight? She glanced at the time. No one would be there. It was too late.
