Page 56 of Taking a Chance on Charlevoix
“You stinker.” Marlowe grabbed the wine opener. “Should we open this bottle now?”
“Absolutely.” Shari nodded and nudged the cut glass flutes closer. “Then you can tell me about your new job.”
As they sat there in the shady patio, Marlowe told Shari about her appointment with Gabby. Since her last trip to Charlevoix, she’d thought back to Gabby and Chip several times.Their relationship seemed so real, so comfortable. The tug on her stomach told her that their kind of relationship was what she wanted someday. But not now. Right now she had too much on her plate.
Since they both had things to do, they soon corked the bottle. Shari stored it on its side in the SubZero refrigerator. Then Marlowe reached over and gave Shari a hug. “Someday I want to be like you.”
“Oh no. You do not want to be like me,” Shari said, although she looked pleased by the comment. “I had my marriage. Sadly Robert died way too young and left me with two children. I'm delighted to have them. But you are in the prime of life, Marlowe. The world should be your oyster right now.”
Prime?Shari must have read my face because she gave me a penetrating look and stopped talking. “Am I stepping on toes here?”
“Not really. I’ve never liked oysters. Are you about to give me the same talk that my Aunt Cate has been pressuring me with lately?”
“Good for her!” Clapping her hands together, Shari looked delighted.
Slinging her purse over one shoulder, Marlowe turned toward the front door. “I think you’d get along with my aunt, but I'm not sure I could handle both of you at one time.”
“Take care. We can talk later. And one quick question.”
Marlowe turned. “I hope I can have the honor of listing your condo?”
Always the consummate salesperson. “Thought you’d never ask. Can you stop by later?”
“Absolutely, I’ll give you a call.” Shari gave her a wave and turned back to the beautiful cottage she’d bought. Part of Marlowe envied her. Shari knew who she was, what she wantedfrom life and how to get it. Marlowe was still trying to figure that out. Jumping into her car, she put the top down and was off.
All the way back to the condo, Marlowe chuckled about Shari and her meeting with Jenna. Was there anything that woman wouldn't do?
Chapter Twenty-Three
MARLOWE
Two days later Marlowe was in the middle of packing her Cuisinart pans when her phone rang. Gleaming pans were spread all over her counter. Anyone coming in would think that she actually cooked. Not so, but she did love attractive cookware. But why had she bought the entire set? The collection was blinding in the overhead lights.
The crazy packing was an effort to make her kitchen cupboards look tidy. Her condo would be listed soon. Shari had come through recently to size things up. Now settled in her new home, Shari had made some suggestions that made Marlowe blush. Although she’d made some half-hearted attempts to clean up her condo, she hadn’t reduced the number of pans and pyrex dishes. And she’d never thought of organizing her closet by color. But Shari was a pro and Marlowe took her suggestions to heart.
Her phone rang and she strained to see it over on the counter. Who was calling? Flat on the granite counter, the phone was almost vibrating off the surface. Tempted to ignore the call, she finally stood up, stretched and peeked. If this was Aunt Cate or one of her sisters, their name would pop up. That wasn’thappening but the area code was definitely Charlevoix. Maybe this would be a call related to Gabby. She answered.
“This is Marlowe.” She leaned against her circular breakfast table and sent some pans crashing to the floor. “Oh, those blasted things.”
Turning away from the mess, she was ready to punch the red button when a voice said, “Sorry, am I interrupting anything?” The voice was husky but timid. Sounded way too tired to be salesman.
“Yes. Sort of.” Was this Chip, Gabby’s husband? He was going to send her dates for the certification exam. She was tired of calls from other Naple’s realtors who wanted to list her property. They could be devious, and Shari had her condo well in hand. Stripping off her rubber gloves, Marlowe reached to grab the phone so she didn’t have to yell at it.
Yes, this was a Michigan number calling, and she lifted the phone to her ear. “Sorry. Now what is this about?”
Whoever it was cleared his throat. “Marlowe, this is Seth Barrett. Sorry to bother you but we're the company working on Sunnycrest.”
“Right, yes. Hi, Seth.” She slipped into a chair, nudging a sauce pot aside with one foot.Why is he calling me?
“Your aunt suggested that I call you…”
Oh, perfect. Aunt Cate was at it again. Well, Marlowe didn’t have time for this. She hadn’t had lunch and her head was throbbing. “Please ignore what my aunt says.”
“Ignore it? But I thought…”
“Oh, I know what you thought. You thought here’s a desperate woman coming to Charlevoix. And we’re doing business together so why not? But I’m not that desperate.”
Was he chuckling and trying to hide it? “Are you laughing at me?”
