Page 15 of Saltwater Memories
“And you need to not work all the time, so the dog recognizes you when you walk through the door.”
“Right, and you have to be careful that the rats don’t come after your dog and try to drag him into the sewers.”
She laughed. “It sounds like you really don’t like rats.”
“I don’t. It’s no joke! Did you see that video making the rounds last week? A rat climbed onto a guy’s face! He was sleeping on the subway, and it climbedrightonto his face.”
“Ew!”
He laughed. “I’m sorry, I never should’ve gone off on that tangent. Now you can tell me how much you love New York City and how much I’ve offended you.”
She smiled. How much effort would it take for her to learn to talk to people like this, to try to be earnest? “No, you’re fine. I can’t say I’ve spent too much time there.”
“That’s a relief,” he replied, taking a drink.
“So do you have a dog now?”
He shook his head. “No! That’s the worst part. I can’t have one in my place. And I’m still working all the time, now between here and Seattle. But at least sometimes I can go home now, see my parents and hang out with their dogs.”
“There’s a goal for you. Snag one of these island properties for yourself and start a dog park.”
“Right,” he said, mouth full of an overly large bite. “That’s the dream.”
“What do your parents do?”
“Well, my dad was a contractor. His business has really dwindled though, after his back injury. But we used to do all kinds of stuff – if you need anyone to hang drywall, pour cement, build stairs – I’m your guy.”
She vaguely remembered him mentioning that but must not have fully believed him; she shot him a quizzical look. “Really?”
“Don’t let the suit fool you,” he said, taking another huge bite. “I have a lot of experience. But that’s tough work. Back breaking.”
She nodded.
“My mom was a librarian. Still is, actually.”
“I see.” Amanda realized that she was eating too fast – almost all of her sandwich was gone, and it was because she wasn’t saying enough. She cleared her throat. “What kind of properties do you have right now?”
“I can show you. I’ve got a few from people who are looking to sell. I’ve got some rentals, and I’ve got a few fixer uppers.” He pulled a folder out from his bag and slid it over. “Just to give you an idea of the caliber of properties we have. There’s a wide range – everything from quaint little cabins to higher end stuff. We do it all.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you insinuating that my house isn’t high-end?”
He put his hands up. “No, no, I didn’t mean that. I’m just saying – you know, you might hear the name and think – ”
“I’m just kidding,” she said, smiling as she flipped through the papers. “My house is nice but…you know, fairly modest. Nothing fancy, no ocean views.”
“That’s totally fine. You can see we’ve got some smaller homes – look at that one. That’s a property that we just closed on; we’re expecting to sell for about a hundred thousand more than the owner paid for it – after we do some improvements.”
“What kind of improvements? Is this like house flipping – you’ll paint the walls and put in some cheap floors and call it a day?”
He laughed. “No. My dad taught me the value of work well done. We’re doing major changes here – redoing plumbing, new electric, opening up floor plans, and building additions to make the places more attractive.”
She leafed through the pictures – it was true that some of these houses weren’t so different than her house. Er – her dad’s house.
“I have a theory that the people who want to rent homes for vacation are different than the ones who want to buy. Some of these places that we plan to rent are – well, see, what I’m thinking is that we’ll add on a bedroom or two – nothing major, just enough that everyone can fit comfortably. You end up with a great property where people can vacation with their whole family, maybe even their extended family. And they come here, and have a really nice getaway without having to feel cramped or pay a fortune sticking everyone in a hotel.”
She looked up at him, catching his eye. He paused and cracked what looked like a sheepish smile.
Was it sheepish? Had he gotten carried away? He was talking so quickly that it seemed like it.
