Page 41 of Threads of Kindness
“It’s Tim, Anita,” he said, and the tone of his voice already told her what she longed to hear. “They’ve accepted your offer.”
She stood at her desk, clutching the phone to her ear, too emotional to respond.
“Anita, they accepted your offer,” Tim repeated. “Candy Alley will be yours.”
She forced herself to find her voice. “Did they ask for more money or anything?”
“Nope. I think the fact that you’re a cash buyer and willing to close escrow in ten days did the trick. Your only contingencies are the inspection and a clean title report.”
“How soon can we get the inspectors in there?”
“I’ll call the firm I use for commercial projects as soon as we hang up. I’ll stress that we need a fast turnaround. You’ll probably have the report in three days—four at the most.”
“Wow,” Anita said, bringing her free hand to the side of her head. “I almost can’t believe this.”
“Congratulations,” Tim said. “What are you going to do to celebrate?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” she replied. “I’d like to invite a few people to the space once I have the keys. We’ll christen the place with a toast and open those crates in the basement. I think it’ll be fun to have a public reveal.”
“That’s a terrific idea,” Tim said. “I hope Nancy and I are on the guest list.”
Anita chuckled. “You’re at the top of the list. I thought I’d invite Jeff and Judy, Sam and Joan, Sunday and Josh, and Maggie and John—plus Gordon, of course. He’s been on Long Island this week doing an appraisal for an estate, and we haven’t spoken for a few days. He knows I made the offer, and he’ll be thrilled they accepted it. I need to find out when he’s available to come to Westbury.”
“It might be wise to wait until they remove the damaged walls and remediate the mold. Sam doesn’t want anyone spending more time in that space until those things are done.”
“Did he say how long that will take?”
“He told me they’ll be able to get it done within a week. He also suggested the new roof should go on right away.”
“Can they do that during the winter?” Anita asked.
“The extended forecast shows temperatures slightly above average—and, most importantly, no rain or snow,” Tim said.
“Everything is going my way with this project,” Anita said. “I’ll call Sam as soon as we hang up, so he can start work as soon as the deed transfers to me. I’ll ask when he thinks it’ll be safe for me to throw my party. Once I have a date, I’ll let you know.”
“Nancy and I aren’t going anywhere this winter, so we’ll be available,” Tim said. “But do you really intend to wait that long to find out what’s in those crates?”
Anita bit her lip. She’d been wondering the same thing. “If I invite my dearest friends for the great unveiling, I’m not goingto peek ahead of time. If it’s disappointing, I’ll have my friends around me, but, if it’s something cool, it’ll be more fun to share my joy with all of you.”
Anita kepther cell phone in her pocket for the rest of the day. She had texted Gordon her news as soon as she’d finished her conversation with Sam and asked him to call her when he had a chance.
He’d mentioned the day before that the heirs were becoming increasingly contentious with each other. The old mansion had been in the family for decades, filled with items that were fine when acquired and were now extremely valuable. Gordon said he loved seeing people enjoy their prized possessions almost as much as he hated seeing them fought over by greedy heirs, who only appreciated them for their financial value, not their intrinsic beauty.
Bursting with excitement to share the news and get his input, she waited for his call. She was on her way to bed when her phone finally rang.
“Gordon,” she said, “I’m so glad to hear your voice.”
“Congratulations, sweetheart,” he said, his voice thick with fatigue. “I’m sorry it’s so late.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she replied. “It’s an hour later where you are, and you sound exhausted.”
“I had dinner with the family tonight. My appraisals are finished, and the plan was for them to divide the furnishings they wanted to keep and sell the rest. I was prepared to offer my recommendations for various auction houses.”
“You said that was the plan,” she replied. “What actually happened?”
“We were in a private dining room at a restaurant,” Gordon said. “I’ve learned from experience to hold these meetings outside the home. Public spaces tend to encourage better behavior.”
“Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of this,” she said.
