Page 33 of Safer Alone
“Hey there, Angela. We are good thank you, I wanted to let you know that we got your email, how did you go with the owners? Do you have good news for us?” He was straight to the point, something I respected in my job. I’m not an overly good person with waffling and small talk.
“I do have some news for you. Yes. I spoke to the owner and related your offer. She is willing to negotiate on the listed price, however your initial offer of $320,000 is too low. With that in mind, do you have another figure that you have discussed with Kim that I can present to her on your behalf?”
I am met with silence. Maybe the phone has disconnected. I look down at the screen which keeps ticking over with time. No, we are still online. Just as I am about to see if he is still there, he speaks. “That’s okay Angela, we half expected that. What did the owners advise they would negotiate to?”
He was clearly interested in the property. I couldn’t tell him what the owner wanted, though, as that would not be working in her best interests. If I gave them a figure less than they were considering, then I would be getting less for the owner than possible. I had to word this carefully, so it looked as though I was doing them a solid, but also keeping my owners’ best interests at heart. “They are willing to act on a sale at $340,000; they also offered a quick closing, so you can move in two weeks from the day of exchange of contracts. If that would suit your family?”
This is something I spoke to with all of my owners about when I first list the property, it’s a sales technique that seems quite effective. I tended to engage clients and sometimes, get them over the final hurdle with this little bonus. “I will need to talk to Kim about that and discuss our options with our bank, too. Would it be okay if I call you back later, Angela?”
I contemplate my response, should I tell him I will be uncontactable this afternoon due to my flight to New York? No, he doesn’t need to know my movements, just that I may not answer. I figure I should just leave it. “Of course, Michael, good luck. I’ll talk with you soon. Hopefully with good news.”
After ending the phone call, I write a quick email to Jenny advising of the progress. She would need to know the facts in case Michael tried to reach me here at the office after I have left. She, too, could pass on this information to the sellers if they called and were looking for an update.
It was creeping closer to 11:30 am with each tick of the clock and I needed to make sure I got out of here on time. To ensure I don’t get caught, I start packing up now and then take my time walking out the door. It would then take a further twenty minutes to drive home. After collecting all my items and shutting down the computer, I turn my office lights off and close the door behind me. I bid my farewells to Sandra, James, and Jenny in turn before leaving the office and walking to my car.
The drive home is quicker than usual, mainly due to the lack of traffic at this time of day. I walk through my front door at 11:55 am. I have plenty of time to retrieve my makeup from my bag and, positioning myself in front of the bathroom mirror, I quickly touch up my face before returning everything to my check-in luggage. I then pick up both bags and drop them by the door.
Reaching into my handbag, I pull my phone from the side pocket and when the screen lights up, it shows it is now 12:15 pm. Even though I am running early, I decide to send a quick message to Elliot, just in case he is also ready early:
<: Hi Elliot, I’m ready whenever you are. See you soon. Angela :)
As soon as I hit the send button, my phone rings, scaring me, before looking at the number on screen I answer “Angela White.”
I recognized the voice immediately as Mr. Thompson. “Hi again, Angela. Kim and I have spoken with our bank and we have another offer. We want you to know, though, this will be our final offer. We simply can’t spend anymore.”
“I understand, Michael. What offer would you like me to present to the owner for you?”
“We aren’t able to come up to $340,000 like the owner requested. Our offer is for $335,000. Can you speak to the owners on our behalf? Let them know that we are very interested, and see if they might consider it?”
I smile into the cell phone, while punching the air with my free hand. Before I reply, I need to calm down, not wanting the excitement to be evident in my voice. I take a deep breath. “I can present your offer for you Michael. I am, however, taking a flight out of state this afternoon for the weekend, so I may not get back to you this afternoon. Would you be available to talk on Monday?”
“Sure, that’s no worries, Monday is fine. We will talk to you then. We will keep our fingers crossed that maybe you will have a good answer for us.”
“I’ll see what I can do for your family, Michael. I will talk to you as soon as I know more. Have a lovely weekend.” Dropping the phone from my ear, I end the phone call.
As I place my phone down beside my handbag, the screen glows. I see a text message had come through while I was on the phone. Swiping the screen open, it’s a reply to my earlier message to Elliot.
<: I am about to pull up in front of your apartment building. I’ll see you shortly. Elliot
As I am reading the text message, a loud knock echoes through my front door. I jump at the sound and drop my phone on my foot. I silently curse to myself as I bend down to rub my foot and pick the phone up. Once I’m back upright, I wander across the short distance to my front door. I open it wide and see the welcome sight of Elliot, standing there with his left arm leaning against the door frame, his arm muscles tight, holding his body weight. A small smile spreading across his face the moment our eyes lock onto each other’s. “Hello there, are you ready to go?”
He breaks our eye contact, travelling down my body until they land on the two bags just inside the front door, once his eyes land on the bags, he bends down and scoops them up. “Is this all you need to take?”
“Yeah, just those two and my handbag”
“Are you ready to go then?”
I nod, “Yes, I’ll just grab my things. I’ll follow you down.” I could feel embarrassment flushing across my cheeks. Not wanting Elliot to see, I turn around and make a beeline for the kitchen counter, retrieving my keys and depositing my phone into my handbag. Once I have everything I head out. As I take the first step, I think to myself, what on earth have I got myself into this weekend?
~ Chapter Sixteen ~
When I reach the bottom step, there he is waiting for me at the rear passenger door of his car. As I approach, he opens the door for me and ushers me in. Once I sink into the comfortable black leather seat, he shuts the door with a thud. I fumble trying to fasten my seatbelt; just as it latches he opens the rear driver side door and slides in beside me. Once inside, he latches his belt quickly and closes the door. “Continue to the airport now, Price.” Then he turns to face me. I see him do so out of the corner of my eye. I was looking at the driver. Was this a regular occurrence? I had seen the same gentleman the day that Elliot viewed Belle Meade, so it certainly wasn’t a one-time thing.
“Yes sir,” was all this Mr. Price replied, and we soon pulled out on our way to the airport, driving among the traffic.
I return my attention back to Elliot. He looks as handsome as ever in a simple white polo shirt and light blue jean shorts. These were accompanied by white boat shoes and his sunglasses. He looked so much like a movie star that it was easy to forget that he wasn’t. Instead, he was actually a CEO of a multimillion dollar business.
“I like that color blouse on you,” he voices.
