Page 68 of The Only Purple House in Town

“What about me?” he muttered.

“Do you have anywhere you’d like to go?” Rowan asked.

He sighed. “I can’t afford to travel.”

Iris couldn’t focus on that when she was so busy wondering what offers Keshonda was talking about.Maybe…

“But you can dream,” Ethel pointed out.

“I’d really like to know,” Rowan coaxed.

The old man could never say no to them. “Fine. If you must know, I always wished I had joined the Navy. So I’d like to own a boat and just sail wherever the whim took me.”

“Oh, that sounds amazing. Do you need a first mate?” Ethel asked.

“I’d invite Rowan, not you,” said Henry Dale.

Rowan grinned. “I might be interested in that.”

“What about you?” Mira asked Keshonda.

The woman didn’t contemplate for long. “Mm, I’m all about tropical islands and getting oil rubbed on me. I’m thinking Tahiti.”

“Eli?” Sally asked.

“My turn? This might be weird, but…Veracruz,” he said softly.

“Interesting. Veracruz, Mexico, right? Any particular reason?” Ethel asked.

He nodded. “It’s a long story.”

Thankfully, Sally was ready to ease the awkwardness, changing the subject smoothly. “So how do you know Eli?” she asked Keshonda.

Keshonda smiled. “I’m his real estate agent, and we’ve gotthree offers on his house. Well, his grandmother’s house. This is the ideal situation, so I wanted to do a business dinner to discuss the pros and cons of each. But he invited me home instead.”

Oh my God. He’s flipping his grandmother’s house, and this isn’t what I thought at all.

After dinner, Eli found the kitchen to be the quietest spot once everyone else wandered off.

He’d end up doing the dishes after Keshonda left, but that was fine. He listened as she summarized the offers, nodding along. He was inclined to go with the first couple, even if it wasn’t the highest dollar amount—not because he felt like he had to honor first come, first served—but newlyweds, first house? He’d feel like a villain if he blew them off in favor of filthy lucre. Then again, he had a responsibility to get Gamma the best deal he could, as this was her financial security for the future.

Keshonda laughed, looking at his expression. “I can see the wheels in your head turning. You’re in a good position, no matter what you decide. The first couple definitely plans to live in the house, promise you that. I suspect the second will rent the place. The third buyer I can’t get a read on because they’re using a proxy. That usually means vacation home or investment property, though.”

“What would you do?” he asked.

She tapped the third set of documents. “I’d take the highest offer. If I’m selling a house, I don’t care what happens to it after I move on.”

“Pragmatic.”

“But I can tell you have some qualms, so why don’t you call your grandmother?”

“Good idea. I feel like Gamma might want to put Ruben and Natalie in her house, but who knows? She might prefer the twenty-five grand.”

“That’s a dream vacation or two, like we were talking about at dinner.” With that, Keshonda packed her briefcase and headed toward the door. “Call me when you know what you want to do.”

Eli walked her out. “I will.”

There were so many cars parked here that it looked like they were throwing a wild party. Susan, the cranky neighbor, was probably on standby waiting to make a noise complaint. But things stayed chill, and Ethel left quietly an hour later. It was cute when Sally kissed her goodbye. Not that Eli was spying on them. He justhappenedto be collecting coffee cups to wash right then, a complete coincidence.

---