SEAL the Deal (14 page)

The silence in the kitchen was deafening.

Visibly flustered, Lacey let out a slow
breath. “That was Edith—you know, Mick’s old sponsor. She wants to talk
to me about listing her property.”

Maeve glanced over at Bess. “The plot
thickens…”

When Lacey walked up to Edith Baker’s
house this time, she could no longer envision the “For Sale” sign in front of
it. Even carrying a heavy folder filled with marketing information and
comparable real estate listings under her arm, she knew that this house was
simply not meant to be sold.

But she was not a mind reader. She didn’t
know what might be driving Edith to consider selling the sweeping lot crowned
with a too-perfect-to-be-true home. So she squared her shoulders and knocked on
the door.

Edith greeted her with a gentle hug that
made Lacey feel like part of the family. “Lacey, it’s so good of you to come.”

“Thanks for having me, Edith. I brought
those papers you were interested in seeing.”

“Wonderful. Come in and have some
breakfast, dear.”

The scent of frying bacon consumed Lacey’s
senses the moment she stepped in the door. She nearly visibly salivated. “That
smells delicious. I didn’t get a chance to eat anything because the workmen
arrived so early this morning. I wanted to get out before the noise started.”

“Maeve’s solarium, right? What a lovely
idea. I’ve always wanted a place to grow more plants indoors. At my age, it’s
not as easy to get outside to do the weeding.”

“You know, I know some great landscaping
companies who might be able to help. I could get their information for you.” Lacey
sat on a kitchen stool, and could picture a younger version of Mick sitting on
the very same stool catching up on his studies or talking with the Bakers, with
the scents of home-cooked meals wafting through the air. No wonder he didn’t
want to see this place sell.

“That’s a wonderful idea, Lacey. Thank
you.”

Their conversation weaved around light
topics as they ate, until Edith set her eyes on the packet of information
brought by Lacey. “Ahh, so this is what I’m interested in,” she said, giving it
a light tap with her finger.

“Yes, these are the comps. Let me walk you
through the package.” Lacey opened the folder.

Edith nodded at the estimated value of the
property, a figure so enormous Lacey had grown lightheaded just typing it in.

Lacey sailed through her usual sales
pitch, outlining her marketing plan, and doing her best to keep smears of syrup
off the packet. As she shut the folder upon completion, she couldn’t help
shaking her head. “So professionally, that’s what I’ll tell you, Edith. But
personally, I would hate to see you let go of this home so soon after your
husband’s death. I know it’s not my business, but—”

Edith interrupted. “Of course it’s your
business. I think of you as a friend. I would appreciate your input as a
friend, most of all.”

“Then I’ll say that unless there are
financial reasons why you’d need to sell this house, I’d wait and see how you
felt in a year.” Lacey began taking the dishes to the sink.

“Why do you say that?”

Lacey, her hands still full, gave a slight
nod to the wall behind her. “It’s all these pictures, Edith. All the photos you
have on your walls. You have such a history here. Such memories. You can’t put
a price on that. Unless you have to, that is.” She smiled, remembering. “It was
the same way with Maeve’s house. She wanted me to list it after her grandmother
died. But one walk-through and I could tell memories were still so alive there.
Even now, there are certain photos in the house that she refuses to move, let
alone take down. The ones that are really special to her.” Lacey sighed.

“From that sigh, I’m guessing that’s what
you’d like one day.”

“A home like that? With those kinds of
memories? Yes, I really do. One day.” She caught herself gazing longingly out
the kitchen window and gave herself a shake. “I’d hate to see you rush into a
decision like this.”

“I appreciate your honesty. Those are
qualities that make you an excellent real estate agent.”

Lacey couldn’t resist a laugh. “Not the
most prosperous one, though.”

“Success is not always measured in dollar
signs.” She gave the packet of information a little pat as she sat back down. “If
I ever do sell, you can be sure I will only go to you, Lacey. In the meantime,
if you’d be good enough to give me a healthy stack of your business cards, I
have a feeling I can get your information out to some possible clients in the
future.”

Lacey beamed. “I’ll give you as many as
you can handle. Thank you, Edith.”

***

Ordinarily, the sound of a power saw
slicing a hole in her family room wall would have been unnerving in the
morning. But today, Maeve sat serenely sipping her morning latte, content to
ignore the noise as she paged through several books she had purchased on exotic
flowers and plants. No boring geraniums for her, she thought happily as she
dog-eared pages showcasing the most extraordinary blooms.

Now that construction had begun on her
solarium, she could throw herself head-first into her new hobby. One book was
already covered in highlighter and yellow sticky notes. A second was filled
with scribbles in the margins. This, of course, was why Maeve preferred to buy
books rather than check them out at the library.

About halfway through her second cup, a
word jumped out from the text.

Toxic.

Toxic?
She hadn’t really considered the threat of little
fingers reaching up to grab a blossom before. It was definitely something to
think about with Bess’s baby on the way. She un-dog-eared the page, and flipped
backwards to check the toxicity of her prior selections.

Toxic. Toxic. Toxic. Who knew there were
so many toxic plants? Her heart sank. Life was going to be different sharing a
house with a child.

Her gaze wandered across the room noting
things like exposed outlets and unsecured garbage pails. Cup still in hand, she
stood to take a look at the family room and winced at the sight of several
pieces of breakable art.

Her entire life was about to change, and
it wasn’t even her child. Taking another sip, she made a slight grumbling
noise. She had always wanted a child. It took years for her to deal with the
reality that that would not happen.

With no family on her horizon, she had
been free to invest in frivolous things like hand-blown glass, and imported
textiles. Cringing, she remembered the new sofa she had on back-order. It would
be a criminal offense to stain it with baby formula—or worse. She bit her
lip, wondering if it was too late to cancel the order.

And what about her solarium? She raced
back to the kitchen table and thumbed quickly through her book. My God, even
geraniums were toxic!

 “Glad it’s not raining while they’re
doing that,” Bess said as she walked into the kitchen, glancing at the hole
which gave a clear view of the side yard.

Maeve turned. “Tell me about it. They are
noisy, though. Lacey was smart to get out of here early today. Are you feeling
okay? You’re normally working by now.”

“I have an OB/GYN appointment.”

“The usual check up?”

“Actually I’m getting an ultrasound.
Hopefully, I’ll find out whether I’m having a girl or a boy. I’ve been in for
one before, but the baby was turned the wrong way.”

“So you don’t want it to be a surprise?”

“No.” Bess barely suppressed a grin. “Enough
about this baby is a surprise already.”

Maeve laughed. “Do you want a boy or a
girl?”

“I know I’m supposed to say I just want
the baby to be healthy, and that’s true. But I have to admit, I’m hoping for a
girl. I figure if the baby is going to grow up without a father, maybe it would
be easier for a girl.” There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. “I don’t know. It’s
my theory.”

“Well, then I won’t mind telling you I’m
praying for a girl. If we’re going to turn the design scheme of this house
upside down, then by God, I hope it’s done with a feminine flair.” She then
added kindly, “But don’t worry, I can make blue work, too.”

 “Maeve, you really don’t have to do
anything special. I’ve been saving up for a security deposit and Lacey has been
letting me look online for apartments on her laptop.”

“You’re not going anywhere unless it’s a
smart move for the both of you,” she said giving a nod to Bess’s belly. “Juice?”

“Yes, please. And thanks, Maeve.”

Maeve poured a large glass of orange juice
and gave Bess a plate of scones without even asking.

Some days, like today, Maeve could swear
she felt her grandmother’s presence in this house. Even over the roar of a
power saw in her living room, she could almost hear Gram shuffling into the
kitchen in her slippers and morning robe. “In for a penny, in for a pound,”
Gram’s voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Maeve nodded to herself. “So, you
want company?”

“Company for what?” Bess asked cautiously.

“For the ultrasound.”

“Really? You’d really go?”

“If my life is going to be infiltrated by
the male sex, then I want to be the first to know.” Maeve forced a laugh. “I’m
kidding, you know. Of course, I’d like to go. I’m not expected in the office
till noon today, anyway.”

 “I’d really love the company. I get
so scared about these things. I’m always terrified they’re going to find
something wrong.”

“All the more reason for me to come. Nothing
goes wrong around me.”

“I’d love that then. Thanks.”

With that, Maeve felt the warm presence of
her grandmother disappear, content with her granddaughter. Content and proud.

***

Several hundred calories later, Lacey
stepped out of Edith’s house, stuffed with French toast and brimming with
pleasure at the thought of her business cards being passed around among Edith’s
decidedly wealthy friends. She had stayed longer than she had planned, but
there was something so comforting in sharing that extra cup of coffee with
Edith and talking about nothing in particular.

Her cell phone rang and she glanced at the
number. “Hey, Maeve.”

“It’s a girl!”

“What?”

“It’s a girl! Bess’s baby is a girl!”

“That’s fabulous! Did she call you from
the doctor’s?”

“No, I
went
to the doctor’s. Honest
to God, Lacey, it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I’ve seen
the pictures from sonograms, but this was different. They had this 3-D imaging
thing and I could actually see her move. I swear I think she smiled at me. And
her feet. Oh, Lacey they are so tiny and precious. I can hardly wait to take
her shoe shopping.”

Lacey laughed. “Is Bess there?”

“Well, of course she’s here. I wasn’t
going to leave her there, was I?”

“Put her on.”

“Hey, Lacey.” Bess sounded exhausted.

“I bet you’re happy.”

“Happy, but even more relieved. I get so
stressed out over these things. But she’s developing right on target. And a
girl, too. I’m feeling pretty lucky. I think Maeve is even more excited than I
am, though.”

“Of course she is. She gets to experience
all this without the vomiting and aching knees and labor pain.”

“Of course. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I wish I had been there.”

“It’s okay. We have pictures. They even
gave us a DVD of it, would you believe?”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ve got an appointment
at one and then I’ll be home to see them. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, Lacey,” Bess said and handed the
phone back to Maeve.

“How did the appointment go, anyway?”
Maeve asked.

“Fantastic.”

“You sealed the deal? She’s listing it
with you?”

“Well, no. But she is handing out my info
to a bunch of her friends.”

“That’s a step in the right direction,” Maeve
offered optimistically.

“I know. Fingers crossed. I’ll see you
this afternoon.”

***

Maeve hung up her cell as she and Bess
walked up the path to her house. Opening the door, she glanced at Bess. “Do you
think you can put your feet up for a bit before you go to work?”

“Yeah, I think I’ll take about fifteen
minutes.”

Maeve’s concerned gaze followed Bess up
the staircase. She really did work too hard, Maeve thought, wishing she could
think of a way to help that wouldn’t damage Bess’s pride.

Letting out a sigh, Maeve turned to look
at the hole in the wall and the men working just outside of it. Her expression
warmed, envisioning it. Her solarium. The bright sunlight would glimmer in
through skylights, with upturned blooms soaking in the rays.

She imagined herself, feet up on the sofa
in the living room, sipping a glass of Chianti in the afternoon and reading a
bestseller as the exotic scents of rare flowers wafted through the French
doors.