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My phone buzzed beside me, and I looked down to see my accountant’s name pop up on my cell phone screen. I turned the car sound system back on so I could answer it through Bluetooth.
“Hello?” I asked, rolling up the window so I could hear him better.
“Hey, Darcy, it’s Anthony.”
“Yeah, hi Anthony,” I said. I tried to bring my mind back to any recent conversations I’d had with him about my finances. I hired Anthony after my dad died to help me manage his assets and assist with the closing out of accounts.
“So, you asked me to take a look at things,” he said. “So you could think about buying some more property in Everett.”
“Right,” I said, thankful he was reminding me of what we last talked about. My mind felt scattered, filled with fragments of conversations. “I’m actually on my way to check out a property now.”
“You are?” he asked. His voice sounded surprised and even a little nervous. I could tell it was a bad sign.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my voice light.
“I’m not sure it’s the right time to invest right now. After closing out your father’s estate, there’s not as much left as you might have hoped. And you still have the property taxes on the hardware store which aren’t insignificant.”
“I see,” I said. I flexed my fists around the steering wheel. “So, there’s not enough there for a down payment?”
“The down payment wouldn’t be too much of a problem,” he said. I could hear papers rustling on the other end of the phone. “But I’m not sure carrying two mortgages and paying taxes on three properties makes the most sense with your current financial situation. They would be significant expenses to account for each year. Now, if you were to sell the hardware store ...”
“I don’t want to talk about that,” I snapped. I was instantly embarrassed by this knee-jerk reaction. But any conversations about the hardware store felt far too raw and emotional for me.
“I understand that,” Anthony said. “But it’s hard to ignore such a big offer.”
I held my tongue. I knew if I tried to talk about the hardware store, and the offer Callum had made on it, I might not be able to keep a waver out of my voice. I didn’t want to cry in front of my accountant.
“A cash offer like that would completely change your financial situation. You could open three offices if you wanted to!”
“We don’t want that,” I said, keeping my jaw locked in place. Liz and I weren’t looking to create some real estate empire. We simply wanted a place where our clients could meet with us close to the properties they were selling or buying. And we wanted to cut down on our own commute time.
“Of course,” Anthony said, a hint of apology in his voice. “I just meant it would change things. I wouldn’t have any problem advising you to buy in Everett if you accepted the offer on the hardware store.”
“I understand,” I said. I glanced at the clock, knowing Anthony would charge me for this phone call and dreading the bill. “Is that all?”
“What are you thinking about that offer?” he asked. Even though I had told him I didn’t want to talk about it, he was clearly not ready to let this go. “Will you accept it?”
“Like I said, Anthony,” I muttered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Of course,” he said. “Anyway, let me know how things go at the Everett property. If you want to put in an offer, I might have to move some things around.”
“Got it,” I said. “Thanks for your help.”
After I hung up I let out an angry groan, full of frustration and confusion. It was frustrating to hear people speak about the hardware store as simply an asset with a fixed price tag. The memories of that place made it worth so much more to me. But I knew it was hard for other people to understand that. Callum’s words floated back to me.
I will do everything in my power to make it a building that Maplewood and the family can be proud of.
Was it true? Would Callum find a way to honor the history of the place? I wanted to believe it, but all my doubts about Callum Jones came flooding back to me. If he wanted to honor my family, then why didn’t he tell me he was putting an offer in on the place? Why did he blindside me with that?
I pulled up to the office that was about to be listed and saw the real estate agent standing outside, waiting for me. He was an acquaintance of mine, someone I had interacted with a few times during real estate deals for clients. Liz always joked about how handsome he was, and ever since my break-up, she had been dropping hints to me about going out with him.
“Hey, Darcy.” He smiled, and I saw warmth in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if I should hug him or not, but we opted for a handshake that lingered a bit too long.
“Hey, Randy,” I said.
“It’s so good to see you.” He smiled down at me before reaching out to open the door and letting me cross in front of him.
“Thanks for letting me look at the place. Liz and I are thinking it might make sense to have an office out here.”
