Chapter Three.
The kitchen and the bathrooms were stunning, but when selling a home to a family you had to get as many members of the family on board as possible. The wife was in love with the home. The husband was indifferent. Husbands were always indifferent to houses. Just pick one that they could pay off within two decades and they were pleased. The one that would tip the sale in her favor would be the child.
The child in this case was a thirteen-year-old boy who had not been able to take his eyes off of her since him and his parents arrived to inspect the house. While the parents looked over the front garden, she sat on the front steps with the boy sitting close by. She turned her gaze on him and he quickly looked away.
“We have not been introduced yet. My name is Victoria Winters.”She offered her hand and he shook it eagerly.
“Trevor.”He smiled.
“You know Trevor if your family buys this house, we are going to be almost neighbors. I live just a mile down that road over there. If you are up early in the morning, you could join me on my jogs. Maybe this summer my nieces will be visiting. Diana is nine and Courtney is twelve. Some people thing that Courtney looks just like me.”Vicki took out her phone and found a picture of her nieces. Diana looked like her sister Liz while Courtney did look a great deal like Victoria. A beautiful dark brown-haired twelve year old with huge eyes. “If you guys buy this house I could introduce you.”
` Trevor was up and jogging over to join his parents, twenty minutes later.
Vicki was driving away with a hand shake deal on the house feeling a bit guilty over the one lie that she had told the boy. She had visited her sister and her two daughters, but they had never returned home for a visit. Too many conflicting memories perhaps had kept her sister from ever returning to the only home where they had ever been a complete family.
Despite the fact that she had one more house to show today Vicki took the turn off that led to her own home. Nothing needs to be done back at home, nothing had been left, but she did it anyway. Thirty seconds later when she saw the car parked in the drive of her home did she get the reason why. That timeless companion to all those who considered themselves survivors, instinct, had made her do it.
There was a man sitting on the hood of that car staring up at her home.
Vicki cruised her car to a stop about twenty feet away. Took the small snub nosed pistol from her purse and held it concealed behind her back as she got out of the car and advanced on the man who had his back to her and seemed to have not noticed the presents of her or her car yet.
“Nice house huh?”Vicki called to him.
The man tilted his head her way, but did not look back.
“I knew someone who lived here.”He said.
“Really?”She said.
“Yeah, a girl. A long time ago.”He turned to look at her and did a quick double take. He knew her and it was the tailored beard that kept her from registering who he was for a second or two.
“Cash?”Vicki whispered and secured the gun in the pocket of her business suit.
“Tori?”He began to jog toward her, then slowed down not sure how she would react or if was really real after all these years.
Vicki knew how he felt. She had not seen Cash Russell since the day after her parents were killed. One day they were best friends, then they had not been this close to each other in nineteen years.
Vicki decided for the both of them by skipping the last few steps to him and embraced him. Nineteen years ago she had been taller than him and now despite the fact that she was five foot ten in her bare feet he was at least three inches taller than her. Cash lifted her and spun her twice before putting her down. He stepped back just far enough to take hold of her hands and to take a good look at her.
“You are wearing a suit and tie Cash?”
“You are wearing a suit without a tie Tori.”
“I don’t like the beard. I bet my old friend is buried somewhere underneath it.”
“You know what Tori?”
“What?”
“You grew up cute.”Cash grinned.
“I know.”
“Jerk.”
“I know.”Vicki smiled and pulled her hands away.
“Was that a gun you had?”
“Maybe. Now why are you here?”
“I missed you too, pal.”
“Seriously?”
Cash looked away to Vicki’s house and smiled.
“I came up here to check on my parent’s house and see about arranging a sale. They are happy in Florida, but could use more money down there. I thought about you while I was over there and came here to remember a few things.”
“You staying long?”
Cash stared at her for a few seconds until it became awkward then said. “As long as it takes, takes to catch up on how things have been going with you.”
“Okay, I tell you what, you can ask me one more question before I have to get back to my day job.”
“Thank you for granting me permission oh great queen.”
“Cash.”
“What time should I pick you up tonight?”
“Five o’clock. Dress casually. I pick and you pay.”She giggled like a girl and that was something she could not remember doing since she had been a girl.
“I pay?”
“Yes. I know what that suit you are wearing cost. Shame on you for spending that much money when there are starving Bigfoots somewhere.”
He started back toward his car and stop himself before opening to the door.
“God, I have missed you so much Tori.”He said.
“Don’t call me God, it goes to my head. And I feel the same.”Vicki said. She did and needed a few hours to compose herself. Emotions made you vulnerable and she did not want to be vulnerable around a guy who was a stranger. They had been childhood friends for about eight years and had not seen each other for over twice that amount of time. Despite all the butterflies in her stomach she only knew who the kid Cash had been was. Neither of them knew the adult versions of the other. Yeah, she needed to breathe for a few hours.
“Cool, see you here at five?”Cash said.
“You always had to hear it three or four times didn’t you.”Vicki smiled. “Go and come back with chocolates.”
Vicki watched him drive away and decided to hand off her last assignment for the day to another broker. She felt the overwhelming need to wash her hair until it shined golden brown. Turned out cute huh? He had not seen anything yet.
The kitchen and the bathrooms were stunning, but when selling a home to a family you had to get as many members of the family on board as possible. The wife was in love with the home. The husband was indifferent. Husbands were always indifferent to houses. Just pick one that they could pay off within two decades and they were pleased. The one that would tip the sale in her favor would be the child.
The child in this case was a thirteen-year-old boy who had not been able to take his eyes off of her since him and his parents arrived to inspect the house. While the parents looked over the front garden, she sat on the front steps with the boy sitting close by. She turned her gaze on him and he quickly looked away.
“We have not been introduced yet. My name is Victoria Winters.”She offered her hand and he shook it eagerly.
“Trevor.”He smiled.
“You know Trevor if your family buys this house, we are going to be almost neighbors. I live just a mile down that road over there. If you are up early in the morning, you could join me on my jogs. Maybe this summer my nieces will be visiting. Diana is nine and Courtney is twelve. Some people thing that Courtney looks just like me.”Vicki took out her phone and found a picture of her nieces. Diana looked like her sister Liz while Courtney did look a great deal like Victoria. A beautiful dark brown-haired twelve year old with huge eyes. “If you guys buy this house I could introduce you.”
` Trevor was up and jogging over to join his parents, twenty minutes later.
Vicki was driving away with a hand shake deal on the house feeling a bit guilty over the one lie that she had told the boy. She had visited her sister and her two daughters, but they had never returned home for a visit. Too many conflicting memories perhaps had kept her sister from ever returning to the only home where they had ever been a complete family.
Despite the fact that she had one more house to show today Vicki took the turn off that led to her own home. Nothing needs to be done back at home, nothing had been left, but she did it anyway. Thirty seconds later when she saw the car parked in the drive of her home did she get the reason why. That timeless companion to all those who considered themselves survivors, instinct, had made her do it.
There was a man sitting on the hood of that car staring up at her home.
Vicki cruised her car to a stop about twenty feet away. Took the small snub nosed pistol from her purse and held it concealed behind her back as she got out of the car and advanced on the man who had his back to her and seemed to have not noticed the presents of her or her car yet.
“Nice house huh?”Vicki called to him.
The man tilted his head her way, but did not look back.
“I knew someone who lived here.”He said.
“Really?”She said.
“Yeah, a girl. A long time ago.”He turned to look at her and did a quick double take. He knew her and it was the tailored beard that kept her from registering who he was for a second or two.
“Cash?”Vicki whispered and secured the gun in the pocket of her business suit.
“Tori?”He began to jog toward her, then slowed down not sure how she would react or if was really real after all these years.
Vicki knew how he felt. She had not seen Cash Russell since the day after her parents were killed. One day they were best friends, then they had not been this close to each other in nineteen years.
Vicki decided for the both of them by skipping the last few steps to him and embraced him. Nineteen years ago she had been taller than him and now despite the fact that she was five foot ten in her bare feet he was at least three inches taller than her. Cash lifted her and spun her twice before putting her down. He stepped back just far enough to take hold of her hands and to take a good look at her.
“You are wearing a suit and tie Cash?”
“You are wearing a suit without a tie Tori.”
“I don’t like the beard. I bet my old friend is buried somewhere underneath it.”
“You know what Tori?”
“What?”
“You grew up cute.”Cash grinned.
“I know.”
“Jerk.”
“I know.”Vicki smiled and pulled her hands away.
“Was that a gun you had?”
“Maybe. Now why are you here?”
“I missed you too, pal.”
“Seriously?”
Cash looked away to Vicki’s house and smiled.
“I came up here to check on my parent’s house and see about arranging a sale. They are happy in Florida, but could use more money down there. I thought about you while I was over there and came here to remember a few things.”
“You staying long?”
Cash stared at her for a few seconds until it became awkward then said. “As long as it takes, takes to catch up on how things have been going with you.”
“Okay, I tell you what, you can ask me one more question before I have to get back to my day job.”
“Thank you for granting me permission oh great queen.”
“Cash.”
“What time should I pick you up tonight?”
“Five o’clock. Dress casually. I pick and you pay.”She giggled like a girl and that was something she could not remember doing since she had been a girl.
“I pay?”
“Yes. I know what that suit you are wearing cost. Shame on you for spending that much money when there are starving Bigfoots somewhere.”
He started back toward his car and stop himself before opening to the door.
“God, I have missed you so much Tori.”He said.
“Don’t call me God, it goes to my head. And I feel the same.”Vicki said. She did and needed a few hours to compose herself. Emotions made you vulnerable and she did not want to be vulnerable around a guy who was a stranger. They had been childhood friends for about eight years and had not seen each other for over twice that amount of time. Despite all the butterflies in her stomach she only knew who the kid Cash had been was. Neither of them knew the adult versions of the other. Yeah, she needed to breathe for a few hours.
“Cool, see you here at five?”Cash said.
“You always had to hear it three or four times didn’t you.”Vicki smiled. “Go and come back with chocolates.”
Vicki watched him drive away and decided to hand off her last assignment for the day to another broker. She felt the overwhelming need to wash her hair until it shined golden brown. Turned out cute huh? He had not seen anything yet.
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