Last, not far from the house, down a rather steep slope the deck would jut over, there was a small river gushing along smooth gray rock.
“The couple who had this place designed and started the build had a, well…uh, we’ll call it a marital meltdown,” the agent carried on. “But the contractor who began the job for them is willing to finish it. In fact, he’s eager to see the job done, and not because he needs the business. Holden Maxwell is a busy man in these parts. Just that he, like I, think once this is done, it’s going to be incredible. A quiet, forest oasis. Hidden away. Private. A masterpiece, really. And if you want more space, stables, other outbuildings, Max, that’s what Holden is known as, can surely accommodate you.”
“Please, no offense,” I said softly, “but can you be quiet a second?”
She did as I asked.
I stared at the view.
Nothing but trees, dirt, leaves and water.
No other houses. No other sounds. No cars. No roads.
Nothing.
Nothing but quiet nature as far as I could see, which wasn’t far as the cool shade of the green trees swallowed up any space, even most of the sky, making me feel, as I stood there at that huge window, like this was the only house on the planet.
Dad would have loved it here. He’d have been here all the time. Taking up the guest suite. Sitting on that deck. Wandering through those trees, on foot, on horseback. He’d build a studio there so he could work, close to all that, close to me.
Dana would love it here too. Maybe enough they’d have built somewhere on that land. To be there. To be together.
To be with me.
It was less than I was used to.
But so much more.
Just what I needed.
And it had a space in that house. It had a space where I could keep both Dad and Granddad with me.
“I’ll take it,” I told the window.
“Excellent,” the agent breathed excitedly.
I turned to her.
“Offer one hundred K lower than asking,” I demanded.
Her face paled and her eyes got big.
“I want the three additional acres,” I went on, ignoring her reaction. “I also want a friendly approach made to the neighbor. If he’s not actually ready to sell, he’s going to be my neighbor, so I don’t want to start that relationship in a bad place. I can wait for that to happen, or not. But if he’s willing to let five to fifteen acres go, I want it. And I’ll need this Maxwell guy’s contact details.”
“One hundred K off?” she asked. “The owners have already come down twenty K.”
“And the property has been on the market for ten months, they’re in the midst of a messy divorce and they need to unload it. Offer one hundred K lower than asking, but be nice about that too. We’ll jump off from there.”
She wasn’t far away but she shifted closer.
“With due respect, Justice, it’ll be hard to be nice about offering that far under asking price. They’ll be offended and shut us down. And they’ve had other offers so they know that there’s interest. But if you want to settle around these parts, there isn’t much that’s available to you with the specifications you’re searching for, including land on which to build.”
“I don’t know what these other offers were,” I returned, “but beyond that three acres that’s for sale is a ranch with twice this much acreage with a fully-functional house on it that’s only fifty square feet less than this and it has a stable. It sold for what I’m going to offer to start. It’s not a slap in the face. It’s a healthy comp.”
“That house was built in the seventies and needs an entire upgrade.”
“That house is livable,” I countered. “This one is not.”
“You haven’t seen the master and it’s amazing.”
I was certain it was. I saw everything this house could be.
Everything.
“Joni, with that comp’s acreage and stable, it’s a healthy comp,” I returned firmly. “Communicated appropriately, it won’t be insulting. And by that I’m saying keep the door open.”
“Perhaps we should start with a more substantial offer so that…”
“Joni,” I said low and she shut her mouth.
I stared into her eyes.
“You know who I am,” I stated.
“I—”
She knew. I knew she knew. With my name, even if she didn’t know because of who I was and what I’d done, she’d still know.
So I didn’t let her continue.
“You do and you think I’m a whale. But I know I’m not a whale so I know how to guard against being taken advantage of. You’re my agent, not theirs. I want this property and I’m willing to negotiate something fair with the current owners. It’s over-priced and we both know that. Their agent also knows that. If they have a solid offer, cash, closing in two weeks, they will not shut you down. That’s our starting point. This means you communicate that so we can start at that point and we’ll move on from there. But the deal you negotiate will be the best deal for me. Not them. Not you. Me.”
“Of course,” she returned, clearly annoyed and not good at hiding it.
Not offended.
Annoyed.