Eddie can hold his own with pretty much anyone, but after being in the car with Masha for five minutes, he needs a break. He pulls onto Winter Street.
“I just have to make a quick stop,” Eddie says. “Drop off a listing sheet for some other clients who are putting their house on the market. Won’t take a minute.” He double-parks in front of the inn and slowly approaches the front door, savoring the moment of quiet. Eddie uses the knocker, and a few seconds later Bart Quinn opens the door. He’s holding a large bouquet of flowers.
“Hi?” Bart says.
“Bart, hi. Eddie Pancik,” Eddie says. He holds out the plain white envelope that contains the listing sheet. “Would you give this to your mother, please? Only your mother. It’s something she specifically requested.”
Bart takes the envelope, but he seems to be studying Eddie. “Eddie Pancik? You’re Allegra’s father, right?”
“Guilty as charged,” Eddie says.
“Is she at work right now?” Bart asks.
“As far as I know,” Eddie says.
“Great,” Bart says. “These flowers are for her, actually. I’m going to surprise her.”
“Well!” Eddie says. “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. And you’ll give that envelope to your mom? Put it in her hands?”
“You bet,” Bart says. “Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Pancik.”
Eddie heads back to the car, buoyed by the interaction. Bart Quinn is a polite young man, a war hero, and thoughtful! What woman doesn’t want to get flowers? Eddie should bring Grace flowers tonight, for no reason other than that he loves and appreciates her. If it goes well with the Christys, he’ll get the flowers; otherwise, he can’t really justify the expense.
Eddie hasn’t mentioned anything to Grace about seeing Benton Coe. He has given it thought and has decided it’s best if Grace doesn’t know that Eddie knows that Benton has returned. He’s going to watch for changes in Grace’s behavior; you’d better bet he’s going to watch!
When he climbs back into the car, Masha is holding the second copy of the Winter Street Inn listing sheet.
“I want it,” Masha says.
“Excuse me?” Eddie says.
“This inn, it’s for sale, right? And I want to buy it. I’ve always wanted to run an inn. Haven’t I always wanted to run an inn, Raja?”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it,” Raja says.
“Probably because you tune out ninety percent of what I say.” Masha turns to Eddie. “If I’m not talking about dinner, he doesn’t hear me.”
“You’ve never once said you wanted to run an inn,” Raja says.
“Maybe I never said it because I never thought it was possible,” Masha says. “But now, with the money, anything is possible.” She swats Eddie’s arm again. “For us, a couple of kids from Lynn.”
Eddie says, “Running an inn is a lot of work. More than you probably realize.”
“I’m no stranger to hard work,” Masha says. “And I like meeting new people.”
“Well, we have some other exciting properties for you to look at,” Eddie says.
“I want the inn,” Masha says.
“Honey,” Raja says.
“Can’t we look at the inn?” Masha says. “You said it’s on the market.”
“It’s going on the market,” Eddie says. “It’s not on the market yet. We can’t look at it today. But I have some other exciting properties to show you.”
“But… ,” Masha says.
“Let the man do his job, Masha,” Raja says.
Eddie starts with the three houses close to town because they are all Bayberry Properties listings. All three are Glenn’s, but Glenn told Eddie to “have at it,” meaning Eddie will be the only broker present. On the one hand, this is good because Eddie will get a chance to bond with the Christys. On the other hand, it’s bad because Eddie suspects that Glenn Daley doesn’t consider the Christys real, viable clients.
“Lottery money,” Glenn says. “Always iffy.”
The first house is on Hulbert Avenue, listed at $11.2 million. It’s on the “wrong” side of Hulbert, meaning across the street from the water, but that’s what makes it affordable. Houses on the “right” side of the street go for double that price tag, but it’s a moot point because those houses come on the market only once in a lifetime.
When Masha walks into the house on Hulbert, she says, “Is it just me, or does this house smell like mice?”
“I’m not sure what mice smell like,” Eddie says, although he does agree the house has a funny smell. “This is an older house, in need of some TLC.” The furnishings are worn and tired, the prints of the sofa and chairs have been bled of their colors, the coffee table is marred with white rings. Eddie can see that Masha is underwhelmed.
“I can’t believe they’re charging eleven point two million for this,” she says.
“What you’re paying for here is the address,” Eddie says. “Hulbert Avenue is very prestigious, and it’s close to town.”
“But it’s not in town,” Masha says, smiling. She has a very pretty smile, Eddie sees. “The inn is in town!”
“Let’s look upstairs,” Eddie says. “There are four bedrooms.”
The upstairs of the house proves to be just as disappointing as the downstairs. The two bedrooms that have water views are small, and they share an outdated Jack-and-Jill bathroom with pocket doors that stutter on their runners. The two bedrooms in the back of the house are bigger, but they look out over scrubby wetlands. And as everyone knows, wetlands breed mosquitoes. Eddie can’t believe the price tag on this pile either; it’s basically a teardown. But that’s what Nantucket has come to these days. Land is at such a premium that an empty lot on the wrong side of the right street will cost you eight figures.
Eddie nearly decides to skip the two houses he has on Lincoln Circle. They, like the Hulbert Avenue house, are older homes in need of serious updating. Eddie has shown both of the Lincoln Circle homes before. They have a certain charm; they’re quintessential Nantucket summer cottages, nothing flashy or newfangled about them. Masha won’t be impressed… but Eddie will show them anyway, if only for a comparison to the bigger estates he has in store for the Christys out in Wauwinet, Squam, and Shimmo.
The first Lincoln Circle home has a screened-in porch with a fireplace, a charming feature that Eddie shows off right away.
“Nice,” Masha agrees. However, she sniffs at the kitchen with its particle-board cabinets and drop-in stainless steel sink. “Our kitchen in East Boston is nicer than this,” she says. “How much did you say this house costs?”
“Twelve point three million,” Eddie says. “Again, you’re paying for the address. And this house has full water views from the second floor.”
“It feels like a rip-off,” Masha says.
“Okay,” Eddie says. He decides to cut his losses and skip the second listing on Lincoln Circle. He should have realized that the Christys would want a house with all the bells and whistles, a house that feels like it’s worth twelve million dollars. “Time for something different. I can assure you, the next house I show you will be much, much more to your liking.”
“I liked the inn,” Masha says.
Raja puts a hand on Eddie’s shoulder and gives him a silent shake of the head. The meaning is unmistakable: they are not buying an inn.