by K L Finalley
Jacqueline sat beside her and put her arm around her. "We're two peas in a pod."
"We are. But, you know what?"
"What?"
"Fuck 'em. Maybe, we're better off not pretending. Maybe, this is what it is."
"Maybe, it is," Jacqueline said.
"Maybe, Elet and Alex are onto something. Don't rush off and share the best moments of your life with the people who drive you insane. Share them with the people you love the most. Blood or not."
"Blood or not," Jacqueline echoed.
"Let's get outta here," Mallory stood up, dusted the back of her shorts, and climbed into her car.
Jacqueline met her in the driver's seat. Once she was settled, Jacqueline backed out of the driveway and headed to the end of the road. She turned left, then right. She went straight for a quarter of a mile as they weaved out of the neighborhood. The collection of homes quickly changed to a commercial area as the interstate came into view. Waiting at the red light on the corner of Mission Hills and North 56th Street, her phone rang. She juggled to get it as the light changed. "Hello," she said without checking the caller name. "Oh, hi," she said unexpectedly.
"Who is it," Mallory asked.
Jacqueline held up a finger then told the person on the phone. "Hold on a second." Jacqueline switched from her cellphone to use of the car's cellphone command. "Vicki, we're in Mallory's car. I put you on speaker. Mallory can hear you."
"Are you driving?" Vicki asked.
"Yeah, we just left Mallory's parent's house in Temple Terrace. We're heading back to St. Pete. What's up?"
"Pull over," Vicki instructed.
"This can't be good," Mallory said and rubbed her head.
"Give me a second," Jacqueline said. She turned right onto Busch Boulevard and into a shopping center parking lot. "Okay, I pulled off the road. We're sitting in a parking space at a grocery store. Whatcha got?" Jacqueline reached over and held Mallory's hand.
"Mallory, can you hear me?" Vicki said.
"Yes, Vicki, I can hear you. Go ahead."
"Okay. Lemme give you some background. So, when we saw the house on Friday, it already had a bidder. The bidder had agreed to the selling price of eight-hundred and fifty thousand and was trying to secure financing. This was the sixth attempt for a buyer in almost four months to get financing for that house. In the meantime, we received some information about the house. The mortgage is under six hundred thousand dollars, so every additional dollar is an attempt to profit from the sale. But, the house has been on the market for almost a hundred days. And, now, it's in pre-foreclosure, because the sellers already have a mortgage on a new place and are unable to pay for this one and the new one. So, we sent the agent a cash offer of six-hundred fifty thousand on Friday."
"So, the buyers had two offers?" Mallory questioned.
"Yes, our cash offer and a finance contingent offer. Friday afternoon, the couple who wanted to finance the house were unable to get the financing and our offer was the only offer under consideration. I heard from the sellers' agent moments ago. The sellers have a counteroffer…"
"Wait!" Jacqueline interrupted. She released Mallory's hand and sat up in the driver's seat as if she wanted to get closer to Vicki. "Before you tell us the counteroffer, I need you to tell me if it's only a financial stipulation."
"Why does that matter?" Mallory asked.
"Because I can handle that, but I don't want two land mines," Jacqueline replied as she nibbled on her fingernails.
"It's only financial. Are you ready now?" Vicki asked.
Jacqueline looked at Mallory and nodded. "Okay, we're ready."
"Let me first make you aware that the presence of a counteroffer means that your offer was not accepted. This new offer must be agreed to entirely, rejected entirely, or can be partially modified. A decision must be reached within twenty-four hours. If it is agreed to in its entirety, I will need you to both appear in my office on Monday to sign this counteroffer as well as draft a formal purchase agreement. Also, be advised that the acceptance of this counteroffer would mean that I would present the agent with your earnest money deposit. Do you understand and agree?" Vicki asked.
Jacqueline looked at Mallory. Mallory nodded, then Jacqueline said, "We do."
"On behalf of the sellers, the agent has countered your offered price of six-hundred fifty thousand with a counteroffer price of six-hundred seventy-five thousand dollars to be paid in cash with no need for financing. You have twenty-four hours to consider this counteroffer. You can either accept in full…"
"We accept," Mallory screamed.
"We most certainly accept," Jacqueline replied and beat both her fists on the steering wheel.
"I had a feeling you might," Vicki said. They heard her clicking on her keyboard. "Okay, I have responded to the agent to advise that you have accepted the counteroffer. This will remove the house from the market. It will reflect that it's under contract now. I need you to come in on Monday morning and sign the counteroffer and we will draft the contract. Think about what you want it to say. I know Jacqueline already has. Um, wait...he's responded." She paused.
"Does this mean it's gonna be ours," Mallory said.
"Should be. It's the one you want, right?" Jacqueline confirmed.
"Absolutely," she said and leaned over to kiss her.
"He said congratulations and thanks for helping a good couple. He looks forward to meeting everyone at closing. He has removed the house from the market. Okay, guys. We're one step closer. Any questions?" Vicki asked.
"Nothing, I can think of right now," Jacqueline said.
"See you Monday morning in my office. Have a good weekend."
The two thanked Vicki and disconnected.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Jacqueline held the door to the real estate office for Mallory who entered and waited. When Jacqueline entered, she proceeded confidently to the left and Mallory followed her without question. After all, she'd been to the office before. There was no reason to stop at the receptionist's desk and ask her to announce their arrival. Instead, they passed the elevated wood-grain pedestal upon which young receptionist sat. They headed down the low light hallway. Most of the office was empty. Real estate agents didn't grace their offices at eight in the morning, but Vicki had agreed to meet them. Jacqueline had a morning meeting she needed to attend. When they reached the fourth door on the left, she reached out and turned the knob, but it was locked. She was stunned.
"Are you sure this is her office?" Mallory questioned.
"Of course, it is. I've been here a million times," she said.
A voice in the distance clarified. "Excuse me. Are you looking for Ms. Prescott?"
"Yes, we are," Mallory said as she rolled her eyes. "Can you point us in the direction of her office?"
"She's moved into the other wing of the building. Go to the end of that aisle. Make a left and head straight. You'll walk right into her office door."
"Thank you very much," Mallory replied and began walking.
"See, she moved. I was still right," Jacqueline clarified. The two walked to the end of the hallway. There was a wall marker that faced them that read Partners and pointed left. "Did Vicki make partner?" she wondered aloud.
"If she had, she wouldn't have been out showing us houses. Partners don't do that," Mallory waved off the idea.
The two continued their trek until they reached the door. She no longer had a particle board door. There was a wood door between Jacqueline, Mallory and Vicki. To the right of the door, there was an acrylic panel that read Victoria Prescott, Real Estate Attorney and Partner. Jacqueline tapped on the door. When she heard "Come in," she opened the door to find Vicki seated behind a large oak desk. There was an armoire to the left of her; and, to the left of it, there was an open window. Upon the thick Persian rug that covered the room sat two Queen Anne chairs. Across from that arrangement, there was a four-person conference table in the corner and a television cabinet under a mounted monitor.
"Hi, Vicki
," Jacqueline stammered.
"Hi, guys," Vicki said as if nothing was different. "Have a seat at the table. I'll come over with what I have. Then, we'll draft what you want to say."
"Um, Vicki?" Mallory turned her head as she looked around the office.
"Yeah," she said not looking at them. She was at her desk collecting papers.
"Did you make partner?"
Slightly embarrassed, she lifted her head and said, "Yeah, I did."
"Congratulations," Mallory murmured as she continued to glance at the umbrella holder near a globe stand.
"Why didn't you tell us? When'd this happen? How'd this happen?" Jacqueline was stunned.
With papers in hand, Vicki headed to the table. "Well. It's an interesting story. As you know, I've worked here for twelve years. I've had steady work. I've remained at the top of the sales team, but in recent months, I've kinda blown the rest of the sales team out of the water. I did a sale across country. I'm working on another big sale locally. A cash deal. I have another multi-million-dollar sale that I need to get showing. Oh, I did a commercial sale for a television company. And, I have a new ongoing contract to assist the Boyd family with real estate acquisitions. I was thinking of going out on my own, but they offered me partner to stay. So, I did."
"Oh, well. I guess fortune has smiled upon you," Jacqueline chuckled.
"And, I met a guy. A financial adviser. We're going out tonight," Vicki informed them as she joined them at the oval cherry table.
"Do we happen to know him?" Mallory teased.
"Well, I think you just might," Vicki rocked back and forth in her chair. "Okay, okay. All kidding aside. Let's get to work. Here's a copy of the counteroffer. It doesn't say much. It shows their proposed charge. I need you both initial here and here," she demonstrated with her pen on the document and passed it to them. Mallory received it first and initialed it immediately. Then, she passed it to Jacqueline to do the same. Jacqueline read the document, initialed it, and returned it to Vicki. "Okay, here comes the fun part. This is the purchase contract. We're gonna do one. They're gonna do one. I will discuss ours with their agent. If we are too far off, we'll have to negotiate. Once we have agreement, we'll sign and move to closing. As you can see, I've filled in all the parts I knew. Let's talk about your conditions."
"Take it, honey," Mallory sat back in her chair.
"I knew she'd have something," Vicki clicked her pen.
"I want is a fifteen-day deal and I'm willing to make concessions to make that possible."
"Such as?" Vicki asked.
"We will accept the results of the prior survey and inspections. We'll waive the option to have our own inspection done. The seller can choose the inclusions. Mallory and I do not want or need any of their personal property, right?"
"Right," Mallory agreed. "If that's going to hold things up, then they can take it all."
"You know, that would include appliances, furniture, fixtures, all of it. They could come and get the door knobs," Vicki instructed them.
"As long as they do it in fifteen days," Jacqueline said. "Also, there is no need for them to worry about our closing costs. We will cover our own taxes, deed, recordings fees, transfer fees, and any of that."
"That's nice of you," Vicki said as she wrote. "I assume they are gonna cover the typical seller's fees, though. Right?"
"Right," Mallory agreed.
"Okay. Anything else?" Vicki asked.
"Oh, we will use their title company," Jacqueline said.
"Is there anything else you wanna give them?" Vicki said as she scribbled her notes.
"This is the house we want. We've got plans to make renovations and upgrades. We're not gonna argue over the fridge or stove that we will probably get rid of. We just wanna close on it and get started making the changes we want to make," Jacqueline explained.
"I can't imagine they'll have any problems with this. I'll talk to their agent today and let him reach out to them. If they don't have any problems, we can set a closing date today or tomorrow."
"That'd be wonderful," Mallory clasped her hands together.
"By the way, do you happen to know a good contractor? We've got a lot of work I want to do. I imagine we'd need a couple of crews working on different projects at the same time to accomplish our list within our timeframe," Jacqueline admitted.
Vicki left the table and returned to her desk. She was wearing a beige skirt with pink blouse, but no shoes. Jacqueline smiled to see her walking around her partner's office in her slippers. Using the intercom on her desk phone, she pressed a button and spoke. "Will you bring me the contact information for Imagine Works Contracting? Thanks." Then, she walked back to the table. "I know just the guy. We've used them for a few projects and he's always come through."
"Does he do it all?" Jacqueline asked.
"Most of it. When he doesn't, he subcontracts and oversees that crew. He's fast, but the work's incredible," she said. "Before I let you go, let's talk about the penthouse. We need to get to a place where I can start showing it. I need to know when we can do that realistically."
"Ugh," Jacqueline slouched in her chair. "It's so full of stuff."
"This time next week," Mallory blurted out.
"What?" Jacqueline bolted up in shock. "We can't be ready by then."
"Jax, we have to. We have to stop dragging our feet and get the condo and the house cleaned out. We just have to. We can work on it in the evenings and spend the weekend moving things to the house. It'll be okay," Mallory soothed her. Turning her head to Vicki, she said, "We will be ready for showing on March fourteenth. "
"Perfect. I don't think it'll be on the market too long," she said.
"I have a condition of sale on the condo," Jacqueline admitted. They both looked at her with surprise. "The new buyer can't take possession until around April fifteenth."
"April fifteenth?" Mallory questioned. "What?"
"We need time to get the new house updated and completed before we leave the condo. I'm just guessing April fifteenth," Jacqueline said.
"We're gonna be in that house before then. I can promise you that."
"Well, I was just giving a date," Jacqueline tried to backpedal away from a potential argument.
"No worries, guys. We will specify that the sale of the condo is contingent upon the possession of your new house. That happens all the time. We will handle the sale contract for the condo when we have a buyer," Vickie tried to calm the tension of the moment. She was making note of it as she went on, "Think about all the people who sell an existing home and are building a new one. They have a clause that lets them remain in the existing home until the built home is ready for occupancy. It's fine."
"Fine," Mallory said.
"I think we're done here for right now. I'll be in touch with the closing date. Stop by the receptionist desk and get the card for the contractor on your way out." She hugged them. "I'm so happy. I think you're gonna love that place."
"Thanks," Jacqueline and Mallory said in unison and headed out of her office.
"Are you happy?" Mallory asked as they walked back down the dark hallway.
Jacqueline nodded. "How 'bout you?"
"Of course, I am, but you look a little scared."
"No, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"About what?"
"About everything we have going on," Jacqueline admitted.
"Are you sure you're okay selling the condo?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Oh, I don't know. It's been your home for years. It's hard for you to let go of it," Mallory said.
"It's not hard for me to let go of it. It's just a lot. I can't wait for it to all come together. I was sitting in the conference room before I fired Clementine thinking of the upgrades I wanted to make to the new house. I just have so many ideas.
"I keep thinking about furniture. Now that we are gonna get a house we need to get furniture for it."
"You know, what else we should do?" Jacqueline said.
&nbs
p; "What?"
"We should take a vacation," Jacqueline said. "A little one. A getaway for a few days."
"That'd be nice.
Jacqueline stopped at the receptionist's desk and picked up the contractor's information as Mallory went outside. When she pushed the door and walked into the morning sun, she saw Mallory inside her car with the engine running. "Heading to work?"
"Running away," Mallory responded.
"We're buying a house together. And, now you're running away?" she teased.
"Oh, that's true. I guess I gotta stay now."
"We don't have a mortgage. You don't have to stay," Jacqueline said.
"Are you gonna let me have it?" Mallory said.
"Probably not."
"Then, I gotta stay," Mallory laughed. "Come here and kiss me." She leaned into the driver's window and pecked her on the lips. As she pulled away, Jacqueline heard her say, "I'll see you tonight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday had made such a scene that Jacqueline had spoken to Jack over the weekend. In her opinion, the conversation had gone well. He'd asked about the firing as if he hadn't heard and she'd explained the debacle Clementine had caused. She'd felt fine about the outcome of the call. She remembered him saying, "I knew she was nothing but trouble, but I guess we underestimated how much." The two had laughed about how much. They'd joked about her various improprieties, and, then, like usual their chat turned to other topics, the house hunt, boating, the talk show, whatever Jack wanted to discuss. Nothing felt out of the ordinary until Sunday night when he called back.