“I’d want to do it asap so we can have all offers on the table before making a decision.”
“Book it for whenever, and I’ll make myself available. Duke can stay with Spencer for a day or two.”
“Okay. Right now, we should get serious about finding a property or properties you want to buy.”
“What do you suggest?” he asked, taking a sip from the glass of lemonade she’d offered him.
“We could make a pros and cons list,” she said. “That’s what I like to do when I have to make an important decision.”
“I’ll bet,” he mumbled. “How about we pick the two cheapest and flip a coin?”
“What?” She looked up, horrified. “No, I won’t allow it. This is a big decision, Adam.”
“I’m joking.” He held his hands up in surrender. “Look, why don’t you lay it all out for me and give me your recommendation, and then I’ll pick.”
“Ugh. You had me panicking for a second. Don’t do that,” she said.
“We should pack up early and go swimming. It’s so nice out today.”
“Swimming in the middle of the day? You’re funny.”
“Why not?”
“We still have a few potential properties to evaluate in New Bern. Since we need to decide on those before accepting any offers on your properties, we should figure it out as soon as possible.”
“Print it all out, and we can discuss it poolside.”
She rolled her eyes. What was she going to do with him? This was a multimillion-dollar deal, and he seemed to want to make the decisions on a whim. It rankled every overanalytical bone in her body.
“Adam, I’m not going swimming with you. That’s not something a real estate agent does with her client. It’s something friends do.”
“You saying we’re not friends?”
“No, I mean…You know damn good and well what I mean. It’s unprofessional.”
“Maybe I did hire the wrong person for this job.”
Her jaw dropped.
“I need someone who can relax, someone who’s not so uptight.”
“How is that going to help your business?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I just really want to see you rumpled, messy, wet, something other than perfectly put together.”
“You’ve already seen that,” she muttered. “Don’t forget the first time we met.”
“Yes, that. I want that.”
“Huh?” He was confusing her.
“Never mind. Fine, let’s work.” He sat down opposite her in her home office and let her go over all the properties she’d found that fit his criteria.
Three hours later, they’d made two tentative decisions—whose offer they would accept to buy his properties, assuming the guy in Texas didn’t make a better offer, and two potential properties they would declare for the 1031 exchange. They’d also booked two tickets to Dallas for the following Tuesday. After that representative made his offer, they would have everything they needed to make the final decisions.
“We got a lot done today. Let’s open some wine,” he said. “And order a pizza.”
Defeated and really craving a glass of wine, she relented. “Fine. Consider the workday over. I’m going to change. If you want to order pizza, go ahead.”