‘The thatch will need replacing within the next two years.’
‘Looks okay to me but a survey will confirm that.’
‘Trust me, three years tops,’ said Sam. ‘Is it in my price range?’
‘Like I said it’s new to the market. We haven’t confirmed a price yet but I would value it at the top end of your budget.’ Sam’s cheek twitched. ‘But it’s worth every penny. Take a look inside.’
Blythe unlocked the front door and let Sam go in first. She directed him into the living room with its stone fireplace, window seat and bay window that looked out over the green. Then back into the hallway to view the dining room, generous kitchen, utility room and cloakroom. ‘It’s a bit quirky because there’s a further living room or snug through here, which would make the perfect home office. She led the way through a latched door, down two small steps and into a square room with an inglenook fireplace and French windows out onto the large garden. It was a bit dated with a hotchpotch of old furniture but it was clean and tidy.
Sam went to the windows and looked out on the garden and the willow tree waving gently at them in the breeze. It looked like someone had recently mowed the lawn; that was handy. ‘On the first floor is a principal bedroom with en suite, two further double bedrooms, airing cupboard, a family bathroom and access to loft space.’ At last a smile spread across Sam’s face. And Blythe knew she’d nailed it.
5
1stJune
‘What do you mean you’ve sold Murray’s house?’ Ludo’s already ruddy complexion had found a new level on the colour chart.
Blythe had called him on Monday to tell him she’d beaten Amir because Sam had fallen for a Holly Cross property and thanks to an evening phone call from the first-time buyers who had just landed at Heathrow she had secured the two sales she needed by the end of May. The only slight problem was that it was Tuesday morning and she was now back in the office having to explain which house Sam was buying and her boss was not as overjoyed as she’d imagined he would be.
‘I had a copy of Murray’s keys because he was away a lot and I was driving through Holly Cross and I realised it was the perfect house for Sam… Mr Ashton.’
Ludo ran his hands over where his hair used to be. ‘But it’s not on our books. We have no instruction to sell it. No remit. It’s not ours to sell.’ He looked increasingly alarmed by his own words.
‘Technically, we don’t.’ She held up her palms to stop Ludo’s protests, which were coming thick and fast. ‘But Murray died, and he lived alone so the house will need to be sold. We’re just being proactive.’ It had sounded better in her head when she’d justified her actions to herself. Saying it out loud, even she could see that she’d crossed a line. A line Ludo had always been very clear about. ‘It’ll be fine. I just need to find out who is acting for Murray’s estate, offer our services, which they’re bound to accept because we already have a buyer. It should be a no-brainer.’ Ludo’s brow was puckered with worry but worse than that he looked disappointed. ‘Ludo, it’ll be fine. Trust me.’
‘I did,’ said Ludo. He opened his mouth to say something else but a tap on his office door stopped him. They both turned to look.
Amir was frowning at them. Blythe had been so looking forward to this moment. ‘Could I have a word?’ asked Amir, popping his head around the door. ‘It’s about the chart.’
‘Do you mean the two additional sales I secured this weekend?’ asked Blythe, trying hard not to sound as smug as she felt, but failing. ‘I’m sorry, Amir, but there will be other opportunities for you. Breaking the record was really important to me. I hope you understand.’
‘You can’t have won.’ Amir’s frown deepened. ‘Where did you—’
‘Hold fire, both of you,’ said Ludo waving his arms. ‘The competition is off.’
‘What?’ said Blythe and Amir in unison.
‘I blame myself.’ Ludo shook his head. ‘When I set up Happy Homes I never intended to create this dangerous level of competitiveness. It’s always been about doing the right thing for the client. Striving to avoid being the cliché everyone expects estate agents to be.’ He looked from Blythe to Amir who was still standing in the doorway looking confused. ‘It has to stop.’
It was like she’d been winded by his words. ‘But I beat the sales record.’ Her voice sounded pathetic even to her own ears. All this time she had been striving to prove herself to her father and Ludo. To do the impossible and have the highest sales every month for a whole year and now he was calling a halt to it all. She’d already emailed her father to tell him. Blythe could feel tears building behind her eyes and she took a deep breath to steady herself.
‘So nobody won then. I can live with that,’ said Amir. ‘What about the monthly bonus for the top number of sales. What’s happening with that?’ asked Amir.
Ludo rolled his lips together and shook his head. ‘It all has to be revised.’
‘Of course,’ said Amir. ‘But what about this month?’
‘I need to think everything through, so for now there’s no bonus until I work out where I went wrong,’ said Ludo.
Amir didn’t look pleased. ‘But I was in the lead when the last working day ended so technically I should receive it. And I need to pay the balance on my holiday so—’
‘Amir!’ Ludo raised his voice. Ludo never raised his voice.
Amir pulled his head back in surprise. ‘Sure, let me know,’ he said backing out of the room.
There was a long awkward pause. Ludo stared at the carpet.
‘I’m sorry,’ said Blythe, her voice feeble. ‘I’ll sort everything out about Murray’s house sale. I can put it all straight. I promise.’ She wasn’t sure how, but she would find a way.
