Natalie’s brows shot up in surprise. “Really? Do you think they’ll work it out? She and Don?”
“I hope so. I mean, what would Beth do if they got divorced?”
This gave Natalie pause. “Start her home baking business?”
“From what home? Without Don’s income, she’d be in an apartment over someone’s garage.”
“That’s true.” Natalie glanced around her comfortable living room. “What would you do in her shoes?”
Elaine let out a soft laugh. “Benjamin would never cheat on me, but in the unlikely event that he did, I’d keep it to myself. You and I aren’t in the same boat as Beth. We’re mothers. I wouldn’t tear apart my family over an affair, would you?”
“No,” Natalie admitted. “If Jimmy and I got divorced, I’d have to do even more than I do now. I probably wouldn’t be able to keep Una on, and if I had to quit my job to do nothing but clean and take care of the kids, I’d be crushed.”
“Speaking of your job, congratulations on the McCreedy sale.” Elaine saluted her with her wineglass. “May it be the first of many.”
Natalie felt a rush of affection for her friend. “Thank you. Iamvery pleased. Just between you and me, I was getting worried. In the time it took me to convince the Sherifs to put an offer in writing and to negotiate with the McCreedys, Sid gave Gina another fantastic listing.”
“What will you do if he gives you another dud?”
“Oh, I fully expect another challenging property. And since I won’t make enough money selling duds, I’ve come up with a plan.” Natalie smiled slyly. “You see, all the agents are supposed to take turns answering the phone, but the guys never do it. Gina will put promising leads right in the guys’ laps because that’s what we’ve been told to do, but I’m going to keep them for myself. That’s how the Sherifs became my clients and that’s how I got the listing for the colonial down the street from our church.”
“The Richardsons’ house?”
“Yep. They’re moving to Port Washington because Phil wants to be closer to the city. Phil wanted to work with a male agent, but I got lucky because he didn’t call Gold Coast. Barbara did. When I told her the men didn’t have much timeto give their property the attention it deserved—not with their busy golf and tennis schedules—she talked Phil into giving the listing to me.”
“Do all the men play golf and tennis?”
Natalie flicked her wrist. “I have no idea. Technically, it was Gina’s turn to receive a cold call lead, but she doesn’t have three kids to send to college and Sid will always throw her a bone. I have to bend the rules to get ahead.”
Natalie had done more than bend the rules. She’d crossed a line. She would never tell Elaine, or anyone else, what she’d done after Gina cornered her in the break room for a little “talk between us girls.”
“Don’t rub Sid the wrong way, or he’ll give you the garbage listings forever,” Gina had advised. “Try being nicer to him. Compliment him once in a while. And smile more when you’re around the guys. I know you’re a mom and all, but you’re still pretty. You may as well use it while you’ve still got it, am I right? After all, it works for me. I’m top of the sales board this week.Again.”
Gina had done a little shimmy, grabbed her coffee cup, and walked out of the room, leaving Natalie rigid with fury.
That bimbo thinks she’s better than me!
Natalie had seethed all day. She kept staring at the sales board, noting the addresses of Gina’s listings.
The closing for the cute cape near the school was coming up. The family had already moved out and the house was empty.
After work, Natalie drove down the quiet street. She’d parked a block away from the house and walked toward the Gold Coast sign. Everyone in the office knew that Gina used her birthday as the code for her lockboxes, so Natalie had no trouble gaining entry to the house. Once inside, she’d wriggled the dishwasher out of its cubby and used a serrated knife to make several small, jagged holes in the water hose.
“Mice will chew anything,” she’d mumbled as she pushed the dishwasher back in place. Then she’d set the machine to its longer run cycle, started it, and left the house.
Two days later, Sid had erased the address from the sales board.
“Kitchen flooded,” he’d told Natalie. “Deal’s off. Gina can try again when everything’s fixed up.”
No, Natalie had thought.That’s going to bemylisting.
The doorbell rang, startling Natalie from her reverie and causing a riot of barking from Lady and Tramp, who were downstairs with the kids. She told the dogs to hush up and opened the front door.
She expected Beth to be haggard and disheveled, but her friend looked completely put together in tight jeans, a pink tank top with a ruffled neckline, and wedge sandals. Her nails were done, her hair was recently permed, and she wore a bold, musky fragrance instead of her usual floral scent.
“Here’s our Beth, looking lovelier than ever.” Natalie gestured at the sofa. “Get comfy while I make you a drink.”
Elaine held out a hand. “I’m so glad you came tonight. How are you?”
