Ginny thought back to the morning of the site walk. How she’d seen Scooter Dunham pacing in the driveway when she’d arrived to meet with Geoffrey and Candace. How strange it had seemed that he did not join them inside but, rather, remained by his car on the phone while the commissioners conducted their site walk on the property. And how later, when she was leaving, she’d seen him speaking privately to one of the commissioners by the side of the barn.
“I’ll reach out to my client and check her schedule,” she told Scooter’s attorney, now. “We’ll be in touch shortly.”
Candace seemed delighted when Ginny called with the update. “I have an executory contract to drop off for signatures,” Ginny told her. “Are you available this morning?”
“Yes, bring it by any time.”
When Ginny pulled up the driveway at White Pines an hour later, the first thing she noticed was the red sports car parked in front of the main house. What was Scooter doing here, now?
Ginny was just stepping out of her car when the front door opened. “What fortuitous timing.” Scooter came down the front steps to greet her as if the place was already his.
“Good morning, Mr. Dunham,” Ginny said. “I’m here with executory contracts for my client. Copies were just faxed to your attorney’s office for review as well.”
Scooter looked pleased as punch. “Good to hear you’re on top of things.”
“Thank you for bringing those by, Ginny,” Candace said. Then, “I’m going to walk Mr. Dunham out, but there’s fresh coffee in the kitchen if you’d like. Help yourself to a cup.”
But Ginny did not help herself to coffee. She lingered on the other side of the open doorway, pretending to check phone messages as Candace walked Scooter to his car. Their voices were low, but she caught much of what they said.
“The final report should be available in the next day or two,” Scooter said.
“And you’re confident things are in good standing? Mr. Banks still has concerns about that item we discussed earlier.”
“That item has been taken care of,” Scooter stated. “And there’s no need to loop Mr. Banks in further.”
Candace glanced up at the house, and Ginny stepped back out of sight. “That’s a relief. We can keep this between us.”
“Agreed.”
By the time Candace joined her, Ginny had made sure she was in the kitchen pouring herself coffee. “Busy morning at White Pines,” Ginny mused, wondering what exactly they’d been meeting about. It was most unusual for a seller and buyer to meet, especially without their agents present. That was Ginny’s job.
“It is,” Candace agreed.
Ginny couldn’t shake the feeling she’d interrupted something. “Is everything all right with Mr. Dunham?” As Candace’s agent, she certainly had the right to ask.
“Yes, of course. He wanted permission to walk the property with one of his contractors.”
Ginny sipped her coffee thoughtfully. “It’s a bit premature for that, isn’t it? As your agent, I’d advise that you continue to show theproperty and operate under the assumption that it’s not sold until the closing is finalized.”
“I’m not worried. If Mr. Dunham wants to move ahead, that only works in our favor.”
Indeed, but it still didn’t add up. Maybe she was missing something. “Have you received the report from the Wetlands Commission site walk yet?” Ginny asked.
“I believe Mr. Dunham said it would be ready in the next day or two,” Candace replied.
There was no way Scooter Dunham would know when the report was being issued. Only the commission knew that information. Was that what they’d been discussing in the driveway?
“Well, hopefully, it’s good news.” Ginny checked Candace’s face for any clue but could find nothing. “Here’s the contract for Geoffrey to review with you. You may wish to make changes, in which case we’ll need to share those with the other side. He’ll know what to do.” She handed Candace the file with the updated contract, but Candace was more interested in next steps.
“Thank you. When are we thinking for closing?”
“Assuming all goes well with the commission report and the mortgage guarantee, it sounds like Mr. Dunham’s attorney wants to schedule before thirty days. He suggested two weeks out.”
“That’s perfect timing,” Candace said. “We’ll be heading back to London soon after.”
Ginny bit her lip. Candace had said “we.” Unless Julia or Pippa had told her, Candace was unaware that Ginny had any knowledge of her legal issues with the girls or the hearing that had just taken place. Candace certainly didn’t know her involvement with Wendell. So that made it impossible to press about the sudden change of plans for London. “So you have a return date set?” Ginny asked casually.
“Once this sale is finalized,” Candace replied. “It’s the only thing left for me to take care of here in the States.”
