“Agreed,” he said, feeling happy that they shared the same opinion.
When the older couple returned, he enjoyed hearing them talk about all the improvements they had made over the years as they finished their tour.
By the time the visit was done, they were all laughing like old friends.
“Level with me, son,” the husband said as hewalked them to the door. “Is this the kind of house you’d like to buy? My price isn’t firm. I want the place to go to someone who loves it.”
Erik looked to Sloane, but she nodded to him.
“You have a real treasure here, sir,” Erik told him. “Lots of land and plenty of space for a growing family. But I think it might be a bit too much for me. I stay busy with my work and I’m afraid I couldn’t do it justice. But whoever does buy it will be very, very lucky.”
“That’s fair enough,” the owner said, looking disappointed, but nodding. “Thanks for your honesty.”
“I hope to see you both around town,” Erik told them.
They headed back out to the cars with the couple waving cheerfully to them from the porch.
“I hope that was okay to say,” he said quietly to Sloane.
“It was perfect,” she said. “The man asked your opinion, and you were polite, but honest. That’s the best feedback you can get as a seller, even if it’s not what you were hoping to hear.”
“Good,” Erik said. “What’s next?”
“A house right in town,” she told him. “This one is smaller and newer, with nice finishes.”
“Okay,” he said. “Definitely something different then. We’ll follow you.”
They all piled back into the SUV and Erik followed Sloane’s station wagon back down the gravel drive to the street.
“That was a big house,” Gael said.
“Did you like it?” Jenny asked him.
Erik glanced in the rearview mirror, curious what the boy thought.
“Too big for us,” he said, shaking his head.
Erik smiled. He agreed with Gael, even though of course none of them were supposed to be thinking of it asfor us.
“Agreed,” Jenny said. “Erik doesn’t need to take care of such a big house. That place was basically a farm.”
When they arrived in town, Sloane led them through the village and down Columbia Avenue, parking in front of a set of newer townhouses that looked almost out of place in the old town.
“Well, this would definitely be convenient to the Center,” Jenny remarked.
She was right—it was only two blocks away. He wouldn’t even need to drive.
They all got out and Sloane fiddled with a box that hung from the front door. A moment later, she was opening it up and popping inside.
“Okay,” she said, sticking her head back out. “Come on in. I’m just going to turn on a few more lights. Make yourselves at home.”
There certainly were a lot of lights to turn on. The house had ceiling lights, accent lamps, and even special lights over the paintings that hung from the living room walls.
“This is fancy,” Gael whispered.
“Yes,” Jenny said a little worriedly. “We’d better not touch anything.”
Erik knew she was saying that for Gael’s benefit, but it sounded like she was warning herself just as much.
