Page 12 of Diego

“Yes. Of course.”

There it is again.

Of course.

Absolutely.

Naturally.

Every answer is an echo of my thoughts. So much so that I have no idea whether Randall has an opinion of his own or whether he simply changes it depending on what the person across from him wants to hear.

I lean back in my chair while he pulls up another listing. “How long have you been with Meridian?”

“Almost nine years.”

“And running this office?”

“Six.”

He says it with pride, which is fair enough, but then he follows it with several minutes about market share, client retention, luxury positioning, and the caliber of people who trust Meridian with their business. I listen because part of being involved in Conti Enterprises means paying attention to the people who are now working under our umbrella, but somewhere around the third reference to his personal relationships with high-net-worth clients, I stop wondering whether my first impression was unfair.

It was generous.

Randall finally returns to the listings. “This one might be closer.”

It is not.

The building itself is fine. The apartment is large. The finishes are expensive. There is parking, security, plenty of privacy, and a view that probably adds several million dollars to the asking price.

I still do not want it.

I scroll through the photographs, giving each one more attention than I gave the last property. “No.”

Randall sits back slightly. “Can I ask what specifically you don’t like?”

“The feel of it.”

He gives a short laugh, as though I made a joke.

I look at him.

The laugh dies.

“Right,” he says. “Of course. Sometimes you can’t tell until you’re standing in a property.”

“Exactly.”

“We can keep narrowing it down.”

“I don’t think pictures are going to narrow it down.”

Randall folds his hands on the desk. “What would you prefer?”

“I want to see places in person.”

“Yes. Certainly.”

His relief is immediate, as though we have finally reached a problem he knows how to solve. He turns back toward his computer and starts moving through his calendar. “I can put together a full day tomorrow. We’ll start in the morning, move through several neighborhoods, and I’ll make sure we have enough variety that you can get a real sense of what works for you.”