Harper hesitated to ask her next question, but knowing the answer would help her find the right property for him and his grandfather. “Senior can’t live alone?”
Rusty shook his head. “He’s got macular degeneration.”
“What’s that?”
“He’s losing his sight. The central vision part of it. He hasn’t been able to drive in over a year.”
“I bet he’s not happy about that.”
“Definitely not.” Rusty glanced into his mug before looking at her again. “There’s no cure, and eventually he won’t be able to live on his own. He’ll still have some peripheral vision, but...”
Her heart went out to him and Senior. She’d thought she understood how much Rusty cared for his grandfather when he told her about his grandparents over supper last Friday. But it was clear Senior was extra special to him and Amber. “Does he know about the move?”
Rusty chuckled. “Amber tried keepin’ it from him, but he’s got a way of findin’ out about stuff. Can’t put anythin’ past him. I figured he’d want to stay in our old house, but he’s okay with sellin’ it. Probably helped that there’s now a big hole in our living-room floor.”
Her brow shot up. “What?”
The tops of his cheeks turned red. “I accidentally put it there last week when I was walking to the kitchen. The place wasn’t in the best of shape when I was growin’ up, and it’s just gotten worse as time went on. Senior can fix a car, but when it comes to house repairs, he can barely change a light bulb. G’ma was the one who did the upkeep. It’s needin’ an overhaul, but I’ve been puttin’ it off. I never thought it was so bad that the wood was rottin’ under the carpet in the livin’ room, though. Guess I take after Senior when it comes to home maintenance.” He glanced at her. “Pretty bad, huh?”
“Believe it or not, I’ve heard worse. I’ve seen worse too. You can’t imagine the shape some houses are in nowadays. Especially the old ones in Maple Falls.”
“I don’t have much of an excuse, though, other than puttin’ off somethin’ I don’t wanna do. But now that Senior’s ready to move on, I’ll get someone to fix it up for sale.”
Harper noticed Rusty wasn’t looking at her now. After years of working with clients, both eager and reluctant, shecould tell when someone was struggling with making such a huge life change. “What about you?”
His head lifted. “What about me?”
“Are you ready to move on?”
He paused. Took a drink of the chai. Then said, “Nothin’ wrong with having a bigger house. Some land would be nice too.” His gaze met hers. “And if I can help out a friend? Even better.”
She held up her hands, shaking her head. “I don’t want you to buy a house just to help me.”
“I’m not. Senior and I are getting the best end of the deal.”
Relieved, she said, “I’ll make sure that happens. What’s your budget?”
“I reckon I got around five hundred thousand I can spend.”
Harper coughed. “What?”
“Wait. Sorry, that number ain’t right.” He stared at the papers in front of him as if he was mentally recalculating his funds.
“More like mid-100k range?” she said, although she had no idea how much a mechanic made. “Or around 200k?”
“Naw. More like seven fifty. But a million is as high as I can go. Not that I need something that expensive.”
Her jaw dropped. “One... million?”
He hid a grin at what she knew must be her shocked expression. “I ain’t got a lot of personal expenses, and the shop pays for itself. Last big-ticket thing I bought was my truck, and I paid cash for that.”
“Um, okay, then.” She gave her head a shake. A milliondollars. Even if she sold him a property for seven fifty she’d get a fantastic commission. And sometimes that was all it took to shake a sales slump.
“Think you can find me something for less than that?” he asked.
“You bet I can.” She smiled, but it was brief. It still didn’t sit right with her that he’d pointed out how this would help her. She was all about her clients, and Rusty would be no different. “You’ve got enough money to fix up your own house,” she said.
“I know. But Senior wants to sell.” He paused again. “Iwant to sell,” he said firmly.
