“Yes.”
I sighed. “And there’s no way around it?”
“Not unless you want to ditch the pool altogether. But you’d still be out a couple grand to cover the hole and shore up the groundworks.”
Shit.I banged my hand against the steering wheel. That was a lot of money. Poof! Gone.
I could afford twenty thousand, not that I liked spending such large sums. But I wondered whether it was worth the investment. I wondered if I was making a huge mistake with this home that had been one obstacle after another. And I continued to sink money into it, my potential return dwindling the longer it took to get it on the market.
“Alexis?” Shane asked. “What do you want to do?”
I thought about the comps in the area, and I knew what needed to be done. “Fix the pool.”
Another call beeped in, but I didn’t recognize the number so I let it go to voice mail. I had a feeling Shane wasn’t done. I turned on my indicator, taking a left and heading up into the hills toward the Miller property.
“There’s something else,” he said.
I braced myself, not liking the tone of his voice. “Okay. What is it?”
“You know the chandelier you ordered?”
“The Italian glass one?” I asked, already dreading whatever he was going to tell me.
“It, um, it was damaged when they tried to hang it.”
“How damaged?” I ground out.
“Shattered.”
Silence hung between us. That chandelier had been the pièce de résistance of the home. I’d planned the entire kitchen around it, and now…Fuck.I blew out a breath. There wasn’t time to order another one, not if I didn’t want to hold up the house for another three to four months while they custom-made it then shipped it to America. God, I wanted to scream or maybe cry. Which was ridiculous—I didn’t cry over chandeliers.
“Please tell me you’re joking,” I said.
“I’m sorry, Alexis. The guys were really careful, but sometimes these things just happen.”
“I have to go,” I said, pulling up to the Miller property. The potential buyer and her agent were already waiting at the gate.
“What about the chandelier?” he asked.
“I’ll…” I huffed. “I’ll find another one, I guess.” I mean, what other choice did I have? “I’ll talk to you later.”
I disconnected the call and took a deep breath. I needed to get my head back in the game if I was going to make this deal happen. And with the costs mounting over on Sycamore and for Sophia’s birthday party, plus her private school tuition coming due, I could definitely use a win.
I smiled and shook hands with the agent before she introduced me to the potential buyers. I let them into the house, when my phone rang again. I switched it to vibrate and sent the call to voice mail, not wanting any interruptions. I knew how some of these high-end buyers could be—high-maintenance. The smallest thing could set them off and ruin a deal.
But when my phone vibrated again—the same number for a third time—worry gnawed at my gut. I excused myself to a small outdoor courtyard, trying to keep my voice low.
“Alexis Black.”
“Alexis, this is Amber with the STEM camp. Can you come pick up your daughter? There’s been an incident.”
“Sophia?” I asked, wanting to confirm she had the right child.
“Yes. Sophia Kinnison. I have her sitting here with me.”
“Mommy.” Sophia’s voice came over the line, and I could barely understand her between her tears. “Can you…get me? Hurts…”
“What happened? Are you okay, sweetie?” I tried to remain calm, even as I panicked. What the hell was going on? And where was Preston?
