Page 54 of Sea Breezes at The Beach House Hotel

The two-car garage was surprisingly empty except for the Prius parked there.

“The backyard is big enough for a pool,” Hester explained. “We were thinking of putting one in when Earl was laid off from work on disability, and we couldn’t do it.”

That explained a lot about the lack of upgrades.

“Thank you for letting us see the house. My daughter will be in touch with us, and we’ll provide you with an answer within twenty-four hours. Will that do?”

“Oh, yes,” said Hester. “You know what we want for the house.”

“Yes. You made that clear,” I said.

Liz said, “I have a lawyer lined up in case this sale works for both you and my sister.”

“Thank you,” said Hester, leading us to the front door. Earl remained in his chair asleep. Outside, Rhonda, Liz, and I met by my car and stood talking about the house.

“A home inspector will be able to identify any problems that need to be addressed,” said Rhonda. “But though the house needs to be painted and spruced up inside, it seems to be well-built.”

“For that amount of money, the house is a steal. But Nell and Clint will have to put quite a bit of money into the house to bring it up to the standards of the neighborhood,” said Liz. “But if they’re willing to work on it, the house is an excellent buy.”

“I think so, too,” I said to her. “Clint is the one you have to convince. He wanted a bigger house than they already had in a better neighborhood when they moved a couple of years ago. And though this house is very different from what they have, it can be stunning.”

“I don’t think we should send any photos to Nell now,” said Rhonda. “See if the numbers work for them, and then send her the photos we took along with a list of what renovations we think they’ll need to make.”

“Okay,” I said. Looking back at the house, I saw how beautiful it could be.

“Okay, I’m going to call Nell,” said Liz. “I told her I would.”

“We’d better get back to the hotel,” said Rhonda. “We have a big luncheon going on, and we need to make our presence known.”

Alone in the car, I said, “Once I got past what the interior looked like, I fell in love with the house. I can picture Nell living there, where the children can easily find friends to play with.”

“Me, too,” said Rhonda. “But it will be a big change for Clint. Do you think he’ll do it?”