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The words seem to echo through the room. I can tell by the look on her face that this is something she’s dreamed about, but never said out loud. But she deserves it. She deserves it more than anyone.
“Actually… Let me take that back,” Lou mutters.
I clench my jaw. I know he has the courage to do this, if he just thinks about it for a minute. He must realize how valuable she is.
Lou sits behind his desk heavily in the creaky, old leather chair. He gulps down the last of his champagne and sighs for a long time, then sits back.
“You know what? Why don’t you just take it all?”
Clarissa shakes her head. “Lou, if it’s too much…”
“No, I’m serious,” he continues in his gravelly voice. “To be honest, I’m tired of all this. You guys still have it, the fire for it. I can see it just looking at you. You’ve got that spark, and I lost it… a long time ago. I don’t even know when.”
“Wait, what are you talking about here?” I ask slowly.
“I’m talking about a buyout,” he shrugs. “Just take the whole thing.”
Clarissa gasps as she figures it out. “You are talking about… selling the company?”
“Well, I’m talking about selling the company to you two. Not to anybody else. Certainly not to any of those characters out there.”
He waggles his finger in the air, indicating all the other brokers in the office.
“Lou, I don’t know how we could do that,” Clarissa answers tentatively.
Clearing my throat, I catch her eye. She just got a commission. A huge one. It takes her a moment to remember.
“You know, I’ve been thinking about getting out of the city,” Lou continues, almost talking to himself. “I’ve been thinking about going up north. Maybe Lake Geneva? Just finding a little place to fish?”
I try not to let on that I remember anything regarding him and Sunny. He may not even know that I know. Obviously, there is at least one person in Lake Geneva who would be happy to see him too.
“Retirement, you think?” I suggest nonchalantly. “Think you’ll find enough to do to keep busy?”
He raises his eyebrows and bobs his head from side to side. “Oh, I think if people put their mind to it they could find things to do to entertain themselves.”
“So should we put the paperwork together?” I suggest.
Clarissa looks startled. I can tell this is all going very fast for her.
“Yeah, put something together for me,” Lou suggests. Already I can tell that he seems more relaxed. Retirement will do him good.
“Okay. We will have something for you by the end of the week,” Clarissa stammers.
“Sounds good,” Lou says, but I can see the champagne has taken hold. His eyes are droopy, and I figure he is about to slip into one of his brief afternoon naps.
Clarissa follows me to my office, her steps quick and nervous. She closes the door behind her carefully before daring to say anything.
“What was that!” she whisper-yells.
“What was what?” I whisper-yell back.
“All of that!” she continues, beginning to pace back and forth. “The compliments! The quitting! The promotion! The buying the company! This is insane!”
I don’t say anything for a few seconds, giving her room to breathe.
“No, this is nuts!” she declares, loud enough that I’m sure pe
ople can hear her outside the door.
