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Maddox's lips spread in a smile that's so genuine it surprises me.
“How?” he asks, and I have to sit to launch into the explanation.
“Alright, so get this. As you know, the first thing for every good sale is research what the client wants before they know what they want. So, I scoured all the online forums about him.”
“Why didn’t you ask me?”
“I didn’t want you to discourage me. Besides, you already told me that I should try and form an opinion of the guy on my own. I couldn’t meet him in person so I did it this way. Found out that he loves kids and he's mentioned in a few interviews that one of his goals was to open up a spot for kids away from the city where they can engage in arts and creative pursuits. It's an old interview but, I thought, since he already has a house in California, this might be what he was looking for now."
"Ah, that’s why you were asking me a bunch of questions about his properties last week.”
“Yup." I feel a little guilty, so I add, "Sorry. I didn’t want to tell you why because I thought you would disapprove of my using the information on your friend to make a sale.”
“On the contrary." He pushes back on his desk. “I’m almost always in support of ‘Using what you know to get what you want.’”
"I thought as much." And here I was thinking he grew a conscience. “Anyway, after cyber-stalking him and figuring out what he wants—I’m pretty computer savvy, by the way, I’m not sure if I mentioned that—I found the perfect neighborhood for what he wants out closer to the North. Quiet, in the countryside, and the neighborhood would probably appreciate the extra income from the publicity it creates. I sent Nixon's PA a text, recommending the neighborhood with a brief explanation—no strings attached—in case he wanted to use that with his next agent. But then he just texted me back that he's free next weekend! Can you imagine?”
“Good," Maddox crosses his arms and nods like a proud father. "Looks like your hard work paid off.”
“It definitely did. But now I have to find the house of his dreams, meet with the seller, discuss renos and et cetera. Do we have anything in that neighborhood currently available?"
“No. But we can do some footwork this week, and go check it out."
"We?” I shook my head. “You don’t have to do that. I know you’re very busy.”
Plus, I don’t want to spend more time around him than I have to. Not that I don’t enjoy his company. Surprisingly, I do. When he's not being a complete pain in the ass, we have these moments where the conversation flows and everything clicks.
But all that makes it much harder to resist temptation and see him as just my boss.
“You have a meeting later today, don't you?” I say to change the subject.
“I do,” he says. After remaining in thought for a few more seconds, he snaps his fingers together. "I got it. There’s a conference happening in Napa Valley this week. It’s a weeklong one and I was going to drive up there tomorrow."
I nod not sure where he going with it.
He shakes his head when he doesn’t get a response. “Come with me. We can stop for a few days and check out the houses on the way.”
I blink at him. “No, I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
So many reasons it’s hard to articulate all of them. “I thought only senior agents attend the important conferences here?”
“No. It’s for whoever the fuck I choose.”
“Alright, but I also can’t leave just go off for one week and leave Mimi alone for that long.”
Maddox cocks his head. “She saw the psychologist already?”
“Yeah,” I nod. “He says she’s fine. Just a little Type A.”
All Mimi’s tests came back clean and she promised she wouldn’t stay up late like that ever again. During her visit with Dr. Smith, the child psychologist, he informed us that Mimi is completely normal, although gifted. The problem is that she is highly competitive.
“Kids of her intelligence typically are,” he explained. “Especially when seeking attention from their parents. Just watch out for any signs of anxiety and try to assure her as much as you can.”
Which I’ve been doing.
Necessity is really the mother of innovation because I’ve somehow found a way to become more productive at work by streamlining most of the paperwork. As a result, I’m much faster. Barring any client meetings or house viewings, I often finish work in time to pick Mimi up from school and spend the rest of the evening with her. I’ve also noticed that sometimes, right before I leave, Maddox will come and hover at my desk, bugging me to finish quicker so I can go pick up my daughter.
