AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can you be less crude,” I asked, “and more specific?”
“The two owners keep fighting and refuse to leave,” she said. “It’s scaring potential buyers away.”
I nodded. “That’s an easy fix. Did you ask them to leave?”
“They refused.”
“You need to be more persuasive,” I said.
“Mr. Hartford,” she said, “with all due respect… Can you ask them to leave for me?”
I groaned. Was she serious? How did she expect to sell houses when she had to run to daddy to do all the hard work for her?
“This is your job, Ms. Saunders. I can’t do your job for you.”
“I’m not asking you to do my job,” she said, her voice confident and stern in a way I’d never seen before. The exact way she should have been acting when she walked in. All it took was a little push, I suppose.
“I can sell the house,” she said, “but I need them out of there first. All I need you to do is tell them to leave.”
“What makes you so sure they’ll listen to me?”
“Even in heels, you’ve got at least four inches on me.” She sighed and looked behind her at the closed door. “And, frankly, you’re also older and a man. People respond better to you.”
I appreciated her honesty, and it was difficult to argue with her point, but I didn’t appreciate her asking me to go out there for her.
“I’m not going to tell them they have to leave,” I said. “That would undermine you.”
“Mr. Hartford, I’m begging you.”
She folded her hands up into a prayer.
My computer’s screensaver went on and I shook the mouse to awaken it. The email from before returned to the screen, reminding me that the powers that be wanted me to actually help my agents do their job better.
There had to be a middle ground where I could help her without actually doing her work.
“Here’s what I’ll do,” I said. “I will stand behind you when you tell them to leave.”
She looked up at me and her face brightened.
“Does that work?”
She nodded.
“Perfect.”
“When’s the next showing?” I asked.
“Wait,” she told me. “There’s one other thing.”
“What? What’s the other thing?”
Again, she looked behind her to make sure the door was closed. But even then, she refused to say the word. She leaned forward and only mouthed it:
Mold.
Mold? I mouthed back.
She nodded.
