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Sophie felt badly for Tessa but was somewhat relieved that she was going to be away for the weekend. With just her and Caroline, the energy in the apartment would be calmer and quieter. Sophie thought she would probably have a quiet weekend, too. Which was fine with her. After working all week, she didn’t mind hunkering down on the weekend. And she had her open house to look forward to on Sunday. She liked that the open houses in Manhattan were typically just an hour, unlike the ones in her hometown that were always two or sometimes three hours long.
“Why are open houses only an hour in Manhattan?” she asked.
“It creates more of a sense of urgency, and it seems like more people are interested, which can mean they will move faster to an offer,” Caroline said. “We also don’t want to waste our time, and this way we can do multiple open houses the same day.”
“That makes sense,” Sophie said.
“Sometimes we can create even more urgency by holding all showings until the first open house. I’ve done that a few times,” Tessa said.
“Should I do that?” Sophie asked.
Caroline shook her head. “I wouldn’t. Just get the listing up and show it to anyone that will look. What you may want to do is to email some of the brokers we work with often from other offices and invite them to stop by as well and to bring any buyers they might have.”
“I’ll do that first thing tomorrow morning,” Sophie said.
Caroline and Sophie had another round, and Tessa ordered her third drink. She was in a better mood now and had shifted from being upset to laughing at the absurdity of it.
By the time they left to walk home, they were all in a relatively good mood and Tessa’s appetite had returned. They decided to pick up some Thai takeout on the way home and to relax and watch a gossipy real estate reality show. It was so ridiculous that they laughed constantly.
“Thank goodness it’s not really like that,” Caroline said.
“Well, it can be cutthroat at times,” Tessa said. “But nothing like these shows make it out to be.”
Even though it was over-the-top, these reality shows were guilty pleasures, and they were addicted to them.
“Tomorrow will be a better day, Tessa. We’ll all try to find you a buyer,” Caroline said.
“Yes, I don’t have many buyers yet, but I’m trying to get more, and I’d love to find someone for you, too,” Sophie said.
“Thanks guys. It’s all good. I have almost a month to find someone. I am determined to get this under contract ASAP.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sophie was excited to start the volunteers training program Saturday at the Met. It was a combination of online and onsite training, and the program was six months long. By the time they finished, they’d know enough to answer questions from people visiting the museum. And Sophie had been accepted into the weekend program which would be a shift every other weekend once she finished the training.
During the break between their first and second lecture, the attendees chatted amongst themselves and introduced each other.
There were six people in her class, and they were a mix of ages and backgrounds. Two were younger and were art history students at nearby colleges. Two were retired and were excited to learn more about the museum they’d loved for years. And the other was a woman about Sophie’s age. Her name was Emily. Her hair was a sleek, shiny brown bob that fell to her collarbone and Sophie loved her outfit. She was so elegantly dressed in a cream cashmere turtleneck and wool caramel-colored pants and boots. She had stunning diamond solitaire earrings and a thick gold bangle bracelet.
“I just had my second baby recently and am a stay-at-home mother now. But I really miss working. I’ve always loved art, so this will let me get out of the house and feel useful.”
“How old are your children?” Sophie asked her.
“The baby, Leo, is just six months and my girl, Mariah, is four. What about you?”
“No kids yet. I’m new to the city. I just started working in real estate recently. My aunt was a volunteer here for years and loved it so much. I live close by and thought I’d follow in her footsteps. And it’s something to do on the weekends. I still don’t know many people here yet,” she admitted.
Emily smiled. “The weekends are perfect for me too, because Jim is home and can watch the kids for the afternoon. Where do you live?”
“Just a few blocks down from here. My aunt had an apartment and recently passed, and she knew how much I loved the city.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. How wonderful though that you get to stay here now. We live nearby, too. I love our apartment, but now that the baby has come, it’s feeling a little small. Eventually we may want to get a bigger place. But we’re in no rush,” Emily said.
“Moving is stressful,” Sophie agreed. She’d already mentioned that she was in real estate so she didn’t want to be pushy and offer to help. She knew she probably should, but it didn’t feel right. Not yet.
Emily laughed. “It really is. I’m just not ready to deal with it yet. Maybe in a few more months. We’ll see. How is the market right now?”
“It’s busy. We have a lot of beautiful properties. I’m sure there will be plenty when you’re ready to look,” she said.
