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“What do you think of the job so far? Is it what you hoped it would be?” Caroline asked. She reached for her wine and took a sip.
“I actually really love it,” Sophie said. “It sounds silly, but on most days, I feel like this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing. I get excited about new listings that come in and I try to be familiar with all of them, so that I’ll automatically think of them when I’m talking with people. I do have my mother’s voice whispering in my head sometimes though, nervous about working on all commission and knowing a deal can still fall apart at the last minute. I’ve already had that happen.”
Caroline nodded. “There are ups and downs, for sure. Tessa is going through a down period where everything is falling apart for her. And you’ve been in a lucky streak. It happens to all of us.”
Sophie smiled. “When I have those moments of doubt, I just remind myself of what Rick said, how I just need to always be moving forward and generating new activity, so that if a deal does fall apart, something else will take its place.”
She sipped her wine and glanced at Max. “What about you? Do you love what you do? Could you ever imagine yourself doing something else?”
Max laughed. “No. I don’t know what else I would do. I mean I suppose if my books stop selling I could always go back to bartending. I didn’t hate that, and the money was pretty good.” He reached for his wine. “What you said though about how real estate makes you excited and feels like what you are meant to do, that’s how it is for me with the writing. I look forward to going to work and dreaming up stories. And I feel incredibly lucky that I get to do that for a living. And that people actually read my stuff.”
“Lots of people,” Caroline said with a smile.
“What about you, Caroline? How did you get into real estate? And do you love it?” Sophie asked.
“I kind of fell into it. My family has a real estate business, and I grew up working there in the summer. After I graduated college, I worked in human resources at a tech company, but I got bored with it after a few years. I worked at my parents’ real estate firm again over the summer and realized it’s what I wanted to do. But I wanted to be in the city.”
When they were done eating, they put the leftovers in the fridge. They’d finished the bottle of Josh, so Max filled their glasses with Caymus and they settled in the living room. Caroline sat in one of the big club chairs and Max and Sophie sat on the sofa. They were close enough that she was aware of him next to her. He looked her way and smiled as Caroline clicked on the TV and found the recording ofMurders.
“What do you think of the wine?” he asked.
Sophie took a sip and closed her eyes, savoring the rich flavor. “It’s so good. Amazing.”
“I thought you might like it,” he said softly. He smiled and she noticed how warm his eyes looked and how there were the tiniest little lines around the corners. It gave his face some character and only made him more handsome.
The show came on and they were quiet for the next hour, sipping the delicious wine and relaxing. When the show ended, Caroline stood and stretched and yawned.
Sophie immediately yawned as well, and a moment later Max followed.
“I should probably head home. You two have to be up early.” He stood and Caroline yawned again and they all laughed. “I’m so sorry. It must be the wine, and all that food,” she said.
“Are you guys around next weekend? Or are you taking time off for the holiday?” Max asked. There was only one more weekend left before Christmas the following Friday.
“I’m here. I’ll be finishing up my Christmas shopping,” Caroline said.
“Me too. I was thinking about going ice skating maybe on Saturday. I saw the rink when I was doing some shopping last weekend. Would either of you be up for that?” Sophie asked.
“Not me. I don’t skate. And I’m way behind on my shopping,” Caroline said.
“It’s been a while for me, but I’d be up for going. I think we can rent skates there. Might be fun,” Max said.
Sophie was thrilled. She hadn’t expected that Max would be up for it and had thought Caroline might be. “Great. I’m open anytime that afternoon.”
Max smiled. “I’ll text you and we’ll pick a time. Maybe we’ll get a bite to eat after?”
“Sure, sounds good.” It sounded more than good. It sounded like an actual date, and Sophie was already looking forward to it.
Chapter Forty-Three
Sophie and Caroline headed out to the office early Monday morning. Both wanted to get in and get a head start on their week. The weekly sales meeting started at eight and they arrived a little after seven thirty. Just enough time to settle in at their desks, check email and grab a cup of coffee before heading into the conference room.
As usual, they went around the room and everyone gave updates and talked about new listings and upcoming open houses.
“Tessa, what’s the latest on our big one? Any prospects? The clock is ticking hard. How much time do you have left?” Rick asked.
Tessa made a face. “A little over a week, and I’ve still got nothing. I’ve done several open houses this month but low traffic. There was interest, but so far, no offers. I’m still doing everything I can to generate a buyer. Please keep it in mind if you talk to anyone new.”
“Will do,” Rick said.
