The Millionaire Myth (20 page)

Chapter 35

              It had been four months since Gina had asked me to get my real estate license, and here I was, still staring at a cluttered counter. Of course, this counter was granite, not that you could tell. It was covered with so many files, notebooks and other random things you could only see glimpses of the shiny black surface.

             
I was standing in Gina's home office. It had been about a month since I'd passed my real estate exam. Gina had been right; the classes and test were a breeze. Partly because of my experience at Lawson & Stone, and I think partly because I find the whole process fascinating.

             
Fascinating and overwhelming. Currently I was more on the overwhelmed side of things, as I searched through the piles of paperwork for a missing lock box

             
“Did you find it?” I heard Gina ask from behind me.

             
I saw a lump under a small bundle of printer paper. I reached under and pulled out the lock box “Jackpot!” I said, as I held it out to her.

             
“I have got to get into an office, like yesterday!” She groaned, as she took the lock box and stuffed it into her bag.

             
“It'll be fine. I'll get this stuff organized in no time.”

             
“Oh I believe it. You've already saved me a million times Stella. But we're getting busier, and running
Warren Properties
out of this place just isn't going to cut it.”

             
Gina had dropped Matthews and gone back to her maiden name after she divorced Steven. I had asked her if she was sure she wanted to name the company Warren, after all, what is she got re-married? She'd rolled her eyes said, “I highly doubt I'll ever re-marry. But, if I do, I know for certain I'll be keeping my name.” And so,
Warren Properties
was born.

             
And now,
Warren Properties
was threatening to bury us. Literally. In piles of paper. I picked up the nearest pile and started sorting. “You'll find a place.”

             
“I know. I'm looking at a couple places today that have potential.” She snapped her fingers. “Oh! I almost forgot! Can you do me a favor and check out the open houses today? There's just a few, but I am going to be tied up with the commercial buildings.”

             
I nodded. “No problem. I can check them out. You concentrate on finding an office,
like yesterday.”

             
* * *

             
“What am I doing here?” Kami asked, as she struggled to put on the blue shoe covers that were by the front door.

             
I giggled as I watched her stretch to get around her very pregnant belly. “Would you just sit down please? The last thing we need is for you to go into early labor over shoe covers.” I crouched down and put the covers over her bright white tennis shoes. I looked up at her. “What's with the shoes, track star? They don't really go with your ensemble.”

             
She pushed herself up off the bench. “Hah! Ensemble my butt. Black leggings and one of Jack's old t-shirts?” She stretched out the orange fabric. “I look like a god damned pumpkin!”

             
“A very cute pumpkin,” I added.

             
“Quit trying to make me feel better. I'm wearing the shoes because my feet are swollen, and these are the only ones that are comfy. Besides,” She stuck out her belly even more, “I wouldn't be attractive to anyone looking like this, doesn't matter what I'm wearing.”

             
I shook my head and stepped into the house. “You're so full of it. Jack is on you like white on rice, and you know it. I looked at her shiny hair and clear skin. “You look damn good, so quit acting like you don't.”

             
“Talk to me about looking good when you're eight months pregnant,” She said as she followed me into the house.

             
“Yeah, I'll get right on that. You know, as soon as I find a man.” I grinned at her. “That should be around the twelfth of never.”

             
“Quit your bellyaching and answer my question. What am I doing here?”

             
I stopped and turned to face her. “You,” I patted her stomach. “
And you
, little no-name, are here for perspective.”

             
Kami swatted my hand away. “You know I hate that. Talk to her when she comes out. Right now, talk to me.” She pointed to her own eyes.

             
“Alright, cranky. You are here because I'm previewing this place for a client. The wife is expecting, just like you are.” I grinned at her. “Though, she does complain a little less than you.” I giggled, and Kami tried to hit me in the arm, but I moved quickly enough to dodge it. “Just kidding! I really want your opinion on this place. Tell me if you think it's good for kids.”

             
“So then you're saying you need me.”

             
“Yes, Kami. I need you, I want you, I can't live without you!”

             
“I'm taken.”

             
“I'm crushed. Now come on, Mama, let's waddle around the joint and see what you think.”

             
This time I wasn't fast enough, and she whacked me in the arm. “Shut up, Skinny.”

             
We toured the sprawling one level ranch, and Kami gave it her stamp of approval. “This place is great. Level, fully fence yard, there's a bedroom close to the master for the baby. And this is my favorite part.” She reached out to play with the dimmer switch in the kitchen.

             
“A dimmer is your favorite part?”

             
“Absolutely! There are dimmers in the kitchen
and
the living room!”

             
I watched her, still waiting for an explanation. “Uh-huh...”

             
“For the baby!” Kami announced, like that made everything clear. She looked at my face and could see that I needed more information. “Think about it; you get up at midnight to feed the baby, you come into the kitchen, you can turn the lights on really low. That way you're not blinded, and the baby stays sleepy.” She walked into the living room as she continued explaining, “Or, you're in here walking around to get the baby to fall asleep. You can keep the lights low enough to help him sleep, but you can still have a little light so you don't kill yourself walking into an ottoman or something!”

             
“I have to say, you are
very
into these dimmers. Do you want to buy the place?”

             
Kami snapped out of her dimmer-induced fantasy and glared at me. “Are you kidding? I am not going to move when I'm eight months pregnant.”

             
“It was a joke, Kami. Remember those?”

             
“Yeah, I got it, you and your jokes.” She looked around. “I think this is a good one, Estelle. You should show it to them.”

             
I nodded, satisfied. “Good deal. You up for looking at a couple more? They're not too far.”

             
“I am on one condition.”

             
“Yes?”

             
“My little girl would like a chocolate milkshake.”

             
“Huh. I find it interesting that I can't talk to her until after she's born, but she's capable of speaking to you from the womb.”

             
Kami shrugged. “It's a mother-daughter bonding kind of thing. You wouldn't understand.”

              I opened the door to the third, and last house I wanted to show Kami. She stepped through behind me, slurping on a large chocolate shake. The house entered right into a large living room. I shut the door and flipped on the living room light. She looked at the switch and then back to me, her eyebrows raised. I sighed, “I know. No dimmers.”

             
She nodded. “Exactly. The last one didn't have them either, remember?”

             
“I remember, you told me about fifteen times, and then another five times in the car on the way here. Not every place is going to have dimmers. It's not written into the building codes or anything, but I bet you're planning on working on that.”

             
“I just think they're a huge benefit for the-”

             
“Baby,” I finished. “I got it! You know, there was a time when you'd see a dimmer and think it was great because it was so romantic.”

             
She rolled her eyes. “Estelle, when you've got a crying baby and you haven't slept in days, nothing is romantic. Trust me on that.” She smiled. “But, if you have a calm environment that helps a baby sleep, so that
you
can sleep, then there are bedroom possibilities.”

             
“Wow,” I said. Now that the lights were on I could see the living room carpet. It was in great shape, and spotless. It was also maroon. Yikes.

             
Kami shrugged. “Ripping out carpet is easy. I don't think it's a deal breaker.”

             
I led her through the living room and we made a right into the kitchen. The floor was a nice white tile. The cabinets were a light wood. Nothing fancy, but it was clean and in good shape. Beyond the kitchen was a sunken family room. I flipped the switch to turn on the kitchen lights, and whined, “No dimmer? I can't live like this!”

             
She laughed and nudged me forward so that she could see the room. “Lots of cabinets, that's nice. Oooh, a wall oven! I've always wanted one of those!” She walked over and looked inside. “Something about a wall oven just seems so fancy to me.”

             
“Yeah, this is pretty nice,” I agreed, waking down into the family room. There was a brick fireplace and a large sliding glass door that led to the backyard. We went outside to a large covered patio with more than enough room for a six person table and a grill.

             
“I really like this,” Kami said from behind me. All this shaded area for the summer? How great is that.” We walked out from under the patio and checked out the large yard. It had a six foot wooden fence, and large trees that made it very private.

             
“I love this backyard,” I said. “Can you imagine this much room? I could have a dog, even two of them. This is so great.”

             
“You have my dimmer switch tone,” Kami laughed. “This yard is nice, bigger that mine even, and so private.”

             
I looked down at the listing sheet in my hand. They're asking one hundred and twenty thousand. That's a pretty fair price in this market.”

             
Kami leaned over my shoulder to look at the paper too. “That sounds fair. You could swing that.”

             
Immediately I shook my head. “No! I couldn't! I don't have enough money for something like this. I'm just daydreaming, that's all.” I nudged her. “Come on, let's go back inside and look at the rest of the place.”

             
We walked back through the kitchen and headed down a hallway. The first door on the right was a bathroom. It was fine. Nothing spectacular, but nothing awful either. Except for the border that ran along the top or the wall. Maroon flowers. Yuck.

             
Further down the hall there were three bedrooms, the one at the back was the master. It was big enough for a queen bed and some dressers. Kami opened a door. “Oh, master bathroom is kinda tiny.”

             
I looked into the room to see a toilet, small pedestal sink and a stall shower. The only storage to speak of was a towel rack. “Yeah, this is pretty tiny, but it's got the basics, right? Besides, since there's a tub in the hall bathroom, you don't have to have one in here.”

             
“There's that tone again,” Kami teased.

             
“There's no tone, crazy. I'm just thinking of what to tell my clients.”

             
“Maybe you should tell them that this place is off the market.”

             
“Kami, I can't buy this place.”

             
“Please stop saying that! I know you think you have to have twenty percent, but you don't. You're a real estate agent, for God's sake! Don't you know this?”

             
I nodded. “Of course I know this. You can finance one hundred percent of the loan if you want, but then you have to pay the extra fees. It just seems like throwing money away.”