The Foxe & the Hound

Madeleine rolls her eyes. “Clearly Daisy has been filling you in. Yes, this is the vet, Adam but right now he’s my client, Adam.”

Mrs. Bell squeals. “Oh, how amazing, Madeleine! Daisy told me you were having a rough go of real estate for a little bit. I’m so happy to see you with a new client.”

I see Madeleine’s smile falter. Is she having a rough go of it? She was obviously desperate to get me as a client if she was willing to accept my proposal the other day, but I just thought she was being an overzealous agent—going the extra mile for her job, that sort of thing. Now, I’m not so sure.

“Well once Madeleine sells me a house, I’ll recommend her to everyone I know,” I add, trying to ease her frown.

The fact that I don’t really know many people in Hamilton is completely lost on Mrs. Bell. Her eyes glow with approval.

“What a kind man.” She turns to Madeleine. “And handsome too, don’t you think?”

Madeleine laughs. “I don’t think you’re supposed to say that in front of him, Mrs. Bell. It’ll go to his head.”

I smile. “I don’t mind, really.”

Mrs. Bell laughs and tosses me a wink. “I wish I could stay and chat, but I don’t want to keep you two from your date—”

“Lunch meeting,” Madeleine corrects.

Mrs. Bell smiles. “In my day, we called them dates, but whatever floats your boat.”

“He’s a client!”

Once again, they seem to have completely forgotten I’m sitting here, listening, but I don’t mind. It’s the most entertainment I’ve had in weeks.

“Well I’ve never had a client eye me the way he’s eyeing you.”

I smile, but Madeleine groans and shoos her away, threatening bodily harm if she keeps it up.

“Don’t pay attention to her,” Madeleine insists, sitting back down at our table. “She likes to stir up trouble. It’s kind of her thing.”

I shrug, finishing off the last bite of my sandwich before I reply, “I like her.”

She reminds me of my mom, but somehow that kind of teasing is more charming when it comes from someone you aren’t related to.

“She means well, but you should have seen the way she manipulated Daisy and Lucas before they finally got together. I thought Daisy was going to kill her.”

I laugh, imagining it for myself. “I’d like to hear about that someday when we have more time.”

Her eyes flash and she slaps her forehead. “Ugh, right, of course. We need to get down to business. You have to get back to work soon, I’m sure, and we haven’t even started to talk about real estate.”

I wish we didn’t have to. I want to hear more about Mrs. Bell, about Madeleine’s life in Hamilton, but she insists. Her untouched sandwich gets pushed to the side as she turns her laptop so we can both see the screen.

“So first we’ll go over the details about what you’re looking for—y’know, what your price range is, that sort of thing.”

“I don’t know the answer to that.”

She balks. “Which part? The price? Or the type of house you’re looking for?”

“All of it. Price shouldn’t be an issue since I sold my house back in Chicago before I moved, but I haven’t put much thought into the house I’ll buy here.”

“That’s okay. What was your house like back in Chicago?”

I sit back in my chair, thinking it over. It was modern, and sparse. Olivia and I picked it out together and while I liked the open floor plan, the contemporary furniture and white rooms left the house feeling a little bare. I explain this to Madeleine and then I add, “I’d like to look for something a little more…homey, if that makes sense.”

She smiles. “Of course it does. What about lot size? You probably didn’t have much land in Chicago, but here, you have a lot of options. Downtown living will afford you standard lot sizes of about 10,000 to 15,000 square feet. Outside of downtown, people usually sit on at least a few acres.”

I like the sound of having a bit more space. In Chicago, my neighbors were right on top of me.

“What about a middle ground? Somewhere not too far out, but maybe still on an acre or two?”

She jots down my request and nods. “That’s definitely doable. I can already think of a few homes that come to mind.”

“And I’d prefer an older home that’s been remodeled. I’m not afraid of a little renovation work, but I don’t have time to build from the ground up right now.”

Her pen flies as I continue outlining what I’d want in a house. It feels good to decide everything for myself instead of having to compromise.

“A porch would be nice.”

“Mmm.”

“Maybe two stories? At least four bedrooms.”

She smiles. “I thought you said you weren’t sure what type of house you were looking for.”