The Girl I Used to Be(4)

“Will you be buying on your own?”

I could see Sophie, our junior administrator, who was always on the lookout for a boyfriend, give a sidelong look at Rachel. I could tell from the way they both became very still that they were waiting for his answer.

“Yes, I’m single,” he said. “I’m just looking for somewhere for myself.”

I reckoned he was around my age, in his midthirties. Now that he was at ease and smiling, it was hard to believe he wasn’t snapped up already, though of course he could be divorced.

“Are you from Chester?” I asked. “I’m trying to place your accent.”

“I grew up in the northwest but I’ve been working over in the States for the last ten years or so. Boston. My company’s transferred me to the UK for a while. A few years, I guess. I’ve sold up over there; no point in keeping the old place going.”

“Who’re you working for?”

“Barford’s. I’m in sales.”

I nodded. Barford’s was a large pharmaceutical company that had its headquarters on an industrial estate just outside Chester. I’d found properties for a couple of people there; it was supposed to be a great place to work.

He clarified the price he was willing to spend; it was in the upper ballpark of properties in Chester, and I started to get excited. We had plenty of properties on our books. Things were moving more slowly than usual and I knew I could find him something. He’d named a great price and he was willing to try out a lot of different areas. I had to sell to him. I didn’t want to have to come back to the office and tell my staff that he had decided to go elsewhere.

“I’ll get some details,” I said. “I won’t be a moment.” I saw that Sophie was busy with a client, so I called over to Rachel, who was putting brochures in the window. “Rachel, would you make Mr. Sanderson a drink, please?” It wasn’t her job to do that, but in such a small office we all had to take on that duty if someone else was busy.

She came over to my desk. “Would you like tea or coffee?”

“I’ll have coffee, thanks,” he said.

“How do you like it?”

I glanced at her and had to stop myself from laughing. Her face was pink and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his eyes. She and Sophie were always the same when a good-looking guy came into the office. They were both young and single, though Sophie had nerves of steel when it came to dating, while Rachel seemed more shy and nervous.

He smiled at her. “White, no sugar, thanks.”

She blushed again and disappeared into our tiny kitchen behind the office. Sophie swiftly followed her and I could hear muffled giggles.

We drank the coffee and went through the details of some of the properties I had. He seemed particularly interested in the apartments that overlooked the River Dee and others that were in the center of the city.

I glanced at the office diaries online. I would normally send Rachel out, but she had another appointment that morning. I had a valuation in several hours’ time, at four P.M. “You said in your e-mail you were free until three P.M. I can take you to view some properties now, if you like.”

“That would be great,” he said. “I’d love to look around this area; I don’t know it well at all.”

“Just give me a few minutes,” I said. “I’ll make a few calls and get my keys.”

“I can drive us if you like.”

“It’s fine, thanks,” I said. “It’ll be easier if I drive. I know the quickest routes.”

I asked Sophie to take some details from him and he went over to sit with her. Sophie was only eighteen and fresh from school. She was still learning the ropes; I’d had to weigh up experience versus cost when I’d employed her and still wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision. As I made my calls I saw her, her face bright with excitement, asking David for his details and laboriously entering them into the computer.



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*

I ALWAYS DRIVE round to the front of the office to pick up clients, so that they don’t have to go through the back and into the car park. As soon as he got into my little car I could see I should have let him drive his own. He was over six feet tall with long legs and broad shoulders, and he looked really cramped in the passenger seat.

“I’m sorry!” I said as he struggled with the seat belt. “Shall we go in your car? I can direct you.”

“It’s fine.” He turned and grinned at me. “I used to drive a Mini.”

I laughed.

“My mum bought herself one when I was seventeen,” he said. “I think she thought it would put me off borrowing it.”

“And did it?”

“No, but I saved up for my own much quicker than I would have if she’d had a bigger car.”

“Clever woman. I’ll have to remember that when my son’s old enough to drive.”

“How old is he now?”

“Three.” I smiled. Every time I thought of Rory, I smiled. “Plenty of time to go.”

The first property I took him to was an apartment block set in a gated courtyard within the city walls. As I drove, he asked questions about the area and I talked to him about the old Roman walls that encircled the city.

“Walking around the walls of the city is a great way to get to know Chester,” I said. “It’s a couple of miles and you follow the wall around—it’s virtually complete. You get to see the racecourse, the castle, and the cathedral as well as the River Dee. So you can see, it’s a pretty small city, but it’s got a lot going for it.”