Matt and Sarah locked the door behind them and stood on the porch. Mesmerized.
"This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen. I honestly hope that we find the right buyer and that this house can be restored to it's original beauty ...the way it's supposed to be." Matt said.
"I honestly hope so too. It would be such a pity if this house falls into the wrong hands. If I had the money I'd buy it myself." Sarah said and sighed.
"What do you think it's worth?" Sarah asked.
"It's getting really chilly outside, would you want to go somewhere warmer to discuss all the details? Matt asked.
"Sure if you don't mind dropping me off along the way."
They took a quiet little table in the corner of the closest restaurant.
"How do you even assess a house like this?" Sarah asked while sipping her warm coffee. She felt so relaxed with Matt and it was hard to believe that they only met this afternoon. It was like they just clicked straight away. He had the same view of the house that she had and she knew she chose the right person for the job.
"It's going to be difficult. I have a guy that can give me a quote on most of the restoration but it will cost thousands if not millions to restore this house and to furnish it properly. I don't know if anyone local would be interested in buying it but these type of houses usually have a way of selling themselves. The right buyer will come along in due time. We just have to wait for it."
They sat there talking about the house and before they knew it it was nearly nine o'clock at night.
"Oh gosh, look at the time" Sarah said. "I have to be at the office early tomorrow, I'm afraid I have to go." Sarah stood up and smiled at Matt.
"It has been a lovely evening....thank you Matt. Could we make an appointment to meet at the house again sometime this week?"
"I will phone Fred in the morning. I want to get him onto this project as soon as possible. I will phone you immediately if he gives me a time. This is really going to be exciting."
Sarah hasn't left for the office yet the next morning when her cellphone rang. It was Matt.
"Good morning sunshine." Matt said jokingly, knowing that she might have still been asleep. "Did you sleep well?"
"You are one to keep your promises" said Sarah. "Yes, thank you I did sleep well, what can I do for you on this bright and early morning?"
"I'm sorry to phone you this early but something came up. I've phoned Fred and he will only be able to come see us next week Monday. He is not in town but he will be back over the weekend. I made an appointment with him for Monday afternoon. Will that suit you?"
"That would be perfect. The reading of the will is on Wednesday afternoon so that would give Fred enough time to do the evaluation and assess everything and then I could give feedback to the heirs on Wednesday."
They said their goodbye's and then Sarah went straight to the office. The day flew by and the rest of the week too. Sarah left the office at 6 o'clock on Friday evening and decided to stop for some coffee and a salad on her way home. She was looking forward to a peaceful weekend but she was also eagerly awaiting Monday to go back to the house to meet Fred and Matt.
She walked in to the local Starbucks and stood in the row to order her coffee.
"Fancy meeting you here!" She heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around and there was Matt.
"Well aren't I the lucky one. Do you want to have some coffee with me?" Sarah asked and smiled at him.
"I have a better idea. Let's ditch this place and go out for dinner...if you have nothing else planned?"
"Well I was going to wash my hair tonight...but I'm sure that could wait for the morning." Sarah said jokingly and turned around to face Matt. "That would be lovely... thank you."
Matt's car was parked around the corner and Sarah was relieved that she did not have to spend the evening alone.
He took her to a small restaurant close to her apartment. They talked like old friends and both of them enjoyed the evening tremendously. Matt was surprised to hear that she had never been married and she found out that he was divorced and had one son. His son was sixteen and lived with his mother in San Francisco. Matt saw him once a month because of the distance but they had a good relationship.
She spoke about her parents and about Rich, and Matt seemed quite intrigued by the relationship that Sarah had with her client. She told Matt about Rich scolding her for working too hard and Matt said that he was probably right.
It felt wonderful to talk to someone that actually understood her, and Sarah knew that she had made a new good friend in Matt. Matt dropped her off in front of her building, kissed her on the cheek and said "I had a wonderful evening Sarah, I hope we can do this again sometime..."
It was nearly one in the morning when she walked into her apartment. She got into bed and for the second time that week she slept like a baby. The next morning she decided that she needed some exercise and went to the gym. She took out all her recent frustrations on the treadmill and looked terrible when she finished, but she felt more relaxed than she had in weeks. She was just about to leave the gym when she saw a very familiar face.
"I am sure you must be stalking me" Sarah said as Matt turned around.
"Hmmm indeed my lovely Sarah... indeed. I am putting myself through all this pain just to see you sweat..." He laughed and Sarah was suddenly embarrassed by the way she looked.
She blushed and made her way to the door. " Where are you going young lady...time for a quick coffee?"
"I have to go and shower and wash my hair....seeing that I couldn't do that last night." Sarah said.
"Well I know where you live...could I pick you up in an hour?" Sarah nodded and suddenly felt very excited. Back at the apartment Sarah took a quick shower and she was still drying her hair when the doorbell rang.
She opened the door with half wet hair and there was Matt. All smiling.
"I know I'm early. If you have nothing planned I would love to spend the day with you." Matt said and looked over her shoulder at the dead plants on the window sill.
She felt embarrassed, but he just laughed and said "That's why I keep synthetic plants. I am sure that I couldn't keep any plants alive either."
Matt and Sarah spent the whole day together. They went sightseeing, and even ended up doing the Chicago Architectural river cruise. Sarah hasn't had this much fun in years. For the first time in twenty years she felt totally alive.
-to be continued-
