Page 83 of Every Single Broken Piece
Sitting at a small-as-fuck desk, I scroll through available farms on my laptop, when my phone rings. Not recognizing the number, I almost let it go to voicemail but, at the last second, figure it could be the realtor.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Graye? It’s Tish Sanders. You sent me an email regarding two properties you’d like to sell?” The woman sounds old and sweet, and for some reason, her tone sets me a little at ease.
“Hi, Tish. Yes. More importantly, I want to buy a farm in the Sugar River Valley area.” I glance at the photos of a two-hundred-and-fifty-acre farm that looks like something Kelcie might like. It even has its own lake. “Can I send you a link to a property I’ve found?”
“Sure. Let me look at it and see if I can arrange a viewing for us.”
“Thanks.”
“When we meet up, we can get the paperwork going for the sale of your two properties.”
“That works for me,” I agree.
We end the call, and I share the link to the farm with Tish before reading more about the property. When I read that it’s situated across a huge area of protected green space, I’m sold. It means there won’t be many neighbors to worry about.
I’m surprised when my phone rings so quickly after hanging up, and I accept the call.
“Hi, Mr. Graye. Tish again. We can view the farm today. How does your schedule look?”
“It’s wide open.”
“Oh, good. It’s a thirty-minute drive from where I am in Verona. Would you like to ride together or meet up at the property?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“Great. We can meet at the entrance to the farm.”
We hang up again, and I quickly rise to my feet, patting my thigh for Lick to follow as I leave the motel room.
During the drive to Old Stone Road, I notice the houses are gradually situated farther apart. Eventually, I don’t even see any kind of dwellings, and by the time I pull up to the farm, I’m sure this is the one I’m going to buy.
Not long after I get to the property, a blue sedan arrives, and an elderly lady with a friendly smile gestures for me to follow her.
As we head up a long stretch of dirt road, I glance at the white blanket of snow that stretches out all around me.
Kelcie will love it here. I’m going to get her every damn animal her heart desires and create a little slice of heaven where she can be happy.
I bring my vehicle to a stop behind Tish’s car when she parks near a house that seems to be in desperate need of maintenance.
The place will look so much better with a wraparound porch.
When I get out and open the door for Lick, I look at the realtor and say, “Don’t worry. She’s friendly.”
“Oh my gosh, aren’t you the prettiest fur baby I’ve ever seen.” Tish coos while bending at the waist to pat Lick’s head. “What’s her name?”
“Lick.”
“Well, Lick, let’s see if we can convince your daddy to buy this land so there’s plenty of space for you to have zoomies.” Turning her attention to me, she begins to reach her hand out to me.
My tone is much gentler than it would usually be as I say, “I’m sorry. I don’t touch other people.”
Tish quickly stops and pets Lick again. “No worries. I have a sister who’s the same. She’ll slap you two ways to Sunday if you try to hug her.”
I have a feeling I’m going to get along with Tish.
“I think we should walk through the house before taking a look at the rest of the property. We can also get the paperwork out of the way for your two houses.”
