Page 50 of Fake It Till You Make It

Eli paced the length of the table, gathering the empty bowls—and the green beans. “Never seen the movie, but the place is sucking me dry.”

The distinct sound of disposal blades at work grated, and then they were gone. Amarie may have whimpered at the wasted food. At least she could unleash her toasty hand from beneath her bum before her fingers went numb.

“The last one hundred and twenty days have been slow. I’m gonna need extra cash, maybe throw in a home warranty?”

“On a brand-new house?” she quizzed.

“It’s been sitting empty for six months. I might have to bankroll the closing cost.”

“I’ll look at your listing. Jazzing up the page will generate more activity on the multiple listing sites so it stands out from comparable properties.”

“Never seen a bedazzled sales page.”

“Funny, hehe. You jazz it up by showing potential buyers how the house can meet their needs. Then you create a sense of urgency.”

“How do you know so much about sales?” Tobias asked, lowering his fork to the plate.

“I learned most of what I know from watching my mom. My dad is a doctor in Florida, the land of cotton-tipped retirees. There’s a lot of competition in the medical market. My mom worked with him full-time, she created all of Dad’s marketing material. I guess she planted the seed.”

“Why do you know so much about how to sell, though?” he continued, genuine in his interest. The Calvarys had an authentic quality that many found refreshing.

“I spent a lot of time on the internet as a kid reading blog articles. Listened to few podcasts. I picked up a few things to help my ex with his business. There’s a science to marketing. Hook your audience’s attention and bam, you have two point five seconds to sell them on your product.”

“What’s our product, then?” Leah asked.

“You are. The Calvary family.”

Leah folded her hands in front of her face, gushing. “Like the Kardashians.”

“Oh my gosh, you watch Kris, too?”

“We’re small-town folks, not barbarians,” Eli remarked, lips tight.

“So your ex-wife doesn’t want the house?”

“No. She lost interest early in the process. Dad got reallysick about a month after we broke ground, and I got distracted. My family needed me. Cara was doing her ananda balasana with Sven by then.”

Amarie looked to Leah, confused. “Anannawhat?”

“It’s a back-lying yoga pose. The fella she ran off with gave private evening lessons, if you know what I’m saying,” jumped in Noah.

Tobias turned to his left and punched Noah in the arm. “We all know what you’re saying.”

“Ouch, you hit like an EMT.” Noah grinned, but he held his deltoid, massaging the muscle.

“Boys.” Leah looked to Amarie. “What do you need us to do, Amarie?”

“Be yourselves. Just do it online for an audience.”

“I’ve been myself my whole life. Ain’t nobody given me twenty-five thousand dollars.”

“You ain’t never lied.” Tobias nodded.

Amarie had to convince them the inherent good a lot of people working together could do. Even strangers rallying to the aid of a family trying to save their home and business.

“You’d be amazed at how generous people can be for a good cause. We’re going to show them how valuable the Calvary family is to this community. It’s started already with the pictures I took of Eli helping Belle deliver her colt.”

“A colt is a young male horse, by the way.” Eli took a seat, this time closest to her. Okay, partner. This she liked. “Belle’s foal is female.”