Maybe Sam should thank her ex for ripping off the furniture. The emptiness he’d created made her more eager to move on.
Chapter Five
MARLOWE
The sunny morning sun was reflected in the tall glass building that housed Hardy Luxury Properties when Marlowe pulled into the parking lot the next morning. Although she wanted to get there early, Jenna's little blue Toyota was already in the lot. So was Shari's champagne-colored Mercedes. Knowing that Shari was in the office bolstered Marlowe’s spirits. The older woman brought a certain sense of order to the office. The guys often stayed late and they sometimes arrived later in the morning. She didn't see Alberto's or Jonathan's car. Oh, to be that carefree again. But from the very start, Marlowe had felt driven to get things done, no matter how many hours that took.
The office was located in a prime area of busy Tamiami Trail, also known as old Highway 41. After Landon's father passed away, Landon had relocated the real estate agency from the strip mall along North Tamiami to this primo spot across from the Bentley dealership and Naples Luxury Imports. She’d chuckled when she heard the story. The relocation sounded very snobbish and very Landon. And as a result of what Shari had told her at Grappino’s, the move fit in with his name change. The new Landon Harold Hardy.
Grabbing her portfolio, Marlowe dashed through the huge glass doors. Choosing her outfit that morning had required a little extra time. In the end she decided on her red power suit with black gumdrop buttons, along with shiny patent leather stilettos. No peep toes and certainly no bows. Not today, anyway. Just shiny and sharp.
Inside the spacious office was cool and quiet behind the floor-to-ceiling windows. Marlowe had felt so proud when Landon gave her one of the private offices that formed a horseshoe around a bank of cubbyholes for the newbies. Once they established themselves, the agents might be allotted one of the private offices. That was the carrot Landon dangled. She'd overheard the guys joke about it often enough. “What part of the stable do you rate?”
Slipping into her office, she quickly got her laptop up and running. Checking her own listings, she saw that the changes she'd made to remove Jenna from three of her properties had held. Because she didn't want anyone stopping in her doorway with a cup of coffee to chat, she’d only left the door open a couple inches. Usually that was respected. Since she'd been gone for a while, her need for privacy shouldn't surprise anybody.
Checking the listing for Bobby Jensen’s mansion in Port Royal speeded up her pulse. The property was marked “under contract,” and at the very top was a smiling picture of Landon as agent, with Jenna’s name as secondary. The theft took her breath away. Why did Landon feel that he’d get away with this? Well, because he was Landon.
The unapproved shift of agents never would have been allowed in a larger national agency. But she’d think about that later. With the conversation with her sister replaying in her head, she had to start making plans for her Exit Strategy. That was Marlowe’s focus now.
With her eyes on the agency calendar, she worked out a schedule with an open house each Sunday for her top three listings. And by “top” she meant the listed price. She was going to work those properties like crazy in the next couple weeks. The holidays were over and this was often the time when visitors decided to make Naples their winter residence. Although she could have used Jenna's help with all the details, that wasn't possible anymore. Marlowe would be civil but she was setting boundaries.
Once she had the dates on her calendar, she sat back. The smell of coffee called to her. Since it was too early to call Carmella Donatello about her property on 6th Avenue, she grabbed her mug and headed for the break room. No doubt Jenna had started coffee as soon as she arrived. That was just something that newbies did. And if you were a woman, then you definitely ended up making coffee.
Although that assumption had rubbed Marlowe the wrong way at the start, she’d learned to pick her battles. Starting coffee was no big deal. She’d made coffee until she earned the private office. Last year she’d gifted the office with a machine that used individual cartridges. She liked her flavors. Sure, the guys had teased her about the gift, but she’d noticed them grabbing a coconut almond mocha once in a while.
Marlowe was adding cream to her black mug when Shari quietly entered. As usual she looked like the ultimate professional in a cream colored suit set off by a sea blue silk blouse. Her makeup was perfect and so was her chin-length bob. Had Marlowe remembered to do her own eyes that morning? She couldn’t remember. That darn Landon. His duplicity had her all upset.
Shari swept Marlowe’s red suit with her eyes. “So it’s going to be that kind of day?”
My, that woman was sharp. Marlowe chuckled and took a sip of her coffee. “You’re darn right.”
“Have you recovered after yesterday?”
“What was there to recover from?” Marlowe liked Shari. But she was cautious around her. And now with her exit plans in mind, Marlowe did not want to tip her hand to anyone. Who could she trust? No one.
Coming closer, Shari circled Marlowe's shoulder and seemed to be looking at her back. What was this? Had she sat in something? “I guess that knife is gone,” Shari said in an undertone.
“What knife?” Marlowe swept her shoulder with a free hand. What was she talking about?
“The one Landon plunged into your back with Jenna’s help while you were gone.”
How humiliating. Marlowe hated being in this situation.
Shari's eyebrows lifted. “You know how the saying goes. When the cat’s away the mouse will play.”
“More like rats. Both of them.” Marlowe glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one else had heard her. But the doorway was empty and the office remained still. She shifted in her heels, unhappy that she’d missed a beat or two while she was in Charlevoix. This switch never would have happened if Marlowe had stayed in Naples. But then her wonderful plans for the future wouldn’t exist either. A warm beam of hope blossomed in her chest.
“So I see that you made some changes to your listings.” Shari lifted her mug to her lips. This woman never missed a trick. Would Shari blow her cover? Would she make a fuss and mention the changes to Landon? This could go either way and Marlowe had to be careful.
Distracted, Marlowe took a sip of her coffee. But it was too hot and burned her lips. Her tongue throbbed. “I did some editing,” she said around her throbbing tongue. “That's all.”
The little tip of Shari's head indicated that she wasn't buying it at all. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
Marlowe studied Shari’s neatly coiffed blonde hair and her oversized gold earrings. This had turned into a very discouraging homecoming. Charlevoix had been so uncomplicated and here she felt caught in a mini-drama. In her hurry that morning, she hadn’t eaten her usual raisin bran, and her empty stomach growled. To her credit, Shari pretended not to notice.
Someone, probably Jenna, had brought in a coffee cake and it sure smelled good. Picking up a knife, Marlowe set her mug down on the counter and cut herself a generous slice. “Sorry, but I'm starved.”And I need a sugar fix fast.
Smiling, Shari had watched Marlowe wield the knife. She took another sip of her coffee before saying, “Think I saw Jenna tucking Dulcolax pills into that pastry this morning.”
