“I'll leave mine on the hallway table if that's all right with you.” Marlowe didn’t know why she said that, except that she was rooting through her handbag to find a card.
Without another word, Seth disappeared back into the dining room. Marlowe finally found a card nestled under her french purse and some makeup. She flipped it onto the hall table and escaped outside. At last. She welcomed the brisk breeze that stung her cheeks. Although she loved her aunt dearly, she did not like these clumsy overtures.
Having a job was the only thing on her mind right now. Men? Not really. Sure. Seth seemed like a nice, easy-going guy, but she wasn’t there. However, her aunt didn’t seem to get the message.
Chapter Eighteen
MARLOWE
Was Aunt Cate trying to set her up? On her way to meet with Gabby, Marlowe should have been thinking about what questions to ask, but no. That meeting with Seth Barrett had felt a little creepy. Did Marlowe look so desperate that her aunt had to grab any available man for her? Marlowe cringed at the thought. Really? For heaven's sake, that's the last thing she wanted to think about right now.
Seth Barrett was attractive. Marlowe hadn’t missed the broad shoulders and the charisma in his smile. But men were not on her mind. Relocating was. And although Marlowe was great at multitasking, when it came to work, she didn't want to start anything with a man up here in Michigan. Not until she got her feet on the ground and knew a little bit more about everyone and everything. She had a lot of work ahead of her.
The snow lined Highway 31 as she drove, but the piles were melting. Thank goodness Sam’s SUV was easy to drive, and the road north was straight. This would have been a great day to cross country ski. But that wasn’t in the cards for today or tomorrow. Maybe next time she came up, Marlowe would be able to set aside some time to go back to the trail she'd visited with Sam.
Would she go alone? Maybe. Sam wouldn’t be interested. Not after that accident that had given her more than a sprained ankle. Sam still limped a bit on that left foot, although she’d never admit it. But that accident out on the ski trail had brought her sister closer to Josh. Where would that road end? With a shake of her head, Marlowe turned her attention back to the road.
The scenery was so beautiful up here, the pine trees so rich and green. Marlowe drew in a deep breath and imagined that she could smell the pine. The landscape was such a switch from the palm trees and stark sunny highways of Florida. The traffic was horrendous in Naples during the winter season when streets were clogged with snowbirds. Maybe she'd stayed in Florida long enough. Maybe that's what this opportunity was saying to her.
If she did find work up here, this beautiful landscape would greet her when she went out to show properties. How wonderful and healing this could be. As she drove, Marlowe had an occasional glimpse of Lake Michigan. In winter, however, the inviting blue expanse was gone. Instead the lake was dark gray. She imagined that the edge was lined with ice floes.
Gabby had told her to look for the Bear Creek Crossings shopping center. Marlowe slowed down a bit. The office was just beyond a small strip mall. When the sign came up for Driscoll & Associates, she turned in. The trip up had taken only twenty-five minutes. That wasn’t bad at all. And she didn’t have the crazy traffic of Naples.
As she drove in, gravel crunched under her tires. The low blue building spread out in the snow and the windows framed by black shutters were frosted. Getting out, she was glad that she'd thrown on a jacket. But in all the confusion about the business cards, she'd forgotten to bring gloves. Her hands were freezing. Stamping the snow off her boots, she rubbed her hands together and grabbed her portfolio from the front seat.
The windows of the agency were filled with property listings. Marlowe took a second to scan them. Most were familiar to her because she'd seen them on their website. This all looked good, and her interest rose another notch. An overhead bell rang when she pulled the door open. Marlowe stepped into a large room where four desks were lined up along the left wall. The desks were heaped with papers and monitors. The place looked busy but no separate cubicles or offices, as with Hardy Luxury Properties.
“Hey, hi!” Smiling, Gabby peered at Marlowe through lime green glasses. Her turtleneck matched. Pushing up, she stepped briskly from the first desk. “Glad you’re here. Any trouble finding us?”
“Not at all.”
“Good to see you again.” Stepping to the door in her boots with three inch heels, Gabby flipped a lock. “Let’s sit down in the back. I don't expect anyone to pop in today, and I don’t want to be interrupted. Usually our clientele make appointments.”
“Sounds good.” Marlowe followed Gabby through a back door into an area that held an oval meeting table of beautifully grained wood and high backed chairs. An expensive espresso machine sat to one side.
“Have a seat.” Gabby gestured to one of the chairs covered in a stylish navy fabric with gold stripes. “So you're serious about leaving sunny Florida?”
“That's the plan.” She hadn’t mentioned her move on the plane. But Marlowe had enjoyed Gabby tremendously, even though she did seem a bit scattered. Would that matter if they each had a different approach to business?
“Are you thinking of keeping your place in Florida?”
“Probably not.” Marlowe didn't want to reveal too much of her plans. A lot depended on this meeting today. “Could I ask, how many agents do you have working for you?”
“Six right now. Two are part time. Summers only. And we’re losing one of our best people. She’s moving to California.”
That sounded good. Stepping into a position with a list of established clients would be ideal. “Has she been with you long?”
“A few years. Right out of school. That kind of thing. Met a man up here from one of the yachts. You know how that goes.”
“I can only imagine.”
“It takes a certain type of person to sell to Bar Harbor.” The casual Gabby was gone. She laced her manicured fingers together on the table and gave Marlowe an appraising look. On the plane, Marlowe hadn't noticed that outrageously large diamond on Gabby’s left hand. But then again, maybe she didn’t wear it while traveling. “If you're coming from Naples, I think you might do well here.”
“My properties are usually in the upper ranges.” Marlowe threw out some figures and Gabby looked pleased.
“And you're not right out of college or real estate classes. That counts a lot in my book because frankly, I don't have a lot of time to break someone in.”
Nodding with what she hoped looked like serious agreement, Marlowe liked what she was hearing. “I would only have to learn Michigan's rules and regulations.”
