Marielle handed over a comp sheet followed by the appraisal. I looked it over but she was already giving me the rundown.
“The penthouse is worth ten million. Given the market, you might be able to get twelve. You’ll see there, the one I highlighted, is most comparable and it sold last month for thirteen two.”
I glanced at the one she’d marked. It had the most similar view and amenities, so that made sense. I nodded. That certainly boded well. I’d invested smartly, well as smartly as anyone could these days, but adding another ten mil to the bank certainly wouldn’t hurt. I was only forty-five but I could live off this for the rest of my life.
As long as the boredom didn’t get me first.
At first I’d loved the life of leisure. I’d worked hard since getting my first job at sixteen. It was nice to finally have a real break. But hell, it was wearing on me now and I’d have to do something about that. Perhaps I would, once I started my next adventure.
“What have you found for prospects?”
Marielle shot me a look that hinted that she thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. Another impulsive decision.
“Colorado of all places,” she muttered as she picked up her laptop and started clicking keys.
“Hey, it’s a beautiful state!”
“It is,” she agreed, but not like she meant it. “But it’s not exactly a financial hub, now is it?”
“Show me what you found,” I grumbled, not meaning it either. Marielle knew that but she still sighed as she changed seats to sit next to me. She set the laptop in front of us and took control.
Marielle clicked on the first tab. “This five bed, two bath, forty-five hundred square foot colonial in a suburb of Denver—”
“Too far,” I interrupted. I shot her a scowl. “That’s like two hours away. I told you I wanted to be closer.”
She sighed again. “Everything closer is very rural, Mr. Cahill. For a city boy like you, it may be too much.”
I chuckled, because she was teasing. I mean, I was a city boy, but that was about to change. And I loved it when she teased. She’d been much more timid when she started, and I liked it when people challenged me. Marielle had a gift to do it with a dose of humor.
“New adventure, remember?” I waggled my eyebrows and she finally cracked a smile. “You did what I asked. I know you did. So show me.”
It took her a few seconds, but then she closed several tabs and brought up a new one. I leaned in, taking in the house, then took control so I could scroll though the listing. Three bedrooms, one and a half baths, three thousand square feet. It had a Victorian feel though not truly the right style and sat on three acres of land. Renovations had been done ten years ago. It had two outbuildings, one that looked like a small stable. Listed price was only eight hundred K.
“How far?” I murmured, scrolling back up to flip through the pictures. It was a bit outdated, but really, I could fix that. Or rather, hire people to do so.
“Briarwood is only a thirty-minute drive from Russell Crossing. Maybe forty-five minutes from this location to Blue Creek Ranch.”
“I’m gonna get a truck.”
Marielle turned to look at me. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye then focused on the screen again. The house was wildly different from anywhere I’d ever lived. Before the money, I’d lived in tiny apartments and dorm rooms my whole life. After the money, nothing but luxury, each place more high end than the last. This house was simple in comparison.
I was already half in love with it.
“Mr. Cahill, maybe you should think this through a little more before—”
“Make it happen, Marielle. Put in an offer.”
She froze for a solid ten seconds. “You don’t want to see it?”
I flicked through the pictures again, tapping the arrow key quickly. “I’m seeing it. I’m seeing it right now. Offer fifty over asking. I want.”
Marielle snapped the laptop closed, nearly catching my fingers. I had to jerk them out of the way. I turned wide eyes on her and she was staring right back. She took a deep breath.
“Mr. Cahill…” Marielle paused, assessed, and started again. “Carter, I really think you should evaluate your decision more fully before making such a rash choice. Making this move, to the middle of nowhere, hardly seems prudent.”
“It’s where my horse is going to be.”
She scoffed. “A horse you don’t have yet. Have you considered this man might not be fully trustworthy?”
