her? That's moving pretty fast, even for you Walker.”
“Anna, it's not like that. The woman is old enough to be my mother. And she needed someone to drive her to the store. So I volunteered. And yes, I forgot to call you. So to make up for it, I'm here to take you to lunch. In my new Jeep.”
Anna looked surprised. “You broke down and bought a car? Finally spending some of that money you keep stashed away?”
Anna knew about the settlement I had received from the company I previously worked for. To her, me having money was no big deal. She'd also come into a comfortable sum – and she too was keeping a low profile about it.
“ So where's this Jeep you bought? Is it new?”
I pointed to the door. “It's right outside. And you know me better than to think I'd buy a new one. It's definitely used.”
We went outside and I pointed out the Jeep.
“ Wow, looks like a new one.”
Anna walked over to the driver's side door, opened it and climbed in. “This is nice. I can see you driving the back roads of Florida in this.”
She put her hand on the six speed shifter. “Glad to see you didn't wimp out and get an automatic.”
After checking out the interior, she got out and smiled. “Walker, you did good. This Jeep suits you.”
I nodded. “I think I'm going to like it. The previous owner set it up so it can be towed behind a motorhome. So you want to go for a ride? I'll buy you lunch.”
Anna shook her head. “Not today. I'm supposed to show a house in about fifteen minutes. The client is meeting me here. Maybe some other time.”
I nodded, and started to get into the Jeep.
“ Wait. Tell me about Serenity Cove. What's your first impression of the place?”
I thought for a moment, then said, “My first impression wasn't good. The office building is run down and the office manager is a real jerk. But once you get past the front office, it's pretty nice. The sites are large and level with plenty of space between them. There's palm trees everywhere and plenty of shade. The place has a nice old Florida vibe.
“I checked out the park's wifi system. It definitely needs work. Most likely one or more of the repeaters need replacing. Not real expensive though. I can probably fix everything for less than three thousand dollars.”
Anna nodded. “I'll let the owner know about the wifi. But we won't say anything to her about the park manager just yet. Maybe he was just having a bad day.
“One more request. I'd like you to keep a list of the things you'd do if you were the owner of the place. Improvements you'd make, personnel changes, park rules and regulations – that kind of thing.
“ It doesn't need to be a formal write up. Just a list of notes and ideas about making it a better place.”
“ I can do that. Anything else?”
“ That's pretty much it. Just keep an eye on the place for the owner. If anything serious comes up, let me know. But don't get the police involved.
“ And Walker, guess what? I've got a date tonight. One of the agents I met on a home tour asked me out. He seemed nice, so I said 'yes'.”
I smiled. “I hope the guy knows what he's getting into.”
Anna punched me on the shoulder. “Walker, if you're lucky, one of these days I'll show you exactly what he's getting into.”
She turned and walked back into the Beach Realty office, leaving me in the parking lot wondering what I might be missing.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After leaving Anna's office, I headed south on state road 776 toward the Publix grocery store at Dearborn street. I needed to stock up on food for me and Mango Bob.
The Publix in Englewood is different than most grocery stores. It's not that the building is different, just the people who shop there. With Englewood being a retirement town, just about everyone who works in the Dearborn Publix is over fifty, and a lot of the people shopping there are over seventy.
This creates a kind of slow motion shopping experience. No one moving too fast, no one in a hurry, no
“Anna, it's not like that. The woman is old enough to be my mother. And she needed someone to drive her to the store. So I volunteered. And yes, I forgot to call you. So to make up for it, I'm here to take you to lunch. In my new Jeep.”
Anna looked surprised. “You broke down and bought a car? Finally spending some of that money you keep stashed away?”
Anna knew about the settlement I had received from the company I previously worked for. To her, me having money was no big deal. She'd also come into a comfortable sum – and she too was keeping a low profile about it.
“ So where's this Jeep you bought? Is it new?”
I pointed to the door. “It's right outside. And you know me better than to think I'd buy a new one. It's definitely used.”
We went outside and I pointed out the Jeep.
“ Wow, looks like a new one.”
Anna walked over to the driver's side door, opened it and climbed in. “This is nice. I can see you driving the back roads of Florida in this.”
She put her hand on the six speed shifter. “Glad to see you didn't wimp out and get an automatic.”
After checking out the interior, she got out and smiled. “Walker, you did good. This Jeep suits you.”
I nodded. “I think I'm going to like it. The previous owner set it up so it can be towed behind a motorhome. So you want to go for a ride? I'll buy you lunch.”
Anna shook her head. “Not today. I'm supposed to show a house in about fifteen minutes. The client is meeting me here. Maybe some other time.”
I nodded, and started to get into the Jeep.
“ Wait. Tell me about Serenity Cove. What's your first impression of the place?”
I thought for a moment, then said, “My first impression wasn't good. The office building is run down and the office manager is a real jerk. But once you get past the front office, it's pretty nice. The sites are large and level with plenty of space between them. There's palm trees everywhere and plenty of shade. The place has a nice old Florida vibe.
“I checked out the park's wifi system. It definitely needs work. Most likely one or more of the repeaters need replacing. Not real expensive though. I can probably fix everything for less than three thousand dollars.”
Anna nodded. “I'll let the owner know about the wifi. But we won't say anything to her about the park manager just yet. Maybe he was just having a bad day.
“One more request. I'd like you to keep a list of the things you'd do if you were the owner of the place. Improvements you'd make, personnel changes, park rules and regulations – that kind of thing.
“ It doesn't need to be a formal write up. Just a list of notes and ideas about making it a better place.”
“ I can do that. Anything else?”
“ That's pretty much it. Just keep an eye on the place for the owner. If anything serious comes up, let me know. But don't get the police involved.
“ And Walker, guess what? I've got a date tonight. One of the agents I met on a home tour asked me out. He seemed nice, so I said 'yes'.”
I smiled. “I hope the guy knows what he's getting into.”
Anna punched me on the shoulder. “Walker, if you're lucky, one of these days I'll show you exactly what he's getting into.”
She turned and walked back into the Beach Realty office, leaving me in the parking lot wondering what I might be missing.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After leaving Anna's office, I headed south on state road 776 toward the Publix grocery store at Dearborn street. I needed to stock up on food for me and Mango Bob.
The Publix in Englewood is different than most grocery stores. It's not that the building is different, just the people who shop there. With Englewood being a retirement town, just about everyone who works in the Dearborn Publix is over fifty, and a lot of the people shopping there are over seventy.
This creates a kind of slow motion shopping experience. No one moving too fast, no one in a hurry, no
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