years.”
Putting her hand over Juliana’s, Mallory offered a weak smile. “I don’t know how I’d get through a day without you being there.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Mal. We’re friends, practically sisters. I’ll always be in your life.”
“Promise?”
“I swear it.”
“Then Ben’s giving you a great solution. I can guarantee he’ll do the contracting work for the cost of supplies only.”
“Is that so? You think he’ll listen to you?” Juliana scoffed, knowing Ben loved Mallory enough to do anything for her.
“I have
special
ways of persuading him.” Mallory winked.
The heated gaze he tossed Mallory made Juliana’s heart hurt.
Then she considered what he’d said about starting her own business. A spark fired inside her even as her gut tied into nervous knots at the notion of venturing out that far on a shaky financial limb. Could she really start selling houses without aligning herself with one of Cloverleaf’s existing firms?
“I wouldn’t require much,” Ben went on. “Just a phone and a computer and a lot of your time.”
“And next month is final exams,” Mallory added. “You’ll have a good ten weeks of summer vacation to start hustling for listings and to take buyers out on showings. Knowing you, you’ll be outselling Schumm by the end of June.”
Their confidence in her was infectious. “I could take more time if I borrow from my retirement savings. I could even take the entire next school year off.” A terrifying thought, but the more Juliana considered it, the more she liked it.
It was a risky venture. She’d saved up a nice nest egg, and taking money from those accounts could end up being a major setback. She had no mortgage, and her car was paid for. There were no real expenses, and if she lived frugally she could get by.
But if she lost her retirement fund, she might be teaching until she was eighty.
“Robert might even join you,” Ben added. “Or at the very least, he’ll give you the listings on his custom houses. I know he hates Schumm, too.”
“Maybe.” The more she pondered their words, the more the idea bloomed. She could talk to Robert. If he listed his houses, she might be able to talk to those buyers to see if they were selling their old homes. Schumm’s reputation might be more tenuous than she’d originally thought, judging from the way everyone responded to him last night. Perhaps they only listed with him because he was one of the limited choices in Cloverleaf.
Could she really do this? Risk her savings to take a year’s leave of absence and try to start a new career, a new life?
She let her worries take the lead. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t be easy. I mean, Schumm practically corners the market here. Between him and Re/Max, they must list more than ninety percent of the houses.”
“Not that many,” Ben replied. Since he was fiddling with his cell, studying the screen intently, she had no idea if he was searching for information about Schumm or only checking his e-mail. “Did you ever notice how many fizbos there are around here?”
“Fizbos?” Understanding quickly dawned. “You mean for sale by owners, right?” She smiled. “Fizbo. I like that. Sounds cute.”
He nodded, still working on his cell with his right hand as he ate with his left. Mallory had always bragged her hubby was ambidextrous.
Guess she was right.
“You already know almost everyone in Cloverleaf,” Mallory said. “You’ve taken most of their kids to Europe. If we get the word out that you’re selling houses, they’ll be beating a path to your door.”
“You think so?” Their faith in her was heartwarming, yet right below that sat a terror that threatened to bring all of this to a screeching halt.
Teaching was a secure job. Sure, those in charge heaped more paperwork on her every year, made exponentially worse because she was a special education teacher. But overall, Juliana could count on always having a job. As long as she’d
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