counter. Behind me, the small bell over his door jingled as the woman made her exit.
“ Hey, Mac,” Mr. Tanner said. “What’s up?”
“ I want to buy your plane,” I said with a smile. “I crunched the numbers and am confident that I can make it work. I just wanted to let you know. I can probably be over in a few days with a check for you.”
“ That’s great,” he said, scratching his chin with a frown. “There is another person interested in it. I’ve actually had several people ask, but when I shot the price at them, they backed away. But you and this other guy seem pretty determined. Looks like I might have something of a bidding war on my hands.”
I didn’t even bother trying to hide my surprise. “Who is the other person?” I asked, hating the way I sounded. I sounded spoiled and slightly fretted.
“ Now, I don’t think I can tell you that,” Mr. Tanner said with a knowing smile. “I don’t want to start any arguments.”
“H ave they offered money?”
“ Yes. In fact, they offered to place a down payment on it until they could bring me the rest of the money. But I told them that there was no need in that.”
“ How will you decide who to sell it to, then?” she asked.
“ I really don’t know,” he said. “Mac, I’d love to just give it to you because I’ve known you for—what? Damn near fifteen years now. But I have to be fair. I may just have to sell it to whoever can come up with the money first.”
I wanted to be upset with him but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. He was trying to be fair; playing favorites in a business was a bad decision. My own father had taught me that a long time ago. Surely a man of Mr. Tanner’s background and stature knew that sage old rule of business, too.
I nodded and also made a point to let the disappointed look on my face linger a bit. “Well, I’ll get mine to you as soon as I can. Do you at least know when this other person is supposed to bring you the money?”
“No I don't . Of course, you have an edge now; they don’t know that there is another interested party. Maybe they’ll take their time.”
“ Maybe…,” I said, but I was already deflated. The motivation I felt just a few minutes ago (after leaving the stuffiness of the bank, of course) was gone. It had been replaced by an emotion I couldn’t quite name. Whatever it was, it made me feel foolish and I didn’t like it at all.
“ Thanks.” I turned towards the door.
“ Sure thing,” Mr. Tanner said.
I left his shop, at odds with the fact that I was placing some of my anger on Mr. Tanner. He knew me well. He knew the crap I had gone through in the last few years with the divorce and nearly losing the shop. He knew I was a dependent and reliable person. It made me wonder who the other person was and what sort of relationship they might have with Mr. Tanner.
But that avenue led me towards a pity party…something I was not about to allow myself to do. So I did what I had been doing ever since I had suddenly found myself single again four years ago: I bottled it up and acted like I didn’t care. I went back to work and chiseled out the rest of the day, unable to get my mind off of that damned plane.
****
I locked the front door to the Pine Way at 4:59, giving myself the one extra minute of freedom as a reward. It had been a slow afternoon and after I had gone through inventory lists, swept the floors and restocked a few shelves, I had ended up leafing through a year old Glamour magazine that I had already been through a dozen times.
I went home quickly and was fortunate to catch green lights the entire way. The drive from the shop to my house was less than ten minutes and, truth be told, I could have walked it in twenty or so. But the urge to walk just hadn’t been in me that morning. It hadn’t been in me for a while, actually. Some girls could pull off the whole
“ Hey, Mac,” Mr. Tanner said. “What’s up?”
“ I want to buy your plane,” I said with a smile. “I crunched the numbers and am confident that I can make it work. I just wanted to let you know. I can probably be over in a few days with a check for you.”
“ That’s great,” he said, scratching his chin with a frown. “There is another person interested in it. I’ve actually had several people ask, but when I shot the price at them, they backed away. But you and this other guy seem pretty determined. Looks like I might have something of a bidding war on my hands.”
I didn’t even bother trying to hide my surprise. “Who is the other person?” I asked, hating the way I sounded. I sounded spoiled and slightly fretted.
“ Now, I don’t think I can tell you that,” Mr. Tanner said with a knowing smile. “I don’t want to start any arguments.”
“H ave they offered money?”
“ Yes. In fact, they offered to place a down payment on it until they could bring me the rest of the money. But I told them that there was no need in that.”
“ How will you decide who to sell it to, then?” she asked.
“ I really don’t know,” he said. “Mac, I’d love to just give it to you because I’ve known you for—what? Damn near fifteen years now. But I have to be fair. I may just have to sell it to whoever can come up with the money first.”
I wanted to be upset with him but just couldn’t bring myself to do it. He was trying to be fair; playing favorites in a business was a bad decision. My own father had taught me that a long time ago. Surely a man of Mr. Tanner’s background and stature knew that sage old rule of business, too.
I nodded and also made a point to let the disappointed look on my face linger a bit. “Well, I’ll get mine to you as soon as I can. Do you at least know when this other person is supposed to bring you the money?”
“No I don't . Of course, you have an edge now; they don’t know that there is another interested party. Maybe they’ll take their time.”
“ Maybe…,” I said, but I was already deflated. The motivation I felt just a few minutes ago (after leaving the stuffiness of the bank, of course) was gone. It had been replaced by an emotion I couldn’t quite name. Whatever it was, it made me feel foolish and I didn’t like it at all.
“ Thanks.” I turned towards the door.
“ Sure thing,” Mr. Tanner said.
I left his shop, at odds with the fact that I was placing some of my anger on Mr. Tanner. He knew me well. He knew the crap I had gone through in the last few years with the divorce and nearly losing the shop. He knew I was a dependent and reliable person. It made me wonder who the other person was and what sort of relationship they might have with Mr. Tanner.
But that avenue led me towards a pity party…something I was not about to allow myself to do. So I did what I had been doing ever since I had suddenly found myself single again four years ago: I bottled it up and acted like I didn’t care. I went back to work and chiseled out the rest of the day, unable to get my mind off of that damned plane.
****
I locked the front door to the Pine Way at 4:59, giving myself the one extra minute of freedom as a reward. It had been a slow afternoon and after I had gone through inventory lists, swept the floors and restocked a few shelves, I had ended up leafing through a year old Glamour magazine that I had already been through a dozen times.
I went home quickly and was fortunate to catch green lights the entire way. The drive from the shop to my house was less than ten minutes and, truth be told, I could have walked it in twenty or so. But the urge to walk just hadn’t been in me that morning. It hadn’t been in me for a while, actually. Some girls could pull off the whole
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