Chapter Three: Meeting the Realtor
1782 Words
"Good morning," he tipped his head down to Hannah!
"Good morning," she returned the sentiment as she proceeded down the hall.
The two stopped at the elevator. Hannah pushed the button for the lobby. Ding, the elevator beeped. Just as the doors were about to open, a young man with his towel wrapped around his waist ran down the hall towards them. This man, or should I say barely young adult, was in full sprint, trying to reach them and not lose his towel at the same time.
"You forgot your keys," he smiled and winked at the old man. He then turned around and proceeded back to the room.
Hannah held the door open for the old man, as he clearly had his hands full.
Awkwardness hit them both in the elevator. The old man spoke first.
"I'm sorry about my grandson's appearance," he said to Hannah. "He just got out of the shower," he followed up.
"Oh, that's okay," Hannah obliged. "That was nice of him to bring you your keys so you wouldn't forget them, Mr..." she waited for his response.
"Dexter, " he put his keys in his pocket and extended a hand..."Ned Dexter," he smiled!
Hannah shook the man's hand. "Hannah; it's nice to meet you, Ned. I do believe we had adjoining rooms last night," she followed up. "Did you sleep well," she asked inquisitively?
Ned's face now fell, and his warm sme withered. He knew he had been caught. "Ah... yeah, like a baby," he lied.
As the button dinged again and the lobby elevator doors opened, Ned took off in a flash.
Well, that was unexpected, Hannah thought to herself.
.......
At 9:15 a.m., she checked herself into the hotel restaurant. Hannah pulled up a seat at the bar and ordered from the breakfast menu. She found that the bar keep kept eyeing her as she searched for sustenance. She had to admit that the attention was nice, although he was much too young for her, she thought. He must only be in his early 20s. Then she remembered the huge age difference between Ned and his lover. To each his own, she thought!
She wasn't sure how old he thought she was! Although she had to admit, she did look pretty damn good for a lady of her age. She could easily pass for 25, she figured. After she had finished her pancakes, she thought that it was best to wait for Cole in the lobby. When she headed out, the barkeep slipped her his phone number. She blushed a little but kept on walking!
Relaxing in the hotel lobby, scrolling through social media, was how Cole found her, not long after. He snuck up behind Hannah, placed his hand on her shoulder, and asked,
"Is there a Miss Hanson in the building," jokingly?
"Why yes, is there a Mr. Hanson in the building," she followed up, as she smiled up at him?
The old lady that sat across from Hannah looked over at the two of them and said, "Awe, you two are just the cutest. You must be newlyweds!"
They both looked at each other and chuckled a little. Cole decided to play along.
"Yes ma'am, this is my beautiful bride," he grabbed her hand and kissed it gently.
Hannah had to admit that this gesture sent butterflies into her stomach.
"Are you ready to go, My Love," he asked as he gestured her toward the door?
"Yes, Baby," Hannah responded.
Hannah had to admit that it was nice pretending, even if it was with a stranger.
Hannah got into Cole's pickup truck, and the two of them drove the couple of blocks down to the realtor's office. When they pulled up, Hannah noted that the sign read, "Forever Homes Realty." This must be the place, she thought.
Entering into the building, Hannah noted internally that there was only a single man working the office space. He was a handsome man, probably a little older than her. He was tall, with dark hair that was starting to go a little gray. She liked the look of an aging man, she thought. They really do get better looking over time. Although he was quite handsome, he wasn't the Greek God level of handsomeness that Cole was. She then realized that she didn't know how old exactly Cole was, but she guessed him to be around her age.
"Hello, Mr. Chase," Cole greeted the Realtor man with a polite handshake.
"Why hello there, Mr. Hanson," the man responded. "It's good to see you! What brings you in today?"
Hannah sensed that the two must be familiar with each other. Cole did say that this man wasn't the most popular in the area, she remembered.
"Well, I'd like you to meet Miss Hanson here," Cole reached his hand to the small of her back, letting her know that he was introducing her!
"It's a great honor Ma'am," Mr. Chase kissed her hand as he locked eyes with her.
"I had no idea that you were married, Mr. Hanson! Where have you been hiding this beauty," he asked?
In that moment, Hannah couldn't help but feel a spark between them also. The way this Realtor man looked at her, it was almost as if he had lust in his eyes, she believed!
"No, Sir, I'm sorry to say, but you are mistaken," Cole responded. "I just met Miss Hanson here, as she is new to the area. However, I certainly would like to get to know her better," Cole stated as he began to get a little jealous of the way Mr. Chase was eyeing Hannah.
He then took Hannah's hand from Mr. Chase's grasp and patted it as to say, "she is with me, back off!"
"Oh, so you two are not a couple then? What a coincidence that you have the same last name," Mr. Chase added!
"Or a sign," both Hannah and Cole replied at the same time, as if they had planned it!
Then both of them locked eyes again, smiled at each other, and giggled a little.
"She would like your help finding a rental, Mr. Chase," Cole added. "Since you own and rent so many places in the surrounding area, I thought who better to find just the place for her."
"Absolutely," Mr. Chase agreed. "I will find her the perfect place indeed. By the way, you can call me Victor," he looked at Hannah and winked.
"I assure you that she is in good hands, Mr. Hanson. I completely understand if you need to get back to work," Victor assured him.
Cole looked at Hannah and grabbed her hands. I'd like to help you find a place if you're open to letting me go along with you," he said as he stared at her.
"Honestly, are you sure," Hannah asked in disbelief? " You don't have to if you're too busy. I'll be okay."
"I never want to be too busy for you," he kissed her hand!
This sent butterflies again through her stomach. It was almost as if she had known him forever. Cole was going to make his way into her heart. She just knew it!!!
Victor's face gave a slight scowl, but he quickly turned it upside down before either of them could notice.
"Okay, let's get started then," he said to them, trying to break up the staring contest that the two were in.
"What are your requirements," Victor asked Hannah?
"I don't know, really," she admitted. "I'm not super fussy and money is not so much a concern for me as it is to be someplace that I love. I will say, however, that I've always been a city girl!" Hannah made it known!
"The city of Tuscon is great. I so have several rentals here, but honestly, you get more bang for your buck if you go a town or two over, say Green Valley, for example. I have the perfect place there that you'd love," he encouraged her!
"But you like being in the city, you said, isn't that correct," Cole asked Hannah? He didn't want her to be steamrolled by this egotistical realtor man.
"I do," she stated..."but I'm open to trying something different also if you really think I'd like it," she said to Victor!
"How about this, we visit a few of my Tuscon rentals, and then we take the 25-minute drive to Green Valley and see the place that I'm thinking of," Victor asked Hannah?
"That sounds like a great plan," she smiled back appreciatively!
"Sha'll we all ride together," Victor asked the two of them?
"Hannah and I will take my pickup, if you don't mind," Cole responded cooley.
"I need to be able to head back at any time just in case an emergency rises at the shop!"
"Okay then, follow me," Victor agreed.
Although, it was obvious that he had hoped that Hannah would ride with him in his Porsche.
.....
The first place that Victor brought them to was right in the center of town, on a busy street. When the three of them entered the apartment, the first thing that Hannah noticed was just how small the place was. It was probably only about 600 square feet. Although it is only her, she was used to a very large condo. She wasn't sure she'd like being this confined. It was also very noisy. You could hear the neighbors upstairs running around. They must have a lot of kids, she thought.
Victor could see the disappointment on her face. This made him happy. Hevhad her wherehe wanted her.
"This place is $900 a month," he told Hannah. "I can see that you're not sold. Let's press on!"
Hannah happily agreed.
The next place was on one of the back alleys of Tuscon. Hannah was kind of nervous to even get out of the truck justvgiven the neighborhood. Victor stepped out of his car and knocked on the truck window when he noticed that neither of she nor Cole had gotten out.
"Are you coming?" Victor asked as he smiled at Hannah.
"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to pass," she said apologetically. "Do you have any other places in town?"
"Sure do," Victor said. He then pointed, "I have one right across the street and another two blocks down. All of my others are rented at this time!"
Victor wasn't being quite honest with her. He did have several that were much nicer, but he didn't want to show them to her.
"Let's just head to Green Valley," Hannah stated optimistically!
This pleased Victor immensely. "If that's what you want," he grinned!
- Writer
