“Good morning, Vicki. It’s a surprise to see you here before 8 am. Big news?”
“Hi, Pete. Yeah, you might say that. Do you have some time?”
“Sure, let’s use my office.”
Vicki picked up her can and followed Pete to the second floor. “Did you have a nice trip to Ironwood?”
“I did. They have a nice station and it’s a cool town.” Vicki looked down at the note pad she had in her hand. “Pete, I want to thank you for the opportunity you’ve given me here at WRSE. And I know you told Jack Jackson nice things about me. He offered me a position as their director of Radio and Video content.”
“Congratulations, Vicki, that’s great. I’d hate to lose you, you know it gets cold up,
there right? What do you want to do?”
“Pete, it’s a great opportunity. It’s a little bigger market and more responsibility. I’m excited about it. Jack told me to square things with you in terms of notice, so how do you want to handle this?”
“I think we can do 2 weeks. You have a week vacation coming to you yet. Do you want to work your final week or have us write you a check for that week off?”
“Hmm, There is a lot I need to do so there aren’t too many loose ends around here, I’d like to work the last two weeks and get paid for the time off if that’s OK with you?”
“You got it, Vicki. It’s been great seeing you launch your career. Don’t be a stranger and stay in touch.”
---
Ken felt stronger than he had in weeks as he rolled out of bed. He noticed he wasn’t winded walking to the bathroom. After getting dressed and getting something to eat, Ken planned to run an errand on his way to the station.
Forty-five minutes later, he was driving down the street. He turned on 3rd Street and pulled to a stop in front of a small Cape Cod home. He grabbed a gift bag from the front seat and walked to the door.
“Hi Ken! This is a nice surprise. I’m glad to see you. You look great and obviously feeling better.”
“Rachel, I’m heading to the station and wanted to say thanks for all you’ve done. You gave me a boost when I needed it and I know I wouldn’t be here without you. This is a small token of my appreciation. Thank you.”
“Good luck, Ken. I’ll be listening.”
----
After talking to Vicki, Pete headed to the realty office to find out how Tonya was doing with selling his place.
Tonya greeted him at the door. “Pete! You have 3 offers – all asking price or above. Do you want a look?”
“Hi, Tonya. That’s great. First, tell me about the potential buyers.”
“Well, there’s Amanda. She’s single and looking for her first home after graduating college four years ago. She’s new to town and works at the hospital. Next is George. He’s retired and works part-time at the resort and helps Mr. Brandt with the ski team when that’s going. George is a life-long resident of Roseville and downsizing after his wife died last year. Last is a young couple, Dawn and Andy. They got married last year. They work at the hospital. Andy is a nurse in the cancer unit and Dawn is in her first year as a resident in the hospital. Andy grew up not far from Roseville.”
“Alright, thanks. You say all the offers are at the asking price?”
“Yes, sir, or more.”
“OK, I want to sell to Dawn and Andy, but counter at the list price. That way they can put more down or have cash for improvements. Is that OK?”
“I’ll admit, Pete, it’s unusual, but sure that’s fine. I’ll get right on it. Do you have a preference on when to close?”
“When do you think Jean and I will be able to move into a new place?”
“I hope we have that in place no more than three weeks from now.”
“Then see if Dawn and Andy have a closing date in mind, but I’d prefer in three weeks, if we can. Thanks, Tonya. I need to get back to the station.”
---
Emjay and Jake were meeting Jean at her lawyer’s office at noon. Jean got there early to review a few details before they arrived.
She talked with him earlier about her idea on making the sale to them as a partial gift then a land contract with any debt forgiven at her passing. All that was left was deciding on the monthly payment.
The phone on Ted Smith’s desk rang. He answered it, then went into the reception area to greet Jake and Emjay.
“Hello Emjay, good to see you again. Jake, I’m Ted Smith. Come on in, your mom’s here already. Are you excited?”
“Yes, we are and nervous.”
“No need, please sit down and I’ll review your mom’s proposal. First, your mom is giving you $30,000 of property as a gift so you have some equity. Monthly payments start at the beginning of your third month in the house at $1,000. How does that sound?”
Emjay and Jake were holding hands while they digested the news, then looked at Jean.
“Mom, are you sure? This is very, very generous.”
“Yes, I’m sure. I want you to live there, not scratch for every penny to make payments. There is a farmer who’d like to rent most of the acreage to raise crops and cut hay – I think that will come in handy for you. Do you have any questions?”
“Well, we know about the utility bills and property taxes, so I think we’re up to speed. We plan to use your accountant to help us keep everything straight. When do you want to move?”
“Pete and I are looking for a place. We hope to close in the next three weeks. You can start moving when you’re ready and we’ll work it out.”
“Alright, then.” Smith pushed the first couple of pages across the table for Emjay and Jake to sign. “Please sign where indicated at the bottom, then initial on pages two and three. Congratulations to all of you.”
----
Jean drove into the station parking lot at 3 where she found Pete standing by his car.
“Hey, Pete, need a ride?”
“Sure, thanks. Do you know where we’re going?”
“Yeah, Tonya sent me a text 15 minutes ago. We’re going to look at the condo on the north side of the river; then a no-maintenance house; the last place is a two-level condo with a deck.”
“Do you have a favorite?”
“Not really. I think the two-level with a deck sounds great, but the first condo is the closest to
the station and the farm, so I like that.”
“How did it go with the kids today?”
“Oh, Pete, it went very well. Emjay and I were crying at the end. They’ll pay me $1,000 every month and be in good position to take care of the place and establish it as their family home. I’m glad to keep it in the family and my brother Glenn is happy about that too. Oh, here’s the first place, and there’s Tonya.”
The next two hours was a blur as Jean and Pete looked at their options. They liked all of them, but narrowed them to two by the time they returned to the station.
“Well, Pete, I don’t think we could go wrong with either. The first place is close to the farm and work or do we want the beauty of living on the Rose River. Do you have a favorite?”
“You know, I like the first one, but I think the deck over the river is something we’ll be happy about for a very long time. You decide.”
“OK, let’s put an offer on the Rose River place.”
There are only two chapters left! Catch up with the series by following this link.
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