No Easy Hope - 01 Read Online Free Page B

wood stove near the back wall and squatted down in front of it. The cast iron hinges on the door made a loud metallic squeal as he opened it and looked inside.
     
    A thick layer of dust covered every flat surface inside the cabin. I looked over at Kristina, who was standing in a corner of the kitchen with her hands primly clasped behind her back. She was watching Gabriel intently, no doubt gauging his reaction. Her smile looked a bit strained, and I guessed that she was not impressed with the décor. Gabriel stood up from in front of the stove and planted his feet in the center of the room, hands on his hips.
     
    “It’s perfect.” He said. “I’ll take it.”
     
    No one in the room was more surprised than me. Kristina rescued the moment from becoming awkward.
     
    “That fantastic, Mr. Garrett, but we haven’t really had time to put together any kind of an offer. Are you sure you don’t want some more time to think about it?”
     
    If the petite real estate agent had not been so damned adorable, I probably would have been pissed at her.
     
    “Oh, that won’t be necessary. I’ll just pay the list price.” Gabriel replied.
     
    “Well that’s great.” I said. “Do you need some time to put together financing?”
     
    “No, that won’t be necessary either. I’ll be paying by certified check. Would that be sufficient Mr. Riordan?”
     
    “That would be just fine, Gabe, and please call me Eric.” I smiled as I replied.
     
    I turned to Kristina, and I would not have been surprised if she had started jumping up and down and clapping her hands in excitement. She was looking at receiving a substantial commission. The cabin sat on over two hundred acres of land, and the price tag was in the high six-figures.
     
    “Well, pretty lady, I think we just made your job a lot easier.” I said.
     
    She gave me a smile that made me feel warm all the way down to my toes.
     
    “Yeah, I guess you did. Tell you what, when we get back to town I’ll make a few calls and see if we can set up a closing date.” She said, beaming.
     
    We filed out of the cabin and I followed them over to their car. I thanked Gabriel for being such an easy guy to work with, and endured the pain of another one of his handshakes. Then I turned my attention to the lovely Kristina.
     
    “It was really nice meeting you.” I said. “I hope I get to see you again soon.” She took my hand and covered it with both of hers.
     
    “It was very nice meeting you too, Eric. I definitely think we’ll be seeing each other.”
     
    I stepped back as Gabriel folded his massive bulk into the passenger’s side of the car. Kristina paused just before getting into the driver’s seat and favored me with another glacier-melting smile.
     
    I was glad that I ran into them when I did. It would have been a shame to waste my time getting the place cleaned up, only to realize that I could have sold it without getting my hands dirty. I got into my truck, turned my satellite radio to a folk music station, and backed out onto the narrow road. As I drove toward the highway, I began to wonder about Gabriel’s sudden offer to buy the property at its list price. He must be a wealthy man to be shelling out damn near a million dollars in one sitting. A man with that much money could buy a nice two-story colonial or something down in Morganton. Why would he want to spend his money on a ratty old cabin out in the middle of nowhere? The place did not even have a working toilet. After a few moments of pondering, I shrugged and dismissed the thought. My goal was to sell the property, and I had done just that. The man could be a damn drug dealer for all I cared, as long as his check cleared. A few days later, Kristina gave me a call to let me know that she had set up a closing date.
     
    “That’s great,” I said, “Although I have to admit that I’m looking forward to seeing you again more than I am to selling the cabin. Do I really have to wait until the closing,