Ella sat down on the oversized leather chesterfield, she became aware she was over twenty minutes early and to detract attention away from herself, she quickly grabbed a copy of Country & Life magazine and placed it directly in front of her eyes to look busy in the event she wouldn’t be asked any awkward questions. She sat waiting nervously for Anthony Wallace, willing him to be early and not punctual, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on her nervousness and lack of experience in the property sector. She thought burying her head in the oversized magazine seemed to work so far as nobody approached her for at least five minutes. The next time she was brave enough to peer over the top of the magazine to her surprise Anthony slowly approached her, with an extremely tall striking young man. Ella’s heart skipped a beat, C’mon Ella, get a grip she kept telling herself, pull your sorry self together, for Christ’s sake, it’s your money these real estate agents want not your intellect!
Anthony made the introductions in a formal manner. Ella shyly shook Frank Chapman’s hand and felt a sudden surge of chemistry between them, their eyes locked for what felt a moment too long. Ella noticed Franks eyes were large, dark, and mysterious as if reading her every thoughts, could he read her mind? What she was thinking? She soon looked away embarrassed, hoping she was just imagining it.
Anthony and Ella followed Frank to his office. Ella she couldn’t help checking out Franks walk and comparing their height distance, she figured that he must have been a little over three inches taller than her.
Frank dressed in the traditional navy and white like the rest of the staff, he wore a light green tailored Boss suit; Ella thought the suit must have been tailor made due to his giant height. She also noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, could he be gay, or an eligible bachelor? Or could it be he was divorced? She tried to gage his age, maybe early thirties to mid thirties. So many questions were racing through her head, she couldn’t keep up with them, was she going crazy? One minute she was fighting her nerves on her lack of intellect on real estate, worrying how she’d come across and the next she was checking this guys’ stats out. She wondered if Anthony had already informed Frank of her inheritance and all the details, she hoped not and knowing Anthony like she did her guesses was he hadn’t. She had to remind herself that Anthony only came along in honor of her father and she quite liked the thought of Anthony showing protectiveness towards her, she found this very comforting.
As all three of them entered the elevator Ella noticed the interior was the same wall to wall dark wood paneling, with large tinted mirrors towards the rear end. She caught Frank staring at her, with a look of amusement and then he turned away while pressing number ten. Ella couldn’t help turning her head towards the floor as she witnessed him blushing just as she was. She’d never met a guy who’d blushed before and thought it to be a really cute trait, maybe he was after all the shy type? This revelation alone was making her feel more attracted to him, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Franks office was very much the same décor as downstairs, large, impressive, with several attractive personal assistants based outside. Ella took the scene in her stride and noticed in his office there was a mixture of old and new as she could see that Frank added his own personal taste, the art hanging on the walls didn’t fit into the ageing of the building, it was of an abstract form, mass waves of bright colours stood out from the canvasses, some placed in a series, some free hanging all different shapes and sizes.
Frank noticed that Ella couldn’t take her eyes off the wall pieces the way she was admiring each and every piece and was keen to break the silence.
“This is my favorite piece it’s called Time Travel, by my brother Joseph, he’s extremely talented, he painted all the pieces you see hanging here, he’s currently holding an exhibition Vernissage in France.”
“Wow , I love the use of all the bright colours. I’ve always been a fan of abstract art. My late father had a few original paintings from Jackson Pollock that he left to my brother and me in his will you know!”
“It was Jackson Pollock that inspired my brother from a very young age, he found his talent for abstract at the early age of seven when he threw paint all over his bedroom walls, much to our mothers despair, she decided to buy him his first real canvass to practice on and to this day he’s never stopped experimenting with colour.”
“I can see that it’s paid off, his work is amazing. I´d very much like to see more!” Anthony began to cough lightly in the background. Ella had almost forgotten about Anthony’s presence, too absorbed in her conversation with Frank. She politely excused herself and made her way to the seat next to Anthony. However Frank wasn’t finished.
“My brother Josephs due back in the UK in several weeks; I
could arrange tickets for you to his next exhibition just outside Pens borough if you like?”
“That’d be great; I’d love to go thanks!” Frank sensed Anthony was keen to move the meeting along. Ella also noticed and smiled, was this another one of Anthony’s protective traits?
“Now Mrs Pearson, it’s the subject of real estate, Mr Wallace has informed me that you’re looking for a property away from the suburbs of Pens borough and you would like to look at property further afield, such as Pens borough Land,
Benningrough or Lytton On vale. I have a number of properties in these areas that I’ve had the honour of putting together before our meeting here today.”
“Oh please, let’s get the formalities out of the way, I’m more comfortable with Ella if you don’t mind, addressing me by my surname gives me the creeps!”
Both Anthony and Frank nodded in approval. Frank buzzed in one of his attractive assistants from outside, and instructed her to setup the overhead projector. Ella noticed a tall slender woman knock and enter dressed in the same outfits as those downstairs, carrying a tray of delicate antique china, followed by another woman dressed in the same attire carrying large sliver flasks of refreshments, coffee, tea, and an array of savories and sweets. The assistant gently placed them down on the table behind them, where there was a huge projector setup.
Ella’s appetite had far from deserted her at this point; however she opted for the coffee, not to be impolite. Anthony gracefully filled his plate as did Frank. Once relaxed Frank instructed his assistant to start the slide show, it came with its own commentary, first it started with a little introduction from the chairman at Strut & Brothers, which went completely over Ella’s head. Anthony took a pen and pad out of his briefcase to make notes. Ella sat back in amazement at the houses that Frank had to offer, the first house was a delightful period mansion situated in the heart of the sought after Buckinghamshire hamlet of White leaf. The large standalone house appeared to be surrounded with several acres of natural beauty and it boasted a reception hall, cloakroom, drawing room, family room, dining room, kitchen breakfast room, study, conservatory, utility room, master bedroom with en suite bath shower room, with four further bedrooms, home office, bedroom six, family bath shower room, with a generously size outdoor swimming pool. But the best part of this magnificent house was it housed an extra cottage, with four bedrooms and its own private garden, it had been used for the all housekeeping staff and it was recently renovated to a high specification. Apparently the current owner had his own daughter and family live within the delightful cottage. Ella immediately thought of Mr and Mrs Walsh, it would be ideal for them, plenty of room for their daughter and grandchild when visiting. The other properties all boasted the same impressive space, some were modern, some period what appealed to her the most was the first mansion house and when the slideshow stopped her mind was made up, she wouldn’t settle anything but the first property.
“What’s the cost of the first property?” Ella splurged out looking directly at Frank unable to contain her sudden excitement. “The asking price is 3.5 million, however the owner Lord Rickety, is a fair man and he is prepared to negotiate. At the moment he’s residing in the south of France in his own chateau and as far as I am aware he plans on staying there w
ith no future plans to come back to England. That’s why he appointed Strut & Brothers to sell Highwood House for the asking price, or the nearest we could get to the asking price!”
“When can I arrange a viewing? This property is the house of my dreams, excuse my expression please gentlemen, but I really must have this house it’s perfect for me and my boys!”
Anthony rose from his chair lightly patting Ella’s shoulders as if to assure her that if that’s what her heart desires, then he will negotiate with Strut & Brothers on her behalf. Frank began looking in his diary.
“We’ve only one more family interested in this property and viewing times are weekly at 18.00 hours, however I can make the exception to show you around Highwood House this morning as my next appointment isn’t due until 1 pm? That is of course if this is convenient to you Ella?”
“Yes, I have most of the day free it would be perfect.” With that Frank and Anthony began nodding in agreement with a friendly handshake. It was agreed that Frank would drive Ella out to Buckinghamshire and Anthony would be available in the late afternoon to discuss and arrange the paperwork and Ella’s offer if she was interested. Anthony asked Ella to call him after the viewing; she nodded in approval when Anthony departed from the office giving her a friendly
hug. Ella suddenly found herself alone with Frank, he excused himself while making some phone calls, she helped herself to more coffee, pretending not to overhear, his telephone conversations she couldn’t help eavesdropping in the hope that she would hear or catch something out about his personal life that may give her a hint of his relationship status. However she was sadly disappointed when she realised that he was only talking business and remained professional throughout his several calls.
The drive to Highwood House took several hours; they seemed to hit many traffic jams, making small talk on the way, listening to the radio discovering they were both fans of Fleetwood Mac. Frank mentioned that he had been to see them twice live over in America when he lived there with his younger brother. Ella informed him she had seen them once with at Queens Hall in Dewsbury and they were amazing. They both agreed that they were legendary and timeless, unlike the trash that was going around the charts in the nineties. Ella thought it was amazing in a couple of hours drive you can find out about each other, they both liked the same music, they both had a passion for modern art, however behind his professional exterior they never broached the subject of relationships. Ella knew she would kick herself later for backing off the subject, however as much as her curiosity got the better of her she just simply couldn’t. It was easy to make conversation with Frank and she wondered if he spoke to all his clients the same way? She had many questions going around in her head about him; however she agreed to herself she would keep them property focused so he could see she was very interested in buying Harwood House. She couldn’t help thinking what his commission was though, she had to tell myself to stop as she knew her luck with men was terrible or should she say terminal. She should really give them up not just for lent but a lifetime, the boys didn’t need any further complications in their lives and she certainly wouldn’t involve them in her love life, that was her own affair, always had been.
The boys both grew up with no real father figure, with the exception of James, Anna’s dad and Chase her younger brother, who was adorable, dependable and reliable. The boys loved their uncle so dearly it was a bond that would be unbreakable, even if she did meet another man, with the exception of James she vowed that she would date outside her family network for at least a year before she would ever think about introducing them to the boys and little Anna. Anna’s dad James was the only male her boys ever met as he stayed over on weekends occasionally, they had both first met at a parents evening in primary school. James was a single dad with one boy the same age as Broody. James wife up and left with the P.E Teacher of the primary school, it was such a scandal at the time because the P.E teacher was married to the English teacher. Ella remembered the outrage with the teachers and parents, and was proud not to get involved in even at the PTA classes where it was frequently gossiped about in James and the English teacher’s absence. Ella hadn’t met James before this but heard a lot of stories, but just dismissed the rumors as she wasn’t one for getting into idle gossip, hell it often made her wonder what the PTA said behind her back, two boys to two different fathers, not married and so on? She had no time for this old fashioned tittle tattle and wouldn’t dream of putting her pennies worth into talking about someone who is not there to defend themselves, but she knew the types that were doing it your typical bored at home housewife, with their husbands at work, children at school, they had nothing better to do with their time except to bake for the school fete, attend a few charity meetings each week, compare the achievements of their children, and their husbands jobs, salaries, home improvements and their next holiday! dull dull dull Sprang to mind when she picked the boys up from school, those women all seemed to huddle together with their noses in the air and to her amazement they all wore the same shade of pale pink lipstick. Ella had to laugh at these simpletons, was that all their life’s consisted of? Ella unlike other parents who waited daily to pick their children up from school, were often juggling around jobs, hoping to spend precious time with their children before they went to their next shift. After their initial meeting she and James often met up at the weekends and took the kids out for lunch and activities, it was lucky that they all got along; otherwise it would have been hell, three energetic boys, with a load of energy to burn. It wasn’t love for Ella with James but it was a very close companionship, where they often offloaded their worries, concerns and hopes for the boys. Ella felt a strong sorrow for what happened to James, although he carried the weight of what happened on his shoulders, he carried it well and she admired him for this. James family supported him all they could especially his mother and father who doted on their only grandson, however they were elderly and his father fell ill with Alzheimer’s, and as his father’s condition began to deteriorate his mother became his father’s full-time career resulting in all her free time she´d usually spend with her precious grandson dissolved into monthly visits and James had to reduce his hours at the printers to part time. At this point Ella and James decided that they would both be there to look after the boys in the other ones absence working out their weekly rotas with one another. The boys loved it as James house was what they called “COOL!” and they all got to hang out as boys. It soon became a routine they all got used to for the next couple of years and it was great that Ella could get childcare to work more hours at the boutique, likewise James got more hours at the printers. James was great with the boys, a natural with maternal instinct. One night when they were working out rotas for the week ahead, they managed to get the boys all cozy in the living room with popcorn and a power ranger movie. James went out to his car and brought back with him some champagne he´d got at work from a colleague he had won some bet with.
“Would you like to share this with me, Ella?”
Ella looked up curiously.
“I don’t see why not, I haven’t had any bubbly in years.”
Ella automatically turned to get the champagne flutes from out of the cupboards, accidently catching James reflection, his expression appeared to be distant and quite sad, a sadness she´d never seen James wear before, it made her freeze, and she could feel chills going down her spine. As soon as she turned round he changed his expression in to a large grin. Ella had known James now for over two years, he´d become her best friend, and they’d both developed a deep friendship, a lot like that of a brother and sister. They formed a mutual bond between their kids and Ella was so content for him to be in her children’s and her life, although she felt no sexual chemistry for James and vice-versa on his part, as this just wasn’t a part of their relationship, their main focus was their kids, getting by and sharing daily and weekly routines with each other. Ella was sure that their relationship got the PTA wagging behind their backs, scrutinizing them, never und
erstanding how a male and a female can have a plutonic relationship, but they often discussed and laughed it off because they were both members of the PTA and nothing was said to their faces, pity really Ella was ready for them in the event that there was a snide comment and so was James.
James filled their glasses, she was impressed with the label Moet and Chandon, remembering her father used to house the same in the cellar.. James looked at her for a moment a little apprehensive and asked with his sad green eyes.
“Do you ever get lonely Ella?”
Ella replied without giving her answer any thought.
“Yeah, sometimes when I can find the time!”
“I mean lonely, in the sense of the word, where you feel like you’ve nobody to hold, in the early hours of the morning, when it’s between dark and light and you can’t sleep without the warmth of that person!”
Ella could sense where this was going; James missed his ex wife deeply, as they were childhood sweethearts.
“I do in a sense James, but unlike you I rarely had that opportunity.”
Ella soon noticed the wounded expression on James face. “Shit, I didn’t mean that last statement in the way it came across!” James looked at her with the same sadness she had caught in the reflection a few minutes ago. God she wish she hadn’t replied with that little one liner, how insensitive!
Ella apologised again, but James just kept staring at her with those sad eyes and them finally he broke out of his silence. “Ella it’s so like you to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, that’s why I admire your honesty.” “You know me James I am always talking without thinking, it’s not that often I get the chance for some real adult conversation and when I do I end up talking like an eleven year old boy!”
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