by John Gray
For someone who had grown up poor, the thought of someone handing you that much money was mind-boggling to Chase, yet something didn’t feel right about it. After all, she had come to possess the property by accident after buying a cheap sketch. Emotion and blind loyalty to a man she never met caused Chase to raise her hand that day in the auction house, not greed. If she sold, it had to be for the right reasons.
It was December 17th, one week before Christmas Eve, and Chase asked Gavin to connect the printer to the laptop computer.
“What do you need printed?” he asked.
“Documents,” she replied. “But if you don’t mind, I don’t want you reading them until the right moment.”
Gavin asked sincerely, “And how will I know when that is?”
Chase hugged him, saying, “Oh, trust me, you’ll know.”
As the printer came to life and started spitting out papers filled with words, Gavin joked, “If this is a prenup, I have to tell you I’m fine giving you my truck and half of my interest in Dad’s farm. I believe he has four goats now, two of which are mine, so there’s definitely a goat in this for you if we get married and things go south.”
The thought made Chase laugh, as she said, “No, sweetheart, it’s not a prenup and I’m not worried about your fortune or mine. As long as we love each other, that’s good enough for me.”
“Ditto,” Gavin replied, as he lifted the half dozen pages off the printer, making sure not to read them.
Outside, a loud beep echoed into the mansion, sending Scooter scurrying, his nails clicking and clacking on the hardwood floor as he darted for the front door.
“Good. Our guests have arrived, just in time,” Chase said, taking the documents from Gavin’s hands.
Parked outside was the same expensive car Chase had seen before, and out stepped Clayton Philmont with his younger brother Peter.
Gavin saw them standing together and said, “I keep forgetting they’re brothers, they’re so different from each other.”
His observation was a bit too loud, causing Clayton to reply, “Indeed we are, Gilbert.”
“Um,” Gavin responded with a half smirk. “It’s Gavin. GAVIN.”
Clayton ignored the correction as Peter circled the car and clapped his hands, urging Scooter to come see him. “Who’s a good boy?” he asked, as the pup jumped in his arms.
“Ms. Harrington,” Clayton began, “If I’m here to buy the house, why did you want my brother to tag along?”
Chase looked from one Philmont brother to the other and said, “He’s here because I asked him to be, and who knows, maybe he wants to buy the house.”
Peter looked up from the dog, who was now lying on his back having his tummy rubbed, and said, “ME? I don’t have enough money to buy this place.”
Chase gave him a mischievous wink and said, “Ya never know, Oscar.”
Clayton spoke: “Oscar?”
Gavin, still annoyed that this rich snob got his name wrong, replied, “It’s a long story, Clem.”
Clayton shot a snarky look at Gavin, “It’s Clayton.”
Gavin then, “You sure? You kind of look like a Clem to me.”
Chase could see none of this banter amused Clayton, so she asked, “Did you both bring the things I asked of you?”
Clayton tapped his breast pocket, and said, “Yes, I have my checkbook right here, and I wore my most expensive watch from my collection.”
With that Clayton held up his right wrist, revealing a shiny gold time piece.
“And you, OSS … I mean, Peter?” Chase said in a silly tone.
This caused him to giggle a bit, then answer, “Yes, ma’am, I have an envelope right here in my back pocket, and I’m sorry to say my most expensive watch is this Fossil brand that I picked up at JCPenney for eighty-one bucks.”
Gavin looked at Chase and asked, “What’s going on?”
Chase smiled wryly and said, “You’re about to find out.”
With that, a man walked around from the side yard holding a shovel in his hand and gave Chase a wave. It was Nick, the groundskeeper.
“Hole is all set,” he said, giving Chase a thumbs up.
“Thank you, Nick, we’re coming now,” she replied.
Chase walked them around the large house, and there, already waiting, was a freshly dug hole in the ground. It was two feet square and revealed a three-foot drop to the bottom. With the ground hard from the recent frost, it had taken Nick twenty minutes to dig it.
Chase turned her attention to Clayton Philmont and said, “Sir, you said you want to buy my house. I brought you here today to say, I will sell it to you.”
Before Chase could finish that thought, the well-dressed man clapped his hands in celebration and said under his breath, “I knew you had your price. I knew five million would turn you around.”
Chase gave him a hard look, then said, “Nothing turned me around, sir, and I’d have you hold your tongue and checkbook until you hear the terms.”
“Terms?” Peter asked, curious what Chase had up her sleeve, and loving the fact that someone was finally putting his pompous brother in his place.
“Yes, terms. I’ll sell you the house, Clayton, on two conditions. We’ll call them … parts. Part one and part two.”
Clayton could see the documents in Chase’s hands, and reached toward her, saying, “Let me read them.”
This gesture caused Chase to recoil back and say, “Slow down, tiger. I’ll tell you the terms, and they don’t involve you touching that, at least not yet.”
Clayton, feeling thoroughly scolded, looked down toward his feet and said, “Apologies. Continue.”
Chase pressed on. “As I was saying, the terms come in two parts, parts one and two. You can’t get to part two until you do part one.”
Nick, having no clue what any of this was about, chimed in. “Sounds logical to me.”
This caused Chase to look at him lovingly and say, “Why, thank you, Nick, and nice job on the hole, by the way.”
Nick grinned proudly, heard a buzz, then looked down at his phone and said, “She won’t stop texting me. Deb.”
Gavin was smiling now, because he could tell Nick loved it.
Chase’s eyes went back to Clayton. “Let’s get to part one. I asked you to wear the most expensive watch you own. So, what is that on your wrist?”
Clayton held his hand up high and said, “This is a Patek Philippe eighteen-carat brushed gold watch with a sterling silver dial and alligator band. It’s accurate to one ten-thousandth of a second and worth one hundred and forty-eight thousand dollars.”
That price caused Gavin to whistle loudly.
Chase replied, “Wow, sounds impressive. What time is it exactly?”
Clayton looked at the face of the watch and said, “Four minutes past noon.”
Chase then turned to Nick, still holding the shovel, and said, “Nick, I see you have a Timex on. What time do you have?”
The groundskeeper glanced down at his old watch that was smeared with mud, and said, “Same. 12:04.”
Gavin looked away, trying to stifle a laugh, as Chase turned to Clayton and said, “Imagine that, they both keep the same time, and he paid a hundred grand less than you.”
Clayton didn’t appreciate the joke, saying, “Did you bring me here to mock me, young lady?”
Chase gave him a serious look and said, “No sir, I did not. Just teasing.”
Peter chimed in. “My brother doesn’t like being teased.”
Clayton gave Peter a look that said, Butt out.
Chase then surprised everyone when she said, “Part one of my offer to sell the house involves you taking that Patek whatcha-ma-call-it off your wrist and tossing it in the hole.”
Clayton looked at the dark hole in the ground and said, “Why?”
Chase then, “Because you can’t bury it if it’s not in the hole.”
Clayton, “And why in God’s name would I bury a hundred-thousand-dollar watch?”
All eyes were o
n Chase now as she smiled and said, “Because that’s part one of my deal.”
Clayton raised his voice then, sounding a bit upset: “DESTROYING a priceless watch, that’s your idea of a deal?”
Chase didn’t say a word, she just stood silent, everyone watching Clayton think.
Finally, he said, “So this is a test. If I bury the watch you sell me the house?”
Chase shrugged her shoulders and said, “No, I sell you the house if you agree to step two, which only happens if you complete step one.”
Clayton then replied in a dismissive tone, “Are you playing games with me, girl?”
Gavin stepped back from the group, throwing his hands in the air, thinking, You did NOT just call her GIRL.
But Chase, cool as the ground beneath their feet, smiled like a Cheshire Cat, saying firmly, “I’m not a girl, I’m a woman, and I assure you, sir, you can buy the house. You just need to complete my two steps.”
Clayton paced in a circle around the hole and then said in an accusatory tone, “So I destroy my watch and then you tell me you’ll only sell me the house for twenty million bucks or something ridiculous, and what then, I don’t get the mansion and I’m out a watch? I don’t think so.”
Chase again, “I can promise you, sir, I’m not looking to trick you or get any more money than you’ve already offered. In fact, how’s this? You can forget the five million dollars you were willing to pay. I’m asking way less. The number in this document will more than offset the cost of that expensive watch. You have my word.”
Clayton thought some more, then asked, “But what are the conditions? What is step two?”
Gavin, having no clue what Chase was up to, intervened now. “Isn’t it clear she’s not telling you that until you demonstrate that you’ll bury the watch? So, if you want the house, bury it.”
With that last word, Gavin grabbed the shovel from Nick’s hands and tossed it on the ground at Clayton’s feet.
Another pause, and then Clayton said, “Do I have to throw it in, or can I place the watch in gently?”
Chase just smiled. “Hey, it’s your watch.”
Clayton took the very expensive timepiece off his wrist, got down on his belly on the cold ground, reached in as far as he could, and gently dropped the watch into the hole. He stood up, took the shovel, and scooped up a large pile of fresh dirt.
Nick smiled, thinking, Oh, man, he’s really gonna do it.
Clayton lifted the shovel of dirt high, ready to dump it in, and then his eyes shifted from everyone watching, down to his prize watch now in its eternal grave. As everyone held their breath, the next sound they heard was not dirt hitting the hole but the shovel falling to the ground, followed by Clayton quickly diving down to retrieve his watch.
As he rose from the ground, dirt now covering his chest, he said, “I can’t do it. I’m not ruining this expensive watch so you can make some point that nobody here understands. Forget it.”
Chase walked over and touched Clayton kindly on the shoulder and said, “I understand completely, and I’m sorry I put you through that.”
Clayton kept touching the watch, making sure he didn’t damage it, replying, “You should be sorry. So, what now? You don’t sell, after all this nonsense, you don’t sell?”
Chase smiled again and said, “Hmm, let’s find out. Peter, did you wonder why I asked you to come along with your brother today?”
Peter scratched his head and said, “Kinda.”
Chase smiled warmly and said, “I planned on selling my home to a Philmont today, but I had my doubts that your brother would pass my two steps. Would you like to try?”
Clayton folded his arms and glared at his brother, saying rudely, “Yeah, like he has four million bucks lying around, the guy who collects empty bottles for nickels.”
Peter gave him a sarcastic smirk back, then turned to Chase and said, “My arrogant brother is right. I have some trust fund dough put aside, but nowhere near that amount, Chase. I appreciate you asking, though.”
With that Chase said, “But you haven’t heard my price.”
Peter looked confused, as Chase continued, “And you won’t, because that’s part of step two. As you just saw, I won’t do step two until we dispense with step one. So, would you please toss your watch in the hole and bury it? Call it an act of faith.”
Without hesitation Peter took off the Fossil watch and thew it in the hole. He picked up the shovel and put his shoulder into the task at hand, quickly filling the gap and making the watch disappear. When he had finished, he leaned on the shovel, and said, “How’s that?”
Chase said, “I know what you just did looks insane, but there is a point to it that I’m happy to explain later, something I learned from the previous owner about what matters in life.”
Peter nodded in agreement and said, “I look forward to that conversation. So, what’s step two?”
Chase replied, “I asked Clayton to bring his checkbook, but when it came to you, I asked you to bring something very specific in an envelope. Do you have that with you?”
Peter pulled a sealed white envelope out of the back pocket of his jeans and held it up. “It’s right here.”
Gavin, Nick, and Clayton all stood silently looking on, with no clue what was about to happen.
Chase handed Peter the contract she had Gavin print earlier, “Step two is you agree to two things in this document, the price for the house and the way in which it’s to be used.”
Peter started reading the first page of the contract, when Chase said, “Rather than have you read it, why don’t I tell you what it says.”
Peter looked up and replied, “Okay.”
Chase then addressed the group of them, “Have you ever heard of a Ronald McDonald house?”
Peter thought a moment and said, “Yes, it’s a place for families to stay if their child is sick in the hospital.”
Chase smiled, “That’s exactly right. Free food and a roof over their head for a day, a week, whatever they need. There are more than 300 of them all over the country.”
Peter nodded in agreement as Chase continued. “Before he died, Sebastian Winthrop, the man who owned this place before me, let a sick little girl stay with him here. He made her final days happy.”
Chase then looked up at the stately mansion and said, “This house is so full of love. First Vida and Sebastian and then Rose, the girl they brought here.”
She looked back at Peter, now adding, “I think it should stay that way.”
Peter replied, “I’m sorry, how exactly do we do that?”
Chase again, “Here’s how. If you agree to buy my home, all I ask is, if a family with a sick child at St. Mary’s Hospital needs a place to crash for a night or two, you’ll let them stay in one of those empty bedrooms upstairs. There’s a trust fund already set up by the Winthrops—his executor, Charlotte Jackson, took care of that—and it will cover all your costs. All you need do is open the front door to these families.”
Before Peter could even answer she said, “You volunteer at the homeless shelter because you want to help the less fortunate, correct?”
Peter replied, “Yes, I do.”
Chase then, “Well, you can do that right here for moms and dads who are out of their minds with worry and need a quiet place to stay. Would you be willing to do that, Peter, if I sell you the house?”
Peter loved Chase’s heart and what she was proposing, but reality set in as he said, “I would, Chase, I mean, it all sounds great, what you want to do here. But I told you, I can’t pay you what this place is worth.”
Chase turned to Clayton now and said, “Feel like loaning your little brother four million, just for old time’s sake?”
Clayton shot her an incredulous look and said, “I DO NOT.”
Chase smiled at Clayton and replied, “Yeah, I didn’t think you would. That’s why I priced it to sell.”
She looked back at Peter again and said, “Turn to page three of the contract and look at the bottom for the pr
ice.”
Peter quickly turned the pages in the document, then exclaimed, “WHAT?”
He looked at Chase and the others, stunned. Gavin asked, “What does it say, Peter?”
Peter laughed out loud and held the document up so they could all read the two numbers in bold black ink.
“She wants twenty-seven dollars.”
Everyone’s jaws dropped as Chase explained. “It didn’t feel right, making money on this property, and after all, twenty-seven bucks is what I paid for it, so, it only seems fair.”
Everyone stood speechless, when Chase asked, “Peter, you don’t happen to have that amount of money on you by chance, do you?”
Peter opened the white envelope he’d been carrying and took out a twenty-dollar bill, a five, and two ones. It was exactly the amount he was told to bring, and precisely what he’d need to buy the four-million-dollar estate.
Clayton grabbed the contract out of his brother’s hand and said, “Not again. Is this a joke?”
Then, after scanning the legal document and their satisfied faces, he screamed, “NOT AGAIN!”
Nick leaned in and broke the tension when he said, “At least you still have your fancy watch. It keeps lovely time.”
Everyone laughed at that comment except for Clayton, who shook his finger at Chase and said, “You’re insane. You know that? You were insane to buy that sketch at the auction, and you’re insane now. I could have made you rich.”
Chase took Gavin’s hand in hers, locking fingers, and said, “I’m already rich, Mr. Philmont.”
With that, Clayton started walking back toward his car and his driver, barking at his brother, Peter, “Find your own ride back to the city.”
Nick gave Peter a playful shove and said, “Don’t worry, buddy, I got ya. Long as you don’t mind riding shotgun in a pickup with no heat.”
