to do the right thing. Our lawyer advised us to ask a million five.”
Cathy laughed. “The land is on the downslope of an old railroad crossing. I’ve been told they can’t even grow gardens there because the soil is littered with the remnants of gravel and coal…and yes, Blessings is that old, and if this property hadn’t been neglected for so many years, it might be worth about two-thirds of what you asked. But you let it go to ruin. So you reap what you sow, Mr. Meiner. I will give you half of your asking price and not a penny more. Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
“And we’ll get our family name and all of the misunderstandings cleared in the follow-up story?”
“Yes.”
“Done. We’ll have our lawyer contact you.”
“No. Have your lawyer contact my lawyer. His name is P. Nutt Butterman. He practices here in Blessings.”
Meiner laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Do you hear me laughing?”
“No, ma’am.”
“I will expect the paperwork to begin this process within the week. And you will be responsible for all closing costs. You have lax business practices, sir,” Cathy said.
“But we didn’t know,” Meiner said.
“You do now. Have your lawyer contact my lawyer, and no dawdling. Christmas is upon us, and I’d like for these people to have a blessed one this year.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ll be in touch.”
Cathy hung up, and then called the Tribune.
Mavis Webb answered, and then heard Cathy’s squealing.
“Oh my God, Mavis…we did it. We did it! And wait until you hear the end of this story about the Bottoms.”
“Then come on over,” Mavis said.
“Can’t but I’ll give you the lowdown while I’m waiting on my sweetie to take me to lunch.”
And so Cathy told the story once again, right down to them agreeing to sell her the land and the houses on it.
Mavis crowed. “Holy crap. I hope your sweetie is ready for you, because you are one hell of a woman.”
Cathy grinned. “Oh…he’s fine. He has my number and the line it comes in on.”
Mavis sighed. She’d seen Duke Talbot. He was fine, in so many ways.
“Okay, and congrats. Once the deal goes through, I will run a follow-up.”
“Thank you,” Cathy said.
Chapter 19
She met Duke at the door with a smile and a kiss that took away his appetite for anything other than making love to her.
“I don’t know what that’s for, but I’ll take seconds,” he said, and did.
“I finally heard back from Meiner. It’s quite the revelation. The owner has Alzheimer’s. That’s why no response. And his sons, who are taking care of his business properties, had no idea he owned anything in Georgia. It was Mavis’s story about New York slumlords in the South that got their attention.”
Duke laughed and hugged her. “Way to go. So what did they say?”
“They’re selling it to me for a steal in the hopes that the follow-up story paints a better image of the Meiner family.”
Duke shook his head. Like Mavis, he was realizing what a shrewd businesswoman she was turning out to be.
“Where are you with the renos?”
“About a half dozen more to go…most of it roofing and paint and replacing appliances and furniture, although a couple have floors that are in horrible shape. But it doesn’t matter right now who owns it. I just want it done.”
“I am in awe,” Duke said. “Let’s get some food, and then I’d love a tour…and to meet some of the people you’ve made friends with down there.”
“Deal,” Cathy said. “Let’s get something from the Dairy Freeze and then drive to the park. We can sit in the truck to eat if it’s too cold, but I like to look at all the Christmas decorations.”
“Sounds good to me,” Duke said, and after a sweep through the drive-through, they headed to the park with burgers, onion rings, and drinks.
“Want ketchup?” Cathy asked, as she dug a ketchup packet out of the sack.
“No, thanks. I’m good with it just like this.”
Cathy took a bite of an onion ring, and then used it for a pointer.
“Do they decorate the park like this every Christmas?”
Duke nodded. “You should see it during the Peachy Keen Festival.”
Cathy grinned. “What’s that?”
“Well…Georgia is famous for peaches, right? And lots of places in the state have their own celebrations of them during harvest. Every year, some young high school girl is chosen Miss Peachy Keen, and it’s the biggest freaking deal in town. You’d think they were vying for Miss America. LilyAnn who works at Phillips Pharmacy was the Peachy Keen queen once.”