Up For Sale (Closed for JadeKnight)

[Opensesame54321]

Pricilla Whiteclift - 'Pris' to her family and friends - had moved back to her hometown after an absence of 6 years. After high school, she had moved to the big city, gone to classes and got her realtors license. For several years, she had worked the big city market, with all the cutthroat tactics and backstabbing that happened. She had tried several different agencies, but had never found the right fit. So, she moved back home. Well, technically not 'home' but to her hometown. At 24, she was too old to move in with mom and dad, but she had found herself a great little house that she wanted to buy. When she went in to ask about it, she wound up signing up with the real estate agency - Farmington Realtors - and Mr. Farmington had welcomed her to the firm, turned her over to Mrs. Clark, who was the office manager.

Mrs. Clark appeared to be about 50 and looked like a librarian. But she was nice, with her sensible shoes and sharp pantsuit, the woman seemed to know her way around the office. Pris was shown to a desk and informed that first day was a slack day. She smiled at the woman.

"Oh, but I already have my first sale."

Mrs. Clark merely raised her eyebrow in question. Pris held up a photo of the house she planned to buy.

"I plan on buying this place."

"I see. I'll notify the agent that's carrying that of your interest. I think he sits at that desk by the window."

She pointed over to a prime desk across the room. She smiled at Mrs. Clark. She had figured that someone else might not be willing to give up his commission on a sale but one could always try. Oh well, there were always others. She still wanted to buy the house.

 

[JadeKnight]

Nick Jackson had lived in the same town as Pricilla, for most of his life. He had joined the army after high school, spending a couple of years on active duty before returning home. He had earned enough to move out on his own, finding his way to Farmington Realtors. The agency was a small one, normally having only three realtors at the branch. However one quit a year before Pricilla returned back to their hometown, while the second one had taken time off for maternity leave just a month before her return.

Thus left him as the sole agent for the time being. Since this was Pricilla's first day, Nick hadn't yet to get notified that that she was joining them. He was busy making a few last touches on another deal when he heard Mrs. Clark talking to someone across the hall. He leaned back in his chair to see who it was.

His eyes widened for a moment, seeing his childhood friend back from whenever she had headed off to.

"Pricilla? Is that you?"

 

[Opensesame54321]

Pricilla? Is that you?

She heard the voice and thought that it sounded familiar but couldn't place it. Glancing around, her eyes finally locked on a familiar face.

"Nick? Nick Jackson? Oh my God! What are you doing here?" She crossed to him and gave him a hug, genuinely glad to see him. In high school they had been the best of friends, studying and hanging out together. She was the one he ran to when he caught his girlfriend, Peggy Kay, making out with the quarterback of the team. He was the shoulder she cried on when Bruce Butcher stood her up for the senior prom.

"I kept expecting to read about your wild exploits, with you making a name for yourself and how Mothers were warning their daughters to stay away from the wild Nick Jackson."

She laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. She finally noticed that he had been sitting at a desk.

"Don't tell me that you work here! Then we shall be competing for the same customers as Mr. Farmington has just hired me."

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled as he hugged Pricilla back for a moment, enjoying the little kiss on the cheek. He laughed for a moment at her talk of reading about his wild exploits.

"Sadly, I never managed to make any splashes on the front page like that. Never got interested in the fame stuff."

He blinked for a moment, taken back for a moment at her statement of competing for customers.

"Wait-...You're the one they hired to replace Jack?" He shook his head for a moment before glancing towards Mrs. Clark for a moment.

"A heads up would have been nice...Anyways, when did you get back? I never expected to see you come back to our little town."

 

[Opensesame54321]

"I've only been back about a week or so. And I had never planned on coming back, but...that a whole nuther story for another time. I'm temporarily home with Mom and Dad but I found the home I want to buy." She waved the picture at him. "I understand that you are the realtor for it. So you had better not try to gyp me!" She laughed as she shook her finger playfully at him.

"So, how long have you been back? I figured that we wouldn't run into each other until the 50th school reunion where you would be bald and nearsighted and I would be fat in orthopedic shoes." She laughed again at her own joke.

 

[JadeKnight]

He grinned for a moment as she warned him not to try and pull a fast one on the house.

"I would never think of doing such a thing to my best friend."

He took the picture from her for a moment before turning to the computer, typing as he spoke.

"I did leave for a couple years in the military, spending some time in Germany and Hawaii. After that, I came back home and have been here ever since."

He paused for a moment in his typing to playfully pout at her.

"You should have come by earlier. I haven't exactly been hiding. Now then..."

He made a few more keystrokes before printing out a large number of papers. He gathered them up and handed them to her.

"Take a look and make sure everything is in order for you."

 

[Opensesame54321]

She looked at the paperwork that he handed her, shaking her head. "I didn't mean for you to not take your cut!"

She handed the paperwork back to him. "And I didn't come looking for you cause I figured that you had probably gotten married and moved away. I figured that by now you had a house full of rugrats. I never imagined you as military, tho. Never thought to ask Mom and Dad either. Plus, I've only been back for a couple of weeks. Say, there's nothing wrong with the place, is there? Cause it will break my heart if there is."

She stopped talking for a moment just grinning at him before she leaned over and gave him a big hug. "Damn! I'm glad you're still around!"

 

[JadeKnight]

He shook his head softly for a moment when she handed the paperwork back, complaining about his work and leaving out his commission.

"What the matter? I can't decided to give something as a welcome home gift to my best friend?"

He smiled as she hugged him for a moment. He closed his eyes for a moment as he enjoyed her closeness for she let go. He smiled and handed the paperwork back to her without any changes.

"No, I've pretty much been single since I got back, so no rugrats for me. As for the house, it's in very good condition. There's nothing wrong with it at all."

 

[Opensesame54321]

She smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"God, Nick, I missed you so much. Okay. Listen. I'll take you out to eat. My treat. We can get caught up on each other's life. And I don't mean McDonalds. Okay, Friend?"

She had noted his words. "I've pretty much been single since I got back". So he had been married? Nick was so cute and sweet and he deserved to be happy. So why did he seem sad? Maybe he wasn't happy to see her? They had been best friends in high school so that couldn't be it.

"And when I get moved in, you can be my first guest, okay?"

Mrs. Clark butted in on their conversation. "If you are through socializing, perhaps we can continue with your orientation here at Farmington." She turned and walked back over to Pris' new desk.

Pris gave a grimace and whispered to Nick. "God, I'm in school again. I wonder if she's related to old Miss Sears." Miss Sears had taught high school economics and Pris had always been in trouble with the teacher.

Pris stood up and called out to the woman. "Coming, Miss...Mrs. Clark."

She returned carrying the paperwork on her new home.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a little smile at the kiss on the cheek. His day was getting better by the moment. He was taken back for a moment moment by her suggestion of lunch, but grinned.

"I would never think of Mcdonald's. Since it's your idea, it's your choice."

He laughed for a moment as Mrs. Clark decided to inject herself into the conversation and Pris's reaction to it. It was going to be fun working with his best friend, at least take the grind out of things hopefully.

"She's fine once you get to know her."

He smiled watching Pris walk away with Mrs. Clark to her own desk. He waited a few minutes before getting up and walking over to the water cooler to refill his water bottle. One the way there, he grinned as he walked past Pris's desk, winking at her.

"You better not be late for the lunch date."

 

[Opensesame54321]

Parker's was a fairly nice place just a couple of blocks from the office and Pris thought that it would be a good choice. It had been there for a few years and the food was good. Basic fare, done well and had nice booths where they could talk without having to worry about everyone in the place trying to listen to their conversation.

Mrs. Clark spent a large portion of the morning explaining the basics. She had a tendency to treat Pris as if she had never worked in an office. But she bit her tongue and listened to the rules and regs of the firm.

Around lunch, she turned to Nick and, leaning back in her chair, called out to him, "Hey, is now a good time? I thought Parker's, if that's okay with you?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He did a little ease dropping on the little crash course Mrs. Clark was giving Pris from time to time. Most of it was common sense, but it was the same thing he had to go through when he first came to the firm. He did chuckle once, drawing a glare from Mrs. Clark before she continued.

He was just finishing up a contract when Pris called out to him. He smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good. Let me grab my coat."

He pushed back from his chair and picked up his light jacket from the back of his chair. It's wasn't that cold out, but he usually worn a jacket when he went out. He Manet to the main door, holding it of for Pris.

"After you."

 

[Opensesame54321]

After you.

As she ran for the door, she called out to Mrs. Clark, "We're off to lunch, Mrs. Clark. He's gonna bring me up to speed on the market in the area."

She grabbed Nick's jacket sleeve and dragged him away as quick as possible, whispering to him, "Quick, before she finds something else to explain to me." She dragged him half a block away before she finally slowed down, laughing. "I swear, she acts as if I had never done this before."

She walked along, linking her arms in his as they headed towards Parker's. She had called ahead and reserved one of the four booths available at the restaurant. They should have some privacy at a booth. She wanted to find out just what was going on with her old best friend.

She looked at the menu before choosing a Cobb Salad with grilled chicken and unsweet tea.

 

[JadeKnight]

He gave a laugh for a moment as Pris had them running out the door in a hurry to get away from Mrs. Clark.

"Don't worry about her, she's mostly harmless. You'll get used to her."

When they arrived at the restaurant, Nick sat across from Pris so that he could see her face to face. He ordered himself a grilled chicken sandwich, a bowl of clam chowder, and some sweet tea. Once the waiter had left, he smiled to her.

"So where has the globe-trotting Priscilla been since high school?"

 

[Opensesame54321]

"Oh, all over. I did go to NYC. For approximately 2 weeks before I decided to get the hell out. Too big and too full of crazies. I drove a car down to Texas. Did you know that there is a website where you can drive from almost anyplace to almost anyplace? People need their cars driven places and so that got me out of New York and down to Houston. Spent some time down in Texas. Signed up and took a real estate class. The market there is crazy too. Did take a vacation down in Mexico a couple of times. But I finally decided that I needed to come back here so I updated my license so I could work here and called Mom and Dad. Bossco and I moved in with them but we really needed a place of our own. Now, what about you? Did I detect a reference to previous nuptials?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He nodded a few times as he listened to her tell of where she had been, nibbling on a piece of the free bread the waiter had brought while she was talking. He chuckled softly for a moment at the mention of nupitals.

"Close, but not quite there. I did have a fiance beofre heading out on a tour of duty in Iraq, but not when I came back. Turns out that she couldn't handle waiting for me while I was gone, so she left me. I didn't feel like trying to get another relationship going after I got be, so I just threw myself into work."

He sighed softly for a moment and shook his head.

"Other than that, I've pretty much stuck here close to home. Things are pretty good in the area, as far as the housing market goes. I don't thing you'll have problems getting into the swing of things here."

 

[Opensesame54321]

"Oh, Nick. I'm so sorry." She grabbed his hand across the table. "Well, it was definitely her loss. She shot her chance with a great guy." She squeezed his hand as she smiled at him. "And I promise not to try to get you in trouble. Well, not in too much trouble. I know. I know. I do have a tendency to get carried away."

She smiled at him as their food was delivered.

"Oh, and I can't wait for you to meet Bossco. You'll really like him!" She took a bite of her salad. "Hey, this is pretty good. How's your lunch?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He smiled for a moment at the squeeze of his hand. It had been awhile since he had felt he touch, and he liked it.

"Trouble always seemed to find us when we were together."

He relunctently pulle dhis hand away when their food came.

"Bossco? And who is this mysterious Bossco?"

He nodded in agreement as he started eating his meal, watching her with a little smile.

 

[Opensesame54321]

She smiled at him. "Bossco? Oh, Bossco is my best friend. We sometimes sleep together, though I really don't like to. He has a tendency to hog the bed. And sometimes he snores. " She noted his quizzical look and she couldn't help but laugh. "Bossco is my golden retriever. He's sometimes like a big bear, though he's very sweet. You'll like him. I know that he'll like you."

She somehow felt that something was bothering him. Was he bothered that she had returned? Surely not.

"No, I guess that I just couldn't stay away from where I grew up." She smiled at him. "So, what do you do for fun around here? I haven't been back long enough to really know what to do. You know, what's new and what's not?"

 

[JadeKnight]

He chuckled softly for a moment when she fully explained who Boscoe was. It didn't sound as if there was anyone in her life, though he couldn't help but be a little jealous of her dog. Though it was his fault he didn't act sooner in trying to go out with Pris before she left. That was in the past though.

"Then it sounds like I sound look forward to seeing Boscoe sometime in the future. I recently adopted a little black cat from the shelter a few weeks ago. The little guy is quite the playful little furball when I am home."

He took a few moments to think of what fun he could show her as he finished the last of his meal.

"Well, this small town has only a grown a little since you were gone. If you truly want to experience stuff, you'll have to head into Sherville. They have the nightclubs and all that other just. I think the only things we got in your absence were a new church, a couple of the large chain food stores, and the movie theater. We still have the old bowling alley though."

 

[Opensesame54321]

She laughed at the dichotomy of it. "We should get the two of them together some time and see if they can be as good of friends as we once were. What is your kitten's name?"

They then ate in relative silence for a few minutes before he spoke again.

Well, this small town has only a grown a little since you were gone. If you truly want to experience stuff, you'll have to head into Sherville. They have the nightclubs and all that other just. I think the only things we got in your absence were a new church, a couple of the large chain food stores, and the movie theater. We still have the old bowling alley though.

"The bowling alley..." She spoke softly, remembering that was where they would occasionally go, not as a date but just to hang out together. She was so bad at it that he used to call her 'Bertha Butt the Bowling Queen'. She was quiet for a moment. "I haven't bowled since that night." The night that she told him that she was leaving and moving to the big city. She had kinda hoped that he would ask her to stay here with him. But he just wished her well and moved on with his life. And she had moved on with hers.

She suddenly changed the subject lest they start getting too reminiscent. "Yikes, we'd better hurry up and finish. Wouldn't do to get back late on my first day." She flashed him a cheeky grin as she snagged the waitress, asking for the bill. She paid and soon they were heading back to the office.

 

[JadeKnight]

Mrs. Clark greeted them from behind the desk as they walked, smirking softly.

"I hope you enjoyed your lunch. There's a couple of proposals on your desk Ms. Whiteclift to look at."

Jack smirked for a moment, shaking his head. He grabbed one of the flyers from Mrs. Clark's desk, so he could see what changes she had made. He winked to Pris for a moment.

"Try not to get in over your head."

He stopped for a cup of water from the water cooler before going to his desk and getting back to work.

 

[Opensesame54321]

The rest of the day Mrs. Clark kept her busy, filling out forms, reading rules and regs of the business, etc. From time to time, she would look over at Jack and either catch him busy at his work, or looking at her. It gave her a strange feeling, but she put it down to just being glad to see an old friend.

He really was good looking and it was a shame that he was all alone. At least, he seemed lonely to her. Maybe now that she was back she could find him someone. She mentally started going down the list of girlfriends. Surely there was someone somewhere that would be perfect for him.

 

[JadeKnight]

When Mrs. Clark told it was time to leave, Jack all but jumped out of his seat. Filling out the paperwork was always tedious, but it always lead to his large salary and his good living. Life was good, despite feeling a little lonely at times.

"I hope your first day back wasn't too rough."

Jack held the door open for Pris as they were about to head out. Mrs. Clark followed after them, locking the door up. Jack grinned and smiled for a moment as he looked to Pris.

"How about we try and go for another round of bowling this weekend? You couldn't do any worse than last time, right?"

 

[Opensesame54321]

She was concentrating and was caught off guard by Mrs. Clark's words. Jack was ready to leave before her and stood beside her desk.

I hope your first day back wasn't too rough.

"Naw. Not bad at all. It's nice to have a friendly face to work with."

Ever the gentleman, he held the door open for her as they left. He smiled at her and she was reminded of their friendship back when they were in school.

How about we try and go for another round of bowling this weekend? You couldn't do any worse than last time, right?

She winced in memory. "You do enjoy seeing me make an ass of myself, don't you?" She laughed and slipped her arm through his. "Come on! You can walk me home. I'm sure that Mom will have supper ready and there is always room for one more. And you can meet Bossco. Make a new friend. Mom and Dad will be glad that I'm moving into my own place. I think that Bossco wears them out."

She steered him towards home.