Her eyebrows rose.
“Depends on financing.”
“No financing.”
She stared.
“Cash?”
“Yes.”
The expression changed.
Not because I wanted it to.
Money changes how people look at you.
I had spent decades learning not to enjoy that too much.
Denise said.
“We could probably close in ten days if title is clean.”
“Make the offer.”
“Full price?”
“No.”
I smiled.
“Four fifty.”
She laughed.
“You negotiate groceries too?”
“Especially groceries.”
The seller accepted four sixty-five.
Inspection came back clean.
Closing scheduled eleven days later.
I said nothing to Ethan.
Nothing to Vanessa.
I kept cleaning.
Kept mowing.
Kept driving the children.
Kept paying for my own food.
And started baking pies.
Margaret’s luncheon changed something.
She loved the pie.
So did her friends.
One woman asked.
“Do you sell these?”
“No.”
“You should.”
Another wanted peach.
Another pecan.
Another apple.
By Monday, Margaret had texted me four orders.
I laughed.
