Lyza continued for the next forty-five minutes with details of the property. Everyone at the table leaned forward in rapt attention.
Finally, she closed. “That concludes my presentation regarding the property. Does anyone have any questions?”
Silence.
“Is there anything anyone here would like to discuss further?”
All eyes were on Klaus Müller.
“Ja, ja, ja, it is all exactly as you say.” Mr. Müller tapped his papers. “I have done some research through my friends here.” He motioned to those around the table. “As you say, a property with much potential. We must close the deal.”
“As you say.”
Lyza smiled. Cash or charge?
***
Leesa readied herself for the meeting with Norton. Father is right. This deal is personal, totally emotional. The man wants the property and Frank gets what he wants. She chose the bright yellow spaghetti-strapped Vera Wang sundress with black Burberry Ottoman coat and black five-inch platform pumps. A champagne diamond ring with matching earrings and pendant completed her apparel for the meeting. She collected the keys to her yellow BMW.
A beautiful California day greeted her. Light traffic gave her time to reflect on the lovely weather and on Norton. The man was old enough to be her father—actually, grandfather. His son was older than Leesa. Still one of the good ol’ boys, Frank was usually good-tempered and ready to party. He and Father often went golfing or fishing, so she was used to running into him now and then.
Leesa looked forward to the meeting, expecting to celebrate the day’s deal. What could be better? He wants the property. I want the sale. Simple. She parked the car beneath the Lane building and walked to the elevator where she ran into her Father’s old friend.
She smiled up at his gray mustache. “Oh, hello, Frank.”
He removed his Stetson, his gaze frozen on her mouth. “Well, there you are, little missy. This is my attorney, Joyce Lander.”
She pushed the button, and they entered the elevator. “It’s nice to meet you, Joyce.”
Joyce smiled and nodded.
Leesa turned back to Frank. “Our meeting is in the fourteenth floor conference room.”
“Well, how nice. Perhaps we could get started here.” He moved uncomfortably close, towering over her.
Leesa glanced at Joyce. The tiny young woman shrunk in the corner, looking at the floor of the elevator. Leesa tensed, but kept her tone lighthearted. “Now, Frank, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”
He chuckled and backed off.
Men. Will they ever get over themselves? I wonder how Father would react to having one of his daughters hit on by his old golfing buddy. Then she recognized it as one of her own favorite ploys. Nice try, Frank, trying to rattle me before the negotiations.
Even aware of his intention, she felt uncomfortable leading him down the long hallway to the conference room.
Once settled, with the title company personnel in the room, Leesa relaxed. “Mr. Norton, I’ll get right to the point. Our price is nonnegotiable. The price of the property you asked us to investigate is twenty million dollars.”
Frank Norton triumphantly slammed his hand on the table. “I never intended to pay less than that for the property. Let’s get this deal done. Where are your lawyers?”
“Coming right up, Mr. Norton.”
As she leaned over to push the call button, Norton slapped her on the derrière and boomed, “Good job, Leesa.”
How dare he! She spun around to face him. “Who do you think you are?” She held up her hand. “Stop right now. As far as I’m concerned, this deal is over.” She stormed out of the room.
***
Back home after salvaging Frank Norton’s deal, Leesa could hardly wait for Lyza’s return. She texted Lyza to learn whether the Nuremberg deal closed and got a “+” reply.
She lingered in the library near the front entrance reading her ebook and bounced to the door when she heard it open.
“You’re home!” Leesa hugged her sister.
“I am.” Lyza sank into a nearby chair. “As real estate goes, it was a fabulous deal. You wouldn’t believe how stupid they were. We made a huge profit on this one.”
Leesa sat on the sofa across from her. “You must be exhausted.”
She sighed. “I am. They call them first-class seats, but I can never sleep on those long flights.” Then Lyza brightened. “But we need to celebrate. I’ll grab a nap and we can go out.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Leesa jumped up and grabbed her sister’s bag, and they headed for the staircase. “My deal went through with flying colors, but we can talk about all that later.”
Lyza yawned. “What time do you want to go?”
“Take at least three hours. Let’s leave about eight o’clock.”
After helping carry Lyza’s luggage upstairs, Leesa returned to her afternoon of reading, checking e-mails, and shopping on the Internet. She sought an unusual piece of jewelry to indulge in, her usual celebration after closing an important deal, but she couldn’t find anything captivating. Perhaps her usual jeweler could help her find something new. After all, something glitzy seemed an appropriate reward, particularly after putting up with Norton.
Leesa preferred diamonds. Yes, those sparkly, bright stones are a girl’s best friend. She pulled up the jeweler’s website. Immediately she disregarded the small grouped-type settings and browsed the jewelry with larger stones. Humming the tune to “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” she moved to rubies, then emeralds.
She looked at the tanzanite stones, and then jewelry with sapphires. Looking for more “fire,” she turned to opals. The red ones in particular especially reminded her of herself—soft, rare, precious, and beautiful. Before she knew it, it was time to get ready for an evening of fun and celebration. Already? Time flies when you’re shopping.
She strolled into her spacious closet, enjoying the luxury of leisurely preparation for a fun night out on the town. Dresses arranged by length and color lined one wall of the closet. Another wall displayed blazers, jackets, and business clothing. Jeans, casual tops, and sports attire occupied the third wall. In one corner, a stand held every kind of belt and boa imaginable. The island, completely covered with shoes, made matching outfits easy. Choosing a purple miniskirt with a sequined crop-top and matching heels, she entered the small room at the side.
Leesa changed and studied her outfit in the vaulted room’s floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Not perfect yet. She turned to the island of thick glass drawers that contained her collection of fine jewelry—even better than Lyza’s, in her opinion. Finding the perfect earrings, pendant, watch, ankle bracelet, arm bracelets, and rings would take some time.
***
In her own room, Lyza woke refreshed, and she glanced at the nightstand clock. She’d slept deeply for the past two hours and felt ready to party. Lyza quickly showered, then whipped through her closet, choosing the pink shift, matching shoes, and jewelry. Feeling festive, she added a light pink boa for fun.
At eight o’clock, Lyza watched her sister descend the stairs looking like something out of a fashion magazine. Lyza teased her sister by imitating Frank Norton. “You look fantastic, Miss Lane.”
“Ja, ja, so do you, my little missy,” Leesa echoed, imitating Klaus Müller.
Lyza giggled. “Oh, yes, Klaus Müller sounds exactly like that. And the ‘little missy’ stuff was so hilarious, trying to sound like an American from Texas.”