I
had to admit that they looked beautifully cared for. Despite the
fact that it was January, all the sidewalks were completely free of
snow and ice. And the steps leading into the sales office were
pristine.
I thought guiltily of our icy front walk and
rutted driveway. I was always nervous someone was going to fall
when we had company this time of year.
Of course, the Eden’s Grove management paid
big bucks to keep the property looking this great, I reminded
myself. And poor Jim did the best he could with our snow blower.
When it was working.
Sighing, I followed Jim into the sales
office. At least it would be warm inside.
“Welcome to Eden’s Grove,” said a
pleasant-looking woman who was the point-of-entry at the reception
desk. “You must be Jim and Carol Andrews. I’ll get Eve for you. I
know she’s been expecting you.”
I resisted the urge to giggle. Eve? At
Eden’s Grove? Would Adam be joining us too?
Jim shot me a look. I’ve heard that when
you’ve been married as long as we have, couples often read each
other’s thoughts. Not when it really counts, of course, such as,
“Honey, will you please take out the garbage?” But this time, he
could tell I was about to whisper a wise-ass comment. I got the
message, and kept my mouth shut.
We were joined by a well-groomed woman who
looked like she was in her early fifties but was probably older.
“Hello, I’m Eve Hamill, the sales manager here. So glad to meet you
both. And before you ask, no, my husband’s name isn’t Adam.” She
laughed. “Everyone asks me that. It’s just coincidence that I ended
up working at Eden’s Grove. But my name is always a good
icebreaker.
“Why don’t we start by having me give you
both a tour? Then I’ll sit down and run some numbers with you, and
turn you over to one of our Ambassador Couples for a nice cup of
tea. Sound good?”
Not giving us a chance to respond, she
continued, “Follow me.”
I hated to admit it, but I was impressed. I
could tell that Jim was, too, but of course, he had expected to
be.
There was a lot to like about Eden’s Grove.
Two pools, the 600-seat ballroom with its own stage (what we’d use
that for, I had no clue), the beauty salon, the woodworking room,
the nail salon, the barber shop, the computer center, the exercise
room, the other exercise room, the arts and crafts room, the
library, the darts and billiards room – well, I think you get the
picture. This place was like a small city. The only thing it lacked
was a food store, and even that was convenient, less than a mile
away.
“This place has everything,” Jim said,
clearly amazed at all we’d seen on our tour.
“I’m glad you think so,” Eve replied. “I’m
sure you two would love living at Eden’s Grove. I’m even thinking
of buying here myself.
“I know it’s cold outside,” she continued,
not giving us a chance to respond, “but I want you to see two of
the models we currently have available. It’s just a quick walk from
here. Both styles are what we called semi-detached housing, meaning
they are attached to another unit on one side.”
“Do either of these styles have two master
suites?” I piped up.
“We get a lot of requests for that,” Eve
said. “I guess a desire for some breathing room is common to a lot
of couples when they’ve been married for a long time. One style has
two master suites, but unfortunately, there are none of those
available at the present time.”
Bummer, I thought. But Eve was one smart
salesperson. She could tell how important that feature was to me.
“There are units under construction, ready for early summer
occupancy, that will have two master suites. They’re very popular,
so if that’s a real priority for you two, you’d be wise to put down
a deposit now so you won’t be disappointed.”
She whisked us into first one, then the
other, model home, and I was dazzled by the stainless steel
appliances and hardwood floors. And how bright and open everything
was.
Bill Pronzini, Barry N. Malzberg