Kerry needed to figure out the situation before it was too late . . .
BY TERESA ASHBY
WHAT are we doing wrong, Kerry?” Amy Matheson asked, and Kerry could tell from her voice she was near breaking point.
“You’re not doing anything wrong,” Kerry assured her. “The right people will come along and your house will be snapped up.”
“I wish I could believe that,” Amy said. “Mike and I are thinking of giving up and just staying put.”
“Leave it with me. I’ll have a think and see what I can come up with.”
Kerry ended the call on her mobile and saw Phil leaning on the coffee shop’s counter, watching her.
He gave a start and straightened as if he’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Your coffee’s getting cold,” he said.
“Work.” She rolled her eyes and sighed.
“Let me guess. Is it number twelve?”
“Of course it is,” Kerry confirmed. “That house has been a nightmare, yet there’s no good reason it won’t sell. It’s realistically priced, well presented and in a good location.
“What more do people want?”
Phil shrugged and put a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.
“Maybe it has a vibe.”
“A vibe?” Kerry echoed.
“You know, a feeling that something isn’t right.”
“You might be on to something,” she conceded. “My clients always insist on showing viewers round themselves.”
“There you have it,” he said. “One of them doesn’t want to move and is saying something subtle to put potential purchasers off.”
“I can’t believe that’s true,” she replied. “They’re buying their dream cottage now their kids have left home.”
But he’d given her food for thought.
If they didn’t sell number 12 soon, they’d lose Sycamore Cottage.
Kerry watched him as he hurried off to serve more customers.
They’d been friends for ages. He’d opened his coffee shop the same week that she’d opened her own estate agency on the opposite side of the square.
Five years they’d known each other, yet she’d never seen him outside the coffee shop.
She didn’t know if he was married or in a relationship, and she’d never told him anything personal about herself, either.
They only talked about work, she thought ruefully.
Next time Amy and Mike had a viewing, Kerry persuaded them to leave the house and let her handle it.
This time it was a couple in their thirties with two teenage sons.
They had a buyer for thei
