Donovan's Barn - Part Four

Here is part three of the continuing story of Donovan's Barn. You may want to first enjoy part one, part two and part three.

*****

Mrs. Donovan sat in her porch swing. A tall glass of cold, water perspired on the table beside her. It was another hot and humid day, but there was also a lovely breeze that kept her relatively cool. Stacked neatly on the swing beside her were a number of proposals she had recently received from her realtor, Sebastian Holmes. Most seemed stodgy and business-like, filled with graphs and expense projections that really didn’t mean a whole lot to her. Not many showed much heart or concern.

She picked up the next one on the pile. As with all the others before it and those still to be looked at, it had a cover sheet attached that simply read, “Proposal,” followed by an assigned number; this one was #38. She had tasked Sebastian with removing everything from the proposals that could possibly identify who had submitted them. Mrs. Donovan was intrigued. It was a single page in length. She wondered if it was a mistake. Glancing onto the pile of remaining proposals for loose pages Mrs. Donovan found none. It appeared that it was indeed only a single page long. Curious, she began reading the proposal and a smile lit up her face.

***

The deadline for proposal submissions regarding purchase of the Donovan property had passed the week before. Rachel and Trenton tried not to dwell on what they had submitted or whether or not they would be successful in their bid to purchase it. They had focused on their personal sentimentality toward the barn and how they could make it vital once more. Rachel felt a strong sense that Mrs. Donovan would choose their simple proposal.

Her phone rang, breaking her out of her daydream. Rachel looked at the call display. “Holmes Sells Homes.” Excitedly she swiped up to answer the call. “Good afternoon. Rachel Mitchell speaking.”

“Good afternoon, Rachel. Sebastian Holmes here. Just getting back to you regarding your proposal for the purchase of the Donovan property.”

“Hello, Sebastian. Is there a problem?” Rachel asked.

“Oh no. Not at all,” came the response. “Mrs. Donovan has narrowed down her choices and I am happy to say your proposal is one of the top contenders. Can you and your husband meet with us?

Of course, Sebastian. We’d be happy to.” Rachel tried to contain her jubilation. “We won’t be in Taftsville until the weekend, though.”

“That will be fine,” Sebastian responded. “Saturday? Your dad’s place or in my office?”

“Saturday. Come over to the house. The same time as last time would be perfect.” They exchanged a pleasant “goodbye” and then Rachel clicked the “End Call” button. She needed to call Trenton right away. They were among the ‘top contenders!’ That meant Mrs. Donovan liked their proposal and they were a step closer to owning the beautiful Donovan property. Saturday could not come soon enough.

***

Rachel awoke early on Saturday morning with boundless energy. She was happy the sun was shining and it looked to be turning into a beautiful day. She leaned over and gave Trenton a peck on the cheek to gently rouse him out of his usual weekend slumber. He looked at her with one eye. “I’m getting up. I can’t sleep any more.” His sleepy nod acknowledged her words. They had arrived at her dad, Lyle’s home the night before. She has spent last evening preparing a pitcher of sweet tea and some chocolate chip cookies to serve to Sebastian and Mrs. Donovan when they came for the meeting. Her plan today was to make things perfect.

She quietly dressed and tiptoed out of the bedroom. She splashed some water on her face and then headed out to her dad’s garden to pick a lovely summer bouquet from his selection of flowering beauties. Her favorites since childhood were the marigolds and he had every colour from pale yellow to dark red. She especially enjoyed their subtle, spicy scent. Carefully she snipped a dozen or so stems from several varieties and arranged them neatly in a white vase. They created a lovely centerpiece for the outdoor patio table and would make a homey atmosphere for their meeting later.

Rachel took a step back and admired her handiwork with the flowers. Pleased with her accomplishment, she decided it was time to get a nice brunch going. She could hear that the twins were up and her dad was sitting at the dining room table reading the newspaper sipping on a cup of coffee. “Good morning, dad.” She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “Pancakes and bacon sound good?”

“You bet!” Lyle briefly looked up from the newspaper to give Rachel a wink and a smile.

Trenton came down the stairs. “Morning,” he directed towards Lyle as he reached around Rachel who was bustling between a batter bowl and griddle. Pulling her into a backwards embrace Trenton pulled Rachel in. “And a good morning to you too, Beautiful.” He placed a fleeting kiss on her cheek as she worked and then added, “Mmmm pancakes!” He reached for a mug and poured himself a cup of coffee and then sat at the table with Lyle.

Lyle looked up and folded the newspaper setting it aside. “Exciting day for you kids.”

“I’m more fascinated at this point,” Trenton sipped his coffee. “Your daughter on the other hand has this whole thing wrapped up and just wants to sign those papers so she can get home and start packing.” The two men laughed while Rachel’s expression said she was less than impressed.

“Not true,” Rachel set down platters of pancakes and bacon and then went to the stairs, “Kylee! Ashlee! Brunch is on the table. Come get it while it’s hot!” Turning back to the table she handed Trenton and Lyle a plate and cutlery and then added, “I have a good feeling, that’s all. I am anxious to hear what Mts. Donovan has to say.”

The twins were now seated at the table as well. Rachel handed each one a plate of food. She herself was too nervous to eat anything. Instead she sat back and watched the scene unfold and imagined the same one someday soon in that big kitchen in the Donovan house.

When Sebastian and Mrs. Donovan drove up to Lyle Benson’s house, Rachel, Trenton and Lyle were already sitting at the table on the veranda. The three of them rose to greet their guests and Rachel invited them to sit with them. “Please make yourselves comfortable. I will be right back with some refreshments.” Rachel disappeared into house.

“And where are your lovely children today,” Mrs. Donovan asked as Trenton held her chair.

“They’re out with some friends,” he answered. “To be very honest, the only thing they care about is owning a strawberry patch,” he added with a chuckle.

Mrs. Donovan smiled and nodded. “Yes, I am sure that real estate is not overly interesting to youngsters.” The three men all took a seat as well and then Rachel reappeared with a tray of refreshments offering them all sweet tea and cookies.

When everyone was served, Rachel took a seat beside Trenton. “It is very nice to see you again, Mrs. Donovan,” Rachel said. “Trenton and I have been quite excited since receiving Sebastian’s phone call earlier this week. I suppose our simple proposal met with your approval if you see us as potential owners of your property.” Her voice sounded hopeful.

“I must admit that my role in this is very small,” said Sebastian. “Mrs. Donovan is leading this process. She identified your proposal as one she was considering. After she reviewed all of the proposals, I revealed who had submitted the ones she asked more information about. She also checked for an assurance document. When those things were satisfied, she asked me to set up this meeting, although she wanted to meet with you before she met with anyone else.”

Rachel, Trenton, and Lyle looked to one another and then to Sebastian and Mrs. Donovan. Trenton then asked, “Will you tell us why?”

“Well,” began Mrs. Donovan, “I do have a reason. Though, I must also admit that I was not completely truthful with you, Sebastian.” She turned to him, “For that I apologize.” Sebastian acknowledged her with a nod and she continued, “You see, the reality is, Rachel and Trenton, your proposal is the only one that I am considering…or should I say I am accepting your proposal. That was confirmed when Sebastian revealed whose proposal I was considering. I asked Sebastian about three other proposals because I needed to have a back-up plan in the event that you were no longer interested. The proposal I selected, your proposal, written from a personal point of view, not a business one. Once Sebastian revealed your identity to me, I reflected on our meetings and was fairly certain that you were serious.”

Everyone sat silently with all eyes on Mrs. Donovan. After what seemed like forever, Lyle spoke. “So, you are actually here to tell the kids that you have accepted their proposal and you want them to purchase your property?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” Mrs. Donovan took a sip of the sweet tea and then continued. “Despite the fact that I had a number of proposals, theirs touched me deeply.

“Mrs. Donovan! This is such incredibly good news!” Rachel no longer tried to hide her excitement. She jumped up and out of her chair and bounded over to Mrs. Donovan and embraced her in a hug. “I am in shock! But I am so very happy! I really cannot believe that we are buying the Donovan place!”

“We can let Sebastian get started on the paperwork,” said Mrs. Donovan. “And while Sebastian works on the business side of this, let’s talk about your letter to me and how it was that I settled on your submission.”

“Yes, please tell us what you particularly liked about our proposal.”

“Then let me get started.” Mrs. Donovan smiled, “But first, another cookie. These are delicious! Who is the baker?”

“That would be Rachel,” Trenton offered. “I can burn water,” he said with a laugh.

“Yes, Rachel got her mother’s cooking skills,” Lyle added. “Now that she will be closer, I will be eating very well.” He winked at Rachel who turned away as her cheeks turned pink.

“All right, back to your letter,” started Mrs. Donovan. “Your opening paragraph grabbed me immediately,” she said. “After reviewing so many proposals that were filled with budgets and projections, to read that you did not think I was interested in “budgets and blueprints” was a breath of fresh air! Learning you weren’t either, made me want to read further.”

“I knew it,” Rachel said, her eyes twinkling! “We went with our heart!”

“Your certainly did, dear! Your heart was on display and that touched mine,” Mrs. Donovan continued. “Your ideas for the barn, the pond and the house are solid plans that you can work towards. I don’t expect things to happen overnight. Your children will be enamored with that strawberry patch. “She paused and then added with a chuckle, “And I would be lying if I said the idea of strawberry pie and jam every year was not at all appealing.” Laughter erupted.

Mrs. Donovan waited for things to settle before she continued. “The final turning point for me was your interest to complete your dreams and desires for the property incorporating Donovan history, especially the plan to memorialize the barn as “Donovan’s Barn.” The Donovans were a founding family of Taftsville and this will be a tremendous honor to them.” Mrs. Donovan smiled appreciatively, Rachel and Trenton looked overjoyed, and Lyle appeared extremely proud of the proposal Rachel and Trenton submitted.

Sebastian broke the silence. “Well, folks,” he said, “Congratulations on the acceptance of your proposal. Let’s meet one evening this week at my office to finalize the “Offer to Purchase.” I also suggest that both parties secure a real estate lawyer to handle the transfer of title and the financial transactions. It looks like the Donovan property can be marked “Another Home sold by Holmes.”

*****

Thank you for reading. Part five can be found here. Please enjoy!