She was trying very hard not to look hopeful and failing completely. “Let me think,” Walter said. Ethan nodded. “Take your time.”
Grant Holloway stepped out of the barn just then. He approached with his project manager, stopped a few feet away, and extended a hand to Ethan. “You bid like a man with either a plan or a head injury,” he said. Ethan shook his hand.
“I’ve had both.” Grant laughed despite himself. The developer’s disappointment was real, but so was his professionalism. He told Ethan that if the restoration costs turned ugly, Holloway Development would still be interested in buying the parcel.
Ethan said he would remember that. Grant then turned toward Walter and, with a trace of embarrassment, said, “I shouldn’t have said what I said in there.” Walter studied him. “No,” he agreed.
“You shouldn’t have.” Grant nodded. “Fair.” Maya clearly wanted a more dramatic punishment.
Walter did not. He had lived too long to mistake humiliation for justice. Grant had lost the property. That was consequence enough for one smug sentence.
The auction ended at three-fifteen. Walter left with a folder showing sale proceeds, debt estimates, and a list of personal items the family had retained. On paper, the day was a financial success. After the bank, taxes, auction fees, and business liabilities, he would walk away with a modest sum rather than nothing.
The house was safe. Denise would stop threatening to move him into her guest room. His blood pressure might even come down. But as Maya drove them back to town in Walter’s old Buick under a learner’s permit and his nervous supervision, neither of them talked about money.