The elevator doors opened and they got in. They were both still flushed and excited, but Harley was the calmer of the two now, while Rian was still hopping on her toes.

“We wait by the alley that leads to the garage,” Harley said, still smiling at Rian.

The elevator stopped and the elevator doors slid open. They stepped out, but Harley kept her hand against Rian’s forearm, as if motioning for her to slow down. Rian looked at her perplexedly.

“Do you think they’re going to come after us? Maybe make another offer?”

Sunlight was pouring down and they both snapped their bags open to retrieve their sunglasses. Harley re-slung her messenger bag on her shoulder after pulling out her tablet. She tapped out an email to Philip. “They have to. If I’m guessing right, they probably had some kind of percentage thing as part of their fee structure. So it’s in their interest since we’ve made it clear that their proposal is clearly a no-go. But if they don’t conclude on this deal, they won’t get as much of a fee. More than that, it’s clear that they badly misjudged a lot of things, and probably thought we would just roll-over or agree to what they were offering. So they have to salvage the situation … and I don’t think that Frances chick is someone you would let down. Not if you want to keep doing business with the buyer she represents.”

Rian nodded rapidly, still feeling a residual high from the successful outcome of the meeting, at least from their side’s perspective. She started to shed her suit jacket. “I’ve been here a few hours now, and I still can’t get used to the idea of how much sun there is out here. And how hot it can get!”

Harley looked up from her tablet and shook her head from side to side. She was still wearing her suit jacket. She was expecting someone from the opposing side’s team to come after them, and she wanted to be suited up for that return encounter.

A few minutes later, as Harley expected, someone did.

“Harley!” they heard Frances call out. They turned to look at her as she crossed the sunlit area in between the shaded walkway that led to the garage and the ground floor ticket area of the Villa.