CHAPTER EIGHT

Maison Soleil was a beautiful property with small pods of condos situated in the shape of octagons. Each building had eight residences with one to two bedrooms, two bathrooms, luxury kitchens, and all the amenities. Residents could choose to buy their condo or lease it with all the bells and whistles on a month-to-month basis. This was highly recommended for those who might not need long-term accommodations or might not make it long-term.

After all, you never know when your number was up.

Residents could make use of the fully equipped property gym, swimming pool, lap pool, pickleball court, tennis court, horseshoes, shuffleboard, and much more. There were classes for knitting, cooking, yoga, meditation, financial management, and anything else someone would want.

The only requirement was that you had to be at least sixty years old and, of course, be able to afford the outrageous amount of money charged for the privilege of living there.

"The unit we just toured is currently available," smiled the woman, "but you'll need to move fast. There's a list of people wanting to move into our facility. We tend to have a long wait-list, and then you'll have to be fully vetted for financial approval."

"Is that so," smiled Kari. She looked at Grace and Faith and smiled. "Well, my sisters and I are definitely hoping to find a place for our father. He's getting on in years, and we just can't handle him any longer."

"Really?" she said, frowning at them. She looked out onto the lawn, watching as the old man in question threw a few horseshoes, laughing with the other men. "If you don't mind me saying, your father looks quite healthy and capable."

Kari turned to see Teddy practically doing cartwheels and wanted to scream at him.

"Oh, yes, he has his good days and bad days. Faith? Would you get Dad and tell him to come on in." Faith smiled at her, nodding.

"Well, what questions do you have for me?" she asked, taking a seat behind the desk. The women all took a seat, and Teddy plopped himself next to the windows.

"Dad has a decent retirement and pension, but we might be forced to supplement this. Can you give us an idea of what we're looking at?" asked Grace.

"Well, what is your father's retirement?" smiled the woman.

"Ma'am, that's none of your business. Owning or renting a home here shouldn't be reliant upon my father's retirement. If we can provide the financing, that's all that matters." The woman flushed, and she shuffled some papers on her desk.

"I was only asking because we could offer some additional financial assistance if needed. As you can imagine, it's quite disruptive for the elderly to be placed in a new home and then have that home taken from them if they can no longer afford it."

"You'll have to forgive me," said Kari. "I've read through all the paperwork, and there was nothing in there about financial assistance. It said the condos were for sale, between one and three million, or we could choose a month-to-month that would include his meals, medical, everything for a set price. What is that set price?"

"Seventeen thousand a month," said the woman too quickly.

"Seventeen?" smiled Kari. "Tell me how you got to that number. See, we have a friend who has their mother here, and they pay only thirteen thousand a month." The woman shuffled those same papers again and then looked at the women and Teddy with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me for a moment. I'll be right back."

She scurried off, and the women stared at one another, then back at Teddy, who was enjoying this excursion immensely. A few moments later, a man walked in who looked considerably younger than the residents.

"Ladies, this is Mike Riser." Kari felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as Faith and Grace just smiled at the man. "Mike handles certain business matters for us."

"I see," smiled Kari. "Then can Mike explain the difference in costs?"

The man chuckled, sitting on the edge of the desk in a dominant position, leaning toward the women.

"Each condo is different, ladies. Different upgrades, different everything. I think you're getting confused by all the words in the paperwork. Your father will be well taken care of here. Just sign the papers, and we'll handle the rest."

"Sign the papers?" frowned Kari. "Mr. Riser, perhaps you should ask more questions before you attempt to bully and pressure buyers. I'm an attorney. A damn fine one, and I'm not signing shit until I get the answers I want. I'd like time to review every single syllable in that contract, and then I'll ask my questions, and we'll negotiate pricing."

Riser and the woman both paled, standing as if they were going to run for their lives.

"Grace and Faith are both highly educated as well. We're not stupid bimbos looking for a place to dump our father. We're trying to find a place where he'll be happy and comfortable. We want him to have stellar care, and we're prepared to pay for it should it come to that. However, I won't allow him to be taken advantage of by anyone."

"I'm afraid you're too late," said Riser with a stricken look. "That last condo has been taken."

"Mr. Riser, don't bullshit me. Declining my father a place to live is against the law. And just for the record, my father's retirement is well into the seven figures. He could afford ten condos here. But we'll be taking him elsewhere."

"Come on, Daddy," smirked Faith. "We'll check out that place in Florida. It sounds like they have a better quality of care anyway."

"Now, wait a minute," said Riser. "You're not giving us a fair shake."

"How is that, Mr. Riser? First you want to know how much money my father has, then you want us to sign a contract for twenty-five percent more than necessary. Your last words were that the condo is no longer available to us. I think you thought you'd screw him over. Not today. Not while my sisters and I are here."

Just as he was about to speak, there was a knock on the door, and the woman opened it. Another woman, an older woman entered, smiling at the room.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm interrupting something. Mike, dear, I'm just checking to see if we're still on for dinner," she smiled.

She was easily in her late seventies, attractive with two to three plastic surgeries that were visible to the women in the room. She had very blonde hair cut short around her ears and diamonds the size of dimes hanging from those ears.

"We are, Patti," he said, kissing her softly on the cheek. "I always love my dinners with you and spending a little evening time." He gave her a wink, then looked at Kari, Faith, and Grace as if to make them jealous. No doubt he thought he was the cream of the crop. Little did he know the cream of the crop was at home with the women.

"I bet he does enjoy those dinners," murmured Faith in Grace's ear.

"As you can tell, we're a tight-knit community around here," said Mike. "If you change your mind, let us know, and we'll see if something doesn't become available for you. Always happy to have beautiful new residents." He gave a slimy, Cheshire cat grin to the women, and Faith stared at him.

"You do realize the resident would be our father, not us, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course," he laughed. "See ya around, ladies. Charlene? Can I speak with you?" The woman nodded, turning to Teddy and his ‘daughters.'

"Ladies, please see yourselves out." When they were alone, the women looked at each other, shaking their heads.

"Teddy, you should be glad we love you. This place would eat you alive."

"Mike, I'm sorry," she stammered.

"What the fuck were you thinking? A God-damn lawyer and her egghead sisters! Do you realize the problems that might have been created? We said we wanted rich, but we need rich and stupid or na?ve. Take your pick."

"I said I was sorry. Geez. It's all fine now."

"It's fine because I handled it like I always do. Just do your damn job and make sure you vet these people before we interview them. I need them rich and stupid."

"Sorry, Mike. I'll do better."

"See that you do. Now, I have to go buy condoms because Patti looks very hungry tonight."