Winners (18 page)

He walked back to the car without saying anything to the broker, and then turned with a cool expression.

“I’ll make an offer,” he said simply, as though he didn’t really care one way or the other. The broker nodded.

“How much do you have in mind, since it’s not on the market?” He expected Bill to make a lowball offer that wouldn’t impress the owner enough to sell it, that was just rolling the dice to see what would happen. People did that sometimes, trying to buy on spec and then make a profit on a fast sale. The property had potential for that, particularly with a foreign owner in distress.

“Eight million,” Bill said in a noncommittal voice as the broker stared at him. Bill knew it would be a great deal if he could buy it for that, and that the owner would counter. He was willing to pay ten. And the existing structures would save him a lot of time instead of looking for property where he’d have to build from the ground up.

“I’ll write it up,” Hank said, suddenly anxious. “Where will you be later today?”

“At home,” Bill said calmly.

“I’ll drop it by so you can sign it, and I’ll present the offer tomorrow.” It was one of those fluke deals that had fallen out of the sky and was what every realtor dreamed of. A solid buyer who had the money, a good offer, and a seller who needed the sale. Except neither of them was sure if the seller really wanted to get rid of the property, and looking at it, Bill realized there was a good chance he didn’t, which was why he was offering a very decent price. That kind of money would have to be tempting, even if the owner loved the place, and it was a business that had failed in a bad economy, and he lived five thousand miles away. Bill hoped reason would prevail, not sentiment. And so did Hank.

Bill and Joe drove back to Bill’s house, and Bill turned to his friend with a long, slow grin. “So what do you think?”

“That you’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met. I thought you were a little crazy when I met you at Harvard. Now I know you are. Crazy as a fox. I hope you get it. It’s perfect for what you want to do.”

“We’ll see what happens.” He was playing his cards close to his chest. He was desperate to buy it, but didn’t want to admit it, even to himself.

Hank came by at four o’clock with an offer for Bill to sign, for eight million dollars for the La Vie property. He saw the owner’s name and didn’t recognize it. Hank said they were faxing the offer to France. And they had given him three business days to respond. It was an all-cash offer, as is, with inspections of course, to make sure there were no hidden problems. But Bill couldn’t foresee any. Hank had requested a bank reference on Bill, to include in the offer, and Bill’s banker had faxed it to him, in vague terms, that assured the seller that the prospective buyer was real, solvent, and not playing games.

Bill said nothing to anyone about the property for the next three days. And he and Joe barely spoke of it. They were the only ones who knew. And on Thursday morning, he got a call from Hank. He spoke in a conspiratorial tone.

“The seller countered at twelve.” Bill didn’t hesitate for a heartbeat. He had expected it, and he was pleased with the counter. His greatest fear had been that the owner of the property would say it wasn’t for sale. It had a price, and they were getting there.

“Counter at ten,” Bill said in a businesslike voice. “Fifteen-day closing, after inspections. And it’s my final offer. It’s an all-cash offer, after the inspections clear and the title search.” It was a nice clean deal for the seller. He’d have to pay off the mortgage, and the rest was all his. In fifteen days he could have the money, and Bill would own thirty-four acres of what had once been La Vie, and would become The Lily Pad. But he didn’t have the property yet, and knew the deal could still fall through.

Hank was at the door twenty minutes later with Bill’s counteroffer to sign. He looked more excited about it than Bill did, and Joe burst out laughing when Hank left the house and Bill closed the door behind him.

“You’re going to give the guy a heart attack.” Joe couldn’t stop laughing. “He’s never dealt with anyone like you before. You can practically see him drooling over the commission he’s going to get out of this, if the seller takes your deal. For everyone’s sake, I hope he does.”

“So do I.” Bill grinned at him. He was just as aware as Joe of how anxious the broker was. And Bill wanted the property.

This time the response came back in twenty-four hours, and Hank sounded like he was going to faint when he called.

“He accepted your offer.”

“He’d have been a fool not to,” Bill said coolly. “Let’s get the inspections lined up right away.” He had his bank wire the money into an escrow account. And five days later, they had all the inspections completed. The structures were sound, the title was clear. The deal went through without a hitch, and fifteen days after his offer had been accepted, thirty-four acres north of Denver, on a beautiful little property, were his. The Lily Pad had been conceived.

He went out to see it again with Joe, once the deal was closed. They walked around the property as Bill silently imagined what it would become. He didn’t know how long it would take, and he had a lot to learn in the coming months, but he knew that one day it would be The Lily Pad and his dream would come true. Joe was still astounded, and Bill was too. It had happened so quickly and easily. It wasn’t just about the money, it had been the right time for everyone involved—that was key.

With Bill’s exciting new acquisition, Joe was sorry he was going back to New York in a few days. It had been a very interesting visit and a healing one for him. He felt better, and he hated the thought of going back to his lonely life in New York. He wished he could stay longer and watch Bill develop his project, but he didn’t want to overstay and impose on his friend.

“I still have to find a doctor to run the place,” Bill said as they walked through the main building, examining it again. “I need a medical director and an administrator.” Then he stopped walking and looked at Joe. “Do you have any interest in running the business end of a rehab center for kids?” he asked. He had faith in Joe’s business sense, his ability as an administrator, and his loyalty.

Joe was beaming as he asked him. “I thought you’d never ask. I’d love it, Bill. I know even less than you do about rehab, but recent catastrophe notwithstanding, I think I can run the business end for you. And if I can’t, I’ll let you know.” Bill had every confidence he could, and doing so would give Joe back his confidence in himself.

“You’ll have to move out here,” Bill warned him.

“My apartment in New York is on the market anyway. I’m done in New York. It’s too depressing for me there now. I’m ready to move out. I’ll go back and wrap up. Or actually, I’ll look for an apartment here before I leave, and then I’ll know what to ship out. I can be back in a couple of weeks. And the kids can visit me here. They don’t have to come to New York, and I usually visit them anyway. It’s too complicated for them to travel with their kids.”

As Bill and Joe drove back to the house, The Lily Pad had a home, and an administrator. Now all it needed was a medical director, a staff, a mission statement, a program, and patients. Bill and Joe had their work cut out for them. They were going to be busy with The Lily Pad for a long time. Joe was thrilled. Bill had just given him a new lease on life. It was hard to believe that only weeks before he had been desperate, and now he had a new city, and a job. Bill’s call that night had been providential and had saved his life.

Steve Jansen, the architect, called Bill that night. He had been meaning to call for several days, but was busy with plans for Bill’s remodel, and several other projects, and hadn’t had the chance.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you about that property I mentioned to you. I’ve been jammed. I’ve got bad news, though.” Bill couldn’t imagine what it was. “I checked on it a few days ago through a friend of mine who’s a realtor. The property is in escrow. Apparently someone made an offer on it. I don’t know if it will go through, but it looks like we missed it,” Steve said apologetically, and Bill laughed.

“No, we didn’t. I bought it, thanks to you. It’s perfect for what I want to do, just as you thought it would be. So hurry up on the remodel, we have work to do!” There was a long silence on the other end.

“Are you serious?” Steve was stunned.

“I am. It officially became mine yesterday. The Lily Pad is going to happen,” he reassured him. “I want to go out and look at it with you next week, to get an idea of what we need to do.”

“I’d be happy to do that,” Steve said in an awed voice. “You don’t kid around, do you?”

“No,” Bill said, “I don’t.” And now all he had to do was tell Lily what he was going to do, and find a medical director to run the place. And work on it like a madman after that.

Chapter 14

Lily stared at her father in disbelief when he visited her at Craig after the sale went through and told her what he’d done.

“You did
what
?” For a minute, she didn’t understand what he was saying. It was so far out.

“I bought a thirty-four-acre piece of property ten miles out of town, with a bunch of beautiful houses on it, to build a rehab center for SCI kids from age ten or twelve to whatever age we decide. Like Craig, only even more focused on young people, and especially for younger kids. And I’m calling it The Lily Pad.” He was smiling from ear to ear. Lily still looked like she didn’t believe what he had said.

“Are you nuts, Daddy? You don’t know anything about running a rehab.”

“No, I don’t, but other people do. We’re going to hire them to help kids and young people who need rehab after injuries like yours. And we’re going to make it the most exciting, inspiring place they’ve ever been, while teaching them how to live with their injuries and lead good lives, just like here, and what you’re doing now.”

“Why?” She stared at him, looking confused.

“Because I love you, and I want to honor you, and other kids who are as brave as you are, like your friend Teddy, and little kids, anyone who needs what we’re going to offer them. And for those who can’t pay, we’ll make it free.” Tears filled her eyes as she listened to him, and then she threw her arms around his neck, and held him tight.

“Daddy, I’m so proud of you,” she said in a choked voice. “It’s a beautiful thing to do. Who’s going to run it?”

“I don’t know yet. I asked Jessie to help us find the right people. I offered her the job, but she said she can’t leave Squaw Valley because of her kids.” Lily nodded. That made sense to her, but she was disappointed Jessie couldn’t do it.

“Can I help you?” Even more than he had hoped, Lily was excited by the idea. She was thrilled and in awe of her father.

“I’d love you to. We’re going to need lots of advice from you and other young people, about the kinds of things you would want to see there. I want lots of feedback from you. Lily, I’m doing this for you, because of you.” It was his way of facing what had happened to her proactively, and Lily understood that.

After her father left, she and Teddy sat in her room and listened to music that night. They weren’t supposed to isolate, and were encouraged to spend their free time with the others, but sometimes she and Teddy liked to just hang out together and talk, with no one else around. He had been right about her friends—they never came to visit her. They always had an excuse not to, and instead of calling her, they texted her, “Sorry, I can’t come by today … see you tomorrow,” and tomorrow never came. “Oops. running late. catch you next time.” “My mom won’t let me go out … my car broke down … I have exams … I have practice … My dad won’t let me drive the car.” They had a thousand excuses not to visit her in rehab. Maybe it was just too hard for them, but it was a lot harder for her. It was what Teddy had predicted at the beginning. He had seen it happen to others in the past two years. He had seen very few friends come through and stick around. And Veronica, her best friend, was the worst offender. Lily got the feeling that she was trying to be Lily now, on the ski team, and with their friends. And she had seemed so fake the one time she did come to visit. She didn’t even feel like a friend now, just someone Lily used to know. Now Teddy was becoming her best friend. He knew what she was going through, and they had that in common. They spent hours talking to each other, like sister and brother, about their dreams, their fears, and their goals.

Her father had asked her not to say anything about what they were doing yet, until they got further along with the project, and then he wanted to come and talk to the administrator at Craig and explain it to him too. Right now it was in its earliest form. But she shared all her secrets with Teddy, she trusted him and knew he wouldn’t spill the beans.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Lily said to Teddy in a whisper, in her room. It was the most exciting secret she’d ever had, and her eyes were bright as she looked at him.

“What??” He thought she was going to tell him that her dad had a new girlfriend, or that Veronica was pregnant and had to drop off the ski team, or something juicy like that. They lived on shreds of news here from the outside world, about people who were leading full lives. Lily felt like she was in a cocoon sometimes, although she was learning important things. She missed being at school and out in the world, with all its daily mundane events and high school dramas. But at least she knew that her time here was finite. With Teddy’s parents refusing to take him home, he was stuck here indefinitely, in rehab, shut away from the outside world.

“My dad is starting a rehab center for SCI kids,” she said to Teddy with wide-open eyes. He stared at her in astonishment, and for a moment he looked confused.

“He is? Why?”

“To help people. He already bought the place. It’s going to be for little kids, and kids our age and maybe a little older. He has to find someone to run it, but he says it’s beautiful. He’s calling it The Lily Pad.” She was very proud of her father, and Teddy could see it. Sometimes he envied her the relationship they shared. He had never had one like that with his parents, who had been cool and distant even before the accident. Now they called him once a week, told him what they were doing, and promised to visit him sometime in the future, and never did. Something always came up. It was as though they were afraid even to see him, let alone bring him home. He wondered if they felt guilty about it, or just didn’t care. And here was Lily’s father, not just there for her, but wanting to help other kids. It was hard for Teddy to imagine. “He says I can help decide what kinds of activities they offer there. And he wants to talk to you too.” Teddy looked excited to hear it.