don’t want it to lie fallow or become overgrown. I thought maybe you’d be interested in that?”
“I’m supposed to be some kind of hired hand then!” Harlan said, embarrassed to hear the rough emotional edge in his voice. He prided himself on having control of his emotions.
“Well, I’m not sure,” Roper said. “I had the impression you’d farm it pretty much how you liked, but Ms. Gettnor’s here in the car. She’s hoping to talk to you about how you might work it out, if you’re interested?”
Harlan turned and realized the car had a passenger who hadn’t gotten out as yet. He didn’t really want to talk to her, but Clarice was already saying, “Well sure, why don’t we all go inside and talk over some lemonade?”
Damn Clarice, Harlan thought, she’d be sociable with the devil himself. He tried to remind himself that she negotiated better than he did, probably because she was sociable.
About 15 minutes later they were all gathered around the table in the Davis’ farmhouse. Clarice had poured them all some lemonade while Reven had passed out cookies. Clarice and this Ms. Gettnor, Lisanne she wanted to be called, were chattering on as happily as if they were old friends while Roper looked on approvingly. Harlan sat at his place at the head of the table saying little and trying not to scowl as dread filled him. We’re going to get screwed, he thought morosely. He started to wonder what they could sell their farm for and whether it would be enough to set themselves up on a bigger farm further from Raleigh.
“So, Lisanne, you’re not wanting to farm the land yourselves?” Clarice asked.
“Oh, no. We need a home with open fields around it for… various reasons. Our… current plan is to remodel the house and the barn. We’d get rid of the sheds.” She glanced at Harlan and Clarice, “Maybe you could use them?”
Harlan grunted, worrying that he was about to get gouged, “They’re not worth much.”
“Oh, we aren’t trying to sell them. We’d have to send them to the recyclers, but if you have use for them you’re welcome to them.” She paused as if she just had another thought, “They’ve got some farm equipment in them that we can’t use either. You’d be welcome to that as well.”
Harlan blinked. The woman must have no idea how much some of that equipment was worth. Getting it for free would be quite a coup.
To Harlan’s horror, Clarice put a hand on the woman’s wrist and said, “Oh, no Lisanne. That equipment would be worth a pretty penny. You don’t want to be giving it away.”
Lisanne shrugged, “We have no use for it. Just as well go to you. Hopefully it would contribute to our being good neighbors.”
Clarice stubbornly shook her head and gave her a sad look, “We wouldn’t be good neighbors anymore, once you realized how much you could have sold it for.”
Lisanne said, “Perhaps it could serve as an inducement in my nefarious plan to get you guys to farm our land?”
Trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice, Harlan said, “And how much are you going to charge us to farm your land?”
“Oh,” Lisanne said covering her mouth as if slightly embarrassed. “I was thinking I’d have to pay you to farm it.” She frowned, “Would you be willing to do it for free?”
Stunned, Harlan looked at the others gathered around the table as if expecting someone to start laughing. Then a suspicion formed, “Not if you’re intending to keep all the income from the crops!”
“Oh, no! You could have the income. All we want is for the fields immediately adjacent to the house to be… low? What I’m trying to say is that whatever you decided to grow in those fields shouldn’t be more than a couple of feet high?”
Harlan blinked. Is she crazy? he wondered. “So, what you’re suggesting is that we would farm the land, sell the crops, and keep the income. And…” he frowned in puzzlement as he tried to understand, “what you’d get out of the deal
“I’m supposed to be some kind of hired hand then!” Harlan said, embarrassed to hear the rough emotional edge in his voice. He prided himself on having control of his emotions.
“Well, I’m not sure,” Roper said. “I had the impression you’d farm it pretty much how you liked, but Ms. Gettnor’s here in the car. She’s hoping to talk to you about how you might work it out, if you’re interested?”
Harlan turned and realized the car had a passenger who hadn’t gotten out as yet. He didn’t really want to talk to her, but Clarice was already saying, “Well sure, why don’t we all go inside and talk over some lemonade?”
Damn Clarice, Harlan thought, she’d be sociable with the devil himself. He tried to remind himself that she negotiated better than he did, probably because she was sociable.
About 15 minutes later they were all gathered around the table in the Davis’ farmhouse. Clarice had poured them all some lemonade while Reven had passed out cookies. Clarice and this Ms. Gettnor, Lisanne she wanted to be called, were chattering on as happily as if they were old friends while Roper looked on approvingly. Harlan sat at his place at the head of the table saying little and trying not to scowl as dread filled him. We’re going to get screwed, he thought morosely. He started to wonder what they could sell their farm for and whether it would be enough to set themselves up on a bigger farm further from Raleigh.
“So, Lisanne, you’re not wanting to farm the land yourselves?” Clarice asked.
“Oh, no. We need a home with open fields around it for… various reasons. Our… current plan is to remodel the house and the barn. We’d get rid of the sheds.” She glanced at Harlan and Clarice, “Maybe you could use them?”
Harlan grunted, worrying that he was about to get gouged, “They’re not worth much.”
“Oh, we aren’t trying to sell them. We’d have to send them to the recyclers, but if you have use for them you’re welcome to them.” She paused as if she just had another thought, “They’ve got some farm equipment in them that we can’t use either. You’d be welcome to that as well.”
Harlan blinked. The woman must have no idea how much some of that equipment was worth. Getting it for free would be quite a coup.
To Harlan’s horror, Clarice put a hand on the woman’s wrist and said, “Oh, no Lisanne. That equipment would be worth a pretty penny. You don’t want to be giving it away.”
Lisanne shrugged, “We have no use for it. Just as well go to you. Hopefully it would contribute to our being good neighbors.”
Clarice stubbornly shook her head and gave her a sad look, “We wouldn’t be good neighbors anymore, once you realized how much you could have sold it for.”
Lisanne said, “Perhaps it could serve as an inducement in my nefarious plan to get you guys to farm our land?”
Trying to keep the suspicion out of his voice, Harlan said, “And how much are you going to charge us to farm your land?”
“Oh,” Lisanne said covering her mouth as if slightly embarrassed. “I was thinking I’d have to pay you to farm it.” She frowned, “Would you be willing to do it for free?”
Stunned, Harlan looked at the others gathered around the table as if expecting someone to start laughing. Then a suspicion formed, “Not if you’re intending to keep all the income from the crops!”
“Oh, no! You could have the income. All we want is for the fields immediately adjacent to the house to be… low? What I’m trying to say is that whatever you decided to grow in those fields shouldn’t be more than a couple of feet high?”
Harlan blinked. Is she crazy? he wondered. “So, what you’re suggesting is that we would farm the land, sell the crops, and keep the income. And…” he frowned in puzzlement as he tried to understand, “what you’d get out of the deal