Annie And I - Chapter 8 (final)

Frank and I insisted that the girls slow down. Their pregnancy announcements had stunned us both, especially Frank because he was forty-six and Nancy thirty-five.Annie suggested that Julie could be asked to join the team. She was working as a hairdressing apprentice for about four pounds a week and wasn't enjoying it in the slightest.At home that night, Annie rang her and asked her to come round. She was overjoyed at the job switch and jumped at the chance to double her wages. When Annie followed up by telling her she was expecting a baby, Julie burst into tears.Frank and Nancy had, of course, previously met Julie and they got on well. One of her duties at the hairdressers was answering the phone and she had a pleasant phone manner.I was becoming more and more involved in the day-to-day running of the boat company and crane hire şişli escort was booming too.One morning, Frank said, ?We need a base, young David, a yard where we can keep the crane and service it.??Well, if you recall, we do own a bit of land opposite me.""Yes ? but ?Four Square? own that, not the boat company.?I thought about that for a moment. "Why don't you sell the crane to ?Four Square? and set up a division, call it ?Four Square plant hire??""How much money have you got?" Frank asked."I'm not sure, but Annie will know. Why??"We should buy another crane, a fork lift truck or two."?Drivers, too?" I asked but he shook his head.?No, just the machines."Annie informed us we had about eight thousand pounds, so I gave Frank a cheque for three to buy half of the existing crane and set about looking for another escort şişli at the right price.Nancy walked into the office and showed a letter to Frank. He passed it to me without comment. It was from a multi-national house building contractor with an offer of one million pounds for the cottage and land."A million pounds," Annie yelled as she read it. "We're rich."?We'll get two if we hold out,? Frank said. He tasked Nancy with replying. "Not a refusal darling, more of a deferment. They?ll come back if they're really interested."They were interested ? in fact, very interested. Two days later, a couple of their top executives arrived to meet the directors of ?Four Square?. It's fair to say that they were a bit surprised that Annie and I were so young."We think you'll find that a million is a very mecidiyeköy fair price for the land,? was their opening gambit.*"It seems fair enough," Frank admitted, "but David here has something else in mind.""We've done a little research," I said, "and the only access to that plot of land is the entrance by the cottage. The reason the land hasn't already been snapped up, is that to open more access roads would be too dangerous, given they would be within just a few feet of a corner which happens to be on a main trunk road. Two applications have already been turned down for that reason. So, we will sell the land for a million."*I paused to let those facts sink in, and then added, "But for the cottage and its access, we want another million. If you choose to buy the land without the cottage and access, we will build a toll gate and charge for access, including pedestrians."Their mouths dropped open as I continued, outlining possible charges varying from daily rates of ten pounds for pedestrians and forty pounds for wagons.The older of the two prospective buyers produced a mirthless grin.