That reason had, in the space of one rainy evening, entirely evaporated.

“Cash purchase,” Andrew explained, laying the folder on the table.

“Quick closing.

They’ll buy it furnished, as-is, if you want.

They’re motivated.”

“Perfect,” I said.

And I meant it, in a way that had nothing to do with the money, which I did not particularly need, and everything to do with the speed.

A cash buyer, a quick close, no financing contingencies, no thirty-day escrows, no time for anything to go wrong — it meant the house could be gone, legally and finally, before Ethan and his family stepped off their return flight.