“You’ll finally work on your own houses. I’ve been selling more and more. And that can support us until we can start developing. Then, when the timing is right—when we find the perfect plot of land—we’ll build. And sell. Repeat.”

“Repeat,” he repeated.

“Can’t you see it?”

She was reminding him of before, not so long ago, when they’d get excited about having adventures, starting careers.

Slowly it was setting in.

She’d come back.

This was their second chance.

Claudine

There’s no instant glory when starting a business. Only hard work. The big dream, the vision of helming an immediate well-oiled machine, quickly gives way to realities. To needs. An office. Clients. New clothing. Claudine did a complete wardrobe wipeout. She couldn’t fathom, even for a moment, the thought of wearing a skirt she’d been a receptionist in. Building around a few key designer staples would be important. A Chanel tweed dress. An Yves Saint Laurent wool suit jacket. A string of pearls. Gradually she’d add to it. For now, the rest she could pick up at Pitkin County Dry Goods. She started taking yoga and got a new haircut, her long curls chopped into a severe bob. It was edgy, intimidating, powerful. Henry didn’t even recognize her at first.

She’d never built something from the ground up, but, through extensive reading and research, knew enough not to be disillusioned when things didn’t go exactly the way she’d envisioned. The first thing to go was the idea of a brick-and-mortar office. After looking at two spaces (one on Hyman that had no windows, the other on Hopkins—cute but outrageously overpriced); she decided they didn’t need one for the first year. It would be a waste. There was plenty of room in the living room at the condo. Keeping a low overhead made sense. Stay the course. Hardly any agencies in town offered what they did—the complete package. The goal was development. An architect with bold, innovative ideas and a rising real estate star with impeccable taste. A husband-and-wife team. It was a good story. Calhoun + Calhoun would be a tough birth, but worth it.

The immediate need was to find the land. This was boom time, and most people sitting on worthy plots and looking to sell had cashed out. A house bought for under ten thousand dollars in the 1950s was worth millions now. And there were no signs of it slowing down. When land became available, it was getting purchased within a day of being listed, if it got listed at all. And the prices kept going up. Soon they wouldn’t be able to afford even a half acre. It only made her work harder. She knew they’d find it; it was only a matter of when.