Adelaide ‘Addie’ Blanchett

“Good to see you again Adelaide,” she gave the other woman a smile in return. “Well I think. They’re definitely thrown me in at the deep end but it’s been good, really let me get my teeth into things straight away,” 

“And if you ever think its too much, you know you can reach out to Lillian or me for help? I’m sure Sirius or any of the other head boys, wouldn’t mind rolling up their sleeves and helping with paperwork either.“

“Ireland. Just outside of Killarney. What part of Australia are you from?”

Siobhan briefly became lost in the thoughts of her childhood home, before zoning back in as Adelaide texted on her phone. “Am I finally going to meet my other client? He must have a lot of faith in your selection to not come to any of the showings.”

“Ireland is every beautiful. I visited Dublin, Limerick, and all thats in between but I’ve never been as far down as Killarney. My mate and I are from Melbourne. Ever been?“

Monty barely had his seat belt off before Ada pulled him into a hug. He pulled her close and rocked her for a few moments before letting her go and wrapping an arm around her waist. “I got a call from someone who had a report about one of my cases. It wound up being something we already knew but you know how long all those processes are.” He looked up at the building and whistled. “You found your Home Alone house, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I know.“ Adelaide hummed and kissed his neck. “I found our Home Alone house! Ready to take a tour and hopefully sign some paperwork?“

“Sweetie!” Adelaide jumped out of her car and raced over to where Monty just parked. She practically ripped his door open and pulled him into a hug. Her mind has been racing and she started second guessing if she made the right choice. With the closing papers inside, she wanted to take Monty on a tour and sign the paperwork together if he liked it as much as she did. “What took you so long?”

Siobhan nodded as they walked. “I can imagine how difficult it would be to not be able to settle anywhere and make it your home. My parents immigrated over here too and having a home you own goes a long way towards making something feel permanent. And Chicago real estate is expensive. You have a good budget and you shouldn’t settle for something you don’t love.”

“Let me shoot the agent a text to tell him we’re coming over earlier. My understanding is that the owners are motivated to sell, and since you’re pre-approved we could get this done today.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page. Oh, where are you and your family originally from?“

“Me too.” Siobhan could feel the woman’s annoyance which only added to hers. “There’s a phrase in real estate, you can have something perfect, something fast, or something cheap. But combining those things together is where they get tricky. I do think one of the three we have showings for will be the one.”

“The last one of our appointments is the house you fell in love with last week that went into escrow. The funding fell through and I was able to convince the seller to hold off showing it anymore.”

“Trust me, I believe you. I wouldn’t want your job,” she sighed. “The search has been rough for me and my mate. This is going to be our first home away from home that neither of us have to worry about being able to pack up at a moments notice. If you and I can understand where each other is coming from, I’m sure this process will go a lot smoother. I’m actually glad that you’ve stuck with me this far. I was starting to think I was demanding something that didn’t exist.“

“Yeah, I did. Like 30 minutes before you showed up.” He picked up one of his feet and looked at the bottom. “I guess the snow is helpful in one way.” Monty snorted. “Yeah except they wouldn’t have covered for us. Plus I hit up Portugal when I was buying the spell books about 7 years ago. I’m sure he’s already checked there.”

“Monty...“ Adelaide giggled. “Come on. We can make a detour and get you some clean clothes and kicks.“

Monty gave her smile and kiss on the head. “Much more badass than slipping in puke. What is with Americans and this holiday?”

“Someone slipped in puke? I told you we should have going to Sweden or Portugal.“

“Follow me over here, and I can take a look.” Siobhan led her over to a desk with a picture of Jalen and his girlfriend on the desk. She picked up the files on the desk and leafed through them. “I have an Adelaide Blanchett. I’m guessing that’s you. It says that you’re looking for something more residential like a town home, and three beds and two and a half baths?” 

“Looks like some of the options he had picked for you have gone off the market, unfortunately a common occurrence in the city.” She looked back up at her and smiled. “Since you seem to be in a rush, I can think of a few places off the top of my head that might work, if you’d like.:

“Okay,“ Adeliade said easily and followed after her. “Yes, that’s me. Three bedrooms, two and a half bath with an office or extra den would be ideal. I told Jalen that I was unwilling to turn one of the bedroom into an office space.“

Monty slid back in the seat and rubbed his hand over his face. “Do you think your dad knows we’re here? I mean Robinson wouldn’t be across the world on a whim, right?”

“That’s not Robinson tactics. He’s loyal and only does as my father tells him. He’s not here for pleasure or by coincidence. Something led him here.” She was clearly nervous as she spoke fast and her foot became a little heavier on the gas petal. “We’ve been careful... Maybe he’s just passing through on old information. Maybe he thinks we’ve left already. They won’t find any proof either way.”

“Gotcha. Well you’re welcome to come bunk down from it with me, after I grab the wine.” She pointed at the corner store. “Unless you were over in my neck of the woods for another reason.”

“Monty got stuck on the graveyard shift again, so I wouldn’t mind.“ Adelaide looked back at the store and nodded. “Yeah, I was looking for Churchill and Patch but none of them were answering their door or phones. That’s when I ran into you out here.“

“Sadly I did not.”

“Welcome to Chicago, where people act like the first real snow of the year will be the one to end us all.” She joked. “It’s been mild so far, but tonight into tomorrow is supposed to 8 inches. Is snow new for you?”

“Alrighty. It snows in some parts of Aussie but not were I’m from. I’ve been on a few ski trips but the snow was already on the ground and it was only for a weekend at most.“

Monty kissed her temple before assuming a drunk boyfriend slouch, and hiding his face in her neck. His arm wrapped around her shoulders and he waited for her to lead the way.”

Adelaide wrapped her arms around Monty and acted like the concerned girlfriend, that she was as they made their way out. She made a play at looking embarrassed while she looked around for Richard or the regular faces he takes. She kept the act up even as they made it outside the club. She declined help as she made her way to their vehicle. Adelaide made show of helping him into the front seat and buckling him in before getting in the drivers seat and whipping out of there.