Authors: Kate Aster
Lacey didn’t budge from the foyer. “I’m
sure you know your way around.”
His face fell with displeasure.
Lacey remembered the open closets. “But if
you come here again like you did last night, I’d appreciate it if you would
shut the closets next time. Now that the house is on the market, I’d like it
looking pristine when buyers come.”
He was unmistakably flustered. “What are
you talking about?”
“You were here last night.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes. “Yes, I
stopped by hoping to see you. I figured you might be checking on the house. I
lost your card.”
“What did you want?”
“I thought you might like to catch dinner
with me. You know, to celebrate the open house.”
Lacey didn’t disguise her disgust. He was
old enough to be her father, and worse, he was married. “No, thank you,” she
said firmly, suddenly feeling the need to open the front door.
He blocked her hand as she reached for the
knob. “Just business, Lacey. I might have some useful input on selling this
place. I did live here for a number of years. I’d hate to see you lose this
listing,” he finished, the threat evident in his tone.
“At the end of the six month contract,
your mother is free to look elsewhere. But having dinner with you is nowhere in
the fine print. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Lacey opened the door.
“You’re rude for a real estate agent.”
“I’m not talking to you as a real estate
agent. I’m talking to you as a woman who doesn’t appreciate threats of any
kind.” Lacey felt a rush of relief as she saw Maeve’s convertible pull into the
driveway. She sent her a meaningful look.
“Excuse me!” Maeve quickly called from her
car the moment she opened the door. “We’re not too late for the open house, are
we?” She darted up the driveway with Bess following close behind.
“Not at all,” Lacey called back. “Please
come in.”
“I’ll talk with you later,” the man said
to Lacey in a low tone.
“No,” Lacey said with conviction. “I don’t
think you will.” She reached out to Maeve to shake her hand. “Thank you for
coming. I’m Lacey Owens. Do you mind signing the book on the kitchen table?”
Maeve and Bess walked into the house, with
Maeve shutting the door behind her. “Who the hell was that?”
“That was Carolyn’s son. Creep. He
actually asked me out, and basically threatened to take away the listing from
me when I said no. He’s married, by the way.”
“And old, ugly, with poor taste in
clothing,” Maeve finished for her. “And that was just my first impression.”
“I’ve never been so happy to see you
two. Your timing couldn’t have been more perfect.” Lacey let out a long breath,
eager to change the subject. “So, how does everything look?” she asked as she
guided her friends into the living room.
Bess gasped at first sight of the view. “Oh,
it’s just beautiful. Maeve was telling me you completely redid the place.”
“Just some fresh paint and new fixtures. Rented
furniture, too.”
Maeve glanced upward. “Is that crown
molding new?”
“No. It’s just more noticeable now with
the new colors, isn’t it? Check out the chair rail I had installed in the
dining room, though. Really adds some character.”
Maeve peered through the doorway and
nodded her approval.
Bess smiled up at the sparkling chandelier
and the tiny reflections that it sent dancing on the walls. “Look at how that
captures the light at this time of day.”
“Don’t be too impressed. It’s not real
crystal. But you wouldn’t believe the fixture she used to have here. Way too
1980s for this price bracket.”
Tracing her finger along the chair rail,
Bess’s eyes wandered dreamily out the window to the water view glistening in
the late afternoon sun. “I’m ready to move in. How many houses do I have to
clean before I can afford this?”
Lacey handed her the flier in answer.
Bess groaned. “Yikes.”
“Actually, it’s priced higher than I
recommended. But that son has Carolyn convinced this is what it’s worth.” Lacey
shrugged. “It’s close enough that it will be a starting point for negotiation,
I hope.”
“That will be a sweet commission when it
sells,” Maeve said, glancing at the flier. “I may raise your rent.”
“
If
it sells. And if that freak son
of hers doesn’t convince her to get a different agent when the contract is
over.”
“Did you ask him if he was in the house
last night?” Maeve raised her eyebrows.
“Oh, I didn’t ask him. I pretty much
cornered him so that he couldn’t deny it. And you’ll love this. He said he came
to the house last night looking for me.”
Bess’s face paled. “What?”
Maeve scowled. “Creep. Looking for you
where? In a closet? And for that matter, why wouldn’t he just call you?”
“He said he lost my card.”
“Right. Like it’s hard to track down a
real estate agent’s number. Hasn’t he heard of the internet? I still say he was
looking for his hidden stash of
Playboy
s.”
Bess spoke up. “Maybe we should stay here
till the open house is over. You know, in case he comes back. There’s something
weird about him.”
Lacey took Bess by the hand and couldn’t
help noticing it was trembling. “That’s sweet, but I’ll really be fine.”
“Okay,” Bess said uneasily, then surprised
Lacey by pulling out pepper spray from her purse. “Just keep this handy till
you get home, okay?”
Clenching her Spode china teacup in a
death grip, Lacey sipped her tea. She could tell just from the feel of it that
this single cup was worth more than her entire dining collection purchased in
an economy box at Target.
Carefully, she eased back into Edith
Baker’s down-filled sofa and gazed at the impeccable surroundings. When Lacey
had first driven up to the house, she had been beyond intimidated. The property
jutted into the Bay on three sides like its own small peninsula, offering sprawling
views from nearly every room. Her mouth had gone dry at the sight.
It was gorgeous, from the manicured
gardens that led to the water’s edge to the cathedral ceiling crowned with a genuine
Waterford chandelier.
Definitely a far cry from the Miron
property that had so desperately needed a sharp eye for detail and hard work
before going on the market. Nothing needed her here. Anyone could sell a
property like this. It didn’t take anything but a simple listing online and the
right price. No challenge at all.
Easy money. How refreshing would that be?
Lacey flexed the muscles in her fingers
after safely settling the tea cup back on its saucer.
“Is your hand bothering you?” Edith walked
back into the room carrying a fresh pot of tea. “I’ve been having you take down
too many notes.”
“No, it’s not that at all,” Lacey
confessed. “I’ve been gripping that tea cup too hard because I’m scared I’ll
drop it. Your china set is beautiful. At my house, the finest china is a set of
coffee mugs that read ‘I love firemen.’ Maeve got them on Ebay.”
“Your housemate sounds like quite a
character,” Edith laughed as she refreshed their cups, her gentle tone making
Lacey feel surprisingly comfortable. “I like her already. It’s good to have
friends who keep your heart light.” She sat next to Lacey and picked up one of
the crust-less finger sandwiches she had placed on the coffee table.
A voice called in from the foyer. “I’m
here. Where’s the most beautiful woman in Annapolis?”
Something about the voice sent Lacey’s
heart racing.
Edith put a hand to her mouth to conceal a
laugh. “Such a tease. Time must have gotten by me,” she said apologetically to
Lacey, glancing at her watch. “We’re in the living room, dear.”
“Just grabbing one of these cookies
off the counter. You sure know how to keep a man happy, Mrs. B. I came straight
from work, so didn’t have time to—” He stopped short in the doorway when
his eyes met Lacey’s.
Shocked by the jolt of recognition that
shot between them, Lacey’s tea cup splashed onto her linen capris at the sight
of the man she had met at Dr. Baker’s funeral.
“Let me grab a towel for you,” he said,
darting back into the kitchen.
“I’m such a klutz,” Lacey said to Edith,
as the man returned with a dishtowel.
“Well, you weren’t expecting to be
startled like that.” Her eyes filled humor, Edith looked at the man. “Oh, but
that’s right! You had offered to take my old bag of bones out for a night on
the town. Time flew by me this afternoon. I’ve enlisted Lacey’s help for the
fall fundraiser this year. You remember Lacey from Don’s funeral?”
“Of course. Mick Riley.” He extended his
hand.
She took it, and the feel of his skin
touching hers in the simple gesture nearly knocked her breathless. “Lacey
Owens.”
Edith cocked her head to one side with a
coy grin. “Lacey and I have been talking and laughing for hours. Just the
breath of fresh air I needed. I really am exhausted now, though. Do me a favor
and take Lacey out in my place. If I had any energy, I’d be making her dinner
right now to thank her for all this help she’s giving me.”
Lacey tried to wrench her eyes away from
Mick, looking intimidating in his Navy uniform, his chest covered in a
mysterious array of ribbons and emblems. Her heart fluttered at the sight. “No,
really, Edith. I feel privileged to be a part of this benefit.”
“Lacey, I insist. It will lift a weight of
guilt off me. I know how much time this is going to take you over the next few
months. You’d be smart to at least get a nice meal out of it,” Edith finished
with a wink.
“I couldn’t—”
Mick took Lacey lightly by the arm. “You’d
better not argue with her, Lacey. I’ve known this woman since I was eighteen
and I’ve never won an argument with her.”
Helplessly, Lacey was escorted out the
front door by Mick, the feel of his gentle touch on her arm sending tiny
shivers down her spine. “But we took separate cars,” she protested feebly.
“Details, details.” Edith waved her hands
lightly.
Mick shook his head as Edith closed the
door behind them. “I have to apologize for her. She and Doc were my sponsors my
plebe year at the Academy, and she’s been trying to set me up with women ever
since.”
“Plebe year. That’s your freshman year,
right?”
“You’re obviously not from Annapolis. Don’t
have the terminology down yet, do you?”
“I’m working on it.”
“During your first year at the Academy,
you get assigned a sponsor. Sort of a second family for while you are here. For
some, the family title sticks.”
“She seems like a wonderful woman.”
Mick nodded. “I’ll take full
responsibility for explaining why we didn’t go out later. She shouldn’t have
put you in that awkward position.”
Lacey felt an odd disappointment when she
realized he wasn’t taking her to dinner. She knew she should refuse anyway. But
if she had been
forced
to go out with him, well, then she’d just have to
suffer through the dinner.
Though looking at him now, impressive in
his khaki-colored uniform that fit snugly across his broad shoulders, maybe
“suffer” wasn’t quite the right word.
They began walking back to their cars.
“I’m actually glad to have run into you
again. I wanted to apologize,” he said, surprising her.
“For what?”
Mick laughed quietly. “Hitting on women at
funerals is conduct unbecoming an officer. I think you could get me
court-martialed for that.”
Lacey grinned. “If it makes you feel
better, I nearly said ‘yes.’”
“Yeah, that’s the vibe I was getting.”
Lacey flushed, remembering how close she
had come to lip-locking him in a parking lot. “Um, yeah. To be honest, I was
very attracted to you. I’m flattered that it seems to be mutual.”
“Seems to be.”
His eyes met hers. As sparkling blue as
she had remembered, they were homing beacons for undersexed women. Soft lashes.
Tender lids she longed to kiss. She was losing herself in them again,
enraptured, when she suddenly blurted, “It’s just that I’m really not in a
place where I want to date anyone right now.”
He held back a laugh at the desperation in
her voice. “I’ve been there myself. So I’ll respect that.”
She held his gaze, instinctively trusting
him. Once a woman drew a line in the sand, she could tell he would not cross
it. Unless she begged, she considered hopefully. Because looking at him right
now, she realized it might come down to that.
Mick moved to open her car door for her. “Well,
with all that settled, will you let me at least buy you dinner as friends? I
don’t want to have to explain to Mrs. B why I let her down.”
Lacey smiled, tempted. He
did
say
that he was buying, she considered, her thoughts drifting to her bleak checking
account and the dry pouch of Easy Mac awaiting her in Maeve’s kitchen cabinet. She
relented too easily. “Okay.”