He heard the creak of a chair adjusting, as if Peter was leaning back in satisfaction, knowing he owned something Doug wanted. “What about it?” he asked. “A lot of people have been interested in it. A lot of families.”
Doug could tell he was only mentioning families in order to make him come to a conclusion faster, and possibly to guilt him into paying far more than what it was actually worth. He wasn’t new to this game.
“I have someone who wants it,” he explained. “My girlfriend. She works on my ranch and she’s been working really hard, so I wanted you to maybe go easy on her. I’m not saying you have to give it to her for free or anything, but maybe give her a reasonable price instead of a scam.”
Paul chuckled a bit darkly. “When do I ever scam people?”
“Please, Paul,” Doug said. “I’d buy it myself, but she really wants to do this for herself. I’m not going to take the chance away from her, but I want to give her an actual chance.”
Paul hemmed and hawed for a bit longer before finally relenting. “All right. Tell her she’s got an appointment with me next Tuesday at three. I’ll give her a good offer. It won’t be cheap, but it will be reasonable.”
“Thank you, man,” Doug said. “I appreciate it. I’ll make sure she thinks it was your idea.”
“Yeah yeah,” the other man said before hanging up.
Doug was pretty pleased with himself. He didn’t really want to tell Paige he’d helped; he wanted her to just have an easier time of it. He worked his own magic whenever he could. He wanted her to be able to live in her own home, and one she’d been dreaming about. He meant what he’d said, about her working so hard and being independent. He admired those qualities in her. A lot of the women he’d known had been all about the amount of money he made and not really invested in themselves or their own futures as much. Roxanne had been different. He hesitated to think Paige was like his late wife, but in some ways she was. In all the right ways, without being weird about it.
I’m not trying to replace Roxanne, but I am trying to be with someone she’d approve of, he thought. This was the first time he’d thought of her without imagining he was speaking to her… At least, he thought it was. A lot of things had been changing, and he sort of relaxed into all of it. Change was healthy and good. Sure, it was difficult, but it was still worth it.
When he was back at work on Monday, he found it difficult not to smile too much whenever he saw her. “Hey,” he said to her at one point as they passed each other in the hall. “I got you a meeting with the realtor tomorrow at three. You can do a half day in order to make sure you can go.”
Paige’s eyes widened at him in surprise. Then she broke out into a wide grin. “Are you serious?”
Doug nodded. “I’m completely serious. Make sure you get there on time. He doesn’t like to wait.” He was saving the best part for even more of a surprise, of course. She had no idea she was going to arrive there and get some kind of lowered price because of him. But this was a secret he planned to take to the grave. Unless she was able to force him to spill the beans. He had a hard time lying to her sweet face.
When she left work early the next day, he felt giddy. He fully believed she was going to be able to close on the house now. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she went out with him later on in the evening. He wanted to be the first to know about it, though he figured she’d probably tell her family and friends first. He wondered if he might be included in that group for her now. She certainly was included in ‘family’ for him…
Chapter Twelve
Paige did as she was told and left the ranch early on Tuesday, feeling kind of like she was being sent off on a hostile mission. I don’t think I really need to be scared, though, she thought. Doug would never put me into a bad situation. He’s clearly trying to help me… She wondered just how much.
When she arrived at Mr. Winston’s realty office, she anxiously waited in a brown leather chair in the lobby. Wealthy landowners seemed to have a thing for brown leather in this town… She knew he met with a lot of people so she had expected to be waiting; he was one of the most successful realtors in the city. Notorious was also a good word for him because he turned away a lot of people.
At last, the receptionist smiled at her and led her into a boardroom down the hall. Paige took a seat near the middle of the long, white table. There was a manila envelope on the table already but she didn’t want to just go ahead and assume it had anything to do with her. It very well could’ve been a remnant from the man’s last meeting.
“Ah, Miss Lancaster,” Mr. Winston said as he came into the room. He shook her hand and took a seat across from her. He was a heavy-set man with a silvery forest of three-day-old whiskers on his cheeks and chin. He reminded Paige of an old Hollywood director, except of course he didn’t have that much power. He was perhaps one of the star citizens of San Antonio, though, and that was saying quite a lot. “What can I do for you today? Doug Crofton told me you’re looking to buy a house from me?”
She now wondered why she’d had so many misgivings. He seemed like a perfectly nice guy. He clearly knew he was rich and he wasn’t afraid to flaunt it, but he wasn’t being sneaky with her and he definitely wasn’t treating her like, say, Helen Crofton...
“Yes, I was hoping to purchase the two-bedroom property on Stoney Crossing.” Paige wondered how many homes he might own on the same street. He certainly seemed to take up ownership of large sections of the town. “My budget is two hundred thousand.”
Mr. Winston leaned forward in his chair, his ears seeming to perk up at the mention of money. She wasn’t exactly surprised by this. “I think we could make two hundred thousand work…” he said, thoughtfully stroking his chin. “What if I gave it to you for one-fifty?”
Her jaw dropped. Two hundred thousand dollars was lower than the asking price she’d found online, and now he was offering to give it to her for even less? This was clearly the work of someone else… “Are you serious?” she asked him. “Did Doug put you up to this?”
“Doug didn’t put me up to anything,” Mr. Winston said. “No one tells me what to do. But he may have… suggested… I help you out with this.”
Paige smiled brightly at him. “Well, I will accept your offer!” she said to him, not believing she’d been so lucky. She was going to have to go meet up with Doug and give him a big hug for this help. “Where can I sign?” She giggled a bit, giddy. She’d never owned her own home before. Her friends and parents were going to be so happy for her, but nowhere near as happy as she was for herself!
After signing a few forms and writing a check, she left the meeting with the realtor with a bounce in her step. She wasn’t going to be able to move in until the beginning of the next month, but she would be ready. She couldn’t wait to see Doug and tell him all about it.
“OMG,” she texted him. “I just put money down on a house! Thank you so much for all of your help! Do you want to get together tonight?”
She got into her car and drove home to her parents’ house so she could tell them the great news and start with some preliminary packing. There was a lot she was going to be leaving behind, but it didn’t mean she wouldn’t be able to see it again. There was something nice about having her childhood bedroom to go back and visit.
“Yes, I would love to see you,” Doug texted her back. “Dinner at Zza?”
She laughed out loud. “That’s one of my favorite places! I’ll see you there in about half an hour?”
“Great. You’re on. :)”
Paige went into the bathroom and tidied up her makeup and hair so she would look good for their slightly spontaneous date. “I’m going out to dinner with Doug,” she told her parents. “Don’t wait up for me.”
Her mom grinned knowingly at her. “Oh, honey, you know we always do anyway.”
She smiled back at her mom, loving that her parents cared so much about her and wanted to be sure she returned home safe every night. She wasn’t going to have anyone with her in
her new house to wait up for her. I wonder if I should get a dog or something.
The drive to Zza was quick and she strolled into the place, taking a booth with ease. Doug wasn’t there yet, but she wasn’t bothered. She was quite comfortable in this restaurant. She half expected to find her friends there, but they’d never hang out without inviting her along too. She took out her phone to text with them, but Doug strolled through the door so she quickly stuffed it back into a pocket of her purse. She stood up from the table and threw her arms around his neck. “Hey!” she said cheerfully, kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you so much! I couldn’t believe it when he actually went and lowered the price even more.”
They sat down together so they could chat for a few minutes before they ordered their food. “I hoped you’d like what I did,” he said to her as he sat across from her, holding her hand on the tabletop and gently rubbing circles into the back of it with the tip of his thumb. “I didn’t want you to think I was controlling everything for you, but I thought I could make it easier for you. Paul’s a good guy. I can’t call him my friend but we’re at least acquaintances and he likes to see me happy. Especially because I own a lot of land and properties as well.”
Paige hadn’t thought of it before, but he was right. Doug owned more ranches than just the one she worked on. And they were all slowly becoming dude ranches as well, which meant more publicity and money coming in. She often forgot about that detail because Doug was there in San Antonio, quietly working in his office instead of going out and showing off. But now she remembered he was a big deal, and it made her feel like a bit of a big deal, too. No one else could say they were getting pizza with Doug Crofton.
Instead of them having to get in line, a waiter came over to their table – she saw this as a likely perk for being there with him, too – and took their orders. They decided to share a large sausage and mushroom pizza with a pair of Dr. Peppers. Paige beamed at Doug as soon as their waiter was gone from their booth.
“This is quite a red-letter year for both of us, huh?” she asked him. “How are things going in your new home? I’ve noticed your mom has been leaving you alone. I wonder how long that will last.”
He chuckled. “I think now she’s resting on her laurels. She’s still kept pretty busy with the household staff, though. Keeping things neat and tidy for the guests.”
Paige nodded her head. “Yeah, as long as she’s got some minions, she’s satisfied.”
The drinks and pizza arrived at the table and they each cut themselves some slices. She did her best not to stuff her face like she did when she was out with her friends. She wanted to act more ladylike when she was out with her handsome, posh boyfriend. “How are things with Devon?”
“Oh, he’s loving all of the new space,” Doug said with a smile. “He’s enjoying all of the extra time he gets with me, too. I don’t have to bring my work home with me anymore. I’ve got people who can handle it when I’m not in my office.”
Paige gave him an admiring look. “Are you enjoying all of it, too? You certainly seem less stressed.”
He nodded. “Yes, I feel great. Thank you for the wonderful suggestion.”
She loved that they were able to help each other in so many important ways. She didn’t know how she’d ended up so lucky after struggling for so long.
“I can move into my new house at the beginning of next month,” she told him. “I want to have a housewarming party so everyone can see it. But only after I’ve decorated and made it look nice, of course.”
“That makes sense,” Doug replied. “You should come visit me in my new house sometime, too. It looks a lot like the old house, except it’s one hundred percent new and all mine, so I can do whatever I want with it.” He seemed so proud. “It doesn’t have the uncomfortable aura the old house seems to have nowadays.”
She gave him a sympathetic look. It made total sense to her why he might want to move out of the old house and move on with his life. He was clearly a man who was haunted by his past and trying his utmost to look forward to the future instead. It also probably doesn’t hurt that he’s away from his mother’s temper.
“Let’s have back-to-back housewarming parties, then,” she said to him with a comforting smile. “First your house and then mine?”
He nodded. “Sounds good to me. I’ll make sure our place isn’t a wreck with all of Devon’s toys.”
Paige couldn’t quite say what her place was going to be like. She hadn’t even moved her things into it yet. But she was very excited to do so. Her love of event planning meshed well with her love of decorating, even if she wasn’t a professional at it. I wonder if he’ll want me to put any finishing touches on his home’s décor as well, she thought. Then she felt shy for even thinking it. He didn’t need a feminine touch. He was a widower, a bachelor in his own new ‘pad.’ His home likely looked exactly the way he wanted it to look. Now she was extra curious to see it. A person could tell a lot about someone based on how they decorated their house. The main ranch house wasn’t really his doing, but this new house was. She hoped she wouldn’t come to realize he was messy or anything.
But, to be fair, if I had any red flags when it came to dating, being messy wouldn’t really be one of them. I’m not always the neatest person either. But I have organized disorder.
It helped that they’d planned for her to go see his new house first since she wouldn’t move into hers for a while yet. She went over a few weekends later and Doug showed her around his home. It really was a beautiful, mini-replica of the larger mansion on the ranch grounds. She was so happy to have helped him find a bit of pleasant seclusion for himself and his son (and their nanny whenever she came over.) She noticed it didn’t have as many rooms as the main house did, but it did still have two unoccupied rooms… I wonder if he plans to entertain guests here still.
Perhaps someday in the future she would be invited to stay over. She blushed just thinking about it.
“You must like it,” he said to her with a grin. “You’re blushing.”
This only proceeded to make her turn even redder. “I was just thinking you could have guests come stay with you in this house,” she said. “And maybe someday I could have a sleepover with you and Devon…”
She hoped it wasn’t too bold of her to mention it.
Doug seemed completely delighted by the idea, though. “I think we should definitely do that sometime. And no pressure but I couldn’t help noticing your house has an extra bedroom, too.”
“It’s for my clothes and shoes,” she quipped. “I plan to just have a huge closet, all to myself.”
He looked at her and she thought he was taking it completely seriously. “Oh, okay. Not a bad idea either.”
“Doug?” she asked him with a smirk.
“Yeah?”
“I’m kidding.”
He laughed. “Oh. I knew that. I was just testing you to see if you’d know I knew.”
Giggling, she reached across the space between them and took his hand again. “I really like you,” she told him. “I never could have imagined I’d end up with not only my dream job but my dream man, too.” Her cheeks grew hot with this little confession.
“I really like you, too,” he said to her, gazing into her sparkly blue eyes. “In fact, I think I might love you.”
This did nothing to diminish the blush on her cheeks. Her capillaries were quite active whenever she was around him. “I think I love you, too,” she said with an eager nod.
They each leaned across the space between them, filling it with each other as they kissed each other deeply. His lips were soft and he tasted like pizza, which made her long for it even though she’d just had it not that long ago. She loved that he loved pizza as much as she did. She loved just about everything about him. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way about someone… Possibly she never had.
Paige didn’t stay over that night, but they made plans for her to do so sometime in the not too distant future. In the meantime, she had
her own new home to worry about. “I can go to Target with you, if you want,” he offered. “I’ve heard they’ve got great stuff for home décor. Or maybe you prefer IKEA.”
She thought it was sweet of him to care about home furnishings for her sake. He’d decorated his own new home with mostly things he’d already owned, but she was starting almost from scratch, so it was daunting. “Why not both?” she asked with a laugh. “If it’s not too much trouble. I don’t want to take up your entire day.”
“I wouldn’t mind,” Doug replied.
With that, they agreed to meet up on a Saturday around lunchtime. They went to IKEA first and had some Swedish meatballs for their lunch. Then they browsed the store, mostly making each other laugh by saying the strange names of each item. When they left the store, Paige had a new bed, couch, and dining room table ordered to be delivered to her new house by the time she had the keys and could move in.
They next went to Target, where they basically found everything else they needed. Paige was amused because Doug had been so confident about Target being the best option, and then it pretty much was.
A few weeks later, she was finally able to move into her new house. Everyone she knew wanted to have a party there right away, but all she wanted to do was get everything organized the way she liked. “You can kind of have a party with me… A helping me move in party. Woo…” She laughed.
“We’ll do that,” her friend Kat said. “You know your house doesn’t have to actually be ready before we can come see it, right? We can help you make it a home.”
Her friends and parents all agreed on that. Even Doug agreed. “I’d like to meet your friends and parents, and help you move in. This is a way to do both of those things at once.”
Paige did her best not to feel overwhelmed, but she agreed they could have a pre-housewarming, ‘house-making’ party first. Her friends, parents, and Doug came over to help her transport the rest of the boxes from her old home to her new one, and then they helped her unbox everything and put it in the places she wanted things to go.
Billionaire Hearts Club- The Complete Series Collection Page 34
