by Melissa Kate
It was a short drive from the office but the neighborhood was substantially different than where Brielle lived in Bellevue Valley. The streets were lined with tall, perfectly groomed palm trees and well maintained lawns. The houses towered over each other in grand Tuscan styles. Each better than the one before. Brielle drove up an impressive driveway with immaculate modern wrought iron gates. She keyed in the password and the gates opened inward in a warm welcome.
Driving up to the house, she had to pick her jaw up off the floor. The house was amazing and that was just the outside. She stepped out to get a better view of the two-story Tuscan-styled home. It wasn’t a mansion by any standard but the house was undeniably huge. It had very open styling with lots of exterior glass to emphasize its magnitude and create the illusion of greater space. The front door was flanked by two large pillars that went all the way up to the second floor in design. From what she could see through the drawn curtains, this place was a stunner.
Brielle opened the extra-large front door and nearly fell to her knees in appreciation. The house was phenomenal. Before her sat a sunken living room and to her right was an ornate curved staircase with wrought iron railings. She decided to explore ahead of her and found a beautiful cherry wood kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Long sleek handles adorned the cupboards and an island with a preparation sink sat at the center. The dining room opened out onto an amazing verandah… Beyond that lay a sparkling blue rectangular pool with a fabulously landscaped stone patio surrounding it.
Brielle was beside herself. She kept imagining herself entertaining in a place like this and Noah taking a running leap into the pool, well if he could actually swim. She had to give herself a mental talking to. No way would she even begin to afford a place like this. Martha had priced it at a cool five million. She was dreaming if she thought she would ever have that kind of money even in the next ten years.
The upstairs was even more phenomenal. Four bedrooms, all dark wood and steel finishings created a modern, contemporary flair.
She opened the door to her right and actually gasped out loud in pleasure. Oh, the master bedroom. The living space was unbelievable. She could fit her current bedroom twice over in here. The walls were painted a pale blue and the recessed lights in the ceiling were strategically placed to create a warm, elegant feeling. This was only further enhanced by the rich, dark fittings in the room. Brielle walked toward the sliding doors and opened them out onto a small balcony which overlooked a spectacular view of the bay ahead. The view was simply breathtaking.
The master bath was something else altogether: his and hers Japanese sinks on top of ivory granite next to which was the hugest shower she had ever seen, and a hot tub. A hot tub! She’d never even been in one. Oh this was her dream house. Who was she even trying to kid? This was going to be a tough one to let go of.
“Ok squirt, in the tub for you,” Brielle called later that evening. As expected, Noah was fatigued from lack of sleep the night before and he was dragging his feet about everything.
He slowly peeled off his clothes and plopped himself into the tub of warm, bubbly water. Brielle soaped him up and started to scrub him from top to toe. “How was your day today?”
“It was ok. I fell asleep during art class,” he said sheepishly. “Mrs. Fox didn’t notice till the end of the class so it wasn’t too bad.”
“Noah,” Brielle scolded. “That’s just not ok, honey. You have to listen when I tell you about bedtime, ok? It’s important that you pay attention in all your classes.”
“Sorry, Mom.”
“It’s ok my love. As long as it doesn’t happen again.”
Noah nodded.
“What else happened?”
Noah looked thoughtful, thinking back on the day as Brielle scrubbed his ears. His jade eyes and dark brown hair looked so identical to his father’s that sometimes she couldn’t separate the two. He was Nate’s son, no doubt about it.
“Look at the dirt in here!” Brielle exaggerated. “I think you are starting to grow potatoes in your ears.”
Noah giggled as he continued to ponder Brielle’s question.
“I have a class project,” he said finally.
“What’s it about?”
“Something about a career?”
“What exactly about a career, Noah? Weren’t you paying attention?”
Noah attempted to look solemn but failed miserably. “Wait, let me think.”
Again his gaze turned thoughtful. “Oh, I remember now!! We have to create a show and tell about any career in the world.”
“That sounds fun,” she tilted his head back and washed the soap away. “What do you have in mind?”
“I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it.”
“Ok good. When is it due?”
“At the end of the month”
“Ok kiddo. No shirking on that, ok? You speak up when you need my help with it.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Brielle picked him up out of the tub and dried him off. “Now get dressed and brush your teeth and into bed with you Mister.”
“Yes, Momma!” he sprinted out the bathroom as Brielle tended to his scattered clothes on the floor.
That name out of his mouth still gave her heart flutters. Momma. Amazing how routine her life had become. Two years ago she was still sharing a home with Emma who had graciously taken her in when she had no campus housing. Gracious Emma who had to withstand Noah’s wailing as an infant, the temper tantrums and all the drama that went with a new born child. Responsibilities that weren’t hers, she took on as a friend to Brielle. And she loved Noah as if he were her own, unlike his actual father who wouldn’t even acknowledge him.
Brielle shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. She had long since stopped thinking about Nate and holding out any hope that he would want to be a part of Noah’s life. It wasn’t about her, but Noah needed a father, he deserved a father in his life. She had stopped following his news clippings and races. She knew that he had won the Formula one world championship the year Noah was born and she had seen tabloids with pictures of him and a slew of different women splashed across the covers. She had since stopped looking. It hurt too much to think that his interest lay more in his celebrity than about the possibility of ever seeing his son. No, she had let that part of her life go. She and Noah were a family now.
When Saturday arrived, Brielle dropped Noah off with Emma for the morning so she could run the open house in Brentwood Hills.
“I should be back by noon,” she informed Emma.
“Don’t sweat it; I have my brother’s Xbox here so I’m sure he will be happy to be a jelly brain for a few hours.”
“Thanks Em, see you later.”
“Later, babe.”
When Brielle stepped back into the foyer of the show house, it was like she was coming home. It was an unfamiliar sensation. One she hadn’t even experienced when she had purchased her current home and she chastised herself about getting too attached. She could never afford this place so there was no point in wanting.
Brielle set up a snack table with canned drinks on the outside patio as well as some open chairs around the pool area. She wanted her potential buyers to feel like they were being entertained so that they could be put in the shoes of their, hopefully someday, guests.
Wearing her professional attire today, that included her stiletto pumps, gave her the much needed confidence. She had never shown a house of this level of grandeur and needed as much confidence as she could muster to deal with this clientele. She had to fake it ‘till she could make it. And what better way to project the confidence than with her killer heels.
An hour later her potential buyers had walked in; a family of four with two young boys. They were an absolute racket with the kids bounding up the stairs and dragging their sticky fingers along the wall as they walked up and down the ornate staircase. When
they got to the snack table, the children thought it amusing to drink copious amounts of soda and burp out the alphabet. Thank God no other buyers were in the house to witness this display of ill behavior. The family left when Brielle mentioned the price and she wasn’t sad to see them go. This beautiful home would be ruined by those cretins.
Her next guests were an elderly couple and by the five-minute wait it took to walk up the short staircase, she knew that this would not be the home for them. Nevertheless, she put on her hostess face and entertained the questions about possibly breaking through a few walls to put in an elevator. When they eventually left, she sincerely hoped that they would not seriously consider buying the house only to deface it.
The third potential buyers were more promising. They were newly married and were expecting their first child. The baby was due in a few months and they were hoping to get settled in before then. She showed them the secondary bedrooms, any one of which could have been a nursery.
“Do you have any children,” the lady asked Brielle.
“Yes, my son is almost five years old.”
“Does the morning sickness ever stop?”
Brielle smiled. “You’re asking the wrong person. I had all day sickness ‘till the day I gave birth.”
The woman frowned.
“I found that chewing mints helped me through the worst of it, or at least squelched the urge. It can be different things for different people, though,” Brielle assuaged.
“Something has got to give. I can’t keep anything down.”
“I was the same. I once puked right in my purse at a restaurant. And this was after I had had my dinner.”
“Oh, no!”
“Oh, yes, I had the whole restaurant of people turn and stare at me as I did the walk of shame right out the door. And I still had my bag over my shoulder with the puke in it.”
She laughed and Brielle could see her frown starting to ease. “I promise you, once that child is in the world, none of these things will matter. He or she will change your life in ways that you cannot possibly imagine.”
The other woman put her hand to her slightly rounded belly and smiled. “I’m sure he will.”
“He?” Brielle asked, eyebrows raised.
“Well, we are hoping,” she turned and shared a look with her husband.
Brielle could see the love between them and knew that if she couldn’t have this house then this couple certainly deserved it. They would make it a home.
Brielle heard another car pull up on the gravel outside and knew another potential buyer would be up soon. They would have to wait until Brielle was done with this couple though. She was sold on them and didn’t want to leave any loopholes that would cause them to not want the house. Her back was to the front door when the new guests walked in. She plastered a big smile on her lips and turned around to offer a warm greeting and encourage them to peruse the house in the meantime.
Instead, her jaw dropped to the floor.
As if thinking about him the night before had conjured him up, Nate Wolfe stood before her in all his sexy glory, looking like sex on a stick.
CHAPTER 7
NATE WALKED INTO THE BEAUTIFUL two-story Tuscan-styled villa and instantly had a good feeling about the house. He had been living in Kapua Ridge for two years and needed a change of pace. He was feeling trapped in his current high-rise and needed the wide open spaces of something like this. Not a family home, he wasn’t looking to settle down, he just needed more space to compartmentalize.
Mena, his PR agent had found the place for him and suggested he see it. So, he had picked her up from her home before coming to view the property, knowing she would have invaluable opinions to offer. He always trusted her judgement and she had never led him astray before.
He slid his aviators off his eyes and squinted into the room as his eyes adjusted from the stark brightness outside. When he became accustomed to the dimmer interior, he took in three people huddled together ahead of him. His eyes landed on a smoking hot blonde in a body-hugging black dress and killer red heels that made him think of naughty things. Very naughty things indeed.
Before he could open his mouth, the man before him started in his direction. “Hey, you’re Nathan Wolfe,” he stuck out his hand to shake Nate’s. “Great to meet you. Blue Stratos is having a fantastic season.”
“Thank you.” Adoring fans were part of the job description and Nate always made time to talk to each and every one. Young or old. It came with the territory and he didn’t take it for granted because support could change in an instant.
“Man, that blistering your tire took in the last race, I thought for sure you would have crashed but you handled like a beaut.”
“Still lost me two positions; didn’t even place in that last race.”
“You will make it up by the end of the season. The points speak for themselves.”
“Thanks man,” Nate shook the man’s hand again as he went back to his wife and the hot blonde.
The couple started to walk out to the patio and Nate and Mena were left with the blonde.
“I’m going to check out the pool,” Mena commented before squeezing his shoulder and walking toward the rear of the house.
“Hi, I’m Nate,” he said to the blonde, sticking out his hand in greeting, pasting on his mega-watt, celebrity smile.
The blonde just stared at him.
Although a lot of women got star-struck when they met him, this one seemed different. He looked at her again and the recognition kicked him in the chest.
“Brielle?” he asked incredulously. Wow, he hadn’t seen her in years. How long had it been? Five, maybe six years?
She regarded him coolly, “Nathan.”
When had she ever called him by his full name? Well, he hadn’t known her long enough to know otherwise and most of the time she had said his name had been in the throes of passion when she was barely coherent at the best of times.
“Wow, you look great,” he regarded her. She looked a lot more uptight than the young girl he remembered from Brazil but he guessed it was part of the look. Her sexy bangs had grown out and she had them pulled back with the rest of her blonde hair into a tight bun at the nape of her slender neck. She looked so stepford-wifey. But that didn’t stop his southern anatomy from reacting to her nonetheless.
“Thank you. Are you looking to buy a home?”
“Yes, I’m seriously thinking about this one in fact.”
“That’s too bad because this one is practically sold,” she started to walk toward the kitchen area. As he followed he could see that the house was exactly what he was looking for. The kitchen was large and airy with dark wood and modern finishings.
“Perhaps I can interest you in other listings?” she continued. “I’d be happy to pass on your details to one of my colleagues.”
“You’re a realtor?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I thought you were studying to get into chiropractics?”
“Things change, plans changed.”
He wondered what could have changed her course of vocation. She had spoken so passionately about her pending qualifications during their brief time together. But then again, that time had been so brief, he couldn’t exactly claim to know what her passions were or were not. Though, her sexual passions, he figured he had known those pretty well.
She started to walk away again. “I trust you will see yourself out, Nathan. Perhaps you can contact the agency if you would like to view an alternate property.”
He watched her ass in that tight dress as she walked away from him. It wasn’t lost on him that she didn’t offer to show him a property herself.
What did he do to her to get her panties in a twist? He kicked himself for thinking about her panties at all.
Brielle was so relieved when Nate hadn’t questioned her further about the house being practica
lly sold. It was a lie of course but she couldn’t bear for him to be living in her house with that sultry redhead. Well, it wasn’t actually her house as such but she felt territorial about it nonetheless.
She’d been so disappointed when the young couple that she had so liked had balked at the price and had resignedly pulled out their interest. With a baby on the way, they just could not afford it, they’d said.
Now, she was back to the drawing board which meant another open house.
She drove back to Emma’s place to pick up Noah, pushing Nate and the house to the farthest reaches of her consciousness.
“Hey, kiddo,” she greeted, when she entered Emma’s house.
Noah was glued to the TV, playing Little Big Planet on the Xbox.
“I said, Hi Noah,” she repeated pointedly.
“Hi, Mom,” he shouted over his shoulder, barely taking his eyes off the screen.
Brielle shook her head and turned to her friend. “How was he today?”
“A treasure as always. What’s wrong? You look a little pale.”
“Would you believe me if I said I saw a ghost?”
“The Brentwood Hills house is haunted?” Emma asked incredulously, ready to believe any fantastical story.
“Not a literal ghost. A figurative one,” she lowered her voice. “I saw Nate today.”
“You must be kidding me.”
“I kid you not. In the flesh.”
“Well, give me details, don’t keep me hanging.”
Brielle sighed. “He came in to see the house. With a slinky redhead on his arm, mind you.”
“Ugh,” Emma sniggered in defense of her friend.
“So tacky. Anyway, he barely recognized me at first and then he spoke as though nothing major had passed between us; he was so ready to lay on the charm ‘till the penny dropped. But, he didn’t even acknowledge that I’d had his child.”
“Maybe he forgot.”
