by Tawny Weber
* * *
HAILEY FLEMING WAS a woman with an agenda. Two in fact. The electronic one that she relied on so heavily that she’d recently started keeping a backup paper day planner because the thought of somehow losing her electronic schedule made her feel too close to losing her mind for comfort.
She was nothing if not organized.
And both agendas told her that she was exactly on time for the best appointment of the day. An after-work glass of wine with a colleague who’d become a close friend, Julia Atkinson.
As she made her way into the bistro off North Phinney Avenue, a former record store turned trendy bar, she scanned the tables and was not surprised to find she was the first to arrive. She was always early.
And Julia was always late.
She settled at a table and ordered a glass of white wine then spent ten minutes going through tomorrow’s appointments and writing some notes on improvements she wanted to make on her website.
“Am I late?” a breezy, breathless voice said as Julia swished into her chair, a loose black garment that resembled a combination sweater, poncho and cloak settling in around her.
“Of course you are. You’re always late.”
Julia’s red hair was newly cut into a curly bob and her full lips curved in a smile. “I was at the opening of a new furniture gallery which has brought in several fantastic new lines from Milan. I got chatting, and there were these delicious cookies. I left after three. It was the only way I could stop myself. I don’t feel guilty. I bet you did a day’s work while you waited.”
“Half a day’s anyway.”
A waiter arrived and Julia ordered a vodka tonic. Which meant she was on another of her diets. Which meant...
“I think I’ve met someone.” She sounded so excited that Hailey leaned forward.
“Tell me everything.”
Julia unbuttoned the cloak thing and draped it over the back of her chair, revealing a black-and-red dress enlivened by one of the hundreds of chunky, glitzy vintage necklaces she owned.
“He’s an engineer who lives downtown. He was married, but his wife left him and broke his heart.”
“Wow. That was fast. I just saw you last week. Where did you meet him?”
Julia’s drink came and she took a quick sip. “I haven’t actually met him yet.”
“Huh?”
She shrugged, and the slight movement made all the rhinestones in her jewelry glitter under the bar’s chandeliers. “I met him on LoveMatch.com.”
“Oh. Online dating.”
“I’d never tried it before, but lots of women meet great guys online. So I figured, why not? It’s not like you meet men if you’re a home stager.” She thought for a second. “At least not straight men.”
“How do you already know so much about him?”
“We’ve been talking on the phone. He’s away on business in the Philippines, but I’ll be meeting him next Tuesday.” Her eyes were bright with excitement. “Do you want to see a picture?”
“Of course.”
Julia hauled her computer tablet out of her bag and within a few moments passed over the electronic device complete with a grinning blond guy. Not Hailey’s type at all. Too pretty for her tastes, but Julia liked her men pretty. “Wow.”
“My big fear is that he’s too good-looking for me. Oh, and he has the cutest accent. He was born in Manchester, but he’s lived all over the world. An army brat like you.”
Hailey regarded the electronic image once more. He was wearing shorts and a loose cotton shirt. Despite the square jaw, he seemed somehow lacking in character. She’d never say so to her friend. Besides, even she knew that her own taste was notoriously picky.
“He’s not too good-looking for you. You are beautiful.”
“Do you think I can lose ten pounds by Tuesday?”
“Stop it,” Hailey said, trying not to laugh. “He’s seen your photo, right? He obviously liked what he saw.”
Julia nibbled her lower lip. “I used one from after I took that fitness boot camp last year. When I was thinner.”
For a smart, self-confident woman, Julia had body-image issues and Hailey knew there was no point arguing. Instead she went with a reassuring “It will be fine.”
“I guess. I just have such terrible luck with men.” Julia took a last, longing glance at the picture and then put the tablet away. “How are you?”
Hailey let the excitement she’d been feeling all day bubble out. “I have news, too.”
Julia’s eyes bugged out. “You met a guy?”
“No. I don’t have time for men. I’m building a business. Once I feel more successful, then maybe in a couple of years...”
“I know. You and your agendas.”
“Lists keep me on track.” She sometimes thought she’d had so much chaos in her life that relying on lists gave her a sense of control and stability that she’d never had growing up. Moving twelve times in thirteen years when she was a kid had given her a need for order. Her poor mother had quit even trying to decorate their homes. What was the point? So home had always been temporary and she’d grown to hate the sight of a moving box.
She didn’t need psychoanalysis to understand why she’d chosen a career in real estate. She loved helping clients buy permanent homes. The kinds of places where you could plant a sapling and know you’d be around to enjoy the shade of the tree.
“Don’t you miss having a man in your life?” Julia lowered her voice. “Don’t you miss sex?”
“I have lots of men in my life. Realtors, clients, friends.”
One of Julia’s eyebrows went up. “And sex?”
“I have sex.” Even to her ears she sounded defensive. “Okay, not a lot of sex. It’s been a while, but sex for me means commitment. I can’t do casual.” She shrugged. “Ever since my engagement ended...” She’d believed Drake, who was a lawyer, was perfect for her. They’d worked together on a few closings. They were both hard-working and ambitious. It wasn’t until they were talking wedding dates that they’d realized how little their agendas meshed. He wanted to move to New York to a bigger firm. She was building a business in Seattle. He wanted children right away. She felt they should wait a couple of years until the marriage had strong roots. A year ago he’d gone to New York without her. Since then she’d thrown herself into work and hadn’t missed Drake as much as she would have imagined.
“He was a moron to pick New York over you.”
“Thank you. I agree!”
“So, your big news?”
“I got an amazing listing today. It’s my big break. Uncle Ned, an old friend of my father’s, called me out of the blue and offered me the Bellamy House.”
Julia’s eyes widened once more. “That beautiful old place on the hill?”
“Yeah. The woman who owned it died a couple of months ago. Uncle Ned is her executor. There’s a grandson and he okayed the sale.”
“That’s terrific.”
“I know.” She turned mock serious. “There’s just one problem.”
Julia grabbed her hand. “It needs staging?”
“Yes! The problem is I need it staged right away. I think I have the perfect buyers. I hate to ask you, but do you think you could stage it tomorrow? I’d love to show them the place Thursday morning.”
“Miracles are what I do.” Julia morphed from love-addicted friend into professional home stager, tapping at her tablet, then nodding. “Do you have the key to the place?”
“Yes.”
“If you can show me the home tonight, I’ll figure out what I need and by tomorrow night, you’ll have your miracle.”
“I can’t wait to show you. This house is going to change everything for us.”
ISBN: 9781459249196
Copyright © 2012 by Tawny Weber
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