Open House

by Tamara Larson

  It wasn't just his body she kept dwelling on, though it did feature prominently in her recent fantasies. She also thought about the way he'd acted with her mother. So polite and patient, despite Diana grilling him about the row-house's features. He'd been genuine and gentle with her. If he was the kind of man Liz had suggested, would he have put so much effort into charming her mother? Was it possible that he somehow knew that the surest way to charm her was to win over her mother? If so, he was truly diabolical.

  Bottom line. He's married, so she must stop thinking about him. But one thought kept circling around in her brain. Maybe they were estranged? Him and his wife hadn't looked very happy in that picture. Even if they were in the process of separating, it would be a recent break up and she didn't want to be the rebound girl. Rebound girls were always temporary. And she was not into being his transitional sex toy. Though, with a man like that, it would certainly be better than nothing. In fact, temporary could be downright hot. And she could really use some nasty, dirty, no-strings sex, for once.

  But he was married, happily or not didn't matter. He was strictly off limits. And if Liz was right and he wooed women to get them to buy houses, then he was kind of smarmy too. Not exactly her dream guy.

  The question is, what if looking at real estate with Serena brought her into contact with him? Could she deal with that? Nothing had actually happened with the sexy builder. She was just a tad obsessed with him. It's not like they had an actual relationship. Just a harmless flirtation that she had built up in her head to mean more. If she did run into him, then she would just be coolly professional. She could do that. She dealt with difficult people at work all the time with a smile on her face. One oily builder should be nothing to her. She was a mature woman. And it really did sound like Serena had something interesting to show her.

  Lord knows, she did need to find a place soon. Her pudgy nudist neighbor had found himself a rather vocal girlfriend, and the sound of those two rutting like wildebeests had become unavoidable. She was glad they'd found each other, and they really seemed to be having fun, but listening to them enjoying each other while she was alone was unbearable. Yup, time to vacate. Hopefully whoever moved into her apartment would enjoy the grunts and groans coming through the walls more than she did. Or maybe she could tell the landlord to find a nice little old lady with a hearing aid that could be turned down when the wildebeest loving became too enthusiastic.

  If Serena had a solution to her real estate dilemma then it was in Lacey's best interest to see what she had in mind. What could it hurt exactly? She wouldn't have to be in contact with any of the Kingston Brothers. And she would not bring them up. This was purely business.

  RE:Still looking for a scaled down version?

  From: Lacey.Ferguson@TheHealthUnit.com

  To: Serena Garrison ‹Serena@Dreamhomes4Sale.com›

  Hi Serena,

  Yes, my mom definitely missed her calling as an international woman of mystery. I didn't even see her sign the guestbook. But I'm glad she gave you my email address if you really do have a scaled down version of that fabulous row-house in mind. Just understand that my budget is limited. I don't want to take up a lot of your time if whatever you want to show me is in the same price range. My budget is about 20% less than that.

  So, if that works for the property you want to show me, then lets go for it. I'm halfway through a six day rotation at the Health Unit, so I have this Thursday and Friday off. Do either of those work for you? Let me know. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have up your sleeve.

  RE: Re: Still looking for a scaled down version?

  From: Serena Garrison ‹Serena@Dreamhomes4Sale.com›

  To: Lacey.Ferguson@TheHealthUnit.com›

  Well, it's more of an idea at this point rather than an actual property yet, but I do have something to show you. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Let's get together on Thursday at The Daily Grind on 3rd Ave around 1pm, and we'll go from there. You game?

  RE: Re: Re: Still looking for a scaled down version?

  From: Lacey.Ferguson@TheHealthUnit.com

  To: Serena Garrison ‹Serena@Dreamhomes4Sale.com›

  Hmmm…you definitely have my attention. Consider me game. See you at 1pm on Thursday. And thanks for thinking of me, Serena.

  Curiouser and curiouser, Lacey thought to herself as she closed down her work computer for the night. Turning off her office light, she wondered what Serena was up to. The real estate diva had something to show her that wasn't actually a property for sale? Very mysterious. Lacey hoped it wasn't a blueprint or a floor plan for a future development. She was visual and needed to see something concrete before she would commit to anything. Hopefully, this little exercise would not be a huge waste of their time. But she was excited to see what Serena had in mind for her. If she was really lucky, her housing problem would be resolved in just three short days. If only her romantic problems could be solved so easily.

  Subject: Stopping by on Thursday

  From: Serena Garrison ‹Serena@Dreamhomes4Sale.com›

  To: JackJunior@KingstonBros.com

  Since you're completely uncivilized and never answer emails, I won't expect a response. Just letting you know that your mom wanted me to check on your progress at The Fortress of Solitude this week, so I'll be stopping by sometime on Thursday afternoon. The forecast is for rain, so don't try and use the Elm Street project as an excuse. Roofing in the rain is a trip to the emergency room waiting to happen. So be at the FoS or I will snoop.

  By the way, give your mom a call, okay? She's worried about you. And it'll save me making any future trips out to the middle of ass-crack nowhere to check on you.

  See you Thursday. And don't wear the Oscar the Grouch T-shirt, okay? It's tacky for a grown-ass man to wear a cartoon character on their chest.

  There, the stage is set, Serena thought, rubbing her palms together as she sent her final email off to Jack. She would spend a few hours with Lacey on Thursday, and if the pretty nurse was a good match for Jack, then she would bring her out to his cottage and reveal her brilliant plan to both of them. If not, then she would take Lacey to see a totally inappropriate townhouse on the wrong side of town, and that would be the end of her match-making. But if this worked out, then not only would her cousin Live Happily Ever After with Lacey, Serena would also have a potentially lucrative new business venture to distract her from her own single status. It seemed like a win-win situation to her. If Jack and Lacey would just cooperate.

  Chapter Four

  "Ummm… Serena. Where are we going exactly?" Lacey asked nervously from the passenger seat of the Mercedes. She gripped the armrests tightly as the little car neatly veered around a squirrel who had the poor judgment to venture out on the country road they were currently traveling on.

  They had been driving for close to forty minutes, and as far as Lacey could tell, Serena was not familiar with the term speed "limit." In truth, Lacey felt like a little like she was trapped in the Delorean with Dr. Brown from "Back to the Future," and they were about to take off. That's how fast they were going.

  "We're almost there. See that turnoff on the left? That's our destination," Serena said, steering deftly into a hairpin curve.

  "But why are we going there? You know I want to buy something in town, right? And I don't think there are any townhouse developments being built way out here." She squeezed her eyes shut as yet another squirrel came close to meeting his squirrel-maker.

  Serena just smiled secretively and said, "Wait and see. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

  Lacey and Serena had met that afternoon as planned. But instead of immediately heading out to see Serena's mystery property they had sat for hours, just chatting and drinking coffee. And sampling some of the coffeehouse's famous red velvet cupcakes.

  Lacey had found herself talking about her job, her dog, her mom, her hobbies, even her ex-boyfriend, Boring Barry. She felt like she'd been grilled by the world's nicest interrogator. She was actually a little embarrass
ed by how much she had revealed about herself, but Serena had seemed so interested. She had just kept asking questions, and her honest, non-judgmental responses had compelled Lacey to really open up and talk about herself for a change. It was a tad disquieting how much she'd volunteered. Clearly, this real estate agent should be working for Homeland Security or Scotland Yard or someplace like that. She certainly knew how to draw information out of a person.

  Now they were in the middle of nowhere, driving up a long winding driveway towards a huge, colonial-style house that looked like it belonged in the Old South rather than the Pacific Northwest. Surrounded by trees and heavily landscaped, the house at the end of the long drive featured a four car garage, a wraparound porch and a set of stately black double doors, so large that a giant could walk through them with ease.

  Lacey gaped in disbelief. "Serena. If that 'scaled down' mansion is what you had in mind for me, then it must need an exorcism. Or maybe it has an indian burial ground, or possibly a nuclear power plant in the back yard. Because there is no way that place is in my price range. And I'm pretty sure we're going to get arrested for trespassing if we try to go in there. Or worse, this place looks like the owners might employ an army of rabid Rottweilers to guard the family jewels."

  "Relax. That's my cousin's house. No one lives there now. Not even a single rabid Rottweiler. Besides, we're not going there. The cottage out back is our destination."

  "Oh. I get it. Is it for sale?"

  "Nope. It's not even finished yet. I think the hardwood floors are being put in today, or possibly tomorrow. But I want you to keep an open mind. Check out the floor plan, the size, and the fixtures. I think something similar might be a perfect fit for someone like you."

  Lacey wasn't sure what Serena meant by 'someone like you' but she was too distracted by the sight before her to comment. They had driven behind the monstrous white house and followed a narrow paved road into the woods until they came to a clearing. In the middle of that clearing was a small, adorable house. It was tiny, yes, but had a huge bay window and a porch large enough for a swing, or some chairs. In short, it was lovely.

  "Oh. Wow. Look at that," Lacey sighed, getting out of Serena's car, and walking toward the cottage. "It's so cute. What is this place?"

  "Well, it started off as a playhouse, but my cousin modified it from the original plan, and turned it into a cottage. Only a few people have seen it. Last time I was here it was just a big room, with some of the framing completed, but it didn't really look like much. One of my other cousins told me that Jack has been working on it like mad. So I'm just as curious as you are to check it out." They walked up the small flight of steps to the porch. "Let's go inside. Evidently, the door is missing, so we probably don't even need to knock."

  The missing door was just inside, lying on two saw horses. A familiar, dark-haired figure, naked to the waist, was leaning over it, running a piece of sandpaper over its rough edges. He was so intent on his task that he didn't even notice their arrival until Serena cleared her throat. Jack looked up, clearly annoyed at being interrupted, but then his expression changed to what could only be described as surprised delight when he saw who was with Serena.

  Lacey's expression, however, was one of horror. "You," she said. "What are you doing here?" She loved this little cottage, but running into him again, especially shirtless, was too much for her. She needed to get out of here.

  Jack frowned at Lacey, shocked at the way she had gone pale when she recognized him. What exactly had Serena said about him? "I'm here because this is my place. What are you doing here?" He hadn't meant to sound quite so belligerent, but she was looking at him like he'd just belched the alphabet or something equally disgusting.

  Serena interrupted. "She's here, Jay, because I wanted to show her your cottage. I think something similar would work for her, don't you? Why don't you introduce yourself and show us around?"

  But Lacey was already out the door and down the steps. She knew she was being incredibly rude, especially considering Serena had gone to all the trouble of bringing her out here. But being around him was too much of a temptation. Just the sight of that all that tan skin and muscles made her think about indulging in some downright dirty immoral and possibly illegal acts. None of which were possible with a married man. The best thing for everyone involved was to get the hell out of here before she made an ass of herself again, or worse, caved into her carnal impulses and jumped him, hard.

  If she'd had her own car, she would have been gone already. But she had foolishly carpooled with Serena. She pulled her cell phone out of her bag and was relieved to see that she was able to get reception. She started to call a cab company when she realized that she had no idea where she was. What now? She was trapped out here with Captain Temptation.

  "Lacey, what's going on?" Serena called from the porch. "Are you not feeling well?"

  That was a great idea. Maybe she could fake an illness and have an excuse to leave with some of her dignity intact. Perfect. "Yeah. I'm really not. Can we go? Like right now?"

  Serena caught up with her at the car and studied her for a moment. "You do look a little pale. Is it your stomach? Do you want me to check with Jay to see if he has anything for diarrhea, or whatever? He'd probably have to go to the main house to get it, but his wife was a complete hypochondriac, so there's probably something there that would work."

  "No. Please don't," Lacey shouted. She didn't want to be trapped here like a rat, but that was preferable to him suspecting that she might be suffering from some repulsive stomach bug.

  "Lacey, what's really going on here?"

  "Nothing. I just need to get back."

  "Seriously? You were fine on the ride up here. Was it my driving? Some people don't like the way I drive."

  "No, it wasn't that. Though I am a little surprised that you still have a license. I just wasn't planning on running into him again."

  "Jack?"

  "I guess so. You called him 'Jay' before."

  "Because he's a Jack Junior, and it was too confusing having two Jack's in the family. But never mind that. You don't like my cousin?"

  "He's your cousin?"

  "Yeah. Did he do or say something offensive at the Open House? He wasn't creepy, was he? He's been out of the game for awhile and I'm not sure if he realizes how intense he can appear."

  "What do you mean? In the game? He's married. The only game he should be playing should be with his wife."

  Serena gaped at her. "His wife has been out of the picture for almost a year and a half!" Serena wanted to tell Lacey about the accident at this point, but thought Jack would prefer to tell her himself. Besides, Lacey was skittish enough without sharing that particular story. "And how did you know he was married anyway? He didn't even bother to tell you his name last week, and yet you seem to know a lot about him. Now, who's creepy?"

  Lacey flushed a bright red. "Alright. I looked him up online. But just because I was interested in his skills as a builder. I wasn't cyberstalking him."

  "You totally were," Serena said, triumphantly. "That's okay. If he wasn't my cousin, I'd probably do the same thing." Serena's smile faded. "But I'll warn you, the subject of Deborah, his wife, is a touchy one, so I wouldn't bring it up. Even his family avoids the subject. That's why she's still on the website. No one has gotten up the nerve to ask him about removing her. And he hasn't been interested in dating, so we didn't see any urgent reason to change it."

  "So, he's single?" Lacey asked tentatively. How could that guy be single? And being single didn't mean he wasn't above flirting with women to sell houses. Maybe Serena was kind of like his real estate pimp and set him up with desperate, lonely women all the time? It would totally work. What woman wouldn't want to buy a house from him, especially in his manly shirtless state? That sight had certainly fried her brain cells, not to mention her panties.

  "Very. And he asked me if I had your phone number after the Open House last week."

  Lacey looked at her doubtfully. "So, he could as
k me about the row-houses, right?"

  "Absolutely not. He was into you. But turned chicken-shit at the last second. That was just some weird macho ruse."

  "Seriously? So you orchestrated all this just to get us together? Wouldn't it have been easier to just give him my email address?"

  "Well, partly. It seems silly now, but I wanted to check you out first."

  "Okay. That's what the interrogation at the coffeehouse was all about. You were doing some kind of background check. So, did he know about this?

  "Oh God. No! I acted completely on my own. I swear he didn't even know I had your email address."

  "You're going to an awful lot of trouble to match-make for him? Should I be worried?"

  "Well, like I said, getting you two together was only part of it. I have an ulterior motive that I'll get to later. Bottom line is, I really do think a place like this would work for you, and if you want to go back inside, Jack will show us around and maybe you can get to know him a bit. He's a bit of a grump, but a great guy otherwise. And I think he needs someone like you in his life. But no pressure."

  "Right. No pressure at all. But what are we going to tell him about my reaction to seeing him? I did run off like a freak." Maybe Serena had a point. What harm could there be in getting to know him a bit. It was possible that he was sweet and honest and impossibly hot too. She just had to have a little faith, and quit being so paranoid. She had to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. How often did she meet guys like him anyway? Never. She might never meet someone like him again. And she didn't actually have any evidence that he was a creep, so why was she assuming the worst about him?

  "We'll just say you were overwhelmed by his manliness and had to get some air."

  "He'll believe that?"

  "No, but he'll be so glad you came back that I don't think he'll push it too far. I'll leave it upto you to explain that you cyberstalked him and thought he was a slimy, married shit-heel."

  "Good point. Maybe I'll just say I left my cell out in the car."