Lacey tried to recover from her shock quickly, but was fairly sure her mouth dropped for a moment. Having revealed that she wasn’t a serious buyer for this property, she had expected him to make his excuses and take off as soon as possible. Builders, in her experience, left the tours to the real estate agents and avoided dealing with the curious public. As much as she wanted to spend more time with him, it just wasn’t in her nature to pretend she might make an offer.
“That would be great. If you’re sure you have the time. Wouldn’t it, mom?” Lacey said, finally noticing that her mother and Serena had been watching this exchange with some amusement. Her mom was smiling widely, and she knew that look. Diana was playing matchmaker, and that never boded well for her.
“By all means,” Diana said, following them through the archway to the formal dining room. ’Let’s take the Special Builder’s Tour.”
*****
“He’s flirting with you,” Diana Ferguson whispered, pulling her daughter into the Show Home’s enormous master walk-in closet for some privacy. Her china blue eyes were wide with excitement and she clutched her daughter’s arm tightly to get her attention.
“You’re delusional,” Lacey responded, shaking her head in mild exasperation. Diana always thought men were interested in her daughter, but she was always wrong. They weren’t. Ever. Her mom’s complete conviction in her appeal to the opposite sex always made her smile. The previous month Diana had been certain that a real estate agent from a previous Open House had asked for Lacey’s number because he wanted a date. The fact that he was flamboyantly gay did not discourage Mrs. Ferguson in the least.
Lacey was single for a very simple reason. At 32, the pretty brunette rarely encountered single, straight, sane men. Somewhere along the line, her life had become practically testosterone free. Her father, brother, and male cousins all lived in other parts of the country. Her coworkers were all women. Usually this was okay, but every 28 days or so, things could get a little spicy in the office. Most of her clients at The Health Unit were of the ancient variety, so unless she developed a taste for saggy bottoms and liver spots, she was unlikely to meet anyone there. She went to a women’s gym, the people in her running club were all female or married, and even the college courses she’d taken to upgrade her nursing degree a few years ago had been dominated by women.
Men were like some kind of exotic species to her. They were seen in the distance, but she rarely had the opportunity to interact with them on any kind of personal level. As a result, she had lost the knack for flirtation. When she did encounter an eligible guy she usually developed a case of verbal diarrhea or worse, clammed up and appeared downright aloof.
On some level she knew she had engineered her life this way. Her last relationship, with Barry, the accountant, had ended badly more than three years ago. She hadn’t caught him cheating or discovered he was a cross-dresser or anything so dramatic. He didn’t kick puppies, or belch excessively or belittle her in front of his friends. He was a nice guy. A nice guy who happened to find the prospect of spending anymore time with her completely uninspiring. He had simply said that life was short and he didn’t want to spend it being bored, with her. He needed some excitement, something to look forward to, and all he could see with her was routine sex and a lifetime of wondering if he was wasting his life.
Harsh, yes, but at least she had found out before they'd moved in together, or gotten engaged. That would have been really messy. After the initial hurt wore off, Lacey realized that he'd actually done her a favor. She hadn’t exactly been head over heals with old Barry, but he had seemed like a good, solid, marriage prospect. At the time she'd thought perhaps passion was not a very practical consideration when it came to choosing a life partner. Compatibility, reliability and respect had seemed like an excellent basis to a committed, monogamous, long-term relationship. But it wasn’t, at least for Barry. And if she was really honest with herself, she wanted more too.
This disaster, in addition to being a first-hand witness to her parent’s horrific divorce eight years ago, had convinced her that life without romance was so much cleaner and less complicated than constantly compromising with another person. Relationships were always challenging and potentially painful. Bottom line was she hadn’t been willing to take a chance and trust another person after Barry had dropped the Boring Bomb. If it meant being a little lonely, then that was the price she was willing to pay to avoid having her heart stomped into little tiny pieces.
Recently, however, she’d started regretting her decision to give up on romance. When she hung out with her happily married friends, or watched a chick-flick where everyone lives Happily Ever After, she suspected she was missing out on something important. Something wonderful. When her promotion at work finally came through, she decided that it was time to put her personal life in order too. She would make an effort to be open to meeting someone and to keep her mistrust at bay.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t met anyone worth the risk to her heart since making that decision. And it certainly didn’t help that she was addicted to romance novels. The studs in those books certainly made her hyperaware of what she was missing, especially on evenings when the thought of climbing into her bed alone seemed like the most depressing idea in the world.
She hated herself for needing anyone, but she wanted someone to be there for her, someone to hold her and make her feel beautiful. And there never was anyone. Just her dog, Charlie. He was cute as hell, but not exactly her ideal bed partner. He snored, for one thing, and had a tendency to chase squirrels in his sleep.
She wanted her dream guy. No compromises. If she was going to make an effort then she wanted someone incredible. Someone hot, but unaware of it; employed, but not a workaholic; kind, but not a doormat. In short she wanted the hero from one of her sexy novels, in the flesh. Damn those books. They made it just about impossible for average guys to measure up to her expectations. Until they’d come to this Open House anyway.
“I’m serious this time. Why would the builder be spending so much time with us if he’s not interested in you? That’s the real estate agent’s job. Not his.” Diana persisted, closing the closet door, so the stud-muffin in question wouldn’t overhear their conversation. He’d paused in the hallway outside the master bedroom to answer his cell phone.
For just a second, Lacey thought her mother might have a point. Why was he with them exactly? He’d spent the last half hour showing them all the impressive features of the Show Home and had only left them alone long enough to answer his cell phone. Could he actually be interested in her? A guy who practically oozed sex appeal like that? Was it possible? He’s probably just a really friendly guy, she thought to herself.
“Maybe he’s trying to help sell this house? That is his goal, right? He’s just being very thorough,” Lacey said absently, admiring the customized closet’s many drawers and shoe shelves. There was even a small round window on the back wall.
She walked over, looked outside, and was delighted to see rose bushes, grass, and the Rocky Mountains in the distance. She sighed. Even the closet window has a view, she thought. Unlike her current apartment which featured a grim view of either a cinder block wall from the bedroom window or a front row seat to her creepy exhibitionist neighbor's bedroom from the patio. She shivered at the thought of his hairy, portly body squeezed into a schlong thong. Yuck. She’d kept her blinds closed since that unpleasant sight had assaulted her eyes a few months ago.
“He’s selling something, alright. But it’s not this house. You already told him it’s too big for you. Face it. He thinks you’re cute.” Diana gave her daughter a sly wink and pushed her toward the closet door. Lacey opened it to find Mr. Sexy Builder Guy standing on the other side, looking a little puzzled as to why they were checking out the closet with the door closed.
“We were just curious to see if the door closed all the way,” she said, giving him an inane smile. “It looked a little warped or something.”
“Warped? Seriously?” He a
sked, seeming downright offended that a door in one of his houses would dare to be sub-par. He maneuvered around her, brushing his large warm body against her in the process, and opened and closed the door several times, examining it for flaws. “Looks okay to me. In fact, it looks pretty much perfect.” But he wasn’t looking at the door; he was staring intently at her with laughing green eyes.
Their gazes locked and Lacey felt the strangest sense of connection with him. Looking into his eyes seemed more intimate than having sex with her ex-boyfriend. In fact, doing the nasty with Barry seemed quite cold compared to the weird electricity flowing between her and this stranger. Just a glance from him and her palms were sweating and her panties became as moist as a rain forest. She forced her eyes away from his before she embarrassed herself by completely losing control and launching herself into his arms.
Regaining her composure, she moved toward the master bathroom, putting as much distance as possible between herself and his mind-numbing, testosterone-induced brand of hypnosis. He must have an excess of male hormones or something, she thought. Or I’ve been without a man so long that I’m becoming hysterical from sexual frustration. That must be it. She was just imagining there was something between them. All she needed was a quiet evening alone with her battery-operated boyfriend and she’d be fine.
“Mom, did you notice the heated floors in the bathroom? Wouldn’t they be incredible on a cold morning?” Lacey called over her shoulder, acting as casual and nonplussed as possible considering she’d nearly assaulted a complete stranger in front of her mother.
Also Available
Lost & Found
By Tamara Larson
Chapter One
“C’mon, Jess. He could be Mr. Right!”
Jessica Martin scowled down from her perch near the top of the ladder. Grabbing the wrung she was closest to, Jessie blatantly ignored her sister, at least for the moment.
It was a rainy Monday morning in July, and they were spending it feasting on cinnamon raisin bagels slathered with strawberry cream cheese while Jessie worked and Jamie lounged nearby. Jessie usually enjoyed this ritual, but today she wasn’t in the mood to hear about her disastrous love life. Again.
She’d heard this speech or a version of it as many times as she could count. On some level, she knew her sister meant well, but Jamie’s good intentions didn’t make the “you need a man” conversation any less annoying. Jessie stretched as far as her sensible shoes would allow, and finally slid the faded, blue copy of Oliver Twist into its allotted spot.
“Guido is a really nice guy,” continued Jamie, unmindful of Jessie’s lack of enthusiasm she moved away from the ladder and sat down in one of the colorful, overstuffed velvet armchairs they’d recently purchased to give the store a homey feel. She slung one long, slim leg over the arm of the chair and reached into her Prada bag for a nail file.
“Don’t let the gold chains and the Camaro fool you,” Jamie said, holding her left hand outstretched in front of her and looking at her long magenta nails with a practiced and critical eye. She pointed the nail file at Jessie without looking up from her manicure. “He’ll show you a really good time, I swear. Lord knows, you could use some fun in your life.”
Jamie was right. Jessie did need some fun in her life. Ever since their parents had died in a car accident two years before, fun had been completely absent from Jessie’s life. She’d been close to both parents, especially their mother, and the death of Carl and June Martin had affected her deeply. While Jamie mourned quietly and kept her own grief to herself, Jessie allowed it to overtake her. For months after, she’d barely functioned, just went about her daily routine in a daze. Before the accident, it had never occurred to her that her parents might not be there someday. Without them to share her accomplishments and disappointments with, she felt completely and utterly lost.
Ten months after the senior Martins’ death, Jessie was still operating on autopilot. Jamie had finally had enough of watching her sister going through the motions of living, and had stepped in. She took Jessie to see a piece of real estate on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver. It was just the jolt Jessie needed. Her grief receded enough for her to start thinking about how to go on without her parents.
Jessie had always dreamed of owning a bookstore, but had been too afraid to give up the security of her job as a librarian at the Vancouver Public Library. She decided to take a chance for once. Six months and many renovations later, she was the proprietor of Forgotten Treasures.
Looking around at the shabby-chic interior of the store, Jessie thought her parents would be proud of what she’d done with her inheritance. Forgotten Treasures was a light and airy space with high, sloping ceilings and several oddly shaped windows placed at irregular intervals in the walls. The dark walnut paneling throughout gave the place the welcoming feeling of someone’s den rather than a public retailer. With its bright Monet and Van Gogh reproductions hanging on every available wall space and eight long aisles of shelves stuffed with several thousands hardcover books it was a warm and friendly place for customers to look for books or just hang out.
Jessie took a moment to admire the way the weak morning light filtered through the half circle of stained glass over the entrance. June Martin had collected dragonflies all her life and Jessie had commissioned an artist to depict one in flight in honor of their deceased mother. Jamie thought it was morbid, but to Jessie it was a way of bringing June into her daily life. It never failed to give her a lift whenever she happened to glance up at it.
Jessie carefully stepped down onto the hardwood floor and started sorting through one of the many boxes of new stock surrounding her. New stock to their store, at least. Most of the items in the box came from garage sales and flea markets. Jessie spent the majority of her weekends scouring through similar boxes throughout the Vancouver area, looking for great finds like the fifty-year-old, hard copy of Oliver Twist she’d just put away. Most people thought of such things as garbage or doorstops, but to her they were like old friends.
“What does this Mr. Right do for a living?” Jessie asked her sister absently as she began leafing through the scruffy-looking copy of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in her hand. The rasp of her sister’s nail file made her grit her teeth in irritation, but she could only handle one argument with Jamie at a time, so didn’t say a word about how the sound drove her completely batty.
“He works in the club,” Jamie said evasively, not looking up at her sister. Jamie was a featured performer at the most popular gentlemen’s club in the Vancouver area, the Kitty-Kat Lounge. Despite Jessie’s strident protests, Jamie had left college just a few credits short of a degree in fashion design to become an exotic dancer two years ago.
“What does he do in the club exactly?” asked Jessie warily, setting down the book and placing her hands on her hips.
Oh Lord, Jessie thought, she’s trying to set me up with a male stripper again. Phabio, the last victim of Jamie’s matchmaking efforts, had met Jessie for coffee the year before. It had been the middle of August and he’d shown up for their pseudo-date in matching brown suede jacket, pants, and high-heeled cowboy boots. Jessie was of average height, but even with the three-inch heels he sported, Phabio only came up to her chin. Apparently, being on stage made everything look bigger.
Jamie had been pressuring her sister for months to give Phabio a chance, so Jessie had spent an uncomfortable half hour learning about Phabio’s intense grooming habits, the women who’d slipped him their phone numbers, and his ambition to move to L.A. Instead of being annoyed that Phabio monopolized the conversation, Jessie was actually relieved he didn’t expect her to participate. She never knew what to say to new people—especially men. It didn’t even faze her when he paid for his non-fat latte with silver dollars that she suspected had been fished out of his G-string the night before. She tried to keep an open mind until she caught him checking out his reflection in every single car window on the short walk to her apartment building. That was when she decided
to abandon ship on future dates with Fabio’s mini-me, and any other social rejects Jamie decided to fix her up with in the future.
“He does security,” Jamie said quietly, intent on her nails.
“Security? You mean he’s a bouncer, don’t you?” Jessie said, flinging her arms up in exasperation. “My dream date throws horny drunks out of strip clubs for a living. Thanks Jay, he sounds perfect. When can we get married and start having hairy-knuckled, Neanderthal babies?” Jessie asked sarcastically.
“You’re being awfully judgmental, Jess,” Jamie said, pausing mid-file to give her sister a dirty look. “I hate to tell you this, but unless you plan on spending the rest of your life alone with about a dozen cats for company, you’re going to have to lower your standards. Prince Charming isn’t out there, and if he is, he’s more than likely hopelessly conceited and probably gay, so at least try and keep an open mind, okay?”
Jessie knew Jamie was right about this, she was right about most things, though Jessie would never tell her that. The problem was that Jessie couldn’t help thinking that there was a perfect guy out there somewhere—a very real fairy tale prince who actually would sweep her off her feet and make her forget about all her doubts and insecurities. She was lonely, there was no doubt about that, but how could she settle for Mr. Okay when Mr. Perfect could still be out there looking for her? She wanted to try and explain this to her sister, but didn’t want to sound hopelessly romantic. Jamie would just redouble her efforts to set her up, and Jessie couldn’t face any more meetings with hopelessly unsuitable strangers.
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