As attractive as the house was, though, it didn’t stop her from feeling a knot of dread form in her stomach.
“This is Mary Vaughn’s listing,” she told Tom. “She’s inside.”
“Is that a problem?”
“Not for me, but you and I both know she has a thing for you. She may not handle it well seeing the two of us together.” Especially if she’d heard about their kiss at last night’s game.
He grinned. “You worried, sugar?”
“No, but you probably should be. She doesn’t take rejection well.”
As if to prove her wrong, Mary Vaughn appeared just then, a smile plastered on her face. “Well, look who’s here!”
she chirped. “I certainly wasn’t expecting to see the two of you together, especially at one of my open houses.”
“Spur of the moment,” Tom said, which wasn’t exactly true. “Jeanette agreed to come along with me while I looked at a few properties.”
Right in front of their eyes, Mary Vaughn transformed herself into full real-estate-agent mode, whipping out a spec sheet on the house and handing it to Tom. “I think you’re going to love this house. It’s perfect for a single man,” she said briskly, then added with a pointed look at Jeanette, “or for a young couple anticipating starting a family. The rooms are cozy and inviting.”
Her spiel remained bright and cheery as she took them through the downstairs rooms—two bedrooms, a bath and a large kitchen, plus a living room that had been crammed with too much furniture. It was currently decorated with enough chintz to make Tom cringe, but Jeanette saw something else—the potential for something every bit as cozy and warm as Mary Vaughn had suggested.
“There’s another bedroom and bath upstairs. Right now it’s not much, but with a little work it could become a lovely master suite,” she said, leading the way up a narrow staircase. Jeanette trailed along behind. Clearly, she thought, Mary Vaughn had concluded that if she couldn’t have Tom, then at least she might come away from the awkward encounter with a sale.
“It’s not bad,” Tom said, after giving the upstairs bedroom suite little more than a cursory glance around. “The price seems a little steep to me. Is it negotiable?”
Mary Vaughn gave him a conspiratorial look. “You know I work for the seller, Tom, but just between you and me, this house is a steal at that price.”
“Maybe so,” Jeanette said. “But I know Nancy Yates and she’s anxious to sell and make a permanent move to Florida to be near her kids. I’ll bet she’d accept a reasonable offer.”
Mary Vaughn shot an annoyed look at her. Jeanette shrugged. “Sorry. I just happen to know that.”
Mary Vaughn rallied quickly. “Well, of course Tom wants to get the best possible deal, but I need to look out for Nancy, too.”
After they’d seen the bedroom upstairs, she led them downstairs and into a backyard that was filled with flowers and even had a small waterfall in one corner. That was when Jeanette fell in love with the house. The peace and serenity of that garden called to her in a way that she’d never dreamed possible. If Tom wanted this house, he was going to have to fight her for it.
“Nancy was into gardening,” Mary Vaughn explained.
“She spent a lot of her time out here after she retired. You won’t find a lovelier space anywhere in Serenity.” She beamed at Tom. “I’ll bet you’re a barbecue man, though, aren’t you?”
“On occasion,” he said. “But I like the atmosphere out here. It’s really peaceful.” He glanced at Jeanette. “What do you think?”
She hesitated. The last thing she wanted to do was say something that would sell him on having this particular house. Still, she couldn’t lie. “I love it. It reminds me of the patio area at the spa.”
“I’m not sure I have enough of a green thumb to keep it up,” Tom said.
“That’s why people hire gardeners,” Mary Vaughn told him. “I have several I can recommend. You won’t have to lift a finger. You can just come out here in the evening and relax with a drink.”
Tom turned to Jeanette. “And a friend,” he suggested. Jeanette saw Mary Vaughn’s eyes narrow at the innuendo. She might be handling the situation with aplomb, but she wasn’t overjoyed about it.
Though Mary Vaughn looked as if she desperately wanted to make some comment, she was prevented from it by the arrival of another couple. “Ah, you’ve come back,” she called to them, her expression filled with delight. Though she looked eager to escape, she turned to Tom. “You’ll be okay on your own for a bit?”
“We’ll be fine,” Tom assured her.
After she’d walked away to greet the young couple, Tom turned to Jeanette. “Okay, tell me the truth. What do you really think?”
“I think it’s cozy, just the way she said,” she admitted cautiously.
“What aren’t you saying?” he asked. “Did you spot mold somewhere? Stains on the ceiling that suggest the roof leaks?”
She shook her head. “It’s perfect.”
“Then why don’t you sound more enthusiastic? What’s the problem?”
She lifted her gaze to his and opted for honesty. “I want this house. I fell in love with it the second we walked into the garden. The house is just the right size for me, too. I’d turn one of the downstairs bedrooms into a study, then use the other one temporarily while I had the upstairs made into a master suite, just the way Mary Vaughn suggested. There’s room for a huge tub, a walk-in shower. I’d put in a skylight, too.” She let her imagination run wild. “And a king-size bed with mounds of pillows, a sofa I could curl up on to read.” She sighed. “It would be amazing.”
When she risked a look at Tom, he was studying her intently. “Any room in there for me? Especially in that kingsize bed?”
She swallowed hard. “Are we talking hypothetically?”
His lips curved slightly. “If we must.”
“Then hypothetically there might be room in there for you.”
“Why didn’t you mention you were looking for a house for yourself?”
“I didn’t really intend to do that today. It’s just been in the back of my mind for a while now that I’d like something permanent. I thought I might get a few ideas while we were looking around, but I didn’t expect to find the ideal place. Then I walked out here and knew this was the house I wanted.” She regarded him with regret. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he said, touching her cheek. “I can see how much it means to you. And to be honest, I can see you out here.” He grinned. “Of course, I can also see me with you.”
“What do we do now? Are we going to have a bidding war?”
He laughed. “I’m sure that would make Mary Vaughn extremely happy, but no. Since you think the owner might negotiate on the asking price, do you have a number in mind? Are you ready to make an offer?”
Her palms turned damp at the thought of actually committing to a mortgage for the next thirty years, but then she envisioned sitting outside with the Sweet Magnolias and a pitcher of margaritas and she was instantly calmer.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “You’re the one who needs a place sooner rather than later. You can’t stay at the inn forever.”
“If you’re really all that worried about my well-being, you could agree to share this house with me.”
She laughed. “Do you always have an angle? You are such a guy.”
“I’m not joking,” he assured her. “At least not entirely. I could help out with the renovations, and that room you’re intending to use as a study could be mine for the short term. I’ll pay rent, which will help with your mortgage. Seems like a win-win to me.”
She wasn’t sure if he was serious or merely testing the waters, but she shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“Don’t be so quick to turn me down. I’m very good with a hammer.”
“Do you know the kind of talk that would stir up? Your job would be on the line within a month.”
“Just because you and I have a legitimate landlord-tenant business arrangement?”
She rolled her eyes. “How long do you honestly think it would stay that way?”
He shrugged, his expression all innocence. “Up to you.”
“If I thought you could really live by that, I might consider the idea, but we both know otherwise. You’d spend every spare second trying to seduce me.”
He didn’t even try to deny it, just grinned and said, “But you’re not easy to seduce, are you?”
“Not usually,” she said. “But I don’t trust myself around you. You have an unpredictable effect on me. I think you can persuade me to do all sorts of things I don’t plan on doing.”
He tried and failed to hide a self-satisfied smile. “That’s the most encouraging thing I’ve heard in a while. Go make an offer on the house. We’ll deal with the details of our arrangement later.”
“We don’t have an arrangement,” she insisted.
“Later,” he said, waving her off. “Go, before that other couple puts in a bid and all of this becomes moot.”
Jeanette hesitated. Could she really do this? Could she impulsively make an offer on a house she’d seen for the very first time just minutes ago? She’d been frugal with her money. The down payment was tucked away in her savings account. She wasn’t a hundred percent certain what the mortgage and taxes would be, but she knew she could swing it. She was making good money at the spa and she spent very little beyond groceries and rent.
“Do you want me to run numbers for you?” Tom asked, evidently guessing the source of her hesitation. “I have a calculator with me.”
“No. I’m just nervous. This would be a huge commitment.”
“Okay, let’s break it down. You planning on leaving your job and moving somewhere else anytime soon?”
She shook her head. “No. I love it here.”
“You have enough for a down payment so that the mortgage won’t strap you?”
“Yes.”
“Then this makes financial sense and, if that gleam in your eye is anything to judge by, it makes emotional sense, too.”
A smile began to tug at her lips, then spread. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“From every angle I can think of.”
Impulsively, she reached out and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Thanks.” She slid open the sliding door to the kitchen and stepped inside, “Mary Vaughn!”
“In the living room,” she called.
Jeanette walked in and found her sitting across the table from the couple who’d arrived just moments before. There were papers spread out on the table that suggested they were about to enter their own offer.
“Mary Vaughn, could I speak to you for a moment?”
Jeanette said. “Alone.” She smiled at the couple. “I’m sorry for the interruption.”
Apparently sensing that she might have a bidding war on her hands, Mary Vaughn excused herself and followed Jeanette into the kitchen. “What’s up? Did Tom decide he wants to make an offer? Because that young couple is about to do the same.”
Jeanette took a piece of paper from her purse and scribbled a number. “That’s my offer. If you need me to fill out a formal bid, I can do that.”
Mary Vaughn stared at her without even glancing at the paper. “This is your offer?”
“Mine,” Jeanette confirmed.
“And Tom?”
“We’ve worked this out. He’ll keep looking.” Or he’d keep pestering her about moving in here, but she didn’t think she should share that with Mary Vaughn, not if she was to have a chance at getting this house. Mary Vaughn might be forced to go with the high bidder for the sake of the seller, but she might not be above seeing to it that the other bid was little more than pennies higher just to keep Jeanette and Tom from moving in here together. Now Mary Vaughn glanced at the bid Jeanette had written down, then shrugged. “I’ll get you the paperwork to make the offer formal.”
“Is it high enough to beat what they’re going to offer?”
Jeanette asked.
“I’ll take your offer and theirs to Nancy,” Mary Vaughn said evasively. “She’ll make the decision.”
“Are we in the same ballpark?” Jeanette persisted. “I want this house, Mary Vaughn.”
She knew it was a mistake the second the words were out of her mouth. Mary Vaughn now knew Jeanette would up her offer, if need be.
“I’ll call Nancy as soon as I have your paperwork and theirs.”
She went inside, returned with several forms and waited while Jeanette filled them out.
“I’m going to try to reach Nancy now,” Mary Vaughn told her. “She told me she’d stick close to home today during the hours of the open house, just in case someone made an offer. If you want to wait, you can, though she may need time to think this over.”
Jeanette nodded. “I’ll wait. I’ll be in the garden with Tom.”
She found him sitting on the steps that led from the French doors in the dining room to the patio. He stood as she approached. “Well?”
“I gave her an offer. So did that couple who just arrived. Apparently this is their second visit.”
“Mary Vaughn’s taking both offers to the seller?”
She nodded, her expression glum. “If there’s any way to justify it, I think she’ll see to it that Nancy takes their bid.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s ticked off about me being here with you.”
“Oh, come on, she’s a professional. She won’t let her personal feelings interfere with doing the best job she can for her client.”