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I tried hard to keep the flush of embarrassment off my face. I probably failed.
“Katie, hi.” I ignored her question completely. “Did you want to grab a cup of coffee before we head out?” I asked, looking over at the team of baristas who were no doubt ready to make Katie’s usual drink request.
Katie simply looked over her shoulder and sure enough, a barista was headed straight for her, a medium to-go cup in hand.
“Never mind then.” I collected my things. “You ready to go?”
“Indeed.” I followed Katie out of the coffee shop. “We can take my car.” She pointed to a fancy red sports car just down the street.
“Sounds good.”
I opened my mouth, but Katie beat me to the punch. “I have three homes lined up for us to visit today. They each have a little something different that I think you will like and all of them are less than a five-minute drive from your sister’s house.” Katie’s southern accent sounded professional, but it threw me for a loop every time I heard it.
While I braced myself for any snide remarks or bitchy comments, I remembered we weren’t in high school anymore. I grew up over the past ten years, maybe Katie did to.
I owed her the benefit of the doubt, especially since she’d been nothing but respectful. I silently heaved a sigh of relief.
Katie was a professional, and besides, she didn’t have any idea that I still held some anger towards her. Not that I ever blamed Katie for what happened between her and Jack. Despite my personal dislike for her in high school, I’d never hold her affection for Jack against her. Or any woman for that matter. Jack has an irresistible quality to him that drew in women like magnets.
My foolish self included.
But I still didn’t get the accent. I knew for a fact she was born and raised in Ohio.
As we drove, Katie pointed out the new restaurants and stores that had popped up in Haver’s Creek over the past few years. I took them all in, making a few mental notes about places to check out for the gala.
“How’s the gala planning going?” Katie diverted the conversation. “Jack’s on the planning committee this year, right?” She asked in a way that didn’t make her seem too interested, but I studied her face anyway, looking for anything that might reveal more about her and Jack’s relationship. If any.
I shrugged. “The event planning is just in the beginning stages, so I came on board at the perfect time.”
Katie nodded. “That’s good. And the committee?” she prodded, her face a frozen mask, not revealing a hint of her true feelings. But I did notice her grip on the steering wheel tighten ever so slightly.
“Yeah, so the committee is small. It’s just me, Barb, and Jack.”
Katie silently nodded to herself, then changed the subject.
“We are coming up on our first house, it’s right up here on the left-hand side.” She pointed to a charming colonial house with a royal blue door and matching shutters. I sat up in my seat, forgetting the gala completely.
“I can’t wait to see the inside.” We pulled into the driveway and exited the car.
“This is a three-bedroom, two bath colonial manor style house with a finished basement. The owners recently remodeled it, so you’ll see a lot of modern amenities for a house built in the nineteen-forties.”
“Sounds amazing.” I impatiently waited for Katie to retrieve the hideaway key and open the front door.
The first thing I noticed were the gorgeous hardwood floors that appeared to span the entire first floor of the house. We walked through the space. I admired the built-ins and historic charm of the older house, while Katie talked me through the upgrades that were recently made.
When we left, I told her the truth. “This house is going to be hard to beat.” I begrudgingly admitted to myself that Katie was a good real estate agent. She took my specifications and showed me a perfect candidate straight out of the gate.
A satisfied smile crossed her face. “Well, let me show you the other two and see what you think.”
We drove a few more minutes to hit the second house, a Tudor-style one-story that boasted quite a bit of charm, albeit not as much as house number one. Followed by a third house, a modern new construction that didn’t really speak to my wants other than the fact that it was move-in ready.
“I want to place an offer on that first house,” I told Katie an hour later when we were done with our planned tour.
“I thought you’d say that.” She slid her sunglasses in place as we headed back to the coffee shop so I could retrieve my rental car. “And while I want to agree with you, there are still two homes I want you to see.”
“Are they better than house number one?”
Katie glanced in my direction. “They might be.” She returned her eyes to the road. “I just don’t want you to make this big of a decision until you’ve gone through all your options. I want to make sure I do my due diligence. I pride myself in giving my clients the best.”
