Page 60 of Valentine's in Bayberry

In fact, the stomach pains that had been plaguing him off and on for the past few months had greatly diminished since he’d returned to Bayberry. His body was telling him this was where he belonged after all. Now he wondered what Carrie would say when he told her the news.

He pulled into a parking spot a little way from the real estate office. He was just making his way along the sidewalk when he saw Brittany exit the building.

“Hey, Brittany.” He called to her.

She had her back to him. She must not have heard him as she began to walk in the same direction he was heading.

He took long, quick steps to catch up to her. Lucky for him, she stopped to speak with someone on the sidewalk. It was only a couple of words, but it was long enough to shrink the distance between them.

As Brittany’s conversation finished, and she was just about to resume walking, he reached her. “Brittany, could we speak?”

When she turned to him, it was with a big smile on her face, but it didn’t have the warmth that Carrie’s smiles alwaysbestowed upon him. Brittany’s smile was more polished, as if it were part of her professional attire—something she put on at the beginning of the work day and took off when she was done making business deals for the day.

“Well, hello.” Her gaze met his.

“Hi.” The intensity of her stare caused him to feel uncomfortable. He glanced away. “I was wondering if we could talk about my mother’s house.”

“Oh, yes, I have viewings lined up starting on Monday. People are excited to see it. I see it selling quickly. You’ll need to keep the place tidy. We don’t want to turn off any prospective buyers.” She paused as though to study him. “But that isn’t all you wanted to talk about, is it?”

The longer he stood there, the more uncomfortable he became. He swallowed hard. “I wanted to let you know that I’m taking the house off the market.”

The smile instantly fled her face. In its wake, there were frown lines. “But you can’t do that. I’m certain one of the couples I’ve been in contact with are going to buy it.”

“I’m afraid it’s no longer for sale.” His tone was firm.

Brittany crossed her arms as she pursed her lips. In her eyes, he could see the wheels turning in her mind. “But you can’t make those sorts of decisions. It’s your mother’s house.”

“But she signed a temporary power of attorney over to me, so I am free to make those decisions.” He didn’t like having to explain himself to her.

Brittany sighed. “May I ask why you’re taking the house off the market?”

“Because I’m buying it.”

Once more her well-practiced smile returned to her bright-red lips. “Well, why didn’t you say that? You got me all worked up for no reason.” She stepped closer to him. “Does this mean you’re moving back to town permanently?”

He didn’t like having her in his personal space, but his pride had him standing his ground. He wasn’t going to let this woman think she could push him around. Why in the world did his mother pick Brittany of all people to be her real estate agent?

He didn’t want to inform Brittany of his plans, because she would be sure to share it with anyone who would listen. And he wanted Carrie to be the first person to learn of his plans.

So, he continued as if she hadn’t said a word. “So, if you could write up the papers, we can get on with this.”

“How much are you paying?”

“Full price.”

Her brows raised. “No discount for being family?”

“No.” He didn’t feel as though he needed to fill her in on the details.

The truth was that his mother needed a lot of help financially. She would need every penny from the sale to settle her debts and start over in a smaller place in town. However, he also had an idea about that too.

During his earlier meeting with Mark, they’d discussed renovating the space above both the chocolate shop and the vacant storefront. He wanted to put in four apartments. He would see if his mother would be interested in living there. The rent would be ideal for her budget: zip, zilch, and zero. There were some perks to being the owner of the building.

There would be a substantial investment in the renovations; however, she would begin recouping those when the second apartment was rented. And there would be more rental income from the retail space on the first floor.

“How about we go to dinner to talk about the details?” Brittany’s high-pitched voice drew him from his thoughts.

“I can’t.” His thoughts turned to Carrie. “I have plans.”

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