Page 8 of Sleepless Nights and Hockey Fights

He shakes his head slowly, one corner of his lips tipping up. “No. I’ll take it.”

I open my mouth and close it again. I must have heard him wrong. I try again. “I...I’m sorry, did you just say you want tobuythis house?”

He’s nodding before I even finish my question. Both dimples are on show this time, and I swear his eyes twinkle.

I step closer and throw both my hands forward in a halting gesture as I look up at him. “You can’t!” I insist.

The amusement remains. “Why not? Has somebody already bought it?”

“No,” I reply. “You haven’t even seen the whole property yet! Or asked about the price! People don’t just walk into houses and decide to buy them without even seeing the bedrooms or peeking in the medicine cabinet,” I continue in dismay, my voice rising with each word. “You might hate the configuration of the basement or get freaked out by the panic room.” I tilt my head and give it another thought. “Although your Cybertruck indicates you may already be preparing for the apocalypse, so what do I know?” His smile grows at that, and I shake my head, determined to talk sense into him. “This is the first house you’ve toured, isn’t it?”

He shrugs, completely unbothered. “Yeah. But I need a house and this one is nice.” His eyes scan the great room and its numerous seating areas.

I take a breath and study him for a few seconds. “Listen, Mr. Rhodes.”

“Bobby,” he corrects me.

“Fine. Bobby. I’m sure Coco will be thrilled to help you find a house. But it’s important to take time to prioritize and consider what you’re looking for in a home before making any decisions. Do you want a big yard or do you prefer something small and lower maintenance? How many bedrooms do you need? Do you prefer an open concept design or something more traditional and intimate? There are lots of factors to consider.”

“Okay.” He nods, taking it all in stride. He pauses for another second before declaring, “I want you to be my agent. We can figure it out together.”

My jaw goes slack. “No! I can’t. I...I mean, that’s a very flattering proposal, but I’m just a junior agent. Coco can really set you up. She’s been doing this for decades, and she’s a master at it. She knows everyone.”

“But I want you,” Bobby responds, and something in his tone—and those long-lashed baby browns—makes it sound like he’snot just talking about houses. Oh. My. God. What is happening here?

I force myself to take a reality check. He’s obviously just a natural-born flirter, that’s all it is. He’s got to be fifteen years younger than me and he’s a professional hockey player, for goodness’ sake. He’s not hitting on me.

I clear my throat and return to professional mode. “Excuse me for a moment.” I walk calmly toward the staircase, intent on fetching Coco to right this ship. But I swear I can feel Bobby’s stare searing through my knockoff Dior suit. Good lord. I’m so distracted that I almost plow right into Coco when I round the corner.

She reaches out to steady me from her spot in front of an alcove, and I start to apologize. But suspicion gives me pause. “Were you...” I take in her expression and finish my question in an accusing whisper-hiss, “...eavesdropping?”

Instead of answering, she hooks her arm through mine and forces me back to the hallway where Bobby Rhodes and his dimples wait.

“You must be Bobby Rhodes,” Coco declares, her voice and manner as queenly as ever. “Howwonderfulto meet you. You’re going toloveworking with Molly.”

Chapter Five

Bobby

I can’t wipe the grin off my face. Molly looks like a fish, opening and closing her pretty mouth like she has something to say but won’t say it now that her boss is here. Coco, the older woman of the two, has diamonds flashing from every surface. She’s beautiful and she knows it. She also has a co-conspirator glint in her eye that spells good things for my future working with Molly.

“Excellent.” I clap my hands. “Shall I sign something now, making you my personal agent?”

Molly’s cheeks flush a deeper red, but Coco doesn’t miss a beat. “I have the paperwork in the kitchen. My girl isn’t cheap, but I think you’ll find she’s worth the extra.”

I really thought finding a home was going to be a pain in the ass, along with everything else on Kaitlyn’s list. But watching Molly blush while spelling out all the qualities of this house in a nervous rant, followed by not allowing me to make an offer, has me intrigued. I also like the way she fills out that pencil skirt. What is it about a pencil skirt that drives me crazy? The flare ofhips? The highlighted round ass? Pretty sure the matching sky-high heels have something to do with it too.

Coco lets go of Molly and grabs my arm, tugging me into the kitchen with a force I wouldn’t have guessed for a woman her age. Her cloud of Chanel perfume is like an extra person between us. “Don’t stare, darling. She’s skittish as a newborn colt,” she whispers in my ear. “You have to ease this one into the bedroom. Then release the stallion.”

My eyes widen at the mixed metaphor. Coco utters a twinkling laugh. She stops us at the oversized kitchen island.

“Sign here.” She taps her fingernail on a form. She’s back to all business in the blink of an eye.

I briefly look over the clauses of the contract, mostly just assuring I’ll pay Molly for her services, and sign my name at the bottom. Molly trails behind us, wringing her hands and looking even cuter than when I flirted with her at the rink, before she walked away without a word. Coco swipes up the signed paper and shakes my hand before gliding out of the room. Molly nervously licks her lips and something tightens in my gut.

“Looks like you’re stuck with me.”

She doesn’t return my flirtatious grin. She stiffens her spine, drops her hands, and gives me a queenly nod. And then she twirls around and stalks out of the kitchen. My bark of laughter echoes off the tile and granite.

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