Page 15 of Challenging Jayce

Jayce thought about it for a second, then said screw it. He was all in at this point.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Can I get the name of the realtor you used?"

There was no mistaking the sharp inhale of Caden's breath. "You finally allowing yourself to move out of that shithole you call an apartment?"

"Don't have much of a choice now, do I? I can't bring Michael there and Shaun's going to want to make sure I have something suitable. Might as well get a head start."

He didn't have the first clue what the future looked like for him and Michael but having a livable place to stay was probably a necessity.

"I'll text you her information."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Anything for you, man. I'll let you know when I have something."

They exchanged goodbyes before hanging up.

He barely got the phone away from his ear before it was dinging that he had an incoming message.

Caden proved he was as efficient as ever. Waiting in a text was the contact information for a realtor. Not wanting to waste any time, he hit “call” on the number.

It rang three times before a strong, confident female voice answered. "Amber Lee realty. Amber speaking. How may I help you?"

"Uhh . . . hi, this is Jayce Pierce. My buddy Caden Ford gave me your number. You helped him find a house and I was hoping you could do the same for me."

He really needed to work on his people skills. They were severely lacking if he stumbled talking to someone on the phone.

"Ah, yes. Caden just texted me that I might be hearing from you. Can you tell me a little bit about what you're looking for so I can pull a few listings?"

Of course his friend already messaged the woman. He probably wanted to make sure he didn't back out. Damn Caden for knowing him so well.

"Umm, maybe the same or a similar neighborhood to where Caden lives." He had only been there once but it seemed like as good of a place as any.

"And how about bedrooms? How many do you need? Any specific style home you're looking for? Any must haves? Garage, no garage?"

What was with all the questions? He wanted a house. Was that too much to ask for?

"Two or three bedrooms," he huffed. "I don't care about the style but a garage would be good."

If Amber was getting frustrated by his lack of responses, she didn't let on. In fact, she was downright understanding.

"I can tell this is a lot for you, so how about this? I have a few places in mind. Give me an hour to get some listings together for you and I'll send them over. Once you've had a chance to look at them, we can talk some more. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," he grumbled.

It didn't sound good at all. By the time he got off the phone, he was regretting his decision to find a house, even if it was the smart choice.

With an hour to waste, Jayce decided to hit the hotel gym to get in a run and a short workout.

Amber kept her word, and barely an hour later, he had over ten house listings to look over. Opening up the first one, he realized instantly he was in over his head. He needed help. Before he could overthink his decision, he sent out a text.

CHAPTER10

For the tenthtime in the past hour, Kennedy checked her phone to see if she had any waiting messages. This was supposed to be her writing time but not even the dragons, swords, or princesses could take her mind off Jayce.

It wasn't just the sex either. It was the conversation last night that stuck in her mind. Something told her Jayce didn't apologize often, or open up about himself, and he had done both. She didn't know what that meant.

Glancing at her phone again, Kennedy chastised herself. She was ready to put the dang thing in another room when it lit up with a notification.

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