Page 11 of Flirty Thirty

“Hang on a sec…” Julie says, and then calls off screen. “Did you walk the dog?”

My ten-year-old nephew Lucas answers with a grumble.

“No Wi-Fi password until it’s done.”

“Where’s the leash?”

“Where’d you put it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then I don’t know.” Her eyes follow across the room, and I know exactly what look her son is giving her by the way her lips purse. “Take Lauren with you!”

“Uggggnnn.”

Julie turns back to me. “Sorry.”

“No worries.” Honestly, I’m used to it by now. Being the only sibling without kids has trained me enough to expect weird and frequent interruptions.

“Oh! Nate and I may have to duck out early tonight,” she says. “The sitter can only stay till 9:30, and the kids have school tomorrow.” She lets out a long, tired sigh. “I can’t wait till summer’s here. May is my least favorite month.”

I drop the blouse onto the bed with a laugh. She says this every year, and two minutes into summer vacation, she’s wishing them all back in school.

“That’s fine.” I grin and turn to my closet. “Maybe we’ll want you out of there.”

Her brows pull inward. “Is that genuine enthusiasm I’m hearing?”

I lift a shoulder. “Maybe.” My hand smooths down one of my gray jackets as I consider pairing it with the lavender for the showing. “It’s been a good day.”

Her suspicious lips turn upward, seemingly excited about not only my compliance to go on this blind date, but my eagerness. I’m surprised by it, too, if I’m being honest. But Cooper’s flattery has made me feel like a walking vixen, even if I’m not the girl he’s looking for—which I did tell him.

“Good. I really think you’re going to like him. He’s funny, laid back, likes cats. Oh! And I’ve heard through the vine that he’s… got no reason to compensate for anything if you catch my drift.”

I tilt my head at her. “I know what overselling sounds like.”

“Fine. I’ll just leave you to confirm that particular rumor.” Her laugh is cut off by anoof!as her three-year-old hops into her lap, and I get a shot of bushy brown hair through the screen.

“Eye-ah!”

“Hi Lily.”

“Eye-ah, Eye-ah, Eye-ah,” she sings, and the next thing I see is a thumb before the screen goes black. Squeals from my niece and scolding from my sister blend together as Julie chases her daughter around. I laugh and lean over my desk chair to reach the iPad.

“I’ll see you tonight, Jules!”

“Bye!”

I click off the chat and swipe over to my schedule. Forty-five minutes till the showing, and a swoop of excitement rushes through my stomach. Cooper ended the brunch with a proposal—a business one. I’m officially his realtor, and as such, I think I’m still going to try to convince him to build. Partially for selfish reasons—when I can, I try to give Warren business. My best friend Holland married the contractor when I was still living in my crazy early twenties, and they’re coming up on ten years of marriage and first born baby. She doesn’t mention it much, but I can tell they’re struggling a bit.

I tap in a reminder to give her a call, Kat hopping onto my desk and rubbing her head on my hand until I give in and scratch her ears. “Okay, troublemaker,” I tell her, pointing to the bed, “stay off my clothes while I shower. Orange cat fur is not in this season.”

She turns to show me her butt so I can give it a good scratching as well. Instead of granting her request, I strip down and head into my adjoining bathroom. My eyes narrow as I watch the kitten tilt her head at my bed where I’ve laid out my outfit. With a sigh, I grab my clothes and take them into the bathroom with me. My kitties are cute, but I don’t trust them for a second.

***

The best thing about showing high-priced housing is that the owners keep it sparkly clean. There are a few showings I’ve done that we didn’t even walk inside due to either the smell or questionable carpet stains.

I punch in the code and retrieve the key from the lock box. I’m a little early, so I let myself in and turn the security off with the number the seller’s realtor gave me. The entryway has a simple elegance to it—a wide open space with a high ceiling and extravagant lighting. A grin teases at the corner of my lips. With Cooper’s lack of filter, I imagine a very candid assessment of the place is coming, and since the owner’s pretty darn well off, I bet there is a camera or fifteen capturing the walkthrough.

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