Page 71 of He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Sweet Jesus. Is this actually working? I can almost see Kevin’s head spinning.

‘I’m gonna say it,’ Jake says, stopping in front of Kevin and pulling a pipe out of his pocket. ‘The place is a piece of shit, Kev.’ He lights up the pipe, coughing with the first hit. ‘It’s not worth anything near your asking price.’ He stands head-to-head with Kevin, smoking a pipe as though he’s Sherlock Holmes. Even I’m starting to sweat.

‘What do you think it’s worth?’ Brynn asks Jake.

‘One twenty. Tops.’

Brynn’s jaw drops open slowly as she walks around to face Kevin.

‘Kev, sweetie…’ She runs a finger down his left arm.

Gross. How Jake is staying in character right now is beyond me.

‘You told Dax your price was one eighty. You weren’t trying to con the nice guy, were you?’

Kevin scowls.

‘Well,’ Brynn scoffs. ‘I never expected you to turn into this guy. You were such a sweetheart in school. I’ll never forget that night we had after junior prom.’ She sighs as if she’s swooning all over again. ‘I think you were possibly the best quarterback Cleveland High ever had.’

She remembers his football position? Jeez. She’s really digging deep here.

‘If only I’d pulled through on that last championship game,’ Kevin says, suddenly pumping a fist. Ah, the guy who still regrets his last big game. Now it’s making sense.

‘Don’t let her sweet talk ya, Kev. I think I might be interested in this place after all,’ Jake says, attempting to pull back the reins from his wife.

Kevin lifts a hand towards Jake. ‘Let’s hear what the lady has to say,’ he says, suddenly interested in the attention Brynn is throwing his way.

She’s going to need to go home and take a boiling hot shower after this. We all are.

‘One twenty is my last offer, Kev. The place is a dump,’ Jake says in a last-ditch effort.

‘I put more into it than that!’ Kevin growls.

Shit. Don’t piss him off, you idiot! I glare at Jake.

‘What would you say if Dax here offered you one fifty?’ Brynn asks.

‘Fifty thousand down today,’ I say, upping my ten grand offer. ‘I could commit to July first to pay the remaining.Cash.’

Whatam I doing? Risking everything.

‘Pfft,’ Jake says. ‘It ain’t worth all that.’

‘Shut it,’ Kevin says to him.

I have to force away a laugh.

‘One fifty-five and a night out with you,’ Kevin suggests, now blowing Brynn a kiss.

We must all look horrified, but Kevin doesn’t notice.

‘Well,’ Brynn says, pulling a hand to her chest. ‘I’m flattered, but I don’t think my husband would approve.’ She blows him back a kiss anyway.

‘It was my dad’s store,’ I remind Kevin, hoping that pushes things in my direction.

He nods his head slowly, looking between the three of us, finally extending a hand my way. ‘It’s yours for one sixty-five. As is.’

I hardly think Brynn is worth ten thousand dollars, and all this did for me was keep the price at his original one, but I’ve got no choice. I reach over and shake the man’s hand.

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