Page 49 of Your Every Wish
I make the so-so sign with my hand. “I probably would’ve done a few things differently.”
“Yeah, like what?” He folds his arms over his chest.
I gaze around his office. “More like this room. Warmer tones, furniture that’s lived in.”
He nods as if in agreement.
But I just can’t help myself. “Infinity pool? It’s so overdone these days. And the fireplace . . . a bit over the top, don’t you think? And all that glass . . . well, it has to be a huge suck on your energy bill.”
“I have solar,” he says in a lazy drawl.
“Oh. Then the builder should’ve added more windows in the kitchen.”
“I am the builder.”
“You mean like DIY?”
“DIY? Yeah, sure. DIY. So what is it I can I do you for, Miss . . . Mrs. . . . ?”
I bet dollars to doughnuts he already knows my name. If Misty didn’t tell him, someone else did. That’s the way it works around here. Word spreads fast, especially when I have something he wants.
“Jenkins. Kennedy Jenkins,” I say anyway. “I heard that you might be interested in purchasing Cedar Pines.”
“I wasn’t aware it’s for sale.” That lazy drawl again.
But he isn’t fooling me. I saw those blue eyes of his light up the moment I saidCedar Pinesandpurchase. The light only lasted for a fraction of a second, but it glinted like a hungry wolf’s. The man might think he’s quite the poker player, but he just showed his hand.
“It might be, for the right price,” I say and plop back down in my chair.
“And what would that be?”
“Make me an offer, Mr. McCourtney.”
“It’s Bent. Don’t you own it with your sister?”
Aha, see, he knows more than he’s letting on. “I do.”
“And she wants to sell, too?”
“Like I said, for the right price.”
“Hmm.” He leans back in his chair and laces his fingers behind his head. “How does twenty sound?”
Holy shit.
Twenty sounds like music to my ears. Even Emma can’t argue with that kind of money. We’d be set for life. Then again, maybe I’m vastly undervaluing the property. The thing is I came here wholly unprepared for an offer. The idea of selling to him just tumbled out of my mouth. My original intention was merely a fishing expedition to feel Bent McCourtney out.
He sure offered that number without batting so much as an eyelash, which makes me believe it’s worth a lot more. That’s what I get for not doing my homework. For example, what’s the appraised value of Cedar Pines Estates? And who is Bent McCourtney and is he legitimately good for twenty million dollars?
For all I know he’s shady as hell. Just because he has a killer house, and his family has a street named after them doesn’t mean he isn’t a con artist or a swindler.
“I’ll have to think about it,” I say. “And talk to Emma, of course. She’s pretty captivated by the place, so it’s unlikely that twenty million will do it. But let me talk to our people and get back to you.”
I take another sip of my Dasani and get to my feet. “Thanks for seeing me on such short notice.”
“I didn’t realize I had a choice. But let me walk you out.”
We take the breezeway again where I get another eyeful of that view, which is even more dazzling the second time around. The dogs, two Australian Shepherds, have returned and are lying in front of the hearth. Their tails start going berserk as soon as they spy Bent.
