Page 66 of Kiss Marry Kill
“And this place is secretly for lease?”
“For sale, actually.” She rang the bell again. “He wants to sell the building and the land.”
I raised my brows. “I see.”
She lowered her voice. “I’ve only shown the property to a few… special clients… like yourself. To be honest, most of my clients don’t have the budget for this listing.”
“I see.”
She sighed. “So far, we’ve had no offers.”
I frowned. “Is there something wrong with the place?”
She laughed. “No. It’s just most of the clients I’ve brought didn’t necessarily want to purchase the building and the land.”
“Oh. I get it.”
“Poor Reginald is beginning to worry he might have to hang on to the place and just lease the building out. He really prefers to sell and move to Florida free and clear.”
“It probably is harder to be an out-of-state landlord.”
“Yes. Although I told him I’d be happy to manage the property for him. Still, he’d prefer to just move on with his life.”
“I guess I can understand that.”
The heavy mahogany door opened, and a man stood there in bare feet, gray sweatpants, and a Beatles T-shirt. Since it was a dentist’s office, I’d expected to be greeted by someone dressed more professionally. The casually dressed man appeared to be in his early seventies, with white whiskers and bright blue eyes.
“Mrs. Numi,” he said cheerfully. “Is this the young fella you were telling me about?”
Young fella?
“Yep. This is Dr. Thornton.” Mrs. Numi gestured toward me. “Dr. Thornton, this is Dr. Reginald Johnson, DDS.”
I held out my hand. “Nice to meet you, sir.”
Reginald shook my hand, looking me up and down. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Have you?” I asked warily.
“You’ve put a lot of people off.”
I grimaced. “I think I’m doing much better lately.”
He laughed. “Well, even if people complain you’re a little rough on them, they all agree you’re an excellent doctor.”
I gave a weak smile. “I’ve heard I’m an acquired taste.”
He chuckled and stepped back to allow us in.
I followed Mrs. Numi into the house and found myself in a large waiting room. The smell was medicinal in nature, but the oak floors and beige walls made the space feel homey. To the right of me was what looked like a reception area. There was a desk with a computer, a printer, and shelves hugging the wall, filled with medical records.
On my left, there was a flight of stairs leading to the upper level. In the center of the room, there was seating for the patients, arranged in the shape of a horseshoe.
“This really is a dentist’s office,” I said.
Reginald frowned. “Of course it is.”
“It’s just, the way you were dressed when you opened the door.” I shrugged.
