“Isn’t there supposed to be, like, a mercy rule?” Jeff muttered to Carter,sotto voce, as they sat on the bench at the bottom of the last inning.
Amanda ran home and high-fived Jeri on her way to the dugout. Kara offered a fist bump.
“We stop counting when we’re up by more than ten,” Carter said, shooting him a wry look. “But play continues until demoralization is complete.”
Finally the red team managed a third out because the Rhodes’s Garage runner tripped on his untied shoelace.
After the game, Jeff invited Kara and Jeri out for drinks down by the marina. It was a restaurant, not a bar, so they put Charlie’s bike in the back of the truck and brought her along too. She seemed pretty happy to be sitting on the patio sipping a milkshake, asking Jeri about where they went to school and how long it took to become a vet.
Around nine thirty, Kara and Jeri said good night. “Some of us have to be in the office early for surgery,” Jeri said. “Thanks for the drinks, Jeff.”
He waved. “Thanks for your help with the team.”
“Our pleasure.” Kara nudged Jeri with her shoulder and shoved her hand in their back pocket as they turned to leave.
“They seem cool,” Charlie offered when they’d left, and Jeff allowed himself a satisfied smile.
He dropped her off at her place—Dave and his wife had a five-bedroom, three-bath “cottage” on the lake, complete with a boathouse—and then Jeff drove them back to Carter’s while Carter dozed in the passenger seat.
It felt strange to be crawling into bed before ten, but if Jeff didn’t come to bed, Carter would find some reason to stay awake too, and he obviously needed rest, so Jeff brushed his teeth, washed his face, and crawled under the covers.
Carter huffed a little, obviously grumpy, and made discontented noises until Jeff curled his body into Carter’s left side.
Jeff smiled into Carter’s shoulder as Carter curled his arm around him. “You’re such a baby.”
“Because I like to cuddle?” Carter’s sleep-heavy voice made it difficult to discern the words, but Jeff got it eventually.
“Because you throw a little tantrum when you don’t get your way.”
Carter snorted into Jeff’s hair and kissed the top of his head. “Three more weeks.”
Yes. Three weeks until Carter’s cast came off and three weeks until, hopefully, Max was out of rehab. Jeff didn’t love the overlap—he’d have loved a whole week to enjoy a healthy Carter first—but he looked forward to both. “Three more weeks,” he agreed. “Good night.”
Chapter Eighteen
NOW THAThe had a concrete deadline and something to work toward, Jeff didn’t want to waste any more time. He insisted on driving Carter to work the next morning—if Jeff drove him, he could pretend Carter wouldn’t take one of the park trucks out and drive it around—and then went to the cabin, where he spent two hours on the phone with Monique working out logistics.
Unfortunately, the cell phone signal reallywasweak—he could have a phone call just fine, if the day was clear, but loading anything more than text on his phone was a no-go. Which meant he needed to take a trip into town to meet with a real estate agent.
Corey Klein had gone to school with Carter’s older brother, and she had time to meet with him that afternoon.
If she was surprised that he whipped out an NDA for her and her staff to sign right after they shook hands, she didn’t let on. “I’ll just get this to my receptionist,” she said, smiling pleasantly. “One moment.”
She was back five minutes later with copies, which she handed to Jeff in a neat folder as she resumed her seat at the desk. “Now, Mr. Pine. I admit you have my attention. What can I do for you?”
“I need to buy a house.” No point wasting either of their time with a lengthy preamble. “A waterfront four-season would be preferable, but I’m in a time-crunch.”
Corey flipped open a paper notepad. “How quickly are we talking?”
“Ideally, I’d want possession within three weeks. Faster if possible.”
Thatdidthrow her; her eyes widened. He could practically see her calculating her percentage of what it would cost him to get what he wanted. He’d be excited about that too, if he were her. “I see. Have you been preapproved for a mortgage?”
Translation—How much are you willing to spend?
“I’ll be paying cash.” His selling estate agent told him the market was so bonkers at the moment he could get a near-immediate closing. That should cover a large portion of the cost. He had a few other options if it didn’t. “I’d prefer not to spend more than three.” He’d need to keep some funds in reserve for renovations. He couldn’t just expect to find a place with the right acoustics for a recording studio.
He watched her process that yes, he meant three million dollars—not that that was an unusual price for a nice place on the water. “Okay. Let’s talk about your must-haves.”
