“Mymiddle name is Folgers,” I joked, peering out the windshield at what I was surewas the coffee shop in question.
OnMain Street ... I was on Main Street, according to the GPS. Iturned to the left and right, looking for the real estate agency she worked at,and quickly spotted it. TC Real Estate.TC—Tabitha Clarke. Maybe I couldjust take a walk down there and peek through the window. Check this TabbyClarke out. Make sure she was a woman in her thirties and not a creepy ladylooking for a thrill.
“Great.Okay. Can you be there in about twenty minutes?”
Lookingback to the coffee shop directly in front of me, I nodded. “Yep. I think I canmanage that.”
“Excellent,”she replied. I could imagine her talking to her clients this way. Sickeninglychipper and falsely positive. “I’ll see you then.”
Shehung up and, as I stuffed my phone into my pocket, I mocked, “Excellent.”
Gettingout of my truck, I considered just walking into the coffee shop and waiting,and perhaps that’s what I should’ve done. It would’ve been the more courteousthing to do, after already making the arrangement with Tabby. But God, mycuriosity was barking and I wasn’t in the mood to sit still.
So,I walked.
Iheaded in the direction of the real estate agency. A brick exterior withpainted white pillars framed the white door. Stopping out front on the otherside of the street, I squinted my eyes, taking in the classy, just-as-whiteinterior, and the woman sitting behind a desk.
“Hello,Tabby Clarke,” I muttered under my breath, shoving my hands into my pockets.
Well,she wasn’t particularly gorgeous, but she was on the upper-end of average. Darkbrown hair pulled into a neat twist at the back of her head. An immaculate,business-like sense of fashion, and a pencil pinched between two long, manicuredfingers.
Shewasn’t bad, but she’d be easy to resist. That was a good thing.
Withan assessing nod, I told myself to walk back to the coffee shop. I glancedtoward it and its whimsical sign hanging above the door, and then looked backto the realty office. It couldn’t hurt to walk in, I figured. She wouldn’t knowwho I was, unless she had Googled my name, which was a likely possibility. Still,it felt safe to just wander in, pretend to be someone else for a moment, and thenhurry back to the coffee shop.
“Unlessshe realizes I’m the same guy,” I mumbled to myself as an old woman walked downthe sidewalk behind me.
“Excuseme?” she asked, stopping to take me in.
Turningto face her, I noticed her scrutinizing stare aimed directly at the knot I’dtwisted my hair into. “Oh, sorry. I was just talking to myself.”
“Mm,”she grumbled with a shake of her head before continuing on her way. “Thistown’s going straight to hell.”
Well,aren’t you a ray of sunshine?
Iturned back to the realtor’s office and decided to go for it. What was theworst that could happen? She’d realized that I’d been spying on her? I couldjust tell her I was making sure she wasn’t fucking with me. That was the truth,after all.
Iheaded across the street and walked right through the door without hesitation,sliding my sunglasses off and breathing in the scent of freshly cut flowers andperfume. It was clearly a woman’s office. Organized, clean, and pretty, and Inodded my approval.
“CanI—” Tabby began, her words cut short as I turned to face her. “Whoa.”
“Hi,”I said with a grin, in a voice I hoped screamed I was looking for a home.
“Youlook like amodel,” she gushed, flattening her hands on her desk as herlips parted with surprise. “Oh myGod. I can’t believe I just said that.I swear I’m a happily married woman, oh my God …”
Married?I was almost certain Tabby wasn’t married. “Uh, maybe you could help—”
“Youknow what? I don’t think I should. You are just too …” She shook her head. “Letme just get Tabitha for you, okay?” The flustered woman, apparently not Tabby,stood up from her desk and raked her eyes over me from head to toe. “Oh my God,you’reso tall.”She squeezed her eyes shut. “Get a grip, Jessica.”
Jessicahurried away, disappearing behind a door with a frosted window. Painted, white letteringreadTabitha Clarkeon the glass and I nodded slowly, stepping closer tothe office.
“Tabitha,oh myGod, you have to get a look at this guy out here,” Jessica enthused,and I stifled my chuckle. “He looks like Thor’s hotter brother.”
Well,that’s a new one.
“Seriously?”came Tabby’s voice without the distortion of a cellphone speaker. “Is helooking to buy or sell?”
“I… I didn’t ask, okay? I couldn’t say anything to him. You know how I get aroundgorgeous guys. I just … I can’t even with them.”
