“Interesting. Well, it was worth a shot.”
I went to slide my phone back into my pocket when another text came through.
“Also, I called Penny and let her know I wasn’t feeling well enough today to hang out. I did the whole fake cough thing to really seal the deal. She believed me. So it’ll just be the two of you.”
That was nice of him to bow out like he’d promised. But I wasn’t really feeling up to anything today.Maybe I should just cancel my plans with Penny too.I pulled up her name on my phone, but my thumb paused. Would hanging out with her make me feel better? Or worse?
Another text from Tanner popped up. “And I have another surprise for you. You’re welcome.”
I waited a few seconds. But of course he wasn’t just going to tell me without me asking. I wasn’t falling for that again. “What exactly am I grateful for?”
“You’ll see. It’s a surprise. But you’ll know it when you see it.”
I shook my head. “Does it make up for the fact that you purposely pissed off James last night?”
“When did I piss him off?”
“When you kept asking him all those questions about Penny.”
“Oh. That. I don’t think he minded.”
James definitely minded. “Just for future reference, when he does that whole thing where he lowers his eyebrows? It means he’s pissed.”
“I don’t think so. It means we’re having an engaging, intellectual conversation.”
About his wife’s happiness?
“Your friends are a hoot.”
A hoot?I would have called him out for using such a weird word. But he said stuff like that all the time. I heard Bill’s feet on the stairs and put my phone back in my pocket.
“Did you do anything to update the room that’s locked upstairs?” Bill asked.
My fingers tightened around my phone. “It’s the same as the other spare bedroom.”
“Do you mind if I take a peek?”
I patted down my pockets, pretending to look for a key. “I think I left the key at the office,” I lied. “But really, it’s almost identical to the other. Even the same crown molding as the master.”
He nodded. “Well, I’ll definitely be able to turn a nice profit on this place for you. Not a problem at all. And what are you looking for next? Besides four bedrooms?”
I didn’t really know. Did I want another fixer upper? Or some empty apartment? None of it sounded great. “I don’t know. I’ll need to think about it.”
“You’ll need to think fast. This is going to be a hot home for a family. I’ll pull some ideas for you in the meantime. Maybe we’ll be able to pinpoint your next investment. Or where you’ll settle down.”
Settling down.I wasn’t sure that was something I was interested in. But I nodded anyway.
“Great. I’ll work on the listing.” He took a peek into the family room. “And we’ll need some stagers asap.”
I didn’t see why there was anything wrong with my furniture. Maybe families preferred less leather and more…throw pillows? I had no idea. “Whatever you think it needs.”
He snapped a few pictures with his phone. “And I’ll get some photographers out here to take pictures once everything is ready.” He pushed an end table two inches to the left and I laughed. “It was blocking the natural flow,” he said.
“Sure.”
Bill chuckled. “I’m not going to pretend I know about interior decorating, but I’d definitely run into this thing all the time if it was at my house.”
He wasn’t wrong. I’d hit my shin on it a few times, but didn’t care enough to move it. I’d needed a place for whatever I was drinking when I was stretched out on the couch. And as far as I was concerned, an end table went by the end of the couch.
