Damn it.Probably he was right. The house was huge, historic, and located directly on the beach. Plus, it was being fixed up as part of a famous TV show. The publicitywouldn’tmake it any cheaper.
Still, I refused to let it go. "But I'd have a down payment."
"Doesn't matter," he said. "The owner's not selling."
"You mean you?"
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
Just then, I heard the muffled sounds of car doors slamming in the driveway. This was quickly followed by the sounds of voices – maleandfemale.
Brody cursed under his breath.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Do me a favor," he said. "Go stall 'em, will ya?"
"Why?"
"Just do it, alright?" Without waiting for my reply, he began coiling up the next hose. When I made no move, he said, "Or if you want,I'llstall them. Andyouhide this stuff."
Hide it? Seriously?"But wait. Why would anyone need to—"
"Just stall them," he said. "And I'll tell you later."
"You promise?"
"I'll tell youonething," he said. "I won't tell you jack if they get in here before I'm done."
This was all the encouragement I needed. Without further protest, I turned and scrambled toward the stairway, giving Brody one final glance before my feet carried me out of sight. The last I saw of him, he had two hoses coiled over his shoulder and was reaching for the bucket of rags.
By the time I reached the front door, it was just swinging inward. I stopped it with my foot and practically leapt into the narrow opening.
On the front porch, the new arrivals drew back, as if startled by my sudden appearance. The group consisted of Waverly, along with Roy and two other guys who looked to be somewhere in their mid-thirties. Like Roy, the guys were dressed casually in jeans and work shirts. As for Waverly, she wore a sleek navy dress with matching high heels.
I poked my head further out of the doorway and plastered on a giant smile. "Oh, hi. So, how's it going?"
It was Waverly who answered, "Shitty. Now get out of my way."
Well that was pleasant.
Still, I put on my concerned face. "Oh, no. Is something wrong?"
It was Roy who answered. "Nothingtoobad. They messed up her coffee order."
Waverly whirled to face him. "Not too bad? Seriously?" Through gritted teeth, she warned him, "Youdon’tknow what I’m like without coffee."
Looking surprisingly unterrified, Roy replied, "Actually, I'm pretty sure I do." Behind him, the other two guys nodded in solemn agreement.
I chimed in, "Wow, that soundsreallyawful." Hoping to keep the conversation going, I asked, "So, um, who messed it up?"
Waverly's eyes narrowed as she turned to face me. "Are you mocking me?" she said.
"Me? No." Shockingly, this was actually true, even if Ididthink her distress was totally mock-worthy. But then, a moment later, I heard myself say, "So, who did this atrocity?"
Okay, so maybe I was mocking hernow, but how could I help it?
Waverly sighed. "The yokel who works there, that's who. Now where's Brody?"
