She didn’t offer a last name but shook his hand when he extended it. He had to grit his teeth to keep from responding to the feel of her palm sliding against his. Josh was right—he needed to go on a date. He wrote off the sizzle that traveled up his spine as eagerness to convince this woman he could make her financial dreams come true.
Grace pulled her hand back, shoved it into the pocket of her jean shorts.
“Guess we’re neighbors,” she said, looking over at his house.
“Unless,” he said. No point in hesitating or beating around the bushes he wanted to haul the hell out of his yard. Her things were still in the pickup. What better time to make a move? Timing was everything. Not just in business but in life.
She turned her head, looking at him with those dark brown eyes that he was certain were sizing him up. “Unless what?”
“I’d love to buy your property.”
“It’s not for sale.”
He grinned. He loved this part. “No? Not even for double the value?”
“Not even,” she said as if he’d just asked if she had a cup of sugar.
“I’m not joking,” he said. Eyeing her closely, he looked for atell—that thing that showed a hint of intrigue. He was dressed to work out, not negotiate. Usually, when he was working on or closing a deal, his three-piece Armani did a lot of the talking for him.Maybe you’re off your game, Jansen.
Grace’s smile came in small degrees, feeling too much like a damn punch to the heart.
“Me neither. Nice to meet you. Officially.”
With that, she turned on her heel and walked into the house. Noah stood there staring after her, wondering what the hell had just happened.
4
Grace all but vibrated her way into the kitchen.Of course beach guy with the shredded abs and wicked smile was an ass. Why wouldn’t he be?
Morty was helping himself to a glass of water when she came into the kitchen, leaning heavily against the counter. He turned when he heard her, set his glass down with a smack.
“Moved for the view, did you? Hell of a view,” he said around a raspy snort-laugh.
Grace’s lips quivered but she fought the grin. No need to encourage him. “Aren’t you in love with Tilly? He seems a little young for you.”
His bark of laughter eased the tension from her shoulders. “You’re better at deflecting than I am.”
She grabbed her own glass from the box of twelve she’d purchased after work and rinsed it out. “I learned from the best. Why don’t you sit down? I put lawn chairs on the back porch.”
Morty shook his head. “Hugo should be here already.”
She rolled her eyes. “They probably stopped for a bite to eat.Just think, if they hadn’t helped me load it up and weren’t bringing it over, it would have taken me a lot longer to move.”
He was quiet for a moment then said, “You ought to think about Mr. Fancy Pants’ offer. Above asking price? You could buy a new place, not have to worry about the work this house is going to need.”
Grace sipped her water, then set it aside. Without looking at him, even though she could feel his old judging gaze, she unloaded the glasses, taking the time to rinse each of them and set them to dry in the farm-style sink.
“I want to live here. I want to make it my own. It’ll take some time but I’m looking forward to restoring it and making it my own.” She couldn’t bring back the grandparents she’d never known, but maybe bringing the house back to its glory days would make her feel, somehow, connected. She planned to restore the original moldings, paint the walls, find some retro lighting that could replace the sixties style with more efficiency.
“You’re starting a new career soon. You should focus on that,” he said.
Grace dried her hands on a paper towel. She needed to wash all the windows and started making a mental list of items to purchase. “You’re going to be fine without me. If that’s what this is about.”
He was no better at diving into his feelings than she was, so it wasn’t a surprise when he made a rude noise and waved his hand dismissively in her direction. “Hell. I know that. Just don’t want you burying yourself in a money pit when you could have so much more. Especially if you took that guy’s offer.”
She stiffened her shoulders, stepped toward him. “I won’t. Let it go. Go sit down before you fall down.” She didn’t mean to snap but she didn’t know how to explain the sense of family she was hoping to unearth through fixing up this home. Maybe it was silly.It’s yours. Your choice. It can be silly if you want.
“Calling me old?” He lifted his chin, a slight smile tipping up one side of his mouth.
