Hate to Date You (Dating #4) - Monica Murphy Page 0,67

have come by with Michael these last few days, and every one of them is going to send an estimate on the renovation costs. I’m sure it’ll cost a fortune, and the boys won’t want to do it.”

How charming. The boys. All three Ricci men I met are tall. Formidable. Intimidating. “Stella mentioned that you don’t need to sell the house in order to purchase a condo.”

“That is correct. I’m terribly wealthy, Carter. I could go on shopping sprees from now until the day I die and still not even spend half of what I’m worth.” She says this in such a matter-of-fact manner, I know she’s not bragging. She’s just stating truths.

Must be nice.

“I want something small,” she continues. “One bedroom preferred, though I know that’s probably not realistic. So no more than two bedrooms. One bathroom—I’ll go up to one and a half. No yard. A deck would be nice, though, especially if it overlooks the ocean. I don’t want to give up my ocean view. The water calms me.”

I already have my phone out, tapping away in the notes section. I prefer to do this on my iPad, but beggars can’t be choosers when discussing wants and needs with a new client.

“Oh, and please don’t tell Stella yet that I came to see you about this,” Grace adds.

I glance up at her. “You want to keep it a secret?” What is up with all the secrets in this family?

“No, I just want to keep it to myself for a bit. I have a few other plans I need to see through first,” she says mysteriously.

“Okay.” I finish tapping away on my phone, listing all of Grace’s requirements for her future home.

“Do you already have some ideas?”

“I do, though I’m pretty sure there aren’t many condominium developments here in Carmel,” I say with a wince. “You’ll probably have to move elsewhere.”

“I don’t have a problem with that. A new neighborhood would probably do me some good. I’m up for an adventure.” She smiles, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “Just like you were by moving here.”

“Oh, I grew up here. I knew Caroline’s fiancé Alex when we were kids. We were best friends in middle school,” I tell her.

“Stella mentioned that.” The serene expression on Grace’s face tells me Stella might’ve mentioned more, which piques my curiosity.

Of course. Just like she planned.

“What else did Stella mention?” I clear my throat, keep my gaze focused on my phone as I add to my notes.

“I stopped by the café yesterday afternoon, as a matter of fact, and spoke with my granddaughter about—many things.” Grace is putting on mysterious airs. “She confessed to me your secret.”

I lift my gaze to hers, waiting to see anger. Disgust. I mean, I’m having sex with her granddaughter and Stella actually told her that? And it’s no big deal?

“That you two are living together,” Grace continues. “Platonically, of course.”

I slowly release the breath I didn’t know I was holding. “It’s temporary. Caroline’s idea, since she moved out to live with Alex. I have my own bedroom. We rarely see each other.”

All of this is true.

Sort of.

“Right. Of course. Temporary. Platonically. All those good, neutral words. Stella used them as well.” Grace nods. “You two do realize what a lovely couple you’d make, don’t you?”

I say nothing. I’ve realized it.

Not so sure about Stella, though.

“She’s very stubborn, our Stella. That rebellious nature of hers gets her in trouble more times than not. When she was younger, oh, the things she did to torture her parents! She’s just like I was when I was that age,” Grace says.

“Really?”

“Yes, I was terrible. I was the middle child. One of seven. I wanted all the attention, all the time, yet no one noticed me. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?” She continues, not waiting for a reply to her question. “My father did the same thing my Lorenzo did to Stella—they sent me to Italy to find a husband. I was seventeen. Seventeen. Goodness, I didn’t want a husband. I wanted to have fun. I wanted to do bad things. It was a glorious spring. I left in late March and didn’t come home until the beginning of September.”

“Did you find a husband?” I ask.

Her smile is slightly naughty. “I did. I found my Frank. But not until the end of summer. I met plenty of other boys, made lots of friends, and generally behaved in the most scandalous way I could. I enjoyed every minute of that time in my