beat Grace to the house and was parked across the street in his car waiting for her. Grace pulled into the driveway, killed the engine, and did a face check in the rearview mirror. She smoothed her hair, pleased that her makeup was still flawless, but just as she was glancing away, something caught her eye. Was that… a blond hair right in the middle of her forehead? A blond hair that was at least an inch long? She gasped out loud in horror as she frantically searched for the tweezers she kept in her purse.
How had this happened? She’d had half her face waxed. Lex had done her makeup and even inspected her face for a stray hair. Okay, she’d inspected her nose, but still. Was it possible that Shondra had cursed her? Probably. At least the hair was blond, but it was an inch long. How had she missed it? Did she need new glasses? She made a mental note to get her vision checked as soon as possible. Finally, her fingers closed around her tweezers, and she made quick work of the single hair trying to take over her forehead.
Knock, knock.
Grace jerked back in her seat, her fingers tightening around the tweezers so hard she accidently pinched herself. She let out a yelp and dropped the tweezers between the seat and the console. “Crap!”
“Is everything okay in there?” Owen asked, his face pinched in concern.
“Yep!” She pushed the door open and grabbed her messenger bag. “Sorry about that. Had a grooming emergency.”
His lips twitched, but he wisely didn’t say anything as he followed her up the overgrown walkway.
“Okay, so this place is a two-story Victorian with a gorgeous deck off the back that overlooks the ocean. If it had been in my budget when I was looking for my place, I would’ve seriously considered it.”
“Even though it’s haunted?” Owen asked.
Grace punched in the code on the lockbox. “You heard about that, huh?”
“Everyone’s heard about it. Or at least all the real estate agents within a hundred miles. I heard there’s a pool going on whether or not you can sell any of these properties.”
“What?” Grace jerked upright and spun around on her heels to stare at him. “Other agents are betting if I can move Mr. Saint’s properties? Jeez, that news got around fast.”
He nodded, looking sheepish.
“Let me guess. You bet against me.” She gave him a flat stare and decided she’d have the pint of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream for dinner instead of going out with him. At least that would make her feel good.
“Of course not.” He grabbed her hand and held it lightly in his. “I bet you’d sell all three by the end of summer and at least one of them for asking price.”
“You did?” She stared at their connection, imagining him running that hand over her bare hip. She shivered at the thought and had to stop herself from licking her lips. He was just so… delicious.
“I did,” he confirmed.
The two of them stood on the front porch staring at each other, and just as Grace started to lean in to kiss him, she heard a car door slam. They both jumped back as if they’d been caught making out in the janitor’s closet. Grace let out a nervous chuckle and then peeked around Owen at the tiny woman making her way up the walk. She looked to be in her early thirties and was dressed in classic Chanel and the most beautiful red heels that were accented by red bows tied around her ankles. She was pure elegance and class.
Vince Hill, a Realtor from a neighboring town, followed her. He raised a hand in a cheerful wave. “Grace! Are you the new agent working for Kevin?”
“It appears so.” She smiled warmly at him. He’d always been a pleasure to work with. She held out her hand to the client. “Hello, I’m Grace Valentine, and this is my colleague, Owen Taylor. I hope you don’t mind him tagging along. He works in my office and hasn’t had a chance to see the property yet.”
Her grip was firm as she pumped Grace’s hand. “It’s perfectly fine. I’m Gigi Martin, and I can’t wait to get another look at this house.”
“Another?” Grace asked. “You’ve been here before?”
“Oh, yes. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but I absolutely fell in love with it. So much charm. And the view. Ah! It’s everything.”
“Well, with that endorsement, now I’m dying to see it.” Owen