in her SUV and headed for the first house on the list. Three hours later, they’d seen five of the houses. Matt had been animated about all of them. He’d been especially pleased that all of them had views, though three were a little further from the beach or the town than he cared for. He’d talked about ideas to update a few of the kitchens, laughed when one had a literal water closet with just a toilet under the stairs, and made jokes about the red and pink floral wallpaper that covered the entire upstairs of one of the homes.
Matt was happily chatting about a trip he had planned with his two sons later in the year when she pulled up outside the large white cottage. She’d intentionally saved the haunted one for last. Who knew what was going to happen, and she hadn’t wanted any negative experiences to taint how he felt about the rest of the showings.
Grace killed the engine but didn’t make a move to get out of the vehicle. “There’s something you need to know about this property before we go in.”
“Okay,” Matt said quietly. His entire demeanor had changed. Gone was the chatty guy who’d been excitedly talking about his sons. He’d been replaced by a contemplative man who looked somewhat troubled, with his eyebrows drawn together and his lips slightly pinched as he stared at the large home.
“Matt?” Grace asked. “Is everything all right?”
“Huh?” He whipped his head around, staring at her with a surprised expression as if he’d just realized she was sitting next to him.
“I asked if you’re all right,” she said, frowning.
“Oh. Yeah. I’m fine.” He turned to look at the house again. “It’s a pretty one, isn’t it?”
His statement should’ve been a positive one; instead, his tone was flat and almost disinterested.
Grace wasn’t sure what was going on with him. Perhaps he was picking up on the vibe of the place. If that was true, then that was just one more reason to level with him. “There’s a reason this house has been on the market for so long.”
“The price?” he asked, staring out the window again. A muscle in his jaw twitched, and it didn’t take much to notice the tension running through him.
“No. Not really. Under other circumstances, I’d say it’s a tad underpriced for the market, but…”
“It’s haunted, isn’t it?” he asked, sitting back and closing his eyes.
“How can you tell?” She couldn’t help but wonder if he had some sort of gift that let him see or feel spirits. Most people could see them if the spirits showed themselves. But there were others who always knew, no matter what the spirits did.
“I just know,” he said. A few moments passed, and then he added, “I don’t need to go inside, Grace. This isn’t the house for me.”
Disappointment settled deep in her bones. She’d known the minute his demeanor had changed that this property was out of the running, but hope sprung eternal.
“Right.” She started the car and took him back to the café. Before she could even manage to put the SUV in park, Matt jumped out.
“Thanks for the showings, Grace,” he said. “I have a lot to think about.”
“Can I give you a call tomorrow so we can go over your thoughts and decide where we go from here?”
“Yeah. Sure. Have a nice evening.” He gently shut her door and then jumped into his Land Rover and sped away so fast his tires squealed.
Grace groaned. After what had started as a promising day, she’d completely screwed up by taking him to see the white cottage. Suddenly, she resented everything about her agreement with Landers. No one in that office had been able to sell those homes. She was a good agent. It was ridiculous that she had to do it as a prerequisite for a permanent job, even though now it was clear he needed more agents. When she’d come in to interview she hadn’t realized that Landers Realty was on par to outpace Bill’s office. That tidbit was deeply satisfying. Still, they were entirely too busy for just Kevin and Owen to handle. Bastard. What kind of jerk made her jump through hoops when he knew she was more than qualified to do the job? But what choice did she have? None. Not if she wanted to work in Premonition Pointe.
Her phone buzzed in the console beside her. Hope’s name flashed on the screen, and a tiny bit of the tension in Grace’s