The Ivy House - By Drea Stein Page 0,5
work, the luckier you get.”
Phoebe stiffened. The real estate agent’s meaning had been clear. Waterfront property in Queensbay was a highly sought-after commodity. There would be plenty of people who would be willing to take it off her hands, even in this economy, so there was no reason she needed to be grateful to the guy for being the first.
She drew herself up. “Ivy House is not for sale. I have no intention of being taken advantage of just because I’m not from around here.”
He only smiled again at her huffy tone, unperturbed by it.
“Trust me, I would never try to take advantage of a lady. I will be happy to offer a fair price for a fair bit of property.”
Phoebe looked into his eyes. So he was only interested in the property, not the house. She guessed he couldn’t see the house for what it was—a diamond in the rough. Did he not know? Or was he playing it cool?
He pulled something from his pocket, a white envelope, and held it out to her.
She looked at it, puzzled.
“I know I’m supposed to go through the real estate agent, but sometimes I find it easier to just deal with the other party directly.”
“What is that?” Phoebe said, trying to keep her voice level.
“A very generous and more than fair offer for the property.” He said, still holding it out towards her. She crossed her arms, feeling childish, but refusing to give in even an inch.
“I told you that Ivy House isn’t for sale.”
He cocked his head to one side and put the envelope back in his pocket, a wise move Phoebe thought.
“You keep calling this place Ivy House. I haven’t heard it being called that in years.”
“It’s what my grandmother called it,” Phoebe said. Savannah could only be persuaded to talk about Ivy House and Leland after a glass or two of wine and even then, it was a tricky subject.
His mouth dropped open and a look that Phoebe didn’t understand crossed his face.
Chapter 4
“You’re Savannah’s granddaughter,” he said, as if everything came together.
“Who did you think I was?” Phoebe asked with real curiosity. In Los Angeles, the recognition was almost immediate mostly because people there knew their celebrities, even the older ones.
“Well, I told you, you looked like someone. I didn’t realize Savannah still owned the property, that’s all. I’ve been sending offer letters to a lawyer in New York the past couple of years and getting pretty strong nos.”
“So you thought you’d take your chance with the new girl in town,” Phoebe said, wondering just how outraged she should feel.
“I always like to make newcomers feel welcome.” He had inched closer and the cocky grin was back.
Warning signals chimed in Phoebe’s head. She was in no condition to have anything to do with a man like this. He was all male and obviously a huge flirt. Definitely not what she needed right now.
“Well, very thoughtful of you, but like I said, the house is not for sale and I have some work to do.”
He looked around again at the dusty floor and the empty room.
“I’m sure you do. Still, I think you should consider my offer. I’d be happy to take the house off your hands, as is. You wouldn’t have to do a thing to it. You could be back on a plane and back to your life by tomorrow.”
“Listen, Mr….” Phoebe realized that she had never gotten his name.
“Please call me Chase. All my friends do,” he said with another one of his grins. Phoebe had the feeling that Chase was the kind of guy with plenty of friends. And she had no intention of becoming one of them.
“Why are you so interested in the place?” she asked.
For the first time, she saw that he hesitated, his feet doing a little dance. “Let’s just say the property has always spoken to me.”
Phoebe looked at him. With the broad shoulders and the constant grin, Phoebe didn’t think Chase looked like the kind of guy that let anything but tall blondes speak to him, but she supposed you never could tell. But that wasn’t her problem. Ivy House had also spoken to her, and she wasn’t about to let the legacy Savannah had left her go so easily.
“Well,” he said after a moment, when he realized that Phoebe wasn’t going to say anything else, “it was nice to meet you, miss…”
It was her turn to hesitate, though she supposed it didn’t matter. All he needed was the internet.