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There would always be only one.
“I have an appointment with Sophie later to put the house on the market.”
Braxton froze, his bottle halfway to his lips. “You’re going through with this, then?”
“I see no other way.” Zach focused on choosing the perfect fry instead of the questioning glare of his brother. “It’ll be the best decision in the long run.”
“Liam didn’t take the news too well.”
That sick feeling in his stomach grew. “No, he didn’t. But he’s in on this project.”
“What?” Braxton set his bottle on the counter and straightened. “You mean he wants to be part of this? The resort?”
Nodding, Zach turned to fully focus on Braxton. “He sent me a text just as you got here. He hasn’t mentioned the sale of the house to me, but he said he was in on this. That will help financially too. Slowly things are clicking into place.”
As they should, because Zach couldn’t handle his world falling apart too much more.
“I’m busy later, but if you want to reschedule with Sophie I could go with you.”
“No. I want to get it on the market.”
“What about the dogs? You find homes for the puppies?”
Zach finished his lunch and wadded up the papers. “Not yet. I’m focused on trying to figure out how to get some damn sleep.”
He’d figure something out with the animals. They were just too damn cute to be angry with. Still, he couldn’t keep them.
“Let’s get started on tackling that wall,” Zach stated. “I’ve got an appointment in three hours, and I’d rather not show up smelling like I’ve worked my ass off all day.”
“Heading home to get fancied up for Sophie first?” Braxton teased.
Zach flipped him the finger and headed from the room. No way was he responding to that, because he would have to admit the statement was too damn close to the truth.
* * *
When the door chimed in her office, Sophie’s stomach flipped. She was technically closed, but had told Zach to go ahead and meet her at six.
Besides being a ball of nerves at the prospect of being with him after their heated encounter in her living room, she knew it was emotionally difficult for him to list his home. She was having a rough time as well, but she knew without a doubt that the Monroe boys were not taking this move lightly.
Liam had called her the other day and was angry and upset, but in the end he admitted Zach probably had the best plan. Not that the stubborn Liam would tell his grouchy brother such things, but Sophie knew. She also knew these boys loved each other more than they might ever admit.
Zach filled the space in her doorway, standing in the spot as if he were afraid to step inside. She knew his nerves were most likely all over the place as well. The man was so hardheaded but he cracked when he realized when he was at fault.
Sophie came to her feet and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to do this,” she told him. “We can figure out another way.”
Zach’s dark eyes held hers a moment before he shook his head. “No. Let’s get it over with.”
He crossed the office and sank down into the chair opposite her desk. He’d recently showered, if his damp hair was any indication. That wasn’t sweat, because the man smelled positively sinful and absolutely yummy. His black short-sleeved shirt stretched across muscles that had been gifted to him after years of hard labor, and those kissable lips surrounded by sexy beard mocked her.
Keep it in control, Sophie. The man is having a personal crisis at the moment.
Taking a seat, Sophie rolled her chair up to the edge of her desk and picked up her favorite pen. “What I want to know first is the recent renovations you’ve done. I know the basics of bathrooms and bedrooms, so I’ve got that down already. Tell me everything that’s been updated.”
Zach listed the rooms he’d remodeled over the years as well as the roof he’d replaced two years ago. He’d added a brick patio complete with pergola, and new landscaping in the last year as well. The more improvements he listed, the more Sophie knew they would get for this house. Added to that, knowing that a man who owned a construction company lived in the house would make buyers more apt to stay as close to the asking price as possible. With Zach’s reputation, people in the area knew he did good work.
“Your house is twenty-two hundred square feet, right?” she aske
d, scribbling down the last of her notes.
