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Blinking the thought away, I force a smile onto my lips. “Of course.” I gesture to the door and let out a heavy sigh once Georgia is gone.
The sun is shining outside, so I shrug off my suit jacket and decide to walk across town to the other agent’s offices. After that, I’ll stop by Four Cups for lunch.
Maybe, in the dark recesses of my mind, I’m hoping Lily will be at her sister’s café. I’ve seen her every day for the past three days, and the thought of not seeing her until Monday seems hard to bear.
It doesn’t take long for me to stroll down Cove Boulevard and enter the seller’s agent’s offices. We take care of the paperwork, and within an hour I’m heading back out into the August sunshine. I take a deep breath of sweet, ocean-scented air before my feet take me down the tree-lined street.
Inside the Four Cups Café, I see Lily laughing broadly, her head leaning against her sister’s shoulder. My chest tightens and I make for the door, but my phone rings.
“Got your text,” Georgia croons in my ear. “Gosh, you work quickly.”
“Signed and finalized,” I say, eyes still on the scene inside the café. “I just have to make a copy of the contract and I’ll send you the original.”
Georgia hums. “What about delivering it in person? You promised to celebrate with me.”
My eyes pull away from the café and I stare at the pavement. “I…”
“No excuses. I just put nearly a hundred grand in your pocket, Rudy. The least you can do is share a bottle of champagne with me.”
Holding back a sigh, I force my voice to stay light as I say, “Sure.”
“Wonderful,” Georgia says. “I’m heading to the Edgeville Yacht Club. I just paid for a membership, and they have a wonderful seafood pasta dish. Lunch is on me, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Sounds great,” I lie, and throw one last glance to the women inside Four Cups. When I hang up, I release a breath and let my feet carry me back to the office.
One meal with Georgia to deliver the papers and discuss the logistics of payment and closing, and I’ll be free of her. I do the required paperwork in the office until I really can’t leave the woman waiting any longer, then hop in my car and head down the coast to Edgeville.
I’d much rather be taking Lily here—or better yet, skipping lunch altogether and dragging her to my bed—but I’m good at my job, and I’ll see this sale through.
By the time I make it to the yacht club, I’m resigned.
Georgia has changed into a light, airy dress that nips at her slim waist. Her carefully styled hair falls in waves down her back, and she has oversized sunglasses on as she sits at the best patio table in the entire bay. She smiles at me when she spots me striding across the restaurant floor toward her, then presents a cheek for me to kiss when I make it to the table.
Her hand curls around my neck as she brushes her lips against my cheek, and it takes all my self-control not to jerk away from her.
“Congratulations, Mrs. Neves, you’ve got a new home.” I put the folder with her contract on the table next to her, but she doesn’t even look at it.
“You’re the best realtor I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with, Rudy,” she says, tipping her sunglasses down to rake her eyes over my body.
“Thank you, ma’am,” I say.
She clicks her tongue. “Don’t ma’am me.” She pauses. “Unless that’s what you’re into.” A flirty laugh, and I have to resist the urge to get up and bolt.
Just an hour with her, enduring this heavy-handed flirting, and then I can leave. I’ll call Lily and ask her to coffee or dessert or dinner, or hell, I’ll dig through my grandmother’s boxes of old records and I’ll enjoy it more than this.
But the waiter arrives and Georgia orders a bottle of their most expensive champagne, so I sit back and do my best to make it through the lunch.
CHAPTER 16
Trina
Lily looks green in the face at the sight of the eggs being served at the table next to ours.
I arch my brows. Morning sickness, maybe? Lily hasn’t mentioned the baby at all since I showed her the boxes of baby things in my garage. “You good? Not in the mood for brunch food?”
Lips clamped shut, she shakes her head. “No.”
“Me neither,” Candice announces. “I want…tacos.”
