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“Fuck.” I set the cup down on the table roughly, causing coffee to spill over my hand. “Double fuck.”
With my stack of napkins, I wiped up the mess, just as the front door opened. A tall, thin woman walked through it. With her shiny blonde hair blown out, her dark, over-sized sunglasses and pale pink power suit she screamed wealth and privilege.
Two things I knew Katie Kooney possessed.
Katie looked around the coffee shop, trying to spot her latest client. I stood and cleared my throat.
“Hi, Katie,” I said, trying to grab her attention.
She turned on her incredibly high heels to look at me. Katie cocked her head ever so slightly. I swore I saw her wince before she assumed a very professional, yet distant smile.
“Nice to see you.” She held out her hand, and I shook it reluctantly. I had no doubt Katie would fit in perfectly in LA. But that didn’t matter, finding a house did.
And if Katie managed to be professional, I could too, despite my lingering reservations about working with her.
“Please, take a seat,” I told her gesturing for the empty chair in front of me.
“Thanks.” She flagged down a barista as she took a seat and mouthed the words “the usual” before winking at me.
In that moment I decided that winking was probably the worst offense a human could make.
Well, that and murder.
“Welcome back to town,” she said with a hint of a southern drawl. “And thank you for calling me to be your realtor, I appreciate it.” She gave me an earnest smile. She didn’t bother to acknowledge the fact that we went to school together, from Kindergarten through high school.
“I have most of the listings in this town and a few in the neighboring towns as well, so I know the inventory better than anyone, I guarantee it. So why don’t we start by having you tell me a little bit about what you are looking for and what your price point is.” She nodded cheerfully as she pulled out a lined notebook with an iconic Rifle Paper Company design on it.
I folded my hands in front of me on the table, grateful we were just jumping in. Maybe leaving the past in the past was the best course of action when confronting a childhood enemy as an adult.
Besides, people changed. Right?
I dove in, telling her what I needed, sticking to the necessities only.
“Well, I don’t need anything too big. I need my own space. Ideally, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a great front porch. I’d like it to be move-in ready. I’m in no mood to take on any sort of renovation projects. And I’d like to be close to my sister Savannah. She lives near the high school.”
Katie’s pen stopped moving. “Savannah’s your sister?” Her eyebrows raised, as she took a good look at me for the first time. “Hmm. I guess I forgot that.” The statement grated on me. It shouldn’t bother me so much, but it did.
“Any who.” Katie drew her attention to the notebook in front of her. I glanced down to find it neatly outlined with my information and with a few blank items for her to complete.
“So how much would you like to spend?” she asked.
I gave her an amount that could afford me a great big house in Haver’s Creek but wouldn’t be enough to cover a one-bedroom apartment back in West Hollywood.
“Do you have a type of house in mind? Colonial, modern farmhouse, a sleek condo?”
I shook my head. “I don’t really know what style I prefer, just as long as it meets my basic needs size wise. I’m hoping I will know what I like when I see it.”
Nodding vigorously, Katie jotted down the information in her notebook. “I know I’ll find you something great. When are you free to start looking at houses? I have a few options that I think would meet your needs.”
While the elephant in the room lingered, I trusted that Katie would find me a good place. And I needed to find one as soon as possible.
“My schedule is wide open until I get started working on the Police Department Gala, but even then, I can move things around if there is a house to visit.”
Katie frowned. “You’re working on the gala?”
“Yep, Barb roped me into it, given my profession.” I lifted my eyebrows, suddenly defensive, an old habit when it came to her.
But I was no longer some young kid who could be bullied in the lunchroom.
