Look at you, being all philosophical and emotionally mature. Maybe there would come a day when she could view Sean Grayson's actions with such a forgiving eye. In about ninety years or so.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Judy snapped her fingers. "Your dad called first thing and asked if I could remind you about your dinner date today. I was surprised he called the office number instead of phoning you directly, but he said something's wrong with your cell?"
Dani sighed. "I was ducking calls this weekend."
"Understandable. Can I get you anything? Coffee, glass of water? Some of those miniature chocolate bars we all steal from the jar on Spencer's desk?"
"Thanks," she said, heading toward her office, "but I don't need anything." Except a time machine. What were the chances the receptionist had one of those handy? I should check the supply closet.
Dani wanted to go back to Saturday afternoon, when she'd been working alone in the office. If she had it all to do over again, she'd leave the building five minutes later. Or five minutes earlier. Either way worked as long as she could avoid Sean's alluring smile and captivating blue eyes.
Ironically, being with him had been part of what helped her see Tate had never been right for her. There was too much contrast between the two men, too much difference in her reaction and her comfort level. If she ever tried to settle down again-a prospect that now made her shudder-it should be with someone who made her laugh. And her toes curl. She'd always thought her sex life with Tate was adequate, if a bit conventional, but if you were going to spend the rest of your life being monogamous, shouldn't it be with someone who left you breathless?
Not necessarily. Not if the trade-off is that he's also an unscrupulous liar.
She was grateful when her phone rang, giving her a different outlet for her focus. "Danica Yates, speaking."
"Erik Frye," the attorney on the other end of the phone identified himself. "You know, the guy who's going to dominate in fantasy baseball."
She laughed. "Yeah, yeah. That's what you said about your fantasy football team, and we both know how that turned out. What have you got for me this morning?"
He updated her on the title work that had been done on a property, assuring her that the check hadn't revealed any red flags, and confirmed the time of a closing this week. He concluded the call with, "Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday afternoon."
Hanging up the phone, she sighed. Why couldn't she have developed an attraction to Erik instead of the architect down the hall? Erik was a decent guy, smart with a nice smile, not noticeably shorter than she was. He'd been divorced for a little over a year; he and his wife, also a lawyer, maintained an amicable relationship. Life would be simpler if she'd decided to go out with Friendly Attorney.
But, no. You had to lust after the unattainable hottie. She was not looking forward to bumping into Bryce. Even knowing that he had nothing to do with what had happened, it would be weird to face someone who looked just like Sean.
"You busy?" Renee Lloyd, the head licensed broker, poked her head into the office. She was a dynamic redhead with big presence. When Dani stood right next to her, she was always surprised anew that she was nearly a foot taller.
"Always. But never too busy for you."
Chuckling, Renee entered the office. "Good answer. Couple of things. Sonia Donavan is going to call you. She and I have done several commercial deals together, but now she needs someone who specializes in residential. She and her husband are divorcing and need to sell their house. Also, can we count you in again this summer as an assistant coach?" This would be the fourth year running that they'd sponsored a girls' softball team.
"Absolutely." Part of networking and building their names in the community was being an active part of the community. Some of the other agents, especially ones who had their own kids with active sports schedules, grumbled about the extra hours, but Dani looked at it as a perk of the job.
"Oh, and Magnolia Grove is opening a model home this week," Renee added. "Two different floor plans should be available in the next couple of months. Great location and school district."
Dani nodded. From what she'd heard, a lot of the houses in the first phase of the subdivision had been purchased directly through the builder. Now the second phase was under way. Visiting the neighborhood was on her to-do list, as was familiarizing herself with the builder's preregistration policy. She'd heard tales from old-school brokers about adversarial relationships with builders, but that hadn't been her experience. Renee frequently reminded them that the more people they got along with, the more sales they closed.
"I'm planning to stop by the subdivision this week," Dani said.
"Great. I'll let you get back to work, then. Watch for an email from Spencer with the softball schedule."
Dani had about an hour to spend on paperwork before she left to show some houses. She'd called the client that morning to see if they could meet at a nearby coffee shop. Dani planned to get her usual chai latte there. It wasn't a workable long-term strategy, avoiding the downstairs vendor in hopes that Bryce Grayson eventually transferred to Walla Walla, but it would get her through today.
By late afternoon, she'd hit her stride, happy with a number of new leads and feeling more herself than when she'd rolled out of bed. As predicted, Sonia Donavan phoned to discuss putting her house on the market. Although the woman was clearly bitter about her divorce, she had a razor-sharp sense of humor that had Dani biting her lip to stifle inappropriate laughter. She was grateful to find herself in a brighter mood leading up to dinner with her dad. She needed to convince him she wasn't brokenhearted over Tate.
Frankly, now that she'd had time and perspective to reevaluate her relationship, she was surprised her father had ever approved of the man. Next to her father, Tate Malcolm was such a small person. Literally and figuratively. Then again, it wasn't as if the two men had spent tons of time together.
"Um, Danica?"
Startled, she looked up from the unfinished email she was supposed to be typing. Great-it had taken her all day to assure Judy she was okay and now the receptionist caught her zoned out and staring into space. Oh, well. If the concerned woman brought some mini candy bars to cheer her up, Dani would just have to throw herself on the chocolate sword and eat a couple. It was the polite thing to do.
"What can I do for you, Judy?"
"Not for me." She lowered her voice to a whisper, her eyes the size of silver dollars. "For him. You'll never believe who's here to see you!" She dropped her voice again. By the time she added, "Hot Architect," Dani was lipreading.
Bryce Grayson had come to see her? Unlikely.
Sean.
Her heart thudded madly in her chest. She told herself it was an adrenaline surge caused by anger. There was absolutely no part of her that was eager to see him; she had more self-respect than that. More willpower. She couldn't undo Tate cheating on her or her stolen weekend with Sean, but she could learn from her mistakes. No more liars for me.
"Danica?" Judy prompted. "Do you want me to show him in?"
Hell, no. But dodging him felt cowardly. He was the one who should have difficulty facing her, not the other way around.
Clearing her throat, she straightened in her chair. "By all means."
Radiating unabashed curiosity over the visit, Judy ushered him into the office. It was definitely Sean, although he looked more like his brother than the last time she'd seen him. He wore a black polo shirt and khaki pants. He was clean shaven, and his hair was smoothed into a more conservative style. Still, those were superficial resemblances outweighed by glaring differences. She'd never confuse the two men again. Too bad she hadn't known Bryce was a twin on Saturday.
His gaze went straight to hers, the connection between them jolting. Get over it, she told her hormones. She warned her clients all the time not to be beguiled by an attractive exterior that could hide an alarming number of flaws. Sean Grayson was definitely not up to code.
She gestured toward the guest chairs on the other side of her desk. "Have a seat, Gray." She couldn't stop herself from sneering the nickname.
Judy gaped as if Dani had sprouted a second head-one with glowing red eyes and a skull covered in live snakes. The receptionist backed away slowly. "I, uh, was just headed home for the day, so..."
"Would you mind closing the door on your way out?" Dani requested in a gentler tone. Whatever Sean had to say, she didn't want anyone to overhear. Yet once the door was shut, she regretted her request. Being alone with him felt too intimate. Seconds scraped by in painful silence.