“Will do.”
Lacey stepped from the settlement attorney’s office and into the crisp air. It was cooler than usual for early September, hinting of fall weather around the corner. The refreshing breeze only added to Lacey’s good mood. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Maeve’s number as she walked down an alley toward Main Street. It went straight to voice mail.
“Maeve? Where are you? I made it through my first closing. Wish you were around. I need a drink to celebrate, and I can finally afford one. Call me.”
Lacey snapped her phone shut. It wasn’t a huge sale, but the small commission would at least keep her from worrying about her rent for a few months. Besides that, it was her first.
Feeling the weight of the cell phone in her pocket, she willed it to ring. She had to talk to someone. On a whim, she pulled it out again and dialed her parents.
“Hi, Mom. It’s Lacey. How are you?”
“Lacey. I was just going to call you.”
“Really?” Lacey asked, suddenly hopeful her mother had remembered that the closing of the Sandoval house was today.
“Yes. Your sister is going to be on CNBC this evening again. Between five and six your time. She asked me to tell you.”
“I’ll try to check it out,” Lacey said, knowing full well she’d skip it.
“So what did you call about?”
“Nothing much.” In the shadow of her sister’s TV appearance, Lacey felt the need to rein in her enthusiasm. “I just finished the closing on the Sandoval home.”
“Is that the waterfront property you just listed? That was quick.”
Lacey’s face drooped. “No. That’s still up for sale. This is just a starter home for a newly married couple.”
“Oh, yes. Sandoval. Now I remember them. You spent a lot of time with them. Didn’t they make an offer a few months ago?”
“It’s been about six weeks. There were a few things that needed to be fixed after the inspection.”
“You must be thrilled to unload them. They sounded very high-maintenance for people willing to spend so little on a home.”
Lacey felt the odd need to defend her clients. “They’re actually a nice couple. Not everyone can spend seven figures on a house.”
“Mm,” her mother responded, obviously distracted by something.
She was probably turning on CNBC at this very moment, Lacey concluded. “Well, I’m at my car now. I better go.”
“Of course. Have a good night.”
Lacey leaned against the side of her car and suppressed the urge to throw the phone across the street. She certainly couldn’t afford to replace it.
***
In retrospect, Mick had been pretty pleased with himself for not calling Lacey in over a week. It proved that he was still in control of his emotions. Control was important.
Of course, that was not counting when he had called Lacey the day after their dinner to tell her she had lost an earring in his car. Mick had thought it was a ploy to get him to call her, his healthy ego getting the better of him. Women were trained to “accidentally” leave things behind if they wanted a man to call them. He may be a guy, but he had some passing knowledge of that whole Cinderella-glass-slipper thing.
The fact that the earring turned out not to be Lacey’s—well, he hadn’t expected that. But the time they had spent laughing about it on the phone was almost worth his being wrong. He hated being wrong.
Fortunately it rarely happened.
He flicked his cell open and started dialing.
“Hello?” Lacey’s voice sounded hollow on the other end.
“Lacey? It’s Mick. Are you all right?”
“Oh.” Her voice brightened a bit. “Hi, Mick. No, I’m fine. I just got off the phone with my mother.”
“Everything okay? You don’t sound too happy.”
“Everything’s fine. Thanks, Mick. My mom’s just so—I don’t know.” She sighed. “How are you?”
“Fine. I just called to see how your first closing went. But I can tell from your tone that it must not have gone well.”
“No, actually it went great. That was nice of you to remember.”
“I’m just that kind of guy,” he said with a grin. “Congratulations, then. So why do you sound so down?”
“It’s just—it’s complex really. I told my mom about the closing and she was her usual less-than-enthusiastic self. She managed to tell me that my sister is going to be on CNBC in about an hour, though.”
Mick was glad to hear the bite in her tone. It made her sound less defeated. “And I’m sure you’re racing home right now to see her.”
Lacey laughed. “No way. In fact, I think I’ll stay out and avoid anyplace I might run into a TV for the next hour or so.”