He removed his cell phone from his pocket and decided a call to Remington was in order.
It rang three times before the man picked up. “Hey, Boss.”
“Where are you?” From the sound in the background, a party, including a live band, was in full swing. Not what Hunter was paying for.
“Miami. This town is hopping.”
He cringed. “I’m not paying you to party.”
“Yeah, you are.”
Hunter wanted to yell, but kept his cool. “What do you have?”
Remington muffled his next words, obviously speaking to someone else. “Who knew nurses liked to party?”
“Excuse me?”
The sound on the phone muffled and then quieted. “Looks like your little sex kitten was admitted to the hospital the same time her husband bit the dust.”
“Why?”
“Don’t know. She didn’t die, and the HIPPA laws have the files shut. Crazy how when you die, those files are open wide. Not so much when you’re alive.”
“So you’re partying with the nurses.”
Remington started to laugh. “My job sucks, Blackwell. Might need a raise.”
“Bloodsucking bastard.”
Remington laughed. “I’ll be in touch.”
The real estate agent drove her to the sixth multimillion-dollar home in Bel Air.
Gabi had added the stipulation in the contract as a delay tactic; the house hunt, however, was actually really fun. She limited the budget to under ten million, which was a challenge in light of the fact that she wanted a half an acre of property.
Each property had a redeeming quality, and something that wasn’t desirable. A view was nice . . . a swimming pool? Yeah, she missed her brother’s island resort. She missed the ocean, but the image of it would sometimes make her break out in an unwelcome sweat. Alonzo took that from her . . . the love of the ocean. He took a hell of a lot more, but she refused to think about those things.
The outside space of one home was too narrow, the next, close to nothing.
The kitchens were large, but not something she saw herself cooking in. It was like those who lived in the houses didn’t cook . . . or if they did, it was a microwave experience.
Her cell phone rang as she was walking around the back of one of the houses on a side of a steep hill. She didn’t recognize the number but answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“Gabi.” His voice was actually soothing on the phone.
“Blackwell.”
He laughed. “Asking you to call me Hunter is too much of a chore?”
“I haven’t decided.” She paused, then said, “I take it your plane didn’t go down.”
“No such luck,” he laughed. “My pilot is one of the best.”
“Your very own pilot? I should have guessed.”
“Yes, you should have,” he said.
“Why are you calling?” She moved away from the real estate agent, who hovered close by.
“I’d like to have dinner with you. I’ll be back in town tomorrow afternoon.”
She closed her eyes and pushed away the desire to tell him no. She’d not agreed to a simple date since Alonzo. There had been plenty of opportunities since moving to LA, but the desire to be alone with a man never manifested.
Truth was, she didn’t want to now, but Hunter was her husband.
For a little while, at least.
“Fine,” she mumbled. “We do have a lot to discuss.”
“We do,” he agreed.
“I’m looking at houses,” she offered when he went silent.
“Find anything?”
She sighed. “Not really. I asked to see property that could be turned quickly. There’s not as much out there as I’d hoped.”
“Who is the agent?”
She told him and continued, “Beverly Hills is too congested. Hollywood is too . . .”
“Hollywood,” he finished her sentence.
She found herself smiling. “Yeah. I’m looking in Bel Air.”
“Close to the freeway . . . easy drive to the city.”
Gabi found herself frowning. “I’m not trying to make this easy on you.”
He laughed. “I’m sure you’re not.”
“I’d like to see the house before you make an offer,” he told her.
“Don’t trust me?” she asked.
“I don’t know you well enough to trust you, Gabi.”
That, she could agree with. “Fine. I’ll give you a list when I see you tomorrow.”
“Five?” he asked.
“Fine.”
“See you then,” he said.
“Not if your pilot crashes your jet.”
Hunter laughed and hung up.
Gabi sat across from a stranger.
He wore a thin turtleneck sweater, something she wouldn’t think was attractive on a sale rack, but on Hunter, it demanded her attention.