Page 15 of California Waves

She beamed at him. She’d stayed pretty professional throughout the tour, highlighting features and explaining square footage, but now she let out her own enthusiasm. “I just knew you would. I had an instinct. But here’s the thing. It sold, but the deal fell apart just this afternoon. You’re the first person to see it, and if you want it, I think you need to put in an offer today. Like, literally right after we walk out of here.”

He was surprised by the need for speed, but it didn’t deter him. He would have said yes on the spot, but because he didn’t want to be a pushover, he said, “Let’s walk around the outside.”

She took the lead again as they strolled in the warm evening light. She pointed out that the grounds were low maintenance, and because there were so many trees, he’d have his privacy from every aspect. “Of course,” she said, “the house does need a little updating. The kitchen’s got room for an expansion maybe, and some of the colors on the walls could do with a refresh.”

He nodded. He’d noted all of that too. But the construction was top quality, and the house didn’t look like any other he’d seen on the market. It was unique. And somehow it felt right to him. It felt like… his.

Mila consulted her notes again. “The sellers are an older couple who are downsizing and want the move to be easy. Basically, they want you to take everything—furniture, linens, dishes in the cupboards, everything.”

For the first time, she looked a little uncertain. It was true that maybe this would be off-putting for many people who wanted to put their own stamp on their new home, but he didn’t have time for home decoration, so he said what he was thinking. “That’s a selling feature for me. It would save me a lot of time and a lot of shopping. I’m not a big one for shopping, as you might imagine.”

She smiled and commented on what a neat fit it made, and then together they went back inside for a second walk-through. This time, Hersch did more thorough checks of the building. Now that he was seriously going to buy it, he should take a little more time. Mila was the perfect companion. She didn’t keep butting into his perusal by pointing out the house’s good points. She was letting him find them for himself. The room that he imagined might be a gym would need added lighting, but it had big windows, and doors that could be opened on a sunny day. He could see himself working out in here.

Now that he was thinking about taking on everything from the linens to the dishes, he took the trouble to open some of the kitchen cupboards and peruse the china. It wasn’t entirely to his taste, but it was fine. Upstairs, they made a cursory tour of the guest rooms and then spent a little more time in the primary bedroom. He watched her turn a slow circle and then felt a sudden surge of lust. Mila, him, a big bed. A man couldn’t help but have ideas.

She seemed to be thinking on a different track, however. “I think you could update these linens and curtains and maybe change the paint. I’d get rid of that painting of the peacock, myself. Make the space your own.”

Make it your own. For a minute, all thoughts of buying a house flew out of his mind, and he had a vision of himself and Mila tangled up in the sheets right there on that bed. Damn it, he needed to do a better job of controlling his attraction to her. She was showing him a house, not asking him to throw her on the bed and ravish her! But the image took over his mind, and he found himself beginning to sweat… just as if they were actually entwined beneath those sheets.

To calm down, he walked over to the window and forced himself to look out. “This is a great view.” Which he must have already said about three times.

Mila walked into the huge ensuite and called back, “I’d buy the house just for this tub. It’s got a skylight, so you could soak your sore muscles after working out and look up at the stars.” He followed her in, and she turned to grin at him. “Maybe you’ll see your friends up in space.”

He didn’t bother to tell her that there was no way he could see anybody in space from here. He assumed she’d been joking anyway. But now he couldn’t stop thinking about Mila in that tub… barely covered by a cloud of bubbles. As the fantasy grew, he was dimly aware of Mila commenting on the quality of the fixtures. She didn’t mention that the tub was big enough for two, but his mind was already there, and now he could see her stretched out, naked, as he leaned over to take her soapy breasts into his hands. They were standing so close that he could smell the ocean in her hair again and could almost count the freckles across her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. It was becoming harder by the second for him not to kiss her.

After a lifetime of not making impulsive decisions, he made one. “I’ll take it. I’ll pay the asking price, and I have the money ready. How soon can we close?”

She looked as though she might hug him—even took a tiny step closer. He held his breath. Was she about to embrace him? But no. She stopped and flashed him that megawatt smile again. “You, Herschel Greenfield, might just be the perfect client. And my gut says that if we sign the agreements and transfer the money, you’re in as soon as you’d like to be. Since the sellers don’t have to move everything out, it couldn’t be easier.” She turned and pivoted a little coquettishly. “I’m positive that in less than a week, you could be sleeping in that bed.” Then she paused. “Though I have to warn you, sometimes deals do go sideways. But let’s hope for the best and not borrow trouble.”

So Mila Davenport was a realist. And honest. He liked that a lot. But he needed to get out of this bedroom before he could act on any of his raging fantasies. But as they returned to the living room, he couldn’t help but picture her on the floor in front of that fireplace, reflected flames licking her naked body. Who was he kidding? This woman had gotten under his skin.

He said, “Let’s go make an offer.”

Chapter Nine

Mila was on cloud nine. She loved it when her instincts about people and houses were right. She was definitely a bit of a matchmaker in that sense. She’d scored Herschel the perfect match on her first try. Those first two houses had been a warmup, and she had a feeling Hersch knew that too.

They drove back to her office, chatting happily as if they’d known each other for a long time, not a couple of days. Mila felt herself relax, even though the deal was one of the quickest and most exciting she’d ever made.

She settled Hersch at the conference table in the office and then excused herself to phone Dan Ferguson and tell him the good news. He picked up right away. Dan always did. He might say he was going to take a night off work and spend the evening with his wife and a cold beer, but she knew as well as he did that if there was a deal on the table, he’d be back here like a shot.

When he answered, he didn’t beat around the bush. “Mila. Your client like the house?”

“Dan, put that beer away and crack open the champagne. He’s making an offer tonight. Full price, cash. His only hard line is a quick closing. He’d move in tomorrow if he could.”

Dan chuckled. “Mila, honey, it was a great day when I decided to teach you everything I know. Sometimes I think that the student has surpassed the master.”

“Never. But I did learn from the best.”

Dan said, “It’s late back East, where the owners live, but we’ll submit the offer anyway. We should have this all wrapped up by tomorrow.”

She went back into the office and gave Herschel the good news. She said, “If all goes well, you’ll be sleeping in that primary bedroom in a matter of days.” Why did she keep mentioning the bedroom? What was wrong with her? No sooner did she picture that beautiful bedroom with the balcony and the view and the fireplace than she imagined the two of them curled up in that bed, slowly peeling each other’s clothes away. She had to stop herself. Right now!

While she got the paperwork together, she said, “Is this the first house you’ve ever bought?”

Hersch lifted his gaze from the survey that had already been done on the property. He was definitely reading every word—something very few of her clients ever did.

“I already have a house in Mountain View near work,” he said. “This would be a second home. But it’s a lot nicer than my first home. I could picture living here full-time one day.”

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