Page 5 of Home to Me

Rather, she simply replied with a small half-smile, “Well, I assure you that “someone” could not have been more wrong. I have a full schedule this afternoon, and since I strive to always be on time to all my professional and personal appointments, I will leave you to your cue cards.”

With that, she spun on her heel and glided gracefully out of the living room, across the entryway, and through the front door. Again, she would never give him the satisfaction of storming out, even if every cell in her body was burning with the desire to stomp out to her car like a toddler throwing a tantrum. That might feel satisfying in the moment, but it simply wasn't in her nature to indulge in public displays. She would have to take what satisfaction she could from the small barb she had leveled at him on her way out.

The fresh, crisp smell of pine instantly calmed her as she stepped outside. Her heels clicked on the brick pathway as she walked down to her car. Slipping on her Coach sunglasses, she thought about her parting remark.

Her little dig was innocuous enough that it probably didn't even register as a blip on his radar. Still, at least she didn't merely bow to his “star” attitude and fade away into the background like one of his admirers. At least, whether he registered it or not, she told him—albeit in her classy, roundabout way—precisely what she thought about him and the way he represented the profession that she loved.

She climbed into her Mercedes, turned it on, and placed her hands on the wheel, surprised to find that they were actually trembling. Was it out of anger? Irritation?

Lauren shook her head. This was so unlike her. Why was Ben Stevens, of all people, having such an unprecedented effect on her? Yes, he was a jerk—but Lauren had met some prize jerks in her time. None of them ever engendered frustration to the point where she was shaking.

He was arrogant and entitled and completely and totally aggravating. He behaved totally unprofessionally, indirectly treating others as if they didn't exist. He was the human embodiment of every single trait she found distasteful in another person, let alone in a man.

But this caused her to ponder an enigma that was a little more disturbing. Yes, there was one thing about the encounter that truly bothered her above all else. One question that nagged at her and wouldn't leave her alone.

Why was the back of her hand still tingling where he had kissed it?

3

Leaning back in her oversized, maroon, leather office chair, Lauren relaxed as she gazed out over the spectacular view of the sun setting over mountain peaks. It was the first moment she’d taken to just breathe all day long. And long was exactly the right word for it, too—her alarm had gone off at the ungodly hour of four fifteen a.m., and other than the hurry up and wait she’d done all day, this evening she hadn't stopped moving.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, she thought about how today was a test of her will and her patience, to say the least. The evening went by in a blur but had been infinitely more productive. She’d spent it showing some multimillion-dollar properties to a couple that had flown in from Dallas to look for a vacation home in the area.

For some reason, she wanted to rub that fact in Ben Stevens’ face, to show him that that was how legitimate real estate agents spent their days. Which was ridiculous. Other people’s opinions were of little to no consequence to her. And she certainly didn’t waste her time trying to flaunt her success to her colleagues. Ever.

But she’d had a very successful day, and whether it was classy or not, she really wished a certain TV personality was aware of this fact.

The couple had been quite picky about certain features of the homes they looked at, features they didn't specify before Lauren had taken them out. This didn't give her even a moment's pause, however. Clients who didn't know what they wanted until they saw what they didn’t want were the norm, not the exception.

In fact, Lauren would bet that, if there were a scientific study on the correlation between what factors a client said were important to them before they started house hunting and what factors they actually ended up basing their final decision on, the result would be that there was almost no relationship whatsoever.

Lauren understood this. It made sense, actually. People walked into a real estate agent's office with a list of practical items in mind—square footage, number of bedrooms, etc. But when you got them out into the field and they started actually walking through houses, it became more about if they could picture themselves living there. Did it feel like home? And most of the time that emotional connection with a property had little to do with square footage or number of bedrooms.

So the thing to do, in Lauren's experience, was to listen carefully as they talked to each other and to her while touring the homes. But the key was not to listen to their words so much—that was a rookie mistake. No, you had to learn to read between the lines. Read their body language, their facial expressions, and the looks they exchanged between them that spoke volumes. Those were the cues that would tell a skilled agent what features their clients were really looking for in a home. What features would make them walk into a house and make them feel as if they already lived there. And Lauren was not just skilled. She was brilliant.

And that was exactly what she’d done this evening with the couple from Dallas. Lauren saw within the first five minutes of touring the very first home that what they described to her over the phone as being on both their “wish list” and “deal-breaker list” had almost no relationship whatsoever with what was on their “subconscious gut-check list.”

She’d made a split-second decision to scrap all of the homes she’d planned for the tour and spent a quick ten minutes setting up three new showings. She didn't even have to check the MLS on her Blackberry. Lauren knew the up-to-the-day inventory like the back of her hand—and not just the bare-bones specs of the houses either, but the intangibles. She knew the feeling that each home had.

As it turned out, they didn't even have to tour all three. Before they‘d even gone upstairs in the first property on Lauren's revised list, the couple had fallen in love and put in an offer. It was a stellar offer, too. Two percent above asking price. The older man and his somewhat younger wife felt they absolutely had to have it, and money was no object.

It was in moments like these that Lauren absolutely loved her job. Loved it. A lot of her colleagues stressed out about the instability of the market, the long hours, and the uncertainty of a deal falling through, the time and money that ended up being invested in deals that went nowhere. None of these things mattered to Lauren when compared to the high she felt when she closed a deal. The rush was exhilarating. It was unlike anything else she'd ever felt.

Except maybe...sex.

Yes. Sex. Good sex, anyway. That ran a close second.

She sighed and rolled her head from side to side, trying to stretch out a knot. Unfortunately, she thought to herself with regret, it's been close to a year since I've been able to actively analyze that particular comparison. Yep. Almost a year since she'd had any kind of action in that area of her life, and even then, it had been mediocre at best.

She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. That had to be why she could still feel Ben's phantom lips on her hand. Why his deep voice was playing on repeat through her mind.

She was lonely. That was the only reasonable explanation for her insane response to Ben Stevens.

Lauren hadn’t been involved with anyone since the acrimonious breakup with her former boss back in New York. Things got very ugly when he attempted to blackmail her into continuing their affair by damaging her reputation and making it impossible for her to work for any other broker in the city.

Lauren left the negative situation in New York and returned home to Hope Falls to help her childhood friend Amanda deal with the loss of her father, Parker Jacobs. Once she’d been reunited with Amanda and the other two members of the Fabulous Four (her childhood best friends), Samantha and Karina, Lauren realized that she wasn’t living the life that she wanted. New York had served its purpose in her life, but that chapter was truly over. Hope Falls was where her heart lay.

She didn’t leave New York with her tail between her legs though. That wasn't her style. No, Lauren made sure that Jim Prescott was served his just desserts.

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