Page 23 of Second Chance for the Single Mom

Too bad.

On Thursday, my boss called me with a last minute showing. “I’ll send you the info, but the buyer wants to see this housenow. Can you meet him there in ten minutes?”

“Ten minutes…” I looked across the living room at Bran, who was coloring on a stack of construction paper. Sara and Harper were at a birthing class for the next two hours. “I don’t have anyone to babysit my son. Can they meet first thing tomorrow morning?”

“They want to gonow, and you’re the only agent I have available. I know I’m asking a lot, Haley, but the commission on this property is going to bemassive.Take Bran to the showing if you have to.”

I hung up the phone and turned to Bran. “Want to go for a quick adventure in the car?”

Fifteen minutes later, I was fully dressed and pulling up to the showing in question. It was a ranch style house on an over-sized lot, next to a public park with a baseball field. My realtor senses were tingling—based on the location and size of the house, this would be an easy sale.

“Mommy’s going to show these nice people this house,” I explained to Bran in the backseat. “Can you stay in the car for ten minutes?”

Bran barely looked up from his coloring book. “I’m working on a maze.”

“That’s good. Stay in the car, okay? Mommy will be back real soon.”

I made sure the child-proof locks were enabled, then walked up the driveway to the house. Behind me, another car door opened and then closed. That must have been the potential buyer, whose file I hadn’t yet had a chance to read. The sun was setting behind him, veiling his face in shadow for a few moments. But there was something familiar in the way he walked toward me, cocking his head slightly. The dark hair, the broad shoulders…

Lucas?I wondered.

“Are you Ms. Mercer?” the man asked in a voice thatdefinitelydidn’t belong to Lucas. “With Northwest Realtor Group?”

“That’s me!” I said. “Sorry if I’m late.”

“I just got here,” the man said, shaking my hand. “That’s my wife pulling up now.”

Another car parked behind mine, and a woman in a short skirt hurried up to us. “Thanks for meeting us so soon! When we saw this house hit the market, we knew we had to act fast…” She patted her husband’s arm. “Look at the park! There’s a baseball field!”

“You can’t beat this location,” I said, shifting into realtor mode. “Do you two have children?”

“No, but we’re starting a family soon,” the husband said.

I opened the front door and held it open for them. “I have a five-year-old son. This property isperfectfor raising kids. Wait until you see the fenced-in backyard.”

Even though I was flying by the seat of my pants on this showing, I was experienced enough to get by. Besides, it was an easy sale. The couple was in love with the house, and wanted to put in an offer tonight.

“I’ll call our office and get the paperwork drawn up,” I said as we walked out the front door. “Let’s talk about your offer. This house is already priced competitively, so I would caution against trying to low-ball them, especially if you love…”

I trailed off. My eyes were glued to my minivan parked in front of the house.

One of the rear sliding doors was open.

“Just a minute,” I said, walking more calmly than I felt. When I reached the door, I threw it the rest of the way open.

Construction paper and colored pencils covered the floor, but Bran was gone.

“Bran?” I called, my voice rising. “My son was just here. BRAN!”

“Did he run to the park?” the wife asked me. “What was he wearing?”

“A lime green Ninja Turtles shirt,” I said, panic rising in my chest. “BRAN!”

“Is that him?” The husband pointed to the park.

I spotted the green shirt in the crowd of children playing on the baseball field. Knowing that I might trip on the soft grass in my high heels, and not giving a single shit, I ran in that direction.

That was definitely Bran.

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