Page 113 of A Soldier's Return

Eben blinked a few times at her gushing warmth, but finally held out his hand. “Hello. Eben Spencer. I’m afraid my daughter and I are only here until the weekend.”

Tracy’s face fell and she didn’t look like she wanted to let go of his hand, as if she could change his mind just with her force of will. Eben finally managed to slip it away.

“Too bad for us. But if you ever think about moving back permanently, give me a call. Let me give you my card. Now you hang on to that, promise? I have listings up and down the northern/central coast, from Astoria to Newport. From luxury beachside houses to small two-room cottages, I can hook you up with anything you want. Anything.”

Sage certainly didn’t mistake the intent in that single, flirtatious word and Eben obviously didn’t either.

“Uh, thank you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome. For instance, I just picked up two new listings today in Manzanita. The master suite in one of them is huge with one full wall of windows overlooking the ocean. Truly stunning and it’s listed at several thousand dollars below appraisal. At that price, it’s not going to last long. And the other one has four bedrooms, including one that would be perfect for an in-law suite.”

Before Tracy could get revved up into a full-scale sales pitch, Sage took pity on Eben’s glazed expression and stepped in. “Mr. Spencer, I imagine you’re probably looking for the hiking trail guides we talked about this morning, aren’t you?”

He looked baffled for only half a second, then seized on the excuse. “Yes. Exactly. I’m very anxious to see the area.”

“I’m sorry, I meant to have them ready for you when you arrived to pick up Chloe, but it’s been a rather busy day. It won’t take me a second to dig them out of my files, though. They’re back in my office, if you want to come with me. Tracy, will you excuse us?”

Tracy opened her mouth to object, but Sage didn’t give her a chance, she just led Eben through the center to her office.

“Trail guides?” he murmured when they were safely out of earshot.

“I couldn’t think of anything else. Sorry. Tracy’s a sweetheart but she can be a bit of a piranha if she smells fresh meat.”

He raised an eyebrow and Sage could feel herself flush. “Completely in the real estate sense of the word, I mean. Potential customers.”

“Right.”

He looked tired, she thought. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, his tie loose and that hint of disreputable stubble was back on his jawline. No wonder Tracy went into hungry mode.

“Uh, long day?”

He shrugged. “We’re having some labor issues with a couple of our European properties. It took some serious negotiations, but I think we’ve finally got a handle on it.”

He studied her for a long moment, a light in his eyes that left her suddenly breathless. “How about you?”

“It’s been a good day. The kids seemed to enjoy Ecola. What’s not to love? The place looks prehistoric, like dinosaurs will come stalking through the plants any minute now.”

“How was Chloe today?”

“Tired, I think.”

“I suppose that’s what happens when she wakes us both up before five o’clock.”

“Probably. She was a little bit cranky, but we didn’t have any real problems. She fell asleep for a few moments in the van on the way back.”

“She’ll probably zonk out right after dinner, which will be good since I’m suddenly slammed with paperwork my assistant sent by courier.”

She had a sudden fierce longing to run a finger down the tired lines at the corner of his mouth, as if she could soothe them. The impulse appalled her. “And are you the proud owner of a certain Cannon Beach landmark yet?”

“Not yet. They’re stalling with every possible tactic they can come up with.”

“Yet you’re not giving up?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. At this point, I’m not sure what else I can do. I can’t force Stanley and Jade to sell, nor would I want to.”

“Someone unscrupulous probably could figure out a way to do just that.”

To her surprise, hurt flickered in his gaze. “Is that what you think of me?”

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