Page 67 of That Time We Kissed Under the Mistletoe
When Sara reaches the doorway, she converges on us panting and out of breath. “Hi there, Ms. Det?—”
“Ryan. Please.”
“Great!” Sara presses a grin across her face. “I’m Sara. It’s so nice to finally put a face to all the texts. To be honest, I thought you were a?—”
“A man, right?” she interrupts. “I know. Ryan isn’t common for a woman. But my mom liked it. And since I’m not supposed to see the homeowners, I never bother warning anyone.” She shifts her focus to the messy room. “But did I come at the wrong time?”
“No, no, no.” Sara’s eyes pop wide. “You’re right on time, actually. Ten o’clock!” A nervous laugh trills out of her, and she flicks her gaze over to me. “Ryan, this is my friend, Three Fuller.”
“We already met,” I say. “Sort of.” Bobbing my head, I reachout to shake her hand, trying to ignore the twist in my gut at being introduced as Sara’sfriend.
“Anyway.” Sara pushes out a chuckle. “I’m sorry the house isn’t exactly put together now…”
“Yes, your friend was just starting to explain the situation.” Ryan presses her lips together. “He told me you were throwing a party when you both got stuck in that room behind the bookshelves. A room with no handle and no working light fixture, I might add.”
“Well, we’re not sure about the handle. And as for the light, I?—”
“Ms. Hathaway, I’m afraid there’s no need for me to evaluate any other part of this property. I won’t be approving your home for Platinum Stays.”
When Sara’s face crumples, I immediately go into fix-it mode. I’ve got to make this better for her. “Now hold on a minute.” I lift my hands as if in surrender. “I have a suggestion, if you’d be willing to hear me out.”
Ryan’s eyes flick to me. “I do apologize for my abruptness, Mr. Fuller, but this home is simply not up to our standards.”
“I’m only asking for the chance to prove to you that itcanbe.” I offer her my friendliest smile—the one my students and their parents can’t say no to. “You see, underneath all these holiday extras, this home—the entire property—is elegantly appointed. The finishes and decor are new and on trend. The views of the lake are unmatched. Inside and out, this place is truly spectacular.”
Ryan sniffs. “Including the flamingoes out front?”
“Heh heh heh.” I force a laugh. “The flamingoes are optional. I just don’t want you to make the mistake of allowing your company to miss out on a gorgeous rental home that’s temporarily buried under myfriend’s enthusiastic attempts to cheer me up.”
I cut my focus to Sara who’s staring at me, gape-mouthed. Sure I swooped in when she didn’t ask for my help, but if Isucceed, she’ll hopefully forgive me. Plus erasing the look of failure on her face is all that matters now.
“The sad truth is,” I continue, “I’m stuck here in town, missing out on a family vacation due to a most unfortunate injury.” I tip my head, pointing first to the bandage, then at the lump.
“Oh, dear,” Ryan says. “That’s horrible.”
“Yes,” I say. “It was.” Sara lets out a little yelp, but I keep my eyes lasered in on the evaluator. “I’d sure hate to think Sara’s kindness to me might jeopardize the approval of this home for her, Ms. Detweiler.”
“Ryan,” she corrects.
“Right.” Another smile from me. “So,Ryan, I’m guessing Sara only needs an hour or two to put this whole place right again. In the meantime, I’d be happy to show you around Abieville. As a lifelong resident, I can point out all the one-of-a-kind amenities our town has to offer future vacationers. Then, if it’s all right with you, we can circle back here for you to complete your evaluation.”
Sara opens her mouth. “But I?—”
“You’d only need a couple hours, right?” I lift my brow, hoping she’ll catch on to what I’m trying to accomplish.
“Ahem.” Ryan clears her throat primly, drawing my attention back to her. “Mr. Fuller?—”
“Three,” I say.
“All right, Three. I’m afraid that even if these … umm … party supplies were cleaned up, that room behind the bookshelves would remain a problem. It’s simply unsafe.”
“True enough,” I say. “But you haven’t heard the rest of my proposal yet.”
“There’s more?” Sara squawks.
“Of course,” I say. “If Ryan finds everything else about this place suitable, I’ll make all the necessary safety adjustments myself, including an accessible handle on the inside of the room, andadequate lighting.”
Sara and Ryan eye me. “You can do that?” they both ask me at the same time.
