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attacks, strokes, accidents, you name it. This one just got a little more press.”
“In other words, it’s been tough to sell.”
“You could say that.” Vince stopped outside the next room and turned to face her. “You’re not really interested in buying this place, are you?”
“Well I might be, if I could afford it,” she said, aware that she’d played the game to its end.
“So you’re here because . . . ?”
“Curiosity I guess.”
“Fair enough. There’s a lot to be said for honesty. Apparently anything else can just come back to bite you in the ass.”
“Thanks for the graphics,” Rory said wryly. If Vince was right about that, she was going to have a very sore posterior.
“Sorry. I guess I should be more careful what I say when I’m wearing the real estate agent’s hat. Look, since you’re here anyway, would you like to see the rest of the house?”
“If you don’t mind.”
“It would be my pleasure. But may I ask if there really is a husband, mother-in-law and two dogs?”
“None of the above, but I’d love to have two dogs some day.”
“Touché.” Vince laughed, shaking his head.
“I almost forgot,” Rory said as they left the girl’s room. “I saw a young man bolting down the stairs when I was coming up. Did you see him?”
“You must mean Andy. Knapsack, skittish looking?”
“Yeah, he was in such a hurry I thought he might have stolen something.”
Vince shook his head. “No, Andy’s a good kid, just a little slow and socially inept. He’s my real estate agent’s son. He didn’t know his dad was off today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Rory said. “I feel terrible for having even mentioned it.”
“Don’t be silly; you had no way of knowing. And it’s a legitimate concern with open houses. I’ve had things stolen in the past.”
Rory knew he was trying to make her feel better, but she wasn’t about to absolve herself so easily. She shouldn’t make snap judgments about people like that.
Vince showed her through the rest of the second floor, including the study he’d mentioned earlier and a large master suite. Then he took her down the back stairs that led into the kitchen by way of a butler’s pantry. He was a pleasant enough tour guide, but Rory needed to tour the house by herself. She couldn’t really inspect the rooms for potential clues with him at her side. She would have to make another visit, preferably at night and alone. Of course, that would require picking the lock, and probably dealing with an alarm system. There was sure to be all sorts of unpleasantness if she were caught. She’d have to come up with something less likely to lead to a jail sentence.
“Did you have a chance to sign the visitor’s log when you came in?” Vince asked as they returned to the entry. He motioned to a parson’s table that stood against one of the entry walls. A small leather-clad book lay open on it.
“No, I didn’t know I was expected to,” she said.
“If you wouldn’t mind. It’s just your name, address and phone number. You never know, I might just decide to drop the price on the property, or I might find myself in need of a charming dinner date.”
“Well, in that case,” Rory said, “how can I refuse?”
She walked over to the table and picked up the pen that lay along the inner binding of the book. The date had been written at the top of the left-hand page, and beneath it two other visitors had printed their information. She added hers, then rejoined Vince at the door and thanked him for the house tour.
“No problem. It’s not like potential buyers are knocking each other over to get in here today. Just promise me one thing,” he said as he opened the door for her.
“Sure, name it.”
“When you win the lottery you’ll come back and make me an offer.”
“You’ve got it. Of course it might take some time, since I never actually play the lottery.”
On the drive back to Woodbury, Rory thought about her conversation with
Lily Graison
Laura Pritchett
Donna Ball
Percival Constantine
Cyn Balog
Julia Kelly
Sandi Layne
Timothy Boyd
Lucy Grealy
Julia Quinn