Chapter Five | Chad

It was midweek so I was full-on missing Skylar. The house before I left for work this morning seemed empty and cold without him. My routine helped. Reminded me that he was continuing to care for me. We shared a schedule app that he could check to see if I'd marked things off.

After we'd worked on it together, I'd added my own items. The weekly housekeeping appointment, the grocery trip that I shopped to a strict budget, washing all the sheets and towels, and picking up his dry cleaning. And anything else I could think of to make the weekend better.

Having our home running smoothly freed up my mind to concentrate on work. Especially after exercising and having my meditation session. Sitting still like that had been difficult at first, but Skylar had encouraged me to keep trying. Now, I looked forward to calming my mind.

In addition, our video call last night had been soothing. The sound of Skylar's voice always eased my persistent overage of energy. Made it easier to sleep after we hung up.

I'd slept well last night, making me productive today at work. A tapping on my office door preceded the office manager, Tania, entering my sanctuary.

"Any potential listings?" she asked.

"None. The market is flatter than a pancake."

"I think you should dig back through our previous clients. Try to match them with the inventory of properties that are out there. Preferably, to move big-ticket items like houses."

She placed her hands on my desk and leaned forward .

"I heard about what you did to Owen. Tape across his doorway … honestly?" I snorted which did not go over well. She glared at me. "Maybe you should focus on work instead of pranking your colleagues. You're doing well here. Let's see if you can pull us out of this hole."

I tapped on my laptop keyboard to wake the screen. "Leave it with me."

She left me to work my magic. I was one step ahead of her. I'd already started doing what she suggested. I sorted the list of stale clients by the date of their last transaction and then began scanning their details. Family size, including determining whether they were about to become empty nesters. Their general budget based on the last house they purchased. The style of house they appeared to prefer and the areas they had viewed properties in during their last house hunt.

I started with the first couple and armed with my information about them, I paged through the available listings. It was a dead end. There wasn't anything that would fit their needs.

I worked my way through the first ten clients on the list. Matched them with some properties and did my cold calls. Some didn't go over well. Others agreed to meet with me.

In the back of my mind, I knew I was stepping on Owen's toes by calling clients he had initially worked with. Even felt a little guilty telling the clients Owen was inundated with work.

Sales were a cutthroat business. He should be used to it.

I furrowed my brow at my computer screen. Last night, Skylar had questioned my need to pull pranks. It had almost been an act of rebellion putting that tape across Owen's doorway. A thundering knock and call for him to hurry out had resulted in him walking straight into it.

God, he'd been pissed .

Smirking, I leaned back in my chair and then sighed. I needed to examine my motivation for continuing to tease Owen. Was I jealous of the relationship between him and Skylar? It didn't feel like jealousy. It turned me on imagining them taking it to a physical level.

I didn't dislike Owen. Much. His buttoned-up attitude had annoyed me when I first started working at the real estate agency. Owen was the epitome of a guy with a stick up his ass.

But damn, he was fine if you liked the uptight boy next door look.

I shuddered through an exhalation.

And I liked it … very much.

But I also liked to make his life miserable. He was adorable when he was mad. His cheeks turned an incredible crimson in sharp contrast to his deliciously pale skin made lighter by the riot of dark amber waves of hair he kept slightly longer on top. His one foray away from boring.

My door flew open and crashed against the wall.

"Jeezus." I leapt to my feet.

And there it was. The reddish cheeks and fire in his eyes. Owen burst in through my doorway all kinds of angry. I had an overwhelming urge to run to him and kiss that scowl right off his face.

I fought it back.

"What the fuck, Chad?" He stormed forward. "You tried to scoop my clients?"

I put up both hands. "It was Tania's idea. I was following orders."

"You told them I was too busy to work with them! Was that Tania's idea? Pretty sure she meant for you to test the waters but then turn over the leads to the appropriate agents."

I pursed my lips. I had known that. As I said, sales were a cutthroat business. My experience came from selling cars. It was always a scramble to swoop in on potential customers first.

Real estate tended to be more of a gentleman's game. Maybe I needed to ease up.

"I'll email you where I'm at with your client list," I said as I crossed my arms. "I'll focus on clients whose agents are no longer with us. Maybe we can convince those clients to stay."

Owen jammed his hands onto his hips. "Thank you."

Okay, now he really was kissable. Relief had registered on his expression. He didn't like being angry with me. That was probably because of his relationship with Skylar.

I cleared my throat.

Skylar hadn't told me any personal details about his conversations with Owen. Only that he wasn't sure Owen knew what he wanted, and that Owen needed his support to sort it out.

And now, they were flirting.

I dropped back into my chair. "Shouldn't you get to work calling those clients?"

"Fuck off." Then he was gone.

I turned to working on the open houses I had booked for the weekend. It meant time away from Skylar, but we'd pour every morsel of love and affection into the time we did have.

The stage was set. Open house number one of the day was designed to entice. Winter sunlight streamed in through the massive windows throughout the house with soft classical music in the background of every room. On the vast white marble island in the kitchen, I'd set flutes of mimosas and small cinnamon buns I'd heated in the oven. I was covering all the senses.

Sight, sound, taste, and smell. I'd ensure they'd touch the cool countertops and textured wallpaper to round out the experience. They'd be buying luxury and esteem .

The owners had already moved out, so I'd hired an interior designer to fill the home with high-end furnishings. It was a large outlay of cash, but I was confident the house would sell soon.

Properties like this didn't stay on the market long.

I needed a win.

A faint chime announced the front door had been opened. I waited in the kitchen with the pamphlets outlining the features of the home.

I groaned when Owen walked through the arched entrance alone.

"Client ditch you?" I taunted.

"They have a car and driver. They'll be here soon."

"Your car not good enough?"

"I just bought an Alfa Romeo SUV. My car is plenty good enough."

I quelled the urge to get into a pissing contest with him about who had the nicer and more expensive car. "Do you want a tour before they get here? It's a large property."

"I've studied the specs."

"So, you don't want a tour."

"I never said that."

Fuck, he's a pain in the ass.

"Let's start with the high-end appliances in the kitchen," I began, then took him through every room in the house. The last stop was the primary bedroom. I was showing him the large walk-in closet space, the size of a small bedroom, when we bumped shoulders.

My breath caught.

Sparks. Serious damned sparks. Both of us felt the static connection. Owen appeared to be holding his breath. Neither of us moved.

Then the energy shifted .

It felt as though we were squaring off against one another. The skin on the back of my neck tingled. Were we about to fuck or beat the crap out of one another?

The front door chime sounded, breaking us from what could only be described as a trance. A shared penetrating gaze had deepened as we both struggled through shallow breaths.

"Excuse me," Owen said and stepped away from me. "That will be my clients."

I had to place my hand on the wall for support after he left while I recovered.

What the hell was that?

It would have been one seriously angry fuck.

I wasn't sure what to do with that.

When I arrived home, all that was forgotten. Skylar had cooked dinner for us. Simple veggie burgers and fries. The fact he had prepared them made it the best meal I'd ever tasted.

He sat across the table from me. He'd grown out his poker-straight, strawberry-blond hair slightly. It was beginning to cover his ears. He looked up at me, pushed his teal-framed glasses up his angular nose, and smiled. The subtle upturn of his mouth reached his cool grey eyes.

"You're beautiful," I said.

"Not as beautiful as you." He reached across the table for my hand. I was quick to take it. He squeezed my fingers. "So proud of you for selling that house today."

Owen's clients had presented an offer my homeowners jumped at. They'd fallen on hard times. A failure of their business. The struggling economy was hitting everyone hard.

I hadn't told Skylar about the heated encounter Owen and I shared today. Felt a bit funny keeping it from him, but Owen was Skylar's pursuit. I didn't want to mess up what my husband was cultivating by throwing complications into it. I would keep my distance from Owen.

"Watch a movie?" Skylar suggested .

"Pick one while I clean up."

Skylar rose to his feet and patted my hand. "You've had a long day. I'll handle the dishes."

My stomach did a few flips. I loved it when Skylar stepped in and took care of me. It was the greatest feeling in the world to know he enjoyed making me feel cherished and appreciated.

I set up a nest of blankets on the couch in the family room and picked a movie Skylar would like. He didn't have an appreciation for my action movies. He liked the more cerebral stories.

I smiled. Or thrillers. I had decided to go with a new one of those. Any opportunity to practically climb into his lap was always welcome. I felt safe and secure in Skylar's arms.