Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) (3 page)

“Do you think he knows you’re here?” Sandy whispered.

“As long as he doesn’t look this way, I think we’re fine.”

“Maybe you should talk to him. Maybe he’s here drowning in his sorrows because his agent called to say he didn’t get the house.”

Molly raised an eyebrow. “Doubtful. Don’t you think if I got it, I would’ve heard first?”

Sandy shrugged. “I don’t know. I inherited my house.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. Especially when someone wants the same place as you.” Picking up her drink, she chugged the rest of her martini. “I need another.”

Sandy laughed and raised her hand to get the bartender’s attention. Only, when the busty blonde came over, Luke was looking her way. Crap, he’d seen her now. He picked up his beer and walked her way. Did he really have to come talk to her? Couldn’t they go on ignoring one another?

“Good evening, Ms. Harper.” He took a seat next to her.

“Officer Logan.” She glared at him.

“Please, call me Luke. Can I call you Molly?”

“No, I think Ms. Harper is more appropriate.”

He laughed. And it was an adorable laugh. His whole face lit up, and he had a dimple in his cheek. Oh God, she had a weak spot for men with dimples. There was just something so cute about it. Not that this man was cute—he was hot. If circumstances had been different, she’d be flattered he was talking to her.

“Well then, Ms. Harper, I take it you’ve not heard yet from your realtor.”

Molly let out a sigh. “No, not yet.”

“Want to drink together, if your friend doesn’t mind?”

Sandy leaned her elbow on the bar. “Not really sure it’s a good idea, seeing as you’re her competition.”

“It wasn’t a competition until Ms. Harper here said, ‘Let the best offer win.’ She upped the game.”

Oh sure, blame it on her. “Look, I really want the house. And I’m going to be devastated if I don’t get it. I understand, you hear sob stories all day, yadda yadda yadda, but I truly have had a year from hell. And that house is a new beginning for me.” She paused. “I’m sure I could have handled myself differently the other day. I apologize for barging into your office.”

He took another sip of his beer. “Apology accepted. I’m sorry to hear that things haven’t been going your way, really I am.”

She rolled her eyes. “Please, you don’t care about me.”

“I don’t know you.” He gazed into her eyes.

For a moment her breath caught and it was as if they were having a moment. Then reality hit: there couldn’t be anything between them—ever. “And you probably never will. Once this is over, one of us gets a gorgeous new home and the other goes back to square one.”

“Guess you’re right about that.” He cleared his throat. “Are you single?”

Was this man serious?

Sandy gave him a sharp nod. “What’s it to you?”

“I only ask because it’s a big house. It would usually just be me there. And if I win, I’d be willing to rent you a room. Just something to think about.”

Molly took a sip of her martini, not believing her ears. Had the man really offered her a room? There was no way she would ever be that desperate that she would need to rent a room in her dream home from him.

“Thanks for the offer. And sorry, I can’t return that favor when I win it.” Molly spoke with a bitter tone.

“Want to get out of here?” Sandy looked at her friend.

“Don’t leave on my account. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just thought maybe we could be friends.”

She was about to speak, but her cell phone rang. Pulling it out of her purse, she saw it was her realtor. Luke’s phone rang at the same time as hers. It was time to find out who was getting the house.

Chapter Three

“Hi, Diane, hold on a moment so I can get somewhere a little quieter.” Molly excused herself from Sandy and headed out the front door.

Luke was on her tracks, speaking to his agent as well. Once out the front door, they went their separate ways. She glanced back at him before she returned to her call.

“Ok, that’s better.”

“Well, you had the highest offer.” Molly heard something in Diane’s voice that lead her to believe once again bad news followed.

“But…”

“Someone else offered the same as you did. The exact same offer. Which is freaky, if you ask me. So, you have another forty-eight hours to decide again what is your highest and best. Though I must warn you, until a bid is accepted, the seller can accept new offers.”

Molly’s stomach began to churn. It was bad enough this had become a competition between Luke and her, but to know someone else could still step in made her feel sick. “But, that was my highest and best. That was the maximum amount I was preapproved for. What do I do?”

“I hate this. Call your lender first thing in the morning. I know it’s a Saturday, but somehow get a hold of her and see if they can raise it. Even another ten thousand. It isn’t going to raise your monthly payment that much. You have excellent credit and a great-paying job. I think they will.”

“If they don’t?”

“Hope like hell. Maybe we can raise the earnest amount to look better.”

Molly glanced over her shoulder at Luke, who looked to be in a deep conversation with his agent. Right now, he, too, was coming up with a plan to win the house. Maybe she could talk to him again and make him see why she needed the house. It never occurred to her though why he wanted the house so badly. She’d been so caught up in herself; maybe he had a story too.

He put his phone in his pocket and leaned against his car. He gazed at her, and she knew he was waiting for her to finish her call.

“OK, well, I’ll call Gail first thing in the morning and as soon as I know something, I’ll call you.”

“OK, sweetie. I’m really sorry about this. Look at other options as well. Maybe a rich family member who can loan you some money for a down payment. Whatever can make your offer look better at this point. A bigger offer doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best offer if the other one is less hassle. Get some rest.”

“I’ll try. ’Night, Diane.” She hung up the phone and dropped it back in her purse.

He walked toward her. She crossed her arms. She had to stay strong even though she wanted to bawl her eyes out. Taking a deep breath, she hoped he’d maxed out his approved rate as well. Coming up with more cash for the earnest wasn’t going to be too difficult. However, getting approved for a higher loan amount from the bank might not be so easy.

“I take it you got the same call as I did.” He shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

“It appears so. At least we beat out anyone else who wanted the place. So now it’s just down to us.”

Luke was quiet a moment. He kicked his foot on the pavement and bit his bottom lip, then looked at her with a face full of sympathy. “I really hate this. Once again you and I are going to raise our offers and have to wait it out.”

He had wiggle room. She didn’t. Her heart sunk. She wasn’t going to win. Maybe she should just back out. Raise the white flag and move on. It was just a house. Sure, it was a house she could see herself in forever and, if she had kids, raise them there. But she didn’t have kids and had no idea if that was ever in the cards for her biologically.

“Can I ask why you want the house so much?” Molly was slightly curious.

“I have a son I’m trying to get custody of. His mother tries her best, I guess, but she just isn’t motherly. She goes out a lot, and I worry she drinks too much. I think if I owned a house, it would look better if I take her to court.”

“Oh, and it has to be that house?”

He smirked. “I guess it doesn’t have to. There was a perfect place in the back yard for a tree house.”

“I saw it. The two big oaks with the big branches that almost intertwined in the middle.”

He closed his eyes for a moment and gave a soft sigh as he nodded. “That’s it.”

“I guess we both have our reasons then.”

“Do you have kids?”

She shook her head. He began to speak again, but Sandy called Molly from the bar entrance, interrupting him. Looking away from Luke, not really sure what to say, she choose to walk away and go back to her friend. At the door, she looked back and saw him climb into his truck. At least he was leaving—hopefully they’d never cross paths again because, for some reason, she felt a strange attraction to him.

Sandy wrapped her arms around Molly and told her to fill her in on what happened. Before she could say the words, she needed to sit and let everything that happened sink in. And not just about the house, but why she suddenly cared about this stranger.

* * *

Luke sat outside on his porch, watching Sammy play in the sprinkler. His kid loved that thing, but his wallet didn’t when the water bill came in. Sammy enjoyed water, and Luke hoped to put a pool in whenever he got his new place.

After he’d picked his son up this morning, he drove around the neighborhoods nearby and checked out the other homes for sale. At some of the vacant ones, they got out and walked around. But there was always something he didn’t like. Something that didn’t compare to the house on Maple Street.

He took Sammy by the house and of course, his son loved it. Even begged him to get it. Seeing the way Sammy’s face lit up, he knew he had to have it. Molly crossed his mind many times. She loved the house too. This past year had been hard for her, and she had a story to share if only she could find someone willing to listen. However, he’d still instructed his realtor to take his offer up to his max and raise the earnest money fifteen hundred more. If he got the house, he was going to have an enemy, but there wasn’t much he could do. Whoever lost would have to find another home. He didn’t have only himself to think about, but Sammy as well.

He needed to get custody of his son. His ex-wife loved Sammy but just didn’t have it in her. Kids didn’t get easier as they got older, they got harder. Leslie was likely popping pills daily and drinking. He was building a case, and he needed to get into a home that would show Sammy would have a more stable environment, because both he and Leslie were currently renters. Even though his lawyer told him often that renting versus owning didn’t matter to the judge, he couldn’t see how it wouldn’t help with his case.

The creak of the front steps brought him from his thoughts only to find Sammy dripping wet in front of him.

“Daddy, my stomach hurts. I think I’m going to be sick.” He held his stomach, looking a little green.

“Probably the heat. Let’s go in.” Luke motioned his son. Even though fall was around the corner, Luke found it was considerably warmer than usual. His shirt was slightly wet from the short amount of time they’d been outside.

He turned off the water and then followed Sammy in. Hopefully his son wasn’t getting sick. He was clueless when it came to stuff like that. But he was going to have to get used to it. He turned the TV on and pulled a blanket over Sammy on the couch, but not before feeling his forehead. Yikes, he was awfully hot.

“Anything else hurt?” He pushed the hair back from Sammy’s forehead.

“I’m dizzy too. I think I’m gonna throw up.”

He searched for something to give his son, but he didn’t get to the trashcan in time. Sammy puked on the carpet and began to cry.

“I’m so sorry. Don’t be mad, Daddy.”

“I’m not mad. You couldn’t help it.” He held his nose. Why did puke have to smell so bad? He placed the trashcan next to his son. And this time, it was just in time, Sammy bent over and the contents of his stomach came out again.

He went to the hall bathroom and searched for the thermometer. He found one of those weird contraptions that went on the forehead. Rushing back to the living room, seeing his son had puked again, he placed the thermometer on his forehead. Once it dinged, it confirmed that Sammy did in fact have a slight fever.

Maybe he should take him to the doctors. It was one in the afternoon, though, and he was pretty sure the doctor’s office wasn’t open, but he called anyway. Maybe a nurse would be on duty. After the first ring, a recording came on to let him know the office was closed, followed by the details for a twenty-four-hour urgent care clinic for kids.

Screw calling; the office was right down the road. Maybe he could get Sammy there before he puked again.

Luck was on his side. They checked in and sat in the crowded waiting room. Sammy’s head rested on Luke’s shoulder. One of his little hands clutched his belly, while the other was clamped over his mouth.

He glanced around. Most of the kids here were quiet. Guess that’s what happens with a waiting room full of illness. Hopefully they wouldn’t catch anything else while they were here.

An animated movie played on the TV, but the volume wasn’t up high enough for anyone to hear it. None of the kids seemed to mind. A few had smiles on their faces as they watched.

The door that led to the patient rooms cracked open and Sammy’s name was called. The voice was familiar but he couldn’t quite place where he knew it from.

“Come on, bud.” He nudged his son.

He picked his son up and went toward the door that led to the waiting rooms. A nurse stood with her back to him, her brown ponytail bouncing animatedly while she spoke quietly to another nurse, who gave him a slight smile. Clearing his throat, he hoped to alert the nurse he was there. Finally she spun around to reveal the most gorgeous smile he’d ever seen and a pair of familiar almond eyes. He didn’t say anything right away, and neither did she.

Her smile faded and she looked as though she’d seen a ghost.

“You’re Sammy Logan?”

His son nodded, and then Molly slowly turned and motioned for them to follow her.

Chapter Four

Molly led them down a hallway and then into one of the patient rooms. She couldn’t believe it was Luke. Of all the people to be here on a Saturday. Taking a deep breath, she had to put it behind her. This was work, and he obviously had a sick child who needed attention. She would not let her feelings for this little boy’s father get in the way of helping Sammy feel better.