A Nantucket Affair (Nantucket Beach Plum Cove #4)(4)

It was Beth that had first suggested the idea. She was always on the internet and knew about all properties the instant they hit the market. As his office manager, it helped for him to know what was being sold and for what price as his main business was new construction and remodeling. Flipping houses was the perfect side hustle.

Flipping on Nantucket was especially lucrative, as there was a bigger demand than supply and prices were sky high for even smaller properties. The trick, though, was getting a property for the right price and getting it before someone else did. There were other contractors on the island looking to do the same thing. So, the houses they bid on often went for above the asking price, and they always needed a lot of work. Usually the condition of the homes scared off most buyers, and that’s when Chase and Beth found the best deals.

“I’ll check in with you later. I won’t make it back here for lunch. Too busy of a day.”

Beth smiled. “That’s okay. I’ll see you at two.”

Chase gave her a kiss goodbye and headed out. He was looking forward to seeing the house with Beth later that day. She had a good eye for bargains, and so far, they’d done two flips and not to his surprise, they made a great team. Beth found the houses, he did the remodel work, and she helped him with all the design work, suggesting how the kitchen should look, what tiles in the bathroom, paint colors everywhere and then she staged it so that it looked amazing and had an upscale, Nantucket flair that buyers couldn’t resist.

They made quite a team, and he’d never been so happy since he realized that Beth was more than the best office manager he’d ever had. And he almost lost her, too. He’d thought he was head over heels for Lauren, the realtor that they were meeting later. Lauren was blonde and beautiful, driven and very used to having her own way. He was never really happy when he was dating her, though, as Lauren was a handful and he never really knew where he stood with her. Which, of course, drove him crazy.

But it wasn’t until Beth gave notice and moved off-island that he’d realized what an idiot he’d been. And the person that he spent the most time with, his office manager and best friend, Beth, was the person that mattered most to him. Fortunately, he came to his senses, went after Beth, and now things were as they should be. She was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with—and he planned to make it official soon.





Beth was a little worried that they might not get this house. The location wasn’t on the ocean, which was a very good thing. Those houses were way out of their price range. Even the disasters that needed to be totally gutted went for insane prices simply because of the land. This one was about a mile from the beach, which meant the cost would be much more reasonable. Most of the developers seemed to go for the big wins, whereas she and Chase went for the less obvious ones. The ones that needed a lot of work, but that didn’t scare them.

She loved managing Chase’s business, and she’d been doing it for years now, talking to all of his clients and potential clients, being aware of everything that was going on and helping to keep things on track. But the flipping was a new thrill. It was exhilarating, and she loved everything about it…finding the hidden gem that made for a good flip, and winning the house. They didn’t always win. Sometimes they were vastly overbid. But that was part of it, and they were fairly conservative with their bids as there was almost always hidden expenses that came up. And even though Chase could do all the work, unexpected surprises usually meant more materials that needed to be purchased or additional people that needed to be paid for their time.

So, she was cautiously optimistic about this one. If they both liked it, they would make an offer on the spot with Lauren, and hopefully their speed would give them an edge. Unless the seller wanted to wait for additional offers, which they often did.





At a few minutes before two, Beth pulled up to the house on Bayberry. Lauren was already there. Beth recognized her white BMW. The house had looked better online. It was a clear, sunny day and the bright light showed the fading paint and the failing roof. It looked like the house had been empty for a long time, as there were weeds along the edge of the side porch, and the trim was cracked in spots. But these were all fixable things.

“Hi, Beth. Good to see you!” Lauren walked over with a big smile. Beth liked Lauren. She was very good at what she did and had given them an early heads up on their last property. She was so polished and put together, with her sleek, blonde bob that fell in a perfect, razor-sharp line to her collar bone. She was wearing an expensive-looking outfit, with tailored gray pants and a pretty blue top. And as always, she was wearing strappy high heels. Beth always felt a bit frumpy around her as she wondered, not for the first time, how she managed to get around in those shoes. Beth was dressed for comfort in faded jeans, a warm, oversized sweater and comfy Merrills black suede clogs, her staple shoes in the colder weather.

Chase pulled up in his truck a minute later and came bounding over.

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

“You’re not,” Beth assured him.

“We just got here, too,” Lauren said. “Are you ready to head in?”

“Looks a little rough,” Chase said softly to Beth as they followed Lauren inside.

“I thought the same,” Beth agreed. “But, aside from the roof, it looks like mostly cosmetic stuff, on the outside anyway.”