A Margin of Lust (The Seven Deadly Sins #1)(21)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN


After the Monday morning cattle drive to St. Barnabas, Gwen drove to the office. She threw her purse into her desk and grabbed her usual spot on the conference room wall between the potted rubber tree and Maricela. "How's it going?" she said in a hushed tone.

"Same old," Maricela said. "We're heading out to preview everyone's listings as soon as Taryn is done yelling at us for leaving the kitchen a mess."

"Not your mother, right?" Taryn said, nodding her highlighted brown head and looking around the room. "On to happier things, agent of the month. Once more it's Lance." Taryn clapped and all the female agents, except Maricela and Gwen, joined in the enthusiasm.

Lance gave a small bow. John Gordon scowled, and Eric Woo discovered something fascinating in the papers on the table in front of him.

"How does he do it?" Gwen whispered to Maricela. "He's only been here, what, eight or nine months?"

"He's got the bait, chica. You and me, we can't compete. Those housewives, they love his big brown eyes, his little dimples, his—"

"Okay, I get it," Gwen said. "But I'm surprised it doesn't bother their husbands."

Maricela raised her eyebrows suggestively. "It's women who do the shopping."

While Taryn passed out maps to the homes they'd be previewing that morning, Gwen mentally ran through her schedule. It was going to be another busy week. As soon as Taryn dismissed the meeting, Gwen scooted out the door. She wanted to check her email before the caravan left. She had several inquiries about the Sailor's Haven property to return. A hand on her arm stopped her before she made it to her desk.

"Hey there," Lance said.

"Hi." Gwen's voice came out unnaturally high.

"Just wondering if you wanted to drive together. I have something I want to talk to you about."

Gwen noted Maricela was correct, he did have dimples. Pitching her voice a bit lower, she said, "I'm going with Maricela."

"Oh, well. Next time maybe."

"But you could come with us." As soon as she said the words she wondered if she should have checked with Maricela.

"That'd be great. I'll get my briefcase."

He walked away, bouncing on the balls of his feet like an athlete, leaving the spicy scent of his cologne behind.

"What are you staring at?" Maricela asked, coming up behind her.

"Lance is going to drive with us. That's okay, right?"

Maricela's eyes widened in surprise. "Us?"

Gwen shrugged. "He has something he wants to talk to me about."

"It's okay with me." Maricela threw her purse over her shoulder and walked out the front door, hips swinging.

Twenty minutes later they entered Coto de Caza through a manned gated. Gwen described Coto to her out of town clients as a wealthy community for equestrians and others who enjoyed the ambiance of Western country living. She always pointed out the stables, horse trails, and the general store with its period cracker barrels. Personally, she thought Coto was hot, dry, and over-priced, but then she preferred the beach.

The first listing on the tour was Caroline's—a faux farmhouse with dated decor. Gwen passed through several rooms filled with oak furniture and floral prints into a terrific kitchen. The kitchen was the home's saving grace. It was large and bright and had recently been remodeled with stainless steel counters and apple red appliances.

Caroline hurried them forward into a dining room sporting a truly terrible wagon wheel chandelier, out the other side, around a mauve carpeted corner, and up a winding staircase.

"Now this is the real selling point of the house," Caroline said as ten agents filed into the master bath.

The floor and the lower half of the walls were lined in pink Carrera marble. Rose wallpaper covered everything else. Bright brass fixtures sparkled like fool's gold under lush mauve towels. A swimming-pool-sized tub stood on a raised platform. It was one of the largest, most expensive, God-awful bathrooms Gwen had ever seen.

"Horrible." Lance mouthed the word from across the room.

Gwen nodded her head in agreement.

They walked through the master bedroom together. "I have a proposition for you," Lance said. "I don't know if you know this, but I used to be in construction. Behind this smooth exterior is a pretty handy guy."

Gwen waited, wondering what he was getting at.

"It might be too soon to talk to you about this, but I previewed your Laguna Beach listing before..." He let his words trail off.

"Right," Gwen said.

"Anyway, it needs a lot of work."

"Yup." Gwen felt a familiar bristle of irritation. Why was its condition the first thing everyone noticed? Whatever happened to location, location, location?

"I don't know if you have a budget, or if the owner wants to sell as-is, but under the circumstances, I think it would move faster and for a better price if the..." He broke off for a moment, like he was searching for the correct word. "If the creep factor was reduced."

Creep factor. Thank you, Lance. She'd just begun to warm up to him a teensy-little bit, but now she was reminded why he annoyed her so much. He was full of himself. She was about to tell him so, but he spoke first.