Bidding Wars (Love Strikes)(23)

Gail, her lender, had called her earlier this morning to tell her they couldn’t put the appraisal on hold any longer. They were going to move forward with the idea that closing was only a few weeks away as planned. She couldn’t fault them for it; she was the one causing all this added complication.

She thought back to what Dr. Hancock had said. Maybe he was right; she was causing most of her problems. If only she could accept that Luke walked away from the house—but she couldn’t, and she didn’t know why. Things were progressing with them—a lot. They didn’t talk about Maple Street at all. He made it clear he wanted to avoid that topic. And in return, things were wonderful. She’d loved helping take care of Sammy while he was sick. And she’d really gotten to know the little boy a lot better. He was precious. His mom was losing out.

She often caught Luke watching her and Sammy, and he had a look on his face she almost didn’t recognize. She’d never seen it from her ex. When he would gaze at her and his son, he looked to be at peace, as though everything was right in the world. Almost as though he wished she was Sammy’s mom and they were one big happy family. No, that was silly of her even to think. There was no way he was imagining that.

In the event they kept getting more serious, was that a possibility? A family? He didn’t seem concerned one bit that she couldn’t have kids. She’d attempted to talk to him again, and he brushed it off, reminding her that to be a mother, you didn’t have to give birth to a child. She was starting to believe it. Why she hadn’t been able to see it in the past, she wasn’t sure.

She turned off the vacuum. That task was done, thank goodness. She had been in and out so much lately, her cleaning had been very slack. But the bathrooms were now sparkling, the dishes were washing in the dishwasher, and the floors were free of cat hair—at least for the time being.

Now, to figure something else out to do. It was Friday after all. Maybe she could get together with Sandy and they could go out and do something fun. She texted her friend and then set her phone down as she waited for her to reply. Sandy was working, so it might be a bit before she heard back.

It was a little after lunch when she finally did hear back from her friend, who had a date. Molly was thrilled for Sandy, but that left her evening open with nothing to do.

Picking up her phone, she dialed Luke.

“Luke Logan.”

“Hey.” She realized this was the first time she’d ever called him.

“Molly.” His tone was upbeat immediately. “What a surprise.”

“I wanted to see how Sammy was.”

“He’s good; back at school and no call from the nurse yet. Are you on break?”

“No, they gave me today and the weekend off.”

“And you’re just telling me?”

She giggled. “I’ve been cleaning all morning.”

“Why don’t you join Sammy and me for dinner tonight?”

“Oh, I don’t know if—”

“You know where we are, and dinner will be at seven. You can come if you want. No pressure.”

She smiled. He didn’t push, ever. She really liked that. “What did you have in mind?”

“To be honest, most likely I’ll order pizza and we’ll watch a kid’s movie.”

That sounded like a perfect Friday evening. “Sounds fun. Though isn’t that a typical Friday evening for you?”

“Yeah, well, this is my life. It’s not the most fascinating, but I love it. And I’d like it if you joined us. Sammy would too.”

“Will you let me think about it?”

“No problem. Text me in a bit and let me know.”

“I can do that.”

They talked a few more minutes before he had to go. He had to ride with another officer to serve a warrant. She told him to be safe and then hung up.

Spending her Friday night curled up on the couch with Sammy and Luke was exactly what she wanted to do. She decided to shower in her now sparkling bathroom before texting him to let him know she’d be there. She was glad things were moving forward for them.

An hour later, her hair was dry and her makeup was done. Seven was still a few hours away, but at least she was ready. Until then, she would find something of the lazy nature to do. Being a bum wasn’t something she got to do often in her line of work.

But first, she had to send Luke a message as promised. She found her phone on the kitchen counter, where she’d left it. Unlocking the screen, she froze. Diane had called—finally. Did she have news? There was no voicemail, so whatever she had to tell her, she didn’t want to do it over a message.

She dialed Diane back and waited.

“This is Diane.”

“Hey, it’s Molly.”

“Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I figured when you had a break you’d call.”

“Do you have news?” There was no room for small chitchat. She’d been waiting on this moment. Was the bidding going to open back up? Her heart raced as she waited for Diane’s answer.

“I do. I have talked with the seller’s agent several times this week. The seller has been back and forth about what you asked.” Diane paused, and Molly wasn’t sure she was breathing as she waited for her to continue. “The seller has declined your request. He already has a contract on another home and doesn’t want to prolong this. As soon as you close on the home, he is able to close on the new one.”

Sadness swept through her. She didn’t expect this. Molly really thought the seller would agree to it and want to open up the bidding. After all, there was a possibility he’d make even more money on the sale. “I understand.”

“I have to ask now, are you going to see this agreement through, because I think it’s in your best interest that you do. The seller was annoyed by this charade. Often times if the buyer walks away, sellers do have a heart and will give back the earnest money. With that being said, I think the seller will pocket your eight thousand, as he has every right to.”

Molly glanced up at her speckled ceiling. She thought about Luke. He didn’t seem to be all that interested in the house, but was that because he knew if the seller agreed, he’d win? If she walked away, neither she nor Luke would get it—the house would no longer be an issue. But could she walk away?

“I don’t want to withdraw. Let’s move forward.” She could and she would. It was her new beginning.

“Great. Let me shoot an e-mail to Gail. I can sleep a little better tonight. Thank you.” Diane hung up.

Molly took a seat on one of her barstools. The house on Maple Street was hers. The fight was over. Technically, it had been over for quite some time, but now it was for good. Her new life was about to start in only a few weeks.

Her phone dinged. It was Luke. Pizza?

She stared at the message. Could she go? Was she overthinking this again? In her mind, for some reason, she felt as though she had to choose between Luke and the house. And after talking to Diane, she was pretty sure that because things were moving forward, she had chosen the house.

I can’t tonight, sorry. Molly laid her phone down on the counter and then headed to her room to lay down for a bit. If Luke responded, she couldn’t see it, or she knew she’d rush over to him. She hated that she was having to choose, and she knew Luke would tell her she could have both; however she didn’t feel like that was true.



* * *





Luke looked at the message as it came in from Molly. Something in his gut told him there was more to the message, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. His screen lit up, showing a call from his agent. Letting out a sigh, he had a feeling he was about to get his answer.

“Hey, Dale.”

“Hey, I wanted to call and let you know I just got off the phone with Diane, Molly’s agent.”

“And.”

“It’s a no-go. Seller declined Ms. Harper’s request.”

“Did Diane say if Molly was going to go ahead with the purchase of the home?” He hoped his agent would say yes.

“She did. The appraisal has been ordered, so I suspect with the way things are moving right now, Ms. Harper should be moving into her home in a few weeks.”

“Thanks for calling and letting me know.”

“Yeah, no problem. Did you want to set up a time to go look at more places?”

Buying a home right now didn’t seem like something he wanted to do. As crazy as it sounded, he wanted to see how things played out with Molly. “Not at the moment. I have a lot going on with my son and a custody battle, unfortunately. I’ll get back to you when I’m ready.”

“No problem, man. Pass my number on to anyone you know looking to buy or sell.”

“I certainly will. See ya, man.”

Leaning back in his chair, he wondered why she didn’t want to come over. Was she worried he’d be upset? Hadn’t he proven to her yet that he wanted her, not the stupid house? It was just a house. He wanted her to have it—that’s why he backed out. He saw the joy it would bring her, and he wanted that for her.