Bidding Wars (Love Strikes)(6)

“You want some soup?” Luke handed his son one of the drinks Molly had sent.

“Got any character soups?”

“Uh…I think I got a SpongeBob can of chicken noodle.”

“Yes, that one.”

Luke busied himself making the soup for Sammy. Once he finished, he set a bowl of soup on a TV tray and then told him he’d be right back. He grabbed his cell phone and went upstairs to his bedroom to call his ex-wife. He did his best to stay civil with her so Sammy didn’t see the tension, but it was hard. He found it best to take these difficult phone calls in private.

Leslie answered on the third ring. “Hey.” Her tone was groggy.

“Were you sleeping?”

“Yes.”

“I wanted to let you know I had to take Sammy to the doctor this afternoon. He started throwing up. They think it’s either food poisoning or a virus.”

“That sucks.”

“He’s resting now. Do you have any crackers in your house for him? He needs to eat light stuff and clear liquids.”

“I’m not a dumbass, you know?” Leslie snapped.

“I didn’t say you were. I just wanted to make sure you did. If you didn’t I would send him home with some.”

His ex went quiet a moment and then giggled. She probably wasn’t alone. “Leslie.”

“Sorry, I got distracted a minute.”

Even though they weren’t together any longer, it made him sick knowing what his ex-wife was doing. And the fact that this stuff happened when his son was there. “Did you need me to send some food home with him?”

“I can take care of Sammy. I’m his mother.”

“I haven’t forgotten that. But you keep taking him to that nasty rathole to feed him. He always complains about how gross the food is there.”

“It’s not nasty. My boyfriend happens to be the cook there and a damn good one. He’s just acting out because he doesn’t like me having a boyfriend.”

It was just like Leslie to be her boyfriend’s biggest fan. When things had been good, she supported him with anything he wanted to do. “Are things serious with this guy? If so, don’t you think I should meet him if he’s in Sammy’s life?”

She giggled again, and someone said something quietly. “We’ll talk about that later. I’ve got to go.”

The call was disconnected. He tossed his phone at the bed and groaned loudly. How the hell had he been married to that woman? She didn’t even ask how Sammy was. Did she care? Or did she care more about the child support she received. He hated thinking negative thoughts about his ex, but Sammy was not her top priority. He never had been.

Downstairs, he found that Sammy had fallen asleep. He pulled a blanket up around him and then made himself comfortable on the other end. He tried to watch the movie, but the main female cartoon character resembled Molly, and his thoughts went back to her. He wanted to know her and everything she had been through. He found himself wanting to help her. Maybe once they got this house mess behind them, they could get to know one another. However, he knew that if Molly didn’t get the house, he didn’t have a chance. As crazy as it sounded, he wondered if he should remove his offer. After all, it was just a house.





Chapter Five





Inside the coffee shop, Diane was already seated at a table in the corner. Molly ordered her drink and was thankful the barista got it to her quickly. She sat down with Diane and took a long sip of her coffee, not caring it was hot and slightly burnt on its way down.

“Long day?” Diane asked.

Molly nodded. “God, yes. My feet ache and now I’m wishing I asked for an extra shot of caffeine.”

“I made sure to get one. So, I heard that you met with your competition.”

Crap. “I did.”

Diane took a drink of her coffee as well. “I can understand if you just ran into him and recognized him and had a little chat. But you went to his workplace? And then you never told me. I was embarrassed when his agent called me yesterday.”

“I don’t really know what to say. But we seem to keep bumping into one another. It’s weird.”

“You’ve seen him again?”

“His kid was sick and he came to the clinic today. And the night we got the news we had the same offer, he was at the same bar.”

Diane scratched her head. “That’s odd. You need to stay away from him. I don’t think we would be sitting here if this hadn’t turned into a competition.”

“Not necessarily. We could still be in this position.” She couldn’t take all the blame, however if she hadn’t gone up to his workplace, Diane might be right. She did up the stakes that day.

“Either way, this whole thing is bizarre. Right down to you two putting in the same exact offer. I don’t think that’s ever happened before. The seller must be loving this. So what did Gail say?”

“A big fat no.”

Diane sighed. “I almost hate to ask, but do you know if the sheriff maxed out his offer yet?”

“I wish I didn’t know the answer, but when we talked about it last night, I got the impression he still had wiggle room. I don’t know how much, but he has some and I don’t.”

“Do you have access to more money?”

Molly nodded. “I could put forward a generous earnest amount, I think.”

“That is our best option at this point. More on down payment is only good if you get the house. A high earnest shows them you’re serious and taking a big risk. And that you do realize you’re taking a huge risk. If your loan falls through, you’re out of that money.”

Molly was aware, and it scared the crap out of her. If she offered the eight thousand dollar earnest and for whatever reason, her loan fell apart, she’d have to hope the seller had a kind heart and gave it back. She was confidant in her loan, though. Gail had reassured her she was certain there wouldn’t be a problem when the loan when to underwriting.

“Let’s do it. I have to fight for it. I love that house and if I don’t give it my all, I’ll always wonder what if.”

Diane leaned down and pulled some papers from her briefcase. “What is the earnest amount going to be?”

“Eight thousand.”

Diane’s eyes widened, but then she filled in all the places on the form that needed to be. She pushed the papers to Molly. She signed and then gave them back.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”



* * *





Sunday had gone by way too fast, and Molly had done absolutely nothing but lounge around in the most worn-out pajamas she owned. Her stomach rumbled loudly as she waited on the delivery person to bring her dinner.

Tigger smacked her foot and stared up at her.

“Do you want to play?” Sandy reached toward the coffee table and picked up the laser pointer the fat cat loved.

As she pointed the little red light on the carpet and watched the cat chase it, she found her stress begin to lift a bit. Her cat had a way of doing that.

Finally, the doorbell rang and Molly dragged herself off the couch. She’d ordered Chinese. Her stomach rumbled, confirming that she was starving.

She grabbed a twenty from her purse and then went to get her food. She swung the door open and her mouth fell open. She certainly was not expecting to see him.

“What are you doing here…and how did you know where I live?” A feeling of uneasiness swept through her.

“It’s one of the perks of my job. Oh, and you’re in the phone book. You happen to be the only Molly Harper in the area.” Luke gestured with an upturned palm.

“So not only do you want my house, but you’re a stalker.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

He was just about to speak when the delivery boy came up with her food. She handed the money to him and took her bags. The delivery boy looked at them with a quizzical look before thanking her for the tip and departing. Damn, she gave the kid a twenty and didn’t get any change. No wonder he thanked her.

“Make this quick. I don’t want my food getting cold.”

“I’m sure you know what I’ve come to talk about.”

“You know, my realtor wouldn’t be happy about you being here.”

“Yes, and mine wasn’t happy with you coming to my workplace. But this has become personal, so it’s only fitting I come to you for a change. Can I come in?”

“You’re a stranger.”

“I’m hardly a stranger. And besides, I should be scared of you and your temper. I promise, this won’t take long and when you want me to leave, just say so and I’ll go.”

She shrugged. What the hell? What could it hurt? At least now she could call Diane and tell her he had approached her, proving she wasn’t the only nut job out there. “I don’t know why I’m doing this, but OK, you can come in.”