Free SEAL the Deal by Kate Aster Page A

don’t think I could handle just being friends with
him. The whole night, I just wanted to—”
    “Pounce him?” Maeve offered.
    “Yes!”
    Bess grinned at Lacey’s candor. “Could you
maybe just keep him around a little, just in case you change your mind?”
    “Or could one of us have him by default?” Maeve
sent Bess a wink.
    Lacey fired them both a glare and all but
growled, “No!”
    Maeve and Bess exchanged knowing looks.
    “Just friends, my ass,” Maeve said with a
smirk.

CHAPTER SIX
     
    Handing a set of house keys over to Brian
and Marybeth Sandoval, there were few occasions when Lacey had felt this proud.
“Congratulations. There’s nothing more exciting than buying your first home
together.”
    Marybeth was beaming. “Oh, Lacey, I just
can’t thank you enough for all your patience. I never thought we’d need to look
at so many homes before we found the perfect one.”
    “I’m just glad you found the right one.”
    Brian placed his arm easily around his
wife’s shoulders and gave a little squeeze. “You went above and beyond. And
haggled a good price for us. Remind me to never try to sell a car to you. I’d
come out in the red.”
    “I promise to stay away from your car
dealership only if you send me a referral or two,” Lacey said, handing him a
few extra business cards.
    “Will do.”
    Lacey stepped from the settlement
attorney’s office and into the crisp air. It was cooler than usual for early
September, hinting of fall weather around the corner. The refreshing breeze
only added to Lacey’s good mood. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed
Maeve’s number as she walked down an alley toward Main Street. It went straight
to voice mail.
    “Maeve? Where are you? I made it through
my first closing. Wish you were around. I need a drink to celebrate, and I can
finally afford one. Call me.”
    Lacey snapped her phone shut. It wasn’t a
huge sale, but the small commission would at least keep her from worrying about
her rent for a few months. Besides that, it was her first.
    Feeling the weight of the cell phone in
her pocket, she willed it to ring. She had to talk to someone. On a whim, she
pulled it out again and dialed her parents.
    “Hi, Mom. It’s Lacey. How are you?”
    “Lacey. I was just going to call you.”
    “Really?” Lacey asked, suddenly hopeful
her mother had remembered that the closing of the Sandoval house was today.
    “Yes. Your sister is going to be on CNBC
this evening again. Between five and six your time. She asked me to tell you.”
    “I’ll try to check it out,” Lacey said,
knowing full well she’d skip it.
    “So what did you call about?”
    “Nothing much.” In the shadow of her
sister’s TV appearance, Lacey felt the need to rein in her enthusiasm. “I just
finished the closing on the Sandoval home.”
    “Is that the waterfront property you just
listed? That was quick.”
    Lacey’s face drooped. “No. That’s still up
for sale. This is just a starter home for a newly married couple.”
    “Oh, yes. Sandoval. Now I remember them. You
spent a lot of time with them. Didn’t they make an offer a few months ago?”
    “It’s been about six weeks. There were a
few things that needed to be fixed after the inspection.”
    “You must be thrilled to unload them. They
sounded very high-maintenance for people willing to spend so little on a home.”
    Lacey felt the odd need to defend her
clients. “They’re actually a nice couple. Not everyone can spend seven figures
on a house.”
    “Mm,” her mother responded, obviously
distracted by something.
    She was probably turning on CNBC at this
very moment, Lacey concluded. “Well, I’m at my car now. I better go.”
    “Of course. Have a good night.”
    Lacey leaned against the side of her car
and suppressed the urge to throw the phone across the street. She certainly
couldn’t afford to replace it.
    ***
    In retrospect, Mick had been pretty
pleased with himself for not calling Lacey in over a week. It