Free Open House (Kingston Bros.) by Tamara Larson Page B

also has a dog, which kind of limits her ability to live in either. Right, Lacey?"
    "Yup, the neighbors complain if he makes any noise, so I leave him at my mom's house with her during the day while I'm at work."
    "See. Lacey doesn't need a lot of space, but she needs some separation from her neighbors. And it's the same for a lot of single moms. They want a yard for their kids to play in, but can't afford your standard three bedroom house. But what if we created something new? A community of very small, detached houses, with all the luxuries people want, but on a very small scale."
    Serena smiled, knowing she had their attention, and gestured toward the front of the house. "If you used a similar floor-plan to this place, you could put a small bedroom or den there, with an attached en-suite. For guests or for a kid. Or you could build a loft over the living area."
    She waved her arm toward the back of the house. "I know what you're thinking. It would still be pricey. But it wouldn't have to be this customized. I mean, I'm sorry, Jay, but that shower is ridiculous. And why do you need a front door that's ten feet tall? Do you guys see it? And how about seniors? Their population is skyrocketing, and they want to downsize. Many of them don't like apartments after living in houses for fifty years, and townhouses aren't an option because of all the stairs. Do you see the potential?"
    Jack was looking at her speculatively. "I don't know. It seems like a gamble."
    "It totally would be, if we were going to create the whole huge community at once. But what if we started off with just one unit? One very special place that would pilot the whole project. We could build something Lacey would love, at a discount that she could afford, and in return, she would let us use it as a Presentation Centre for a potential new development, just for a month or two. If there's no interest in it, then we could forget about the whole thing. But if it revolutionizes the real estate market, as I think it will, then we'll all be wildly successful and you'll have me to thank. Now, what do you think?"
    "Wow. I'm speechless," Lacey said, looking at Jack. "What do you think? Is it possible?"
    Jack rubbed his chin, and looked thoughtful. "I think Serena knows that it's not quite that easy. You can't just show people a property that may or may not be built somewhere else. It's vaguely fraudulent. But the idea itself has merit. A community of small scale detached houses. Hmmm....I wonder where you came up with that?"
    "I know. I totally stole the idea from Lacey. That's why I wanted her to be a part of it. She got me thinking about options for single professionals and how they are a huge untapped growth market."
    "I'll admit it. It has some merit." Jack said. "But I need some time to think about it, work out the logistics, and maybe, just maybe, if I can get my idiot brothers onboard with it, we can talk about it."
    Serena squealed and hugged Jack fiercely. "Oh, and since it was my idea, I get a big chunk of the profits, plus my commission, right?"
    "We'll talk about it." He turned to Lacey, who was looking a little shell-shocked. "What do you think, Lacey? Would you consider it? I mean, if we decide to go ahead with it. You and I might have to spend some time together, going over plans, and deciding on where we can cut costs. Could you handle that?" He held his breath, waiting for her response.
    If this actually happened, then it was the perfect opportunity to get to know her better and see if she might be open to a strictly physical relationship. Otherwise, he was going to be forced to be direct, and that didn't really feel like the right approach. Asking a sweet woman like her if she wanted to be his sex toy seemed unlikely to get a positive response. It might even get him a slap. Maybe prolonged enforced contact with him would take care of the awkwardness and things would just happen naturally. He wasn't a saint. If a little seduction was required, then he was