She studied me for a beat too long, lips forming words that never came.
We made it to my latest development in thePelican Bayneighborhood when lightning split the air. Tara gasped, jumping back when it was followed by an earth shaking clap of thunder.
The rain came seconds later, pelting us with icy droplets and soaking through our clothes. We ran to the truck, breathless and shivering as we slammed the doors shut.
Tara blinked at the windshield, watching the water pound the glass, and burst into laughter. “I love the storms here.”
“Why?”
“They’re so…wild. You can measure and predict every moment of your day. Set your alarm, take your lunch break, plan dinner at the same time every night, but it’s all an illusion. This idea that we can control any of it, when really we’re just at the mercy of it.”
I started the engine, letting the air warm up. “That seems to be a source of anxiety for most people.”
“Not me.” She grinned. “I love surprises.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, tucking a lock of damp hair behind her ear. “I’ve noticed that.”
“Do you really think I can do it?” She bit her lip, hands fidgeting in her lap. “There’s so much more to real estate than I realized.”
“You’ve got the eye for it,” I answered honestly. “You’ll catch on quickly. And if you pick the right place, selling property is like giving out candy on Halloween.”
“How will I know the right place?”
My hands started to shake. The weight on my chest grew heavier every minute—until I could barely breathe.
I swallowed, almost choking on my next words. “Maybe the right place has already found you.”
The words sat heavy between us.
The tinny music of a cell phone blared from her purse, and Tara cursed. Her lighthearted expression twisted to an irritated glare as she lifted the offending piece of technology from her purse.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered, finger hovering over the green button on her screen.
The screen went black, and I exhaled a shaky breath.
Then it started to ring again.
“Stupid jerk.”
“Is that him? The ex-boyfriend?” My voice was a snarl, too rough to be human. Tara didn’t comment, only turned to hide her embarrassed flush.
“I blocked his number, but he keeps finding new ones to call me from.”
“Give me the phone.”
“W-what? No! You can’t talk to him.”
“Give me the phone, Tara,” I repeated. “I’ll make sure he knows how thoroughly you’ve moved on.”
She did, mumbling, “This is such a bad idea.”
“So you keep saying.” I tapped the green button, holding the phone to my ear and saying, “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. But it’s time you found a new hobby.”
There was a long pause on the other line, quiet breaths filling the silence. Then that quiet shattered, sending my heart sinking into my stomach as a familiar voice said, “Isaac, what an unpleasant surprise.”
My insides went cold.
“Jacques?”