Page 34 of Unscripted Love
“So much better than any book boyfriend,” I whispered as I traced his lips, committing the feel to memory.
Loud voices echoed through his neighborhood when I opened the door. I stared in shocked disbelief as his neighbor lady across the street launched a pile of clothes out the front door followed by a set of golf clubs.
“Get out of my house! I’m not going to stay married to a lying, cheating bastard like you another minute,” she screamed.
A balding man shoved past her and ran down the porch steps. “Oh, Betty,” he said as he started picking up his clothes and clubs off the front lawn.
“I mean it this time, Eddy,” she yelled before she slammed the front door closed.
Eddy just sighed and dug his keys from his pocket. Kyle and I watched him toss his stuff inside his car before he got in and drove away. I shook my head then looked at Kyle. “He’ll be back in a few hours,” Kyle said. “They’ll make up just as publicly. It’s gross.”
“No wonder you want to move to the country. Won’t you miss the show?”
“Not even a little,” he quipped. “Goodnight, Chaz.”
“Night, Kyle.”
I had a heavy heart and a turbulent mind when I drove away from Kyle’s house. Everything I wanted was in my rearview mirror. I had to be honest with Kyle if I wanted a chance at the future I glimpsed when I looked into his eyes. I knew at that moment how Gideon really felt. Even if Kyle never forgave me for my betrayal, it would prod him to move on from me and find someone to make him happy. I would be glad for him no matter how much it hurt to see him share a life with someone else. When you loved a person, you wanted what was best for them. I realized something very important on my ride home that night. I was in love with Kyle Vaughn, but I couldn’t say that I was the best man for him. That was something that only he could decide, and I was terrified to find out what he would choose.
Icouldn’t get the idea of finding a permanent home off my mind once I spoke the idea out loud to Chaz. I had been thinking about it ever since Josh and Gabe bought their home, but I never put a plan into action. The house hunting apps available for smartphones were pretty awesome and made it possible to do a lot of shopping without pressure from an overeager realtor.
After rolling it around in my head for one more day, I downloaded an app and selected the filters based on the kind of property I was looking to buy. Even though there were very few houses on the market that appealed to me, I started the process to get preapproved for a loan with the mortgage loan officer at my bank. I wanted to be ready when my dream property became available.
“Honey, you need to call a realtor and let them know you’re preapproved for a loan,” my mom said after I received my official letter from the bank. We met for lunch toward the end of the week, and she sounded as excited as I was about the possibility of owning my first home. “That gives you an advantage over someone who hasn’t already been vetted by the bank. Besides,” she added, “realtors are often tipped off about great properties before they’re listed on the market.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Here,” she said, sliding a business card toward me. “I happened to grab a business card of the realtor who presented at the Rotary meeting yesterday morning.”
“Mom, I didn’t tell you I was buying a house until last night so how’d you know to snatch one of his business cards for me?” I asked.
“Busted,” she said then grimaced. “Becker is single and cute.”
“Becker, huh?” I asked. She was already on a first-name basis with the guy. It was the first time my mom had attempted to set me up with someone, so he was either cute, or she was worried that I’d die old and alone.
My mom shrugged her shoulders casually and said, “Two birds, one stone.”
“Mom, I’m already interested in someone,” I told her. If Jenna knew I had a thing for Chaz then my mom did too. Did that mean she didn’t like Chaz or was she was nudging me to make a move? My mom was a card shark and could be hard to read when she wanted it that way. I didn’t even bother to ask how she knew he was gay.
“You are?” she asked in mock surprise. “Are you serious about him, Kyle?”
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. Chaz made me very happy. He made me laugh harder than anyone, his smiles brightened my day, and just hearing his voice caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand up. I adored his kindhearted nature and the way he loved with all that he had. The lucky bastard who won Chaz’s heart would be loved for all his life. I wanted to be that man. I was positive we could have a future together if he got past whatever it was that held him back.
“Well, Becker still sounds like a wonderful real estate agent,” she said before diving back into her salad.
I called Becker the next day and introduced myself. “Ahhh, Racheal’s son,” he said.Great!My mom had obviously made quite the impression on the guy, or she overshared information about me. I was too afraid to find out which applied.
“Uh, yeah,” I said. “My mom told me to give you a call and let you know what I’m looking for and the amount I want to spend.”
“That almost sounds dirty,” Becker said.
He was right, and I was mortified. “Chaz is rubbing off on me,” I said as an explanation. “Let me be clear, so there’s no confusion. I’m already preapproved for a home loan, and I have very specific things I’m looking for in ahouse.”
“I think I can better help you now that we’re on the same page,” Becker said then laughed good-naturedly. He asked me a series of questions to get a better understanding of what I hoped to buy. “Rural, but not too far away from civilization. You’d like to have three or four bedrooms and at least two full bathrooms. You’re looking for a new home or at least an older home that was fully renovated within the last fifteen years. Let’s see,” Becker said as he consulted the notes he’d taken. “As far as extras go, you’d like to have a finished basement for a man cave, a large garage or barn, and property that has a pond. Does that about sum it up?”
Damn, I sounded like a diva. “That’s right,” I confirmed.
“How much acreage would you like to buy? That will help me narrow the search quite a bit,” Becker inquired.