The Only Purple House in Town (Fix-It Witches, #4)(64)
“Interesting. Veracruz, Mexico, right? Any particular reason?” Ethel asked.
He nodded. “It’s a long story.”
Thankfully, Sally was ready to ease the awkwardness, changing the subject smoothly. “So how do you know Eli?” she asked Keshonda.
Keshonda smiled. “I’m his real estate agent, and we’ve got three offers on his house. Well, his grandmother’s house. This is the ideal situation, so I wanted to do a business dinner to discuss the pros and cons of each. But he invited me home instead.”
Oh my God. He’s flipping his grandmother’s house, and this isn’t what I thought at all.
* * *
After dinner, Eli found the kitchen to be the quietest spot once everyone else wandered off.
He’d end up doing the dishes after Keshonda left, but that was fine. He listened as she summarized the offers, nodding along. He was inclined to go with the first couple, even if it wasn’t the highest dollar amount—not because he felt like he had to honor first come, first served—but newlyweds, first house? He’d feel like a villain if he blew them off in favor of filthy lucre. Then again, he had a responsibility to get Gamma the best deal he could, as this was her financial security for the future.
Keshonda laughed, looking at his expression. “I can see the wheels in your head turning. You’re in a good position, no matter what you decide. The first couple definitely plans to live in the house, promise you that. I suspect the second will rent the place. The third buyer I can’t get a read on because they’re using a proxy. That usually means vacation home or investment property, though.”
“What would you do?” he asked.
She tapped the third set of documents. “I’d take the highest offer. If I’m selling a house, I don’t care what happens to it after I move on.”
“Pragmatic.”
“But I can tell you have some qualms, so why don’t you call your grandmother?”
“Good idea. I feel like Gamma might want to put Ruben and Natalie in her house, but who knows? She might prefer the twenty-five grand.”
“That’s a dream vacation or two, like we were talking about at dinner.” With that, Keshonda packed her briefcase and headed toward the door. “Call me when you know what you want to do.”
Eli walked her out. “I will.”
There were so many cars parked here that it looked like they were throwing a wild party. Susan, the cranky neighbor, was probably on standby waiting to make a noise complaint. But things stayed chill, and Ethel left quietly an hour later. It was cute when Sally kissed her goodbye. Not that Eli was spying on them. He just happened to be collecting coffee cups to wash right then, a complete coincidence.
Sally danced upstairs humming “It Had to Be You,” and Eli went back to cleanup duty. He checked the time and realized it was early enough to call Gamma, who was two hours behind in Albuquerque. The phone rang twice, then she picked up.
“It’s my favorite little man! How are you?”
“Excellent. Listen, I called to tell you about multiple offers on the house…” He tried to be succinct in explaining the pros and cons of each.
When he was done, Gamma said, “The first offer. It’s not even a question. I don’t need the money that much, they offered first, and I adore the thought of giving newlyweds their first home.”
“I’ll text Keshonda and let her know. Everything good with you?”
“Fantastic. It’s early days yet, but I met someone special in my Bunko club. I’m cautiously optimistic, but she seems lovely.”
“I can’t wait to meet her,” Eli said.
“Maybe you can come for Christmas?” Gamma asked in a hopeful tone.
“Maybe.” Fact was, the house would likely be sold by then. He didn’t want to think about leaving. “I’ll let you know.”
“Love you, talk soon!”
Sighing, Eli got back to work, tucking his phone in the pocket of his sweats. He was almost done, dishes stacked in the drainer, pots and pans upended on the mat, when Iris came into the kitchen. She seemed…determined in a way he hadn’t seen before, and he’d thought he was an expert on all her expressions.
“Hungry?” he asked.
They’d eaten every last bite of the spaghetti and salad feast, which had visibly made the old man happy. Being needed seemed to be a key component of Henry Dale’s psyche. And on that note, Eli couldn’t wait to see how the desk-chair combo cabinet turned out.
“No.” She chewed at her lip and paced around the space, touching stuff here and there. What looked like restless hands made her grab a dish towel and start drying, all without making eye contact.
Okay, this is weird.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“Not wrong. I’m just…really nervous. And I don’t know what to say or how to say it or if I should say this at all. I might ruin everything.”
Eli strode over to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Maybe it’s family stuff? “Whatever’s happening, we can figure out a solution together.”
For some reason, that relaxed her. Iris smiled and took a breath. “I should’ve known you’d say that. Okay, here it is. I got upset when I found out you’d invited someone home because I thought it was a date. Lately, I’ve had…feelings for you. Romantic ones. And I was wondering if you feel the same at all. Is it just me?”