Signed, Sealed, Delivered (5 page)

Juliana put down the brush and picked up one of the discarded elastic hair ties. She gathered her hair into a ponytail, tying it neatly so she could put it out of her mind. Since she was using the spare bathroom, not the master, the tie probably belonged to Amber, Mallory’s stepdaughter. The yoga pants and T-shirt had to be hers as well since Amber was about the same height and weight as Juliana. The girl wasn’t around, so perhaps it was her mother’s day for visitation.

“Coming?” Mallory called up the stairs. “Breakfast’s ready!”

“Be right down.”

Mallory hadn’t asked many questions when she’d picked up Juliana, but she would. Her husband, Ben, was most likely cooking, and he’d surely have a few questions of his own. Embarrassing though it would be, Juliana was still grateful Mallory had come to her rescue. They’d invited her to breakfast, so Juliana had agreed rather than heading straight back home.

After spending most of her life as a loner, she’d never understood the power of friendship until she met Mallory. They were both teachers at Douglas High, albeit Mallory taught social studies while Juliana devoted her time to special needs kids. Their paths had barely crossed until six years ago when they’d been assigned the same lunch period. They’d connected not only with each other but also with the two other teachers who’d shared that lunch assignment—Bethany Rogers and Danielle Bradshaw. The four of them formed a friendship that had helped Juliana see what had been missing in her life.

Now they shared everything. These women were her support system, and she hoped her three friends considered her every bit as loyal. They went on excursions to shop, see plays, or simply unwind with a day at a spa. After one such trip to Chicago to take in the show
Company
, they’d dubbed themselves the “Ladies Who Lunch” after one of the songs, joking over a pitcher of margaritas that the title suited their motley crew perfectly.

Trotting down the stairs, she headed to the kitchen, padding across the walnut floor in her bare feet.

Ben stood at the stove, flipping heavenly smelling pancakes as Mallory poured three mugs of coffee. She carried two over to the table and took a seat as Juliana joined her and took one of the mugs from her hand with a murmured thanks.

“Are you ready to explain why you were at Starbucks so early on a Saturday morning, still wearing the dress you wore to the seminar?” Mallory poured some half-and-half into her coffee and handed the carton to Juliana.

Since Amber was nowhere around to hear her confession, Juliana laid it on the line as she added the half-and-half to her own coffee. “I left the guy I seduced last night in his room at the Ramada. He was taking a shower when I snuck out. Starbucks was the closest place to hide.”

Mallory’s eyes flew wide. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Ben snorted a laugh. “How was the walk of shame through the lobby? Sufficiently embarrassing?” He put a few more pancakes on the plate before setting the pan aside, picking up the plate, and bringing it to the table. After fetching his cup of coffee he waited by the vacant chair.

Juliana ignored his teasing and speared a couple of chocolate-chip pancakes with her fork, moving them to her plate, ready to chow down.

Ben still stood by his seat, tapping his foot against the floor.

She glanced up to catch his glare. “What?”

Then she saw the problem. With a lopsided smile, Juliana picked up her heavy purse from where it rested on the chair and let it fall to the floor next to her with a thud. She really needed to clean the thing out before she got back problems from hefting it around.

She beat Ben to the syrup, pouring a generous amount over her pancakes. One bite had her humming in pleasure. The man was a hell of a cook.

A fleeting moment of jealousy passed. Mallory had obviously found the last decent available man in the world, and damn it all, he could cook like a gourmet chef. In fact, he loved cooking. A good thing since Mallory hated it with a passion.

Why can’t I be lucky enough to find a full-service guy?

On the other hand, could Ben make a woman feel the way Connor made Juliana feel last night? Twice?

Connor might have been Juliana’s perfect man. And how had she dealt with discovering him? She’d lost any chance of getting to know him better by slinking away like a thief in the early morning light.

“What’s got you frowning?” Mallory knew her far too well or was simply too damned observant.

“I was thinking it wasn’t fair you got Ben.” Juliana added a little more syrup to her breakfast. “I had to twist your arm to get you to go to that mixer. Remember?”

“I remember.”

“I should have him at my place, cooking for
me
while he remodels
my
house.”

“Tough turkey,” Mallory said, a note of humor in her voice. “He’s mine. You can’t have him.”

Ben set down his coffee. “Sounds like you found a Mr. Wonderful of your own last night.”

“Yeah, well, I spoiled that right away, didn’t I?” What good man would want a woman who got tipsy on Patrón and slept with him on what had to seem like a whim?

Her luck with men had been wretched since boyfriend one, a loser who dropped out of high school during his second attempt at finishing his senior year. She’d followed that fiasco by marrying a guy who was as wrong for her as bib overalls or short hair. They’d divorced after only three years of marriage that had seemed to last an eternity. Nothing but a litany of shouting matches, slammed doors, and hurt feelings.

What did it say about her that she only attracted guys like that instead of guys like Ben?

Was Connor Wilson a loser hiding under a cloak of anonymity? If she got to know him better would he end up being as big a disappointment as every other man who’d wandered in and out of her life?

She’d never know because she’d botched her one chance to find out. Sure, finding him probably wouldn’t be all that hard, not thanks to social media. But there was no way she’d hunt him down only to relive her embarrassment.

When Ben snorted again, Juliana had to resist the urge to throw her fork at him. “If you slept with him,” he said, “I doubt you spoiled anything. I’d guess he’ll easily agree to another date, especially one with a happy ending.”

Mallory swatted his arm. “Stop making her feel bad.”

“Oh, I don’t feel bad,” Juliana insisted. “I had a great time. I wish…” She sighed. “No. No wishing. I’m not looking for a relationship. I just needed someone last night.”

“You could’ve called me,” Mallory insisted. “I’m always here.”

Juliana shrugged. “It was late and I was kinda devastated.”

“Devastated? Why? What happened at that seminar after you texted me?”

“Max Schumm showed me he’s an asshole. That’s what happened.”

Weaving the tale of that flag-waving male chauvinist and the way he’d frozen her out helped ease the lingering anger. Unfortunately, all that did was bring Connor right back to the front of Juliana’s mind.

She brushed over their connection, but there was no remorse. If she was honest with herself, she’d have to admit she’d hop right into bed with him again if he so much as crooked his finger.

Another good reason to stay the hell away from him.

Schumm Realty seemed no better a fit for him than it did her, so she probably wouldn’t find him there. He might not even live in Cloverleaf. Their paths might never cross again unless she went on the offensive to start searching.

“You’re frowning again.” Mallory studied her over the top of her coffee cup.

“Just thinking that Schumm was definitely a dead end, so my budding career in real estate died before it even took its first breath.”

“Not necessarily,” Ben said. “There are other firms.”

Juliana gave her head a shake. “I can’t see myself at one of those any more than I could wear one of Schumm’s stupid blue blazers.”

“Then why not start your own firm?” he asked.

“What?”

“Start your own firm. You’re smart. You’ve got that garage that I could convert into a great office space. Everyone in Cloverleaf knows you. You’d be all set in no time.”

Mallory’s brows knit. “Are you really thinking of leaving teaching? You’re not just venting?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to bail. I’m just so, so burned out.”

“But you love teaching!”

With a shake of her head, Juliana said, “I used to. But now? Now I have to drag my ass out of bed every single day and force myself go to work. I can’t imagine having to do that for another twenty years.”

Putting her hand over Juliana’s, Mallory offered a weak smile. “I don’t know how I’d get through a day without you being there.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Mal. We’re friends, practically sisters. I’ll always be in your life.”

“Promise?”

“I swear it.”

“Then Ben’s giving you a great solution. I can guarantee he’ll do the contracting work for the cost of supplies only.”

“Is that so? You think he’ll listen to you?” Juliana scoffed, knowing Ben loved Mallory enough to do anything for her.

“I have
special
ways of persuading him.” Mallory winked.

The heated gaze he tossed Mallory made Juliana’s heart hurt.

Then she considered what he’d said about starting her own business. A spark fired inside her even as her gut tied into nervous knots at the notion of venturing out that far on a shaky financial limb. Could she really start selling houses without aligning herself with one of Cloverleaf’s existing firms?

“I wouldn’t require much,” Ben went on. “Just a phone and a computer and a lot of your time.”

“And next month is final exams,” Mallory added. “You’ll have a good ten weeks of summer vacation to start hustling for listings and to take buyers out on showings. Knowing you, you’ll be outselling Schumm by the end of June.”

Their confidence in her was infectious. “I could take more time if I borrow from my retirement savings. I could even take the entire next school year off.” A terrifying thought, but the more Juliana considered it, the more she liked it.

It was a risky venture. She’d saved up a nice nest egg, and taking money from those accounts could end up being a major setback. She had no mortgage, and her car was paid for. There were no real expenses, and if she lived frugally she could get by.

But if she lost her retirement fund, she might be teaching until she was eighty.

“Robert might even join you,” Ben added. “Or at the very least, he’ll give you the listings on his custom houses. I know he hates Schumm, too.”

“Maybe.” The more she pondered their words, the more the idea bloomed. She could talk to Robert. If he listed his houses, she might be able to talk to those buyers to see if they were selling their old homes. Schumm’s reputation might be more tenuous than she’d originally thought, judging from the way everyone responded to him last night. Perhaps they only listed with him because he was one of the limited choices in Cloverleaf.

Could she really do this? Risk her savings to take a year’s leave of absence and try to start a new career, a new life?

She let her worries take the lead. “I don’t know. It wouldn’t be easy. I mean, Schumm practically corners the market here. Between him and Re/Max, they must list more than ninety percent of the houses.”

“Not that many,” Ben replied. Since he was fiddling with his cell, studying the screen intently, she had no idea if he was searching for information about Schumm or only checking his e-mail. “Did you ever notice how many fizbos there are around here?”

“Fizbos?” Understanding quickly dawned. “You mean for sale by owners, right?” She smiled. “Fizbo. I like that. Sounds cute.”

He nodded, still working on his cell with his right hand as he ate with his left. Mallory had always bragged her hubby was ambidextrous.

Guess she was right.

“You already know almost everyone in Cloverleaf,” Mallory said. “You’ve taken most of their kids to Europe. If we get the word out that you’re selling houses, they’ll be beating a path to your door.”

“You think so?” Their faith in her was heartwarming, yet right below that sat a terror that threatened to bring all of this to a screeching halt.

Teaching was a secure job. Sure, those in charge heaped more paperwork on her every year, made exponentially worse because she was a special education teacher. But overall, Juliana could count on always having a job. As long as she’d working been at Douglas High, she’d pretty much have to be caught doing something obscene with a farm animal to get fired.

“Maybe I
can
do it.”

“Think about it,” Mallory suggested. “With your name, you can make a shamrock logo. Kelley Realty. Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Juliana nodded, letting them talk her into the idea more with every word.

“Amber is great with putting together stuff like logos.” Ben pulled his wallet from his back pocket and fished out a business card, which he set in front of Juliana. “She made these for me.”

The card for Carpenter Contracting looked as if it had been professionally designed and printed. Had he not told her his daughter designed it, she would’ve thought they were done at a professional print shop. “Nice. Think she’d do something like that for me? Shamrocks are a good idea.”

“Maybe you can do green blazers instead of blue,” he added.

“Nah,” Juliana replied. “Tacky blazers aren’t my style.”

* * *

Connor balked at the estimate. At least Indianapolis had a lot of competition, so prices there had tended to be more competitive. This place wanted to charge him an arm and a leg for a couple of sturdy yard signs.

“Let me think about it,” he finally said.

“Suit yourself.” The clerk shrugged and turned back to his workstation.

The bell above the door jingled as Connor walked out of the store, a quaint symbol of just how small Cloverleaf was. One of the reasons he’d come here. He needed to simplify his life. What he didn’t need was overinflated prices for the swag required to get Wilson Realty off the ground. Until he actually achieved a decent cash flow, things were going to be tight. He better learn to accept that.