Bidding Wars (Love Strikes) - By Lacey Wolfe Page 0,1
has seen better days and needs some TLC—a bit like me, I suppose—but to me it’s perfect.”
“It’s only been on the market one day, so we should probably get back to my office to get the offer together tonight. This one is going to go quick.”
“Let’s do whatever we have to.”
Molly opened the front door and stepped onto the porch. She inspected the cracked paint on the railing while Diane locked up the house. The sound of wheels crunching on the driveway made her look up and freeze. Someone else wanted to see her house. A very attractive blond man with a nice tan stepped out of the vehicle. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw his police uniform.
“Everything OK, officer?” Diane stepped off the porch.
“Yup. I live nearby and saw this place come up for sale. I wanted to check it out.” He placed a hand over his eyes to shade the sunlight as he looked out over the property.
“In the market to buy or just checking out the house out of curiosity?” Diane grabbed a business card from her folder and handed it to him.
He took it, shoving it in his pocket right away. “I’m looking to buy. My lease is almost up, and I love this neighborhood. It’s a great place to live. And with this economy, it might be a good time to buy.” He cleared his throat. “My agent should be here soon. Just thought I’d look around a little before he arrives. I’ve been out a few times and found if I don’t like the outside, there’s no reason to see the inside, right?”
Molly wanted to tell him to back off. This was her place. He might as well climb back into that car with his fine self and look elsewhere. Diane must have sensed it, because she nudged Molly forward and gave her a stern look. Molly had hoped the officer didn’t notice, but no such luck. A smile crept to his lips and an amused stare caught her eyes for a moment.
“Well, Officer,” Diane looked closer at his shirt, “Logan, we’ll get out of your way.”
Molly didn’t want to get out of his way. She’d much rather chain herself to the front porch. Her hands were numb. Glancing down, she saw she’d been clutching the railing to the point her knuckles were white. Damn it, let go! She had to get her offer in and fast. And it had to be an offer the seller couldn’t resist. Especially if there was a chance this cop would be putting one in soon as well.
She climbed into Diane’s car. “He can’t have it. It’s mine.”
“It’s not yours yet. But we’ll put together an offer the seller can’t refuse…if you’re willing to.”
“Yes!”
“Thank you for not saying anything to him about liking the house. If he knows for sure you’re interested, it could become a competition. And, like I said, this house just came up. This is a popular neighborhood. We need to act fast or this could go into a ‘highest and best’ situation.”
“What is highest and best?” Molly did not like the way it sounded.
“Basically, there are several offers. You don’t know where yours stands compared with everyone else’s. And it’s up to you to give your best offer. The best one wins. However, best doesn’t always mean the most money. Cash will almost always get the house. But a big earnest amount shows how serious you are.”
Her stomach hurt, and her heart pounded in her chest. “I don’t want to get into a situation like that.”
Diane pulled the car away from the home. “Sometimes you have to go a little out of your comfort zone. But if you love the house that much, it’ll be worth it.”
* * *
A few days had passed since Molly had put her offer in. It had been impossible to concentrate on work, or anything else for that matter. She kept thinking about the house and how many others had seen it. Why hadn’t the seller responded yet?
But the thing that haunted her the most was the look she’d seen in the police officer’s kind green eyes when he gazed at the house. She knew exactly what he was feeling—she’d experienced it as well. A warmth around the heart, giving the feeling of being at peace and at home. In her fantasies, he was like any man and would try to get the best deal he could and offer under asking.
As she flipped though the