A Perfect Distraction. Anna Sugden

      “It’s true—this is the perfect house,” Aunt Karina added. “That’s why when my boys offered to buy me my own place, I turned them down. I live in the garden house.”

      “She means the carriage house at the back of the property—in the garden.” Jake smiled indulgently. “And Aunt Karina isn’t really my aunt, she’s Mom’s best friend.”

      “But I’m the aunt of your heart, no?”

      “Of course.”

      “Tina and I raised our boys together.” Aunt Karina pulled a photo from her apron and passed it across the table. “These four handsome boys are mine.”

      The two oldest looked familiar. “I met these two at Jake’s party.”

      Jake nodded. “Tru and Ike.”

      Aunt Karina frowned. “When will you invite me and your mama to your parties?”

      “That was the last one. No more parties. I’m focusing on hockey.”

      The two older women exchanged a worried look. “You’ll become a dull boy, Jakey. All work and no fun.”

      Jake’s shoulders tensed. Clearly, this was not a discussion he wanted to have.

      Empathy she didn’t expect tugged at Maggie. Time for a distraction.

      “Is that the time?” She shoved the four property sheets in her bag. “We should get a move on if we’re to take a look at these today.”

      “Good idea.” With a grateful look, Jake grabbed the lifeline she’d tossed him.

      The two women saw them off at the front door, reminding them to take care in the heat.

      The car was halfway down the street before Jake turned to Maggie. “Thanks for the bailout. They’re still getting used to the idea that I’m changing things up now I’m home.”

      “It’s nice they care so much. You’re lucky.” She heard the wistfulness in her voice and cleared her throat to cover it.

      For all his reputation, the way he behaved toward the older women said a lot about him. He was fond of them, but he also respected them.

      Jake had treated her with respect, too. It had been a long time since anyone other than her sister had treated her like an equal.

      For the first time since she’d agreed to help her sister, the knot of tension eased in Maggie’s gut. Maybe she’d misjudged how difficult this job would be. If Jake continued to be this easy to work with, it would be a piece of cake.

      A couple of days house-hunting, a week tops, and she would have completed her first contract. Then, who knew what else she could achieve?

      * * *

      “YOU’VE NEVER SEEN The Godfather?”

      Jake’s shocked expression made Maggie smile as she followed the GPS’s instructions to turn right, the following afternoon. “What is it with blokes and that film?”

      “The Godfather is an iconic piece of modern culture.”

      “You sound like Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail.”

      “Isn’t that a chick flick?” He frowned.

      “You’ve never seen You’ve Got Mail?” She widened her eyes.

      Jake hitched an eyebrow.

      “He calls The Godfather the I-Ching and quotes it to Meg Ryan as lessons for life.”

      The GPS interrupted his reply. “Your destination is ahead, on the right.”

      The relaxed atmosphere vanished as she pulled up to the last property on the day’s list.

      “I hope this house is better than the other five we’ve seen today.” Jake got out of the car.

      Maggie tried to quell the flutter in her stomach at his disappointed tone.

      Yesterday’s visits had gone well, even though, as expected, the four properties hadn’t been appropriate. They’d spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the area to fine-tune Jake’s housing likes and dislikes. He’d been open and frank, while listening to her suggestions. Driving between houses, they’d chatted about other things—a real conversation, rather than the self-centered monologue she’d expected.

      This morning, after a good-natured argument about who would drive, they’d set off to look at some new properties that she and Mimi had selected. Though the first house hadn’t been bad, the places had gone steadily downhill after that.

      With each rejected house, Jake’s enthusiasm had waned and turned to frustration.

      Turning off the engine, Maggie fought the urge to run away. What kind of example would that set for Emily? If she wanted her daughter to be proud of her, she’d have to brave it out. Besides, she wouldn’t let Tracy down.

      A wall of heat and humidity hit her as she got out of the car. The silk underskirt stuck to her legs, making her wish she’d gone for comfort and cool. Could she get rid of her jacket?

      She glanced at her outfit. Even without the matching jacket, the beige linen dress was smart. No fancy frippery, apart from the column of bow-shaped buttons down her back. Lee wouldn’t have allowed her out of the house wearing the simple, knee-length style with its modest neckline, but then he hadn’t wanted her to look understated and professional.

      Though she’d have preferred a brighter color and a less severe cut, Maggie was still trying to find a style she felt comfortable with. All she knew for sure was it wouldn’t be anything Lee found suitable. She shrugged off her jacket and laid it across the backseat, then gathered her bag and turned.

      Jake stood behind her. His rigid stance said he was glaring at her behind his Ray-Bans. “This one doesn’t feel right, either.”

      Resisting the unexpected urge to snap at him, she forced a polite smile. “Shall we take a quick look, anyway? We’ve learned a lot from the other places we’ve seen, and it’s all helping us narrow down what you’re after.”

      “Let’s get this done.” He nodded sharply, then strode up the path to where Mimi waited by the front door.

      How on earth did the older woman maintain her immaculate appearance? Not a silver hair out of place nor a wrinkle in her mint-green pantsuit. Even her smile looked as fresh as it had first thing this morning.

      You can do this, Maggie told herself fiercely as she followed him. Inside the foyer, she stopped. Her stomach dropped to her midheeled Marc Jacobs sandals.

      Jake was right. The house was awful.

      Though normal on the outside, the Dutch Colonial was a nightmare of rooms painted in eye-popping acid colors. Any original features had long since been stripped out. Someone must have doctored the pictures on the property sheet.

      “They’ve ruined a great old house.” Mimi shook her head sadly as she led them past the sunken fishpond in the living room to the narrow kitchen with lime-green appliances. “No wonder they dropped the price.”

      Maggie stopped by the rear stairs. “Let’s call it a day. We can meet again in the morning when we’ll have other properties for you to look at.”

      Jake fixed his ice-blue gaze on her. “This isn’t working. We’re getting nowhere.”

      Did that mean he was going to fire her? The internal voice sneered again. Useless.

      She injected a cheeriness she didn’t feel into her voice. “I know today’s been disappointing, but there are plenty of other available houses. I’m sure we’ll see something suitable tomorrow.”

      “We said at the beginning it would take time to find the perfect place,” Mimi added.

      Jake ignored the real-estate agent. “We’re chasing our tails. Nothing we’ve seen has come