Marissa’s breath caught in her throat. So that’s why Staci had been in his arms. Now she felt awful. All these years she had held a grudge against Staci and it turned out that Staci had been facing a real crisis. God. Shame washed through her.

“I never forgot how bad I felt. That’s why I decided to come here today. I wanted to pay my respects to her. She was broken that night but she didn’t let it stop her. She went on to live a great life.”

Marissa hadn’t known. Oh, she knew Staci’s parents had eventually divorced. But she hadn’t known that that night had been a breaking point. She thought about how she would have felt if her parents had decided to divorce, especially at that sensitive time in her life. She didn’t know if she could have survived such an upheaval.

Thankfully, her parents’ marriage had never been in danger. Myrna and Seamus McCall had always been a stalwart force, as close as two people could be. Myrna was a strong, independent woman who had a career as an artist but she was the perfect partner for her husband. Loyal, devoted, and outspoken. Marissa knew they didn’t always agree but they respected each other’s opinions and knew how to compromise.

In fact, their strong marriage was one of the main reasons Marissa hadn’t married. She’d never found anyone she felt the kind of bond with that her parents displayed and she really didn’t want to settle for less.

A sad smile flickered across his face. “I wondered. It just seemed too strange that you left so suddenly.”

Their eyes met in a long moment of understanding and Marissa couldn’t break her gaze away until Chloe suddenly appeared next to her.

“Hey, girl, I need to hit the road. Are you about ready to go?”

Marissa dragged herself back to reality and nodded. “Just let me say goodbye to Staci’s parents.”

She turned to Aaron. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

She was sure she felt his gaze burning into her back as she walked away. She couldn’t stop herself. She glanced over her shoulder and found him staring at her, a pensive look on his face.

Spring was always a busy time in the real estate market. People who had kids listed their homes as the end of the school year neared. The warmer weather brought out house hunters and this year, unlike some past years, business was booming. To top it off, May had just begun and Indianapolis had been taken over by its annual 500 fever.

"Wow, what a crazy day. I hope yours hasn't been as hectic as mine has." Marissa greeted Angela as she entered the office. "Any messages, Angie?"

Angie grinned as she reached for the ringing phone and waved a handful of pink slips at Marissa. She groaned and took the notes, fanning through them as she walked towards her office. She was so engrossed she didn’t even notice Harrison headed down the hall towards her until he was practically on top of her.

“Oh, Harrison. Hi.” Marissa looked up just in time to avoid a collision and, as usual, Harrison’s cheeks grew pink when she spoke to him.

“Hi, Marissa. H…h…how are you?”

“I’m good. Say, I’ve been meaning to tell you thanks for getting me those marketing reports. It really helped. I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t even had time to work on my house. You running those reports saved me a bunch of time.”

“That’s okay, Marissa. Is there anything else I can do to help you?”

“Not right now, Harrison, thanks.”

“Anytime you need anything you know I’ll do it.” His eagerness was apparent, a shy smile on his face.

“You’re a real pal. Thanks.”

“Would you like a cup of coffee or something?”

"No, thanks. Hopefully, I'll be out of here as soon as I return these calls." She waggled her fingers at him and headed on down to her office. Harrison was such a sweet guy. Too bad he was so, well, socially awkward.

She spent the next hour calling clients. Mrs. Schaeffer needed reassuring that the house she wanted didn’t have any ghosts in it, that no one had died there. Mr. Chambers was waffling again on whether or not he really wanted to put in an offer on the large house on 64th street. And the young tattoo artist wanted to set an appointment to see a tiny house he’d spotted on the east side.

The last call she made was to Chloe. She sounded harried when she answered Marissa’s call.

“Oh, Marissa. Thank goodness it’s you and not somebody with another a problem.”

“You, too, huh? I know the feeling.” The two women commiserated then caught up on a bit of gossip.

“So , has Marcus said if there are any leads in Staci’s murder?”

“Nothing solid. He’s really frustrated with the lack of evidence in the case.” Marissa was, too. The fact that she had an open house scheduled for Sunday didn’t help any. She had to admit she was a little nervous about it.

“And how’s your first love?” Chloe’s voice held a teasing note.

“If you’re talking about Aaron, I told you, he is not my first love.” She shifted the phone and began clearing her desk. “And for all I know, he’s fine. I saw him a couple weeks ago at the home inspection and I talked to him a few days ago to set up the closing date this Friday. “I’m telling you, the man’s a magician or something. Nothing has slowed this closing down.”

“Well, I have to agree he’s pretty enchanting. I mean, that body is enough to bewitch any girl.”

“Chloe Harris, you are incorrigible. If you think he’s so hot, why don’t you go out with him?”

“Oh, no, not me. You saw him first.” Chloe chuckled. “He’s all yours.”

“What if I don’t want him?”

“If that were true, girl, I’d be all over him. But I know you. I can tell you’re interested in him whether you admit it or not.” Her voice lost the laughter and took on a more serious note.

Marissa rolled her eyes. She really didn’t want him. She didn’t want any man right now. She had too much to do to take time out for romance. And if she did, it wouldn’t be with a playboy like Aaron. She’d read all the articles about him, about what a player he was when he was in the NFL. She doubted anything had changed.

“Oh, hey my other line’s ringing. I’ve got to go. How about we get together Friday night for a girl’s night out ? . ”

“Believe it or not, I’m actually free this Friday. See you then.”

Marissa shook her head as she disconnected. Chloe was a hopeless romantic. Too bad she was way off base this time.