“Do you remember Spencer Hill?”

Samantha, my closest friend and coworker in crime, squints at me. “The name sounds familiar.”

My hands join the conversation, something I can’t avoid when I’m excited or flustered. “He was one grade ahead of us in high school. He was way short and wore these thick glasses.”

She shrugs, recognition still not kicking in.

“He tutored Gideon in science.”

Her brows lift as a memory must kick in. Figures all I had to do was relate it to something with one of my brothers. Over the years, I think Sam has crushed on all of them.

“The super nerdy guy who always had his head in a book?”

Was that how she saw him? I mean, sure, he was nerdy, but super nerdy?

“Well, I had coffee with him and he looks nothing like he did back in high school.”

A feline grin stretches across her beautiful face. “Oh, from geek to chic?”

A laugh escapes, both at her words and her expression. “Something like that. When I got there, I had no clue who he was. He started talking to me and like a total idiot I thought he was about to ask me out.”

“How good looking are we talking?”

Pressing my lips together, I pull up a mental image from earlier. “He’s gotten tall for one thing, I think taller than Gid. But, don’t tell him I said that. I think he has a complex being the shortest. Back to Spencer, he still has glasses but now they look seriously hot on him, and he doesn’t have a beard. Thank god for it because his jaw is so chiseled it took all I had not to touch it.”

Her brows come together. “You wanted to touch it?”

My hand raises, palm toward her to swear on it. “If I didn’t need money so bad I would consider referring him to someone else. He’s so hot it’s distracting. He might ask me for a duplex and I’ll show him a retail space.”

She presses her hand to her chest in horror and I laugh.

“Just kidding, I’d never screw up that bad or give up a client.”

That’s not exactly true. On the rare occasion I had a buyer interested in a house that I represented the seller, I’d refer the buyer to Sam or someone else in the office. It’s not the worst thing in the world to represent both; it’s just not something I’m comfortable with.

She relaxes. “You had me going there for a second. Please tell me you got a stealth pic of him.”

I shake my head. “I have something even better.”

“What? Did you make him pose or something?”

Brandishing my phone, I reply, “I Internet stalked him.”

She lunges for my phone and I press it to my chest. “Heel Cujo, I’ll show you his pics.”

As she leans back, she jabs my knee, probably for the Cujo thing.

Sam is a total dog person and still doesn’t understand why I got Emo.

Once I have a good picture pulled up, I pass my phone to her.

“Damn, he’s fine now.” Turning the screen for me to see, she points at it. “Are you positive this is the same guy?”

Falling backward, I go from sitting on her bed to lying on it. “Yep.”

“What’s the problem? Ask him out.”

Shifting to my side, I prop my head on my hand. “I don’t think he’s into dating. I watched a woman flirt with him at the coffee shop and he shut her down fast. At first I assumed he didn’t know she was flirting. Turns out he did. He’s a workaholic, basically said it himself, just not in those words.”

She frowns. “Why do the hot guys always have issues?”

“No clue.”

“Well, at least he’ll be nice to look at while you work with him.”

“It’ll be nice to have something to take my mind off the house.”

She cringes. “What’s the latest?”

My throat tightens, dreading to say the words out loud. “Nothing good.”

“Let it out babe.”

Taking a fortifying inhale first, I do. “There’s no saving it. Or, more accurately, I can’t afford the cost to fix it. No lie, the estimate I got was three hundred thousand dollars. My house wasn’t worth that before the sinkhole and since my homeowners’ insurance is covering jack, I’m screwed.”

“Holy shit.”

Closing my eyes tight, I mentally agree and then congratulate myself for getting all of that out without crying. I’ve cried more in the past two weeks than I have in years.

My parents offered to split the cost with me but I can’t let them do that. The money they’d give me is part of their retirement. My brothers all offered to pitch in as well.

“Even if I had the money to burn, it would be stupid to do it. I spent a hundred thousand on it. With the improvements I’ve made, and its location, it might be worth two fifty. If I let my family do this, I will have invested close to half a million on a house that will never be worth that.”

“But you love your house.”

This time, a tear escapes. “I can love a new house.”

She flops onto me, hugging me. “Oh honey. I hate that you’re hurting.”

Damnit if that doesn’t make me cry even more. “Stop hugging me. You’re making me cry.”

She rolls off me and shoves at my shoulder. “It’s okay to cry.”

I wipe at my eyes. “Yeah right, you didn’t grow up in a house full of brothers.”

She sits back up. “Oh, was crying not allowed?”

“Basically.”

Grasping my hand, she pulls me up as well. “I know your brothers would lose their minds over anything that made you cry.”

“That doesn’t mean they didn’t take satisfaction in being the ones to make me cry.”

“What? No way.”

“Please, when we were little it was Lord of the Flies around my house.”

She stands and I follow her. “On that note, want more wine?”

“My house is being condemned, do you even have to ask?”

She retrieves our glasses from her table and heads toward the kitchen of her condo. For someone who sells real estate for a living, it’s funny that Sam has no interest in buying a single-family home. Not that I blame her after what happened to my house. Hell, I’m probably going to rent until I stop feeling traumatized.

“Thanks for letting me crash with you, and for giving me wine.”

“You’re always welcome here and you gave me the excuse I needed to pull the trigger on getting my new bedroom set.”

Sam’s not impulsive, almost to a fault. She’s wanted to upgrade her bedroom set for ages. We were in her room to assemble the new furniture she got. There’s a decent chance she bought it just so I could put it together. Her old dresser and arm chair are now in my room, the rest she donated to a local shelter.

Assembling furniture is one of my favorite things to do. Since Sam refuses to watch anime with me, this had to be her plan to cheer me up.

“Your bedroom is perfect for you now.”

Her last set was boring. Sam may not be impulsive, but she’s not boring.

Now, with antique elements, her new set is all luxury.

“What if you switched out your light fixture for a crystal chandelier?”

She sets the wine glasses on the countertop and taps her chin. “I like that idea. A chandelier would look amazing in there.”

She makes short work of uncorking another bottle and refilling our glasses.

“What are you going to do?”

“Honestly, I’m still figuring that part out.” All of my stuff, minus what I moved in here, is now in storage. Luckily, or unluckily, the only thing that was affected by the sinkhole was the house itself and, when I say all of my stuff, I mean all of my stuff. We pulled every single cabinet and fixture. The stuff that I wasn’t attached to, I’ve already sold to Noah. He’s a contractor and can use it in his remodels for clients who might want something at a discount.

“This whole thing has put me off owning anytime soon. Noah’s trying to talk me into it but I just don’t know.”

“Don’t let one failure keep you from trying again.”

“Losing my house feels like a pretty big failure. I’m scared to jump back in.”

“That’s understandable. Give yourself time. It’s December, it’s not like you could buy anything even if you were ready.”

Taking my glass, I move to her sofa and sit. “That’s true. I emailed Spencer earlier, after I created a profile for him in the system. Even using broad search perimeters, there’s nothing out there.”

She comes to sit beside me. “You had to know that would happen.”

Taking a sip of my wine, I shrug. “There’s usually a few stubborn people who list even in the winter.”

“That or they couldn’t sell in the fall,” she replies.

With all the noise from putting together Sam’s new furniture over, Emo comes out of wherever she was hiding. She moves by Sam first, rubbing against her legs as she passes her.

Sam reaches down to pet her. “You’re lucky I like your cat.”

“And that you haven’t gotten a dog yet.”

She nods, lifting her hand when Emo tires of her pets and moves over to me.

“Maybe I’ll get a dog in the spring, when it won’t be so miserable to walk it.”

Sam has been talking about getting a dog for years. For some reason, just like not being ready to buy a house, she can’t commit.

Emo gracefully settles herself in my lap and I scratch behind her ears. “Hopefully I’ll be out of here before then.”

“What, you don’t want to live with me forever?”

I laugh which annoys Emo. “As much as I love you for letting me stay with you, I miss having my own space.”

“I get that.”

My eyes settle on the clock display of her cable box and I down the rest of my wine. “I need to change. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?”

Sam fidgets with the hem of her skirt. “No, I think I’m going to head to the office to finish up something.”

She’s a terrible liar and up to something, I’m sure of it.

Deciding against calling her out on it, I let it go. “You know you’re always welcome if you change your mind.”

Sam’s gaze meets mine. “Thanks babe.”

I rinse my glass and put it in the dishwasher before heading to my borrowed room to quickly change. Since I’m on his way, Gideon is picking me up for dinner at Noah and Finley’s.

I’m putting on my earrings when Sam announces Gideon’s arrival.

“Stop flirting with her,” I order when I walk into her living room.

Gideon holds up his hands. “I wasn’t flirting.”

Bullshit, he’s always flirting.

He holds the door for me as I wave bye to Sam. “Have fun at work.”

I don’t miss the way she blanches before the door closes. What is she up to?

Gideon’s new truck is double parked right in front of the entrance to her building. “You’re lucky I was ready or you could have gotten towed.”

He smirks. “I’m on good terms with the property manager here. She won’t tow me.”

I open the passenger door and climb in. “Gross. I don’t need to know about any of your conquests.”

He grins as he fastens his seatbelt. “I never said I slept with her.”

I roll my eyes. “You didn’t have to.”

That makes him laugh.

“Hey, do you remember Spencer Hill?”

He cocks his head toward me. “Of course I do. He tutored me. Why do you ask?”

Tugging off one of my gloves, I push my hair behind my ear. “I’m working with him. He’s moved back to town and wants to buy a place.”

“No way. I’ll have to look him up.”

For some reason, this surprises me. “Really?”

“Hell yeah. I always liked that guy. He could have been a dick to me and made me feel stupid when he helped me with science but he wasn’t.”

“If you meet up with him, be ready for a shock.”

He stops at a red light and glances over at me. “Why’s that?”

A deep grumble fills the air as he presses on the gas. “He looks nothing like he did in high school. When I met him for coffee, I didn’t recognize him at all.”

“What does he look like now?”

Tall, dark, handsome.

“He’s a lot taller and built now.”

Traffic slows as a car a few lengths ahead of us stops to make a left-hand turn. “You got the hots for him?”

“Shut up.”

Gideon laughs and the urge to punch him in the ribs comes over me.

“You need any advice on how to get a man?”

“You need any advice on how not to end up in a shallow grave on the side of the road?”

He coughs. “Like you could take me.”

“I’m pretty sure Eli would help me.”

He turns onto Noah and Finley’s street. “In that case, I’ll shut up.”

Before Noah and Finley built their garage, we always parked on the street. Now there’s plenty of room for Gideon to park in their driveway.

My chest expands when I see Asher’s truck in front of us. “Paige must have talked Asher into coming.”

It’s not that my older brother would need to be talked into spending time with us, per say, it’s just that he’s happier away from crowds. If everyone shows up, it can turn into a crowd just counting our immediate family.

“Paige is cool.” Gideon pushes open his door and then leans back toward me. “And hot.”

I shake my head. He’s such a dork.

We use the kitchen door and are greeted with the appealing aromas of whatever Finley is making. Not only is my future sister-in-law the perfect woman for my brother Noah, she’s also a kick-ass cook.

Seriously, if he hadn’t of fallen in love with her I might have considered doing so myself just so she’d feed me on a regular basis.

Finley turns from her fancy gas stove when we walk in. “Hey guys.”

Gideon pulls her into a hug and kisses her cheek. “Hey gorgeous.”

“Hands off Gid,” Noah orders while Finley laughs.

Gideon releases her with a pout and makes his way past Noah and into their den.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

Finley gives me a hug. “Nope, between your mom and Paige, everything’s covered.”

I pull away and stand next to Noah. “So you’re telling me I arrived at exactly the perfect time?”

He drapes his arm over my shoulders and kisses the side of my head. “How are you doing?”

My entire family has been treating me like I’m fine china ever since it became clear I was going to lose my house. “I’ll be okay.”

There’s no point in lying to any of them.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay with us?” Finley asks.

I’m saved from answering when Aidan bursts into the kitchen. “Auntie Abby.”

“Hey dude. How are you?”

He races over to give me a hug. “I’m sorry you’re homeless now.”

“Aidan,” Brooke warns.

I run my hand over his hair. “It’s okay and trust me, I’m sorry I’m homeless too.”

One good thing that came out of all the drama surrounding my house was Brooke and Eli have been so busy convincing the kids that their house, and their grandparents’ houses, and their schools won’t get sucked into sinkholes to fight.

Brooke comes over to give me a hug. “I never had a chance to thank you for how well you handled everything that night. Thank you.”

I stare at my sister-in-law. “You don’t have to thank me for that.”

She gulps and nods. “Trust me, I do.”

Before I can talk to her more, she leads Aidan back into the den.

My mom walks in, bearing an empty bowl. “Gideon just told me you’re going to help Spencer Hill find a house?”

“Well hello to you too mom,” I greet.

She huffs and sets the bowl on the counter before reaching for a bag of chips to refill it.

“Yes, I met with him earlier today.”

“Who’s Spencer Hill?” Noah asks.

Our mom moves to throw the now empty bag away. “You had his father for English in tenth grade.”

Noah still looks confused so I say, “He graduated one year ahead of me and tutored Gideon.”

“Is he single?” My mother surprises no one by asking.

“Mom.”

She has the nerve to look offended. “Would you rather I call his mother and ask her?”

Finley’s eyes widen while Noah chokes.

“He’s a client, so please do not call his mom to find out if he’s single.”

“I don’t see what the problem is. I’ve known her longer than you’ve known Spencer.”

There’s no use arguing. “He’s single, but I promise you he’s not looking.”

“No one is truly looking for someone until they find them.”

“Good to know. Now, I’m going to go say hi to everyone else.”

I make a hasty retreat before she can drive me crazy.

Gideon is cringing when I join him in the den. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, thanks for that. I should tell her you said you wanted to settle down to get you back.”

He hangs his head. “I didn’t know she was going to go full matchmaker when I mentioned Spencer.”

“Please, it’s our mother, assume she’ll always go full matchmaker.”

Her response answers the age-old question of what’s worse, having a daughter who’s homeless or one who’s single.

Ugh.

Either way, as much as I love her, I’m not going back into the kitchen while she’s there. “Can you go get me a glass of wine?”