Page 94 of Diego

“That’s all we get?” Carter asks. “You spent an entire day showing houses to Diego Conti, and all you have is ‘it went well’?”

“Yes.”

Leah narrows her eyes slightly. “Did he like anything?”

“He liked several.”

“Enough to buy?”

“I don’t know yet.”

That part, at least, is technically true. Diego told me this morning that he intends to buy the penthouse, but there is a considerable difference between what a man says while buttoning his shirt after spending the night with me and an actual transaction moving through proper professional channels.

I desperately need those proper professional channels.

Carter folds his arms over his chest. “Which one was his favorite?”

“The penthouse."

"Ah ha, I knew it," Leah says. "Well, you knew it, but I also knew it."

Carter looks between us. “Was it good?”

My mind supplies an answer immediately.

Very. The best I've ever had.

I reach for my coffee instead. “He loved the property."

Leah’s mouth curves.

For one horrifying second, I wonder whether there is something entirely different written across my face. Then my desk phone rings, and I reach for it with enough enthusiasm that Carter gives me a strange look.

“Blair Owens.”

“Blair, good morning. This is Martin Keller.”

I straighten immediately. The name clears some of the fog from my head because Martin is the broker representing Jonathan Montes, the penthouse seller. He is also the man who answered my increasingly desperate call yesterday, listened while I explained who my client was, and somehow convinced the owner to allow a showing even though the property was not officially on the market.

“Good morning, Martin.”

“I wanted to follow up on yesterday.”

Carter and Leah both become suspiciously quiet.

I angle my chair slightly away from them. “Of course.”

“How did Mr. Conti respond to the property?”

My professional brain finally decides to show up for work. “Very positively. It aligned closely with what he was looking for, particularly the privacy, security, floor plan, and location. I think the layout was probably the strongest fit of anything we saw.”

There is a brief pause on the other end before Martin says, “Good, I'm glad. I have some questions from Mr. Montes that he wanted me to relay to you. Is that all right?"

My fingers tighten around the phone. “Of course, yes. I'm happy to answer any questions as long as it doesn't violate any confidentiality."

"Oh, yes, of course," he says. "You know, Mr. Montes really wasn't certain about opening the place on such short notice, but apparently it was worthwhile.”

I smile automatically even though he cannot see me. “Tell him I appreciate him allowing us access. It gave Mr. Conti the opportunity to see in person something that may end up fitting him extremely well.”