I was keeping my fingers crossed for the guy not to show up. I already had a good feeling about one of the couples, and fewer people at the viewing meant fewer questions.
“Okay. We can begin the tour,” I said five minutes later. “It looks like—”
The sound of the bell interrupted me.
“Ah, one second. The last client must have arrived.”
I opened the door and came face-to-face with the most gorgeous man I’d seen in a long time.
“Hello. I’m Robert Dumont. I have an appointment to see the house.”
“Yes, we were just about to start.” I was mesmerized by his eyes. They were so vibrant that I couldn’t look away.
Taking a step back, I made space for him to walk inside. His hair was wavy, somewhere between dark brown and black in color. And those eyes, dark green with full lashes that framed them, were incredible. He was beyond handsome. Now I wished I’d redone my makeup. I caught myself smoothing my hands over my lilac dress, then finally crossed them behind my back. The man had me on edge already.
Robert had to be at least six foot two and had the physique of a pro athlete. I just couldn’t stop looking at him. He was wearing jeans and a black shirt, and the top button was open, showing just a bit of skin. My cheeks were warm, and my brain was on pause. Wow, way to win this crowd over, Skye.
“Shall we join everyone?” I asked. As we approached the others, I realized it wasn’t just me though. There was a shift in the group as all three women instantly looked at him. Two were blushing. The men threw him unhappy glances.
“Okay, everyone. Let’s start. I’ll walk you through each room, and then you have fifteen minutes to explore the house on your own. You received all the information I have via email, but of course, if you have any additional questions, I’ll do my best to answer them. Anything I can’t answer, I will forward to the owners and get back to you tomorrow.”
I made eye contact with everyone, trying to ignore the way my stomach tumbled when I locked eyes with Robert. How could he be this good-looking? New York was full of attractive men, but Robert Dumont was in a league of his own.
Turning on my heels, I led the group through the house. It was a lovely home. The family had lived here for three years before their financial situation went from super good to super bad. There was no furniture now, but I remembered it the way it had been, decorated with a lot of love and care. Each bedroom had had a different wall color, and even in the living room, the wall next to the kitchen island had been painted terracotta. Now everything was white, which experts said increased the chances of selling a property.
There was a fireplace in the living room with a marble mantelpiece where one could put picture frames. The kitchen itself was the only room that looked as before—a Scandinavian mix of white and wood with a granite countertop.
The living room and kitchen were open-plan, and at the end of the hallway was a spacious guest bedroom.
The upper floor had the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom with ample closet space. The attic was huge and could be used as an office or yet another bedroom. From time to time, I looked at the visitors, trying to gauge their reactions as we walked through the home.
Eh... I couldn’t lie to myself. I was glancing at Robert far more often than at everyone else.
“Okay, that’s it. Does anyone want to see the garage?”
There was a chorus of no, but the elderly couple nodded.
“Okay, come with me. Everyone else, you’re welcome to look around now. I’ll just show the garage quickly, and then you can find me downstairs if you have any questions.”
The garage visit didn’t take very long. Unfortunately, I could tell the elderly couple wasn’t sold on the house.
“This isn’t what we’re looking for, I’m afraid,” the woman said. “But thank you for having us. There’s no point going back inside with you, but I wish you luck with the others.”
“Thank you for coming by. Have a great evening.”
Feeling a little disappointed, I headed back inside. There was no one in the living room, but I took it as a good sign that everyone was still looking around. It meant they were interested. One of them would buy it, I was sure of it.
I wanted to call Tess, my sister. We owned a lingerie shop in the city, and evenings were busy. I felt bad for leaving her to mind the store on her own, but I could only schedule everyone together in the evening.
I’d barely reached for my phone when I heard someone step inside the living room. I knew before turning around that it was Robert. I couldn’t even tell how I knew, but the second our gazes crossed, my pulse quickened. I licked my lips, pushing a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes. I have a few questions.”
“Of course.”
“Is it available right away?”