‘You’ve just humanised yourself and I don’t like it.’
He smiled, relieved when she did the same. ‘What about you? You must be close to Jem if you work together and live next door to each other?’
‘Pop raised me. I owe him everything,’ she said so softly he leaned towards her a little. ‘My folks met in Melbourne, but Dad moved here to be with my mum when she got pregnant. I don’t think either of them wanted to be parents because they took off when I was a toddler. Pop moved here too because they flitted to Melbourne regularly when I was little until one day they never came back. A few months later, they died in a car accident.’
By the defiant glint in her eyes he knew she wouldn’t appreciate a trite ‘I’m sorry’ so he said, ‘That must’ve been rough.’
She shrugged, dismissing his sympathy. ‘Not really, because Pop made sure he showered me with enough love for two parents. He’s pretty amazing.’
‘He seems like a nice bloke.’
‘He is, but he’s not gullible, so if you think you can swoop in here and snatch the agency out from under the country bumpkins, forget it.’
Her fast switch back to hostile gave him whiplash and he held up his hands to placate her. ‘I don’t operate like that and I certainly don’t think you’re bumpkins. I research the agencies I want to acquire carefully and I’m impressed by how you’ve survived so long in a quiet marketplace.’
His answer didn’t mollify her. If anything, she bristled further. ‘Apart from the housing in the intentional living community, which gets snapped up, we’re quiet most of the year because there’s not a huge demand for rentals in the shoulder season and not enough people want to move here to ensure regular sales. Not to mention the turnover is low because once people move here, they love it so much they don’t want to leave.’
‘It wasn’t a criticism, merely an observation.’
She deflated a little, her shoulders sagging. ‘I love the agency. And have done ever since I finished my course after high school. Pop put his faith in me and I’ve enjoyed working alongside him. We’re a good team …’
‘I sense a but?’
‘He’s old-school and prefers to maintain the status quo. I want to up our social media presence, highlight the region on tourism sites with advertising, that kind of thing.’ She screwed up her nose: incredibly cute. ‘And at the risk of playing right into your hands, I’m really interested in property technology.’
She had to stop because if she kept talking he’d be even more tempted to reach out and kiss her. He admired her loyalty to her grandfather and when she talked about the agency she got this glow in her eyes, like it meant everything to her. He hated being the bad guy to take that away from her and wished there were other agencies on the market to buy.
‘Proptech is my baby. It’s what my expansion of Grenville Sanctuary is all about.’
He’d been ahead of his time, creating a proptech start-up to further his business. He currently focussed the property technology on residential, with big plans to expand into commercial and retail. But many agencies were run by owners like Jeremiah Vogel, old-school proprietors resistant to progress, and he needed to change that. It would take time to win them over, and having a well-rounded portfolio with agencies across the state would help. He needed to be taken seriously and when he was up against massive online portals like RealEstateHousingForYou.com he knew he had to up his game. It was the only way to get recognised by the right people—people with lots of money to donate so he could fund his plans for the kids.
‘At the risk of fraternising with the enemy, I’d love to hear your thoughts on proptech and what it can do for our industry.’
‘Fraternise all you like.’ He winked. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
He expected her to ignore his flirting, maybe even chastise him for it. Instead, she said, ‘Me too.’
CHAPTER
10
Heidi valued punctuality so when Jem pulled up in her driveway a minute early she chalked up another point in his favour. Not that she was keeping a tally. If she was, he’d be number one on her imaginary list of favourite Acacia Haven inhabitants.
Crazy, to remember a teen crush after all these years. Not that she’d ever told anyone, though Rayne had guessed and teased her for a week after Jeremiah Vogel had visited their class in year ten to discuss work opportunities in the real estate industry. At sixteen, she’d been spellbound by the thirty-something guy in a suit who spoke with such confidence, his blue eyes startling in his tanned face, his smile wide. After his talk to her class, she couldn’t remember a word he’d said because she’d been too busy staring at him, imagining what it would be like to date someone like him.
She hadn’t been the only one. At lunchtime, Jeremiah had been the hot topic among the girls, so when Rayne had seen her blush, she’d cottoned on to her crush and hadn’t let her forget it. Until the next guest speaker came into their classroom, an agricultural engineer from Bairnsdale who’d been even cuter than Jeremiah, and the girls shifted their affections. But that didn’t stop Heidi’s mortifying blushes on the odd occasion when she saw him in town over the years. Bert had asked her about it once and she’d told him, resulting in endless teasing from her husband. They’d laughed about it, especially when he’d shared his teen crush on Mrs Salter, the librarian in Inverloch, who had to have been at least forty.
As she peeked out the window and watched Jem stride towards the house, her pulse raced. She shouldn’t be this nervous. She’d made a decision to sell and this would be the first step in a new adventure. That had to be the reason behind her sweaty palms too, and nothing at all to do with the handsome man almost at her doorstep. If she was fifty, Jem had to be nudging seventy, maybe more, yet the years had been kind to him. Sure, wrinkles creased his tanned face, but his blue eyes popped and his goatee added a distinguished air to the man who wore black slacks and a white open-necked shirt so well. Grey threaded his hair—mussed, like he didn’t have a care in the world—and for someone his age, there was surprisingly not a receding hairline in sight.
When he knocked, she gave herself a little shake like boxers do before entering the ring and crossed the room to enter the hallway and open the door.
‘Heidi, lovely to see you.’ Jem held out his hand and she shook it, mortified by the unexpected heat flooding her cheeks. Fifty-year-old women didn’t blush like schoolgirls, and she responded with a brusque, ‘Come in, Jem.’
If he noticed her terse response he didn’t show it; his grin widened as he stepped inside and cast a practised eye around. ‘This place is charming.’
‘Is charming real estate speak for old and outdated?’
He laughed and followed her into the lounge room. ‘Not many places of this era are so well maintained. It’s in good nick.’