Sweet Success

by Nicole Ellis

  She veered off the pavement to get a closer look at an oddly shaped corner lot, but stumbled on a loose rock and pitched forward. Before she hit the ground, a strong arm caught her.

  “Careful.” Parker smiled his familiar smooth smile and her legs felt as steady as a newborn calf’s.

  “Thank you,” she said stiffly. She hated how cocky he was, but most of all she hated how one glance from him could still make her weak in the knees.

  “No problem,” he said. “I’m here to help.”

  Martin was halfway up the street that summited the hill portion of the development. He turned around to look at what was holding them up.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Just peachy,” she said through gritted teeth. “We were admiring the view from here.”

  “I certainly was,” Parker said under his breath.

  “What did you say?” she hissed.

  “Nothing,” he said innocently. He held out his hand. “We should get up there.”

  She ignored his proffered hand and quickened her pace until she’d caught up with Martin. From the top of the hill, the scenery was stunning.

  “It should be easy to sell these properties,” Parker said.

  She pivoted to take in the full circle view. To the west, the ocean stretched out below them, seeming to have no end. From where she stood, she could see parts of Candle Beach and the marina below it. Behind them, in the distance, the highway wound through the old-growth forest like a silver snake. The overall effect was breathtaking. Parker’s assessment had been correct. These houses would sell like hotcakes.

  “I’ve owned this property for a number of years, but with the economy on the uptick, this seemed like a good time to build,” Martin said. “When I was young, my family summered in Candle Beach, so this development has a special place in my heart.”

  “Well, we’ll make sure that it will be a success, right Gretchen?” Parker put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a quick squeeze. She shrugged out of his embrace as soon as Martin turned away. What was going on with Parker? She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in a relationship with him.

  Martin finished his tour of the development and led them back into the sales office trailer.

  “The model home should be finished in a few months. At that point, we’ll move our operation in there and I’ll get a photographer out here to take some pictures of the interior. Until then, I’d like for you two to come up with some sales ideas. We have sketched mock-ups of the exterior of each floor plan, but we need something with more pizzazz. I know I can count on you for that.” He smiled at them.

  “Of course,” she murmured. What could they do that would qualify as pizzazz? Her usual repertoire of sandwich board signs and balloons wasn’t going to cut it in this league.

  “We’ll come up with something perfect,” Parker assured Martin.

  “I need to get to a meeting in Haven Shores, but I trust you two will be fine here?” He handed each of them a key to the sales office trailer. “Please lock up when you leave.” He got into his car and drove out of the parking lot.

  Gretchen and Parker stood on the porch of the sales office trailer. The silence was deafening.

  “Well,” he said. “Let’s get started.” He motioned to the door. Gretchen trudged into the room and took a seat on one side of the long desk.

  “What can we come up with?” He held a ballpoint pen poised over a yellow notepad. “Maybe we should order a pizza? This could take a while.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, although her stomach grumbled. It was past lunchtime and pizza sounded delicious. “I’m here to work, not socialize.” She gave him a pointed look. The faster they came up with some ideas, the quicker she could get away from him.

  “Okay, okay.” He waved his hands up in surrender, but his grin told her he wasn’t giving up.

  This was going to be a long afternoon. And an even longer time until Oceanview Estates was sold out.

  May

  “I can’t believe they got this house up in two months,” Gretchen said. She and Parker were inspecting the perimeter of the model home, the first house built in the development.

  “I know. Once they poured the foundation and the rain stopped, things went quickly.” He touched the rock trim on the outside of the house. “The craftsmanship is great. I’ve seen some of these developments where they put them up fast and the lack of quality shows. Martin hasn’t cut any corners with this construction.”

  “That will help as we try to sell them.” Her nerves rose up again. They’d been working on a marketing plan for the last two months, but now that the model was ready, things were happening fast. They’d scheduled the grand opening celebration for Memorial Day weekend. Thank goodness the construction crew had finished the first home with a week to spare. Even the landscaping had been installed.

  “I love what they did with the inlaid stone walkway and the native ferns and shrubs.” She admired the overall effect of the house and greenery. All of the floor plans offered a Pacific Northwest architectural style, with exposed cedar beams and natural river stone throughout the houses. Bees flitted among the flowers and birds tweeted as they flew between newly planted trees.

  They entered the house. Although they’d watched the frame go up, neither of them had been allowed inside before. It was worth the wait. The interior gleamed and the wide picture windows highlighted the ocean view. A vase of freshly cut roses perched on the dining room table, scenting the room.

  Martin walked in behind them. “Nice isn’t it?” He glowed with pride.

  “It’s gorgeous,” she said truthfully. She was thankful she’d accepted the opportunity to sell the new houses. She’d had her doubts about working with Parker, but things had leveled out between them to a relationship that wasn’t quite friendly, but was courteous and businesslike. In the beginning, he’d tried to rekindle their romantic relationship, but she’d held firm on her decision to work towards her goal of gaining work experience to move to Seattle. She didn’t need anything holding her back in Candle Beach.

  “Once the whole development is in, this will be the pride of the coast.” Martin ran his hand over the glossy granite countertop. “I’ve decided I’m going to be the first homeowner here.”

  “You’re buying one of these houses?” she asked.

  “Yes, that lot a few streets over.” Martin pointed through the window at a lot atop the hill. “I spent quite a bit of time in Candle Beach as a child and this seems like the perfect place to build a retirement home for myself and my wife.”

  Parker nodded. “I wouldn’t mind a place here myself. But with it just being me, I’d rattle around in such a big house.” He looked over at Gretchen and she averted her eyes.

  “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” Martin said. “I opened the gate and put out the ‘Open House’ sign, so we could have people come in at any time. Good luck to you both.” He walked out the door, shutting it behind him.

  She looked around. Two desks had been set up on one side of the open-concept living room. Next to it sat a long table that would be perfect for all of the marketing materials they’d created. “We’d better move our sales materials in here.”

  “I’ll grab the boxes out of the sales trailer.” Parker opened the door and propped it open with a large rock before going outside.

  He brought in the first set of boxes and set them on the floor. While he returned to the sales office for the rest of the materials, she grabbed a box and unpacked it. She chose the desk closest to the window for her own and sat behind it in the ergonomic desk chair. She ran her fingers over the dark wood desk, marveling at the unmarred smoothness of the surface, then swiveled around in the chair. Everywhere she turned, the beauty of the new house amazed her. How had she gotten so lucky to get this job?

  “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable,” Parker observed, coming back in.

  She popped up from the chair. “Sorry, I thought I’d get things set up.” She looked at her watch. A
lmost nine a.m. “Martin’s right, we could get potential buyers in here anytime with that ad we put in the Haven Shores and Candle Beach newspapers.”

  As if on cue, a silver sedan pulled into the parking lot. A portly man in his sixties and a svelte woman in a tracksuit got out of the car.

  Parker and Gretchen stared at each other. They both started towards the door and became wedged in the door frame as they exited together. His hand rested on the small of her back as he guided her out the door.

  Tingling sensations radiated from everywhere his fingers made contact. She hadn’t been this close to Parker in a long time. She jumped sideways.

  He held his hands up and edged away. “Sorry.”

  “We’ve got to work on our exit strategy,” she joked, to ease the tension.

  The couple was almost to the doorway.

  “Hello.” She stretched out her hand. “I’m Gretchen.”

  “And I’m Parker.” He stretched his hand out as well. The man and woman looked at them awkwardly, torn between the two.

  Gretchen took action and firmly shook the man’s hand. Parker followed suit with the woman. The couple introduced themselves as being newly retired residents of Tacoma, a city an hour south of Seattle. They were looking for a summer retirement home as they were snowbirds who wintered in Arizona.

  “You’re going to love these homes.” Gretchen motioned for them to follow her over to her desk in the house. “We have some fantastic floor plans.”

  The woman started to sit on the other side of her desk, but Parker called out to the couple from the kitchen.

  “Would you like to see the house first? Then you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking for in a floor plan.” He flashed a beguiling smile. The man moved toward him. The woman looked between Parker and Gretchen, unsure of where to go.

  Gretchen gritted her teeth. “Or maybe they’d like to see the floor plans first and then take a look at how this house is laid out.”

  “I really think it’s better for them to see the amazing views first,” Parker said. He turned to the couple. “Come this way, and I’ll show you the first-floor master bedroom and five-piece master bath.”

  The woman smiled. “We’re looking for a first-floor master. I’d love to see it.” They walked away from the desks.

  Gretchen narrowed her eyes at Parker’s retreating form. Parker 1, Gretchen 0. They’d had their first customer and already were experiencing animosity. This was not going to be fun.

  14

  The weatherman had forecast sun for the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, but Gretchen hadn’t counted on it. For once, the forecast was correct. By eight a.m., the colorful flower thermometer planted in the garden at the model home read 72 degrees.

  Since their soft opening last week, things had been rocky between her and Parker. After the disastrous first experience, they’d realized that only one of them could approach each new customer. They’d reached an uneasy truce, but with the stress of a huge influx of potential buyers on Memorial Day weekend, she wasn’t sure how long it would last.

  She straightened stacks of brochures and floor plans inside the model home while he supervised the catering team outside. He came inside to update her.

  “I had them put the food tent over by the Cliffside lots, rather than next to the house. I think it will entice people over to take a look at the premium lots.”

  Gretchen grimaced. “I had it located next to the house on the plans for a reason.”

  “Why? I think it makes more sense to have it further away. Plus, then the whole house doesn’t smell like barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers. Win–win.” He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed across his chest.

  “The wind,” she said. “On this part of the Washington coast, nothing near the cliffs is safe from the wind gusts coming off the water.” Under her breath, she added, “Anyone from this area should know that.”

  He ignored her side comment and waved off her advice. “It’ll be fine. I’ll have them use extra stakes to secure it.”

  “Fine,” she said tightly. “Do you need help with anything out there?” She examined the interior of the house with a keen eye. “I think I’ve got everything taken care of in here.”

  “I could use some help hanging the banners above the entrance.”

  She followed him to the sales office and they retrieved the heavy canvas sign they’d ordered with the words Join us for a FREE Memorial Day weekend BBQ. A smaller banner read Experience the joys of living in Oceanview Estates.

  They lugged the signs down the long driveway to the main street.

  “How are we getting them up there?” Gretchen eyed the arch of the tall wrought iron gate that would stay retracted during the sales event. It must have been ten feet tall.

  “Easy,” Parker said. “I’ll climb up the rocks on the side.” He handed her the banner to hold and climbed halfway up the rock columns. His foot slipped and he caught himself on the gate. “Whoa, these might not have been the best shoes for rock climbing.” He glanced ruefully at his wingtip leather loafers.

  “You think?” She laughed.

  “Hey, I’m serious. I don’t think I can get any further up.” The top of the gate was still about three feet above him. “It’s getting really slippery.”

  He climbed down and stared at the arched top.

  “Now what?” Her eyes twinkled. How was he going to get the banner up there? “Maybe we could get a step stool from the sales office?”

  He shook his head. “There aren’t any. I looked this morning.”

  He eyed her shoes. She hadn’t yet changed from her sneakers into the high heels she wore for work.

  “What if I gave you a boost and you climbed up there? I could hand you the banner and then we’d do the same for the other side.”

  She gazed up at the top. She’d never been big on heights, but this was only five feet above her head. She could handle that, right? There wasn’t time to get a ladder from home before their scheduled opening time and they needed this sign to attract drivers passing by on the highway.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “But we’re getting a ladder to take it down on Monday night.”

  “Of course.” He held out a hand to her. “Do you need help getting up?”

  There was no way she was going to get a boost from him.

  “I think I’m okay.”

  She moved closer to the rock wall. This is just like the trees you used to climb as a kid, she told herself. One hand over the other. Without thinking any more about it, she climbed high enough to hook the banner on the metal frame.

  He handed it to her and she clipped it onto the gate post with two carabineers attached to metal rings on the banner. She released her grip on the side of the gate and climbed down the rock wall until she could jump to safety. Above them, the banner rippled and twisted in the wind.

  “One down, one to go.” She repeated the process with the banner on the other side of the gate.

  “Looks good,” he said.

  Still at the top, she leaned back to check it out. He was right. They’d ordered the perfect size and it hung tautly over the gate. It would be impossible for anyone passing by to miss it. She was glad they’d decided on this as their big marketing push to start off sales with a bang.

  She was still looking at the sign when she moved her right hand down to grab the rock she’d used to hoist herself to that height. Unfortunately, she forgot she’d moved slightly off to the side to view the sign and her fingers slipped uselessly off the side of the rock. She flailed around desperately seeking a handhold. The movement pushed her off balance and she plunged backwards.

  Parker saw her fall as though in slow motion. He held out his arms to catch her and she fell into him, knocking him to the ground. They lay together for a moment while they caught their breath. Gretchen’s body felt soft and warm against him. Desire raced through his body with the force of a freight train.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She rolled ont
o her side in the dirt and sat up. “I think so.” She rotated her wrists, wincing a bit. Then she glared at him. “You could have gotten me killed!”

  Guilt twisted in his gut. “Gretch. I’m so sorry.”

  “No, you should have been prepared. This was your responsibility. Why didn’t you have a ladder like a sane person?” She stalked up the hill without looking back at him.

  He watched her go. She was right—he should have brought a ladder. But with everything else going on, he’d forgotten. If she’d been hurt, he’d never have forgiven himself. He’d tried to play it cool with her at work, but she didn’t seem to have any interest in him. This hadn’t helped him win any points. He hung the smaller sign on the side of the rock wall and followed her back up the driveway.

  When Gretchen got to the top of the hill, she saw a group of people gathered by one of the ocean lots.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  A man wearing the uniform of the catering company pointed to the beach below.

  Her eyes followed his finger. The red tent that was supposed to shelter the barbecue grill lay on its side on the beach below. Two of the tent supports were bent into awkward angles.

  “What happened?” She counted to ten to calm herself. This was a disaster.

  “A big gust of wind came up while we were anchoring it to the ground,” one of the men volunteered.

  She slapped her hand against her forehead. Parker and his bright ideas.

  By then, Parker had reached them. “Where’s the tent?” he asked. The catering staff looked at the ground.

  She glared at him. “Down there.”

  His face blanched. “Gretchen, I’m sorry. I thought it would be better over here.”

  She grabbed his arm, towing him into the empty model home. “We need to talk.”

  When they were alone, she turned to him. “I told you to have them set it up next to the house.” Her eyes bored holes into his face.