A Champion's Proposal

by Tina Martin

  Okay, shake it off, man. You don’t want this girl to think you’re not interested in a house. He knew he needed a change in his life. That he was craving stability, love and family togetherness in his mid-thirties, but he didn’t think he was that hard up for those things. Turns out he was, and she was proving herself to be everything he wanted.

  “Mordecai?”

  “Sorry. My mind is in a million places. Had some issues at work before I left to come here.”

  “We can reschedule if you’d like.”

  “No. I’m good. What were you saying about the floors?”

  “I was just asking if you liked them?”

  He looked down at the living room floors and said, “Definitely. They wouldn’t need any work. Looks perfect as is. I’m feeling this open floor plan, too. The white walls—not so much.”

  “Oh…most people have the walls painted white for staging purposes. It helps buyers see the space for its potential rather than being drawn in and distracted by color.”

  He nodded. “Makes sense.”

  “As you mentioned, it is an open floor plan so this space flows right into the kitchen—a large kitchen—where there is a cute little breakfast nook and off to your left is the formal dining room.”

  “With a kitchen this large, I don’t even think I would need a dining room.”

  “It all depends on your taste. If you’re the kind of homeowner who’ll do a lot of entertaining, I’d say the dining room is a must. Otherwise, I’ve seen people convert their dining rooms into offices or even bedrooms.”

  Mordecai stepped in and looked at all four corners of the room and said, “I think it would make a good office or a workout room. What do you think, Ms. Real Estate Agent?”

  She hid a smirk at his name choice. “It’s definitely a room of many possibilities.” Walking back to the kitchen, she said, “There’s a nice size pantry over here. It’s a walk-in one. Very spacious and I love how they had the shelves installed.”

  “Yeah,” he said stepping inside, looking around. “Looks nice.”

  “Okay. Let’s look upstairs,” she said gesturing for him to go ahead of her.

  He gestured back. “Ladies first.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” She felt weird with him behind her. With each step she took, it was like her legs were getting weaker and weaker. Her stomach, tighter. It was as if she was on display for him and he had all the time in the world to check her out.

  And check her out he did…

  Mordecai was enjoying the view and whatever perfume or lotion she had on made him woozy. It smelled heavenly – just like her office. It must’ve been her signature scent. It was definitely one he could get used to. Combined with the sweet smell of her chocolate skin, it was enough to make the hair on his chest stand up.

  “I don’t remember if I mentioned this when you arrived, but it’s a four-bedroom, three and a half bath home. Three-thousand, two-hundred and thirty-five square feet.”

  “Yes. I saw it on the datasheet you sent.”

  “Oh, so you went back and looked at them.”

  “Yeah, I did after you scolded me.”

  “Good,” she said standing at the top of the stairs. “All the bedrooms are up here.”

  “Nice,” Mordecai said. “Even this area we’re standing in is big enough to be a room. It could be a den.”

  “You’re right. I could totally see a couch and a TV here—something with all of your sports memorabilia.”

  “Sports—you assume I’m into sports because I’m a man.”

  “Not because you’re a man…you own gyms and it’s obvious you work out a lot.”

  “Oh, really now?” he asked. “How obvious is it?”

  And now he knows you’ve been checking him out. Good move, Jemisha…

  “Well, uh—um—”

  He chuckled. “Ain’t no need to stutter now. You just told on yourself. You’ve been checkin’ ya boy out when I wasn’t looking, huh? Just like you were checking me out at Rebellion...”

  Jemisha couldn’t withhold laughter this time. “Oh get over yourself, Mordecai. I wasn’t checking you out.”

  “Yeah, try saying that without a grin on your face, Ms. Real Estate.”

  “Anyway…” she said, still smiling. “I thought gym and sports went hand-in-hand. You probably keep the TVs on ESPN at the gym.”

  “Not necessarily. I have some women who come to the gym and turn to HGTV.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Apparently, The Property Brothers have been doing more than just buying and transforming fixer-uppers. They’ve been helping women transform their figures, one house at a time.”

  “Oh my goodness,” she said, then laughed. A man with a sense of humor who was physically fit and fine was definitely one she didn’t need to be around. He was disturbing her suppressed desire for closeness and companionship that she’d purposely been without for three years.

  Mordecai chuckled a smidge. Looking at her, he said, “You have a pretty smile.”

  “Stop it with the compliments.”

  “I mean it. You do.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Walking into the master bedroom, she said, “What do you think about the size of this master?”

  “It’s nice…plenty of room for my king-size bed and dressers.”

  “There’s an ensuite bathroom over here with a jet tub and shower,” she said walking that way to show him. And then she steered him toward the huge, walk-in closets.

  “His and her closets. Nice. This will be extremely important to me when I get married. I know how you women are.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, amused.

  “That smirk on your face tells me you know exactly what I mean. Y’all—and yes I’m generalizing ‘cause all y’all are the same way—you got shoes to match every outfit, purses in all different colors and brands because one Coach bag is never enough, is it? And not to mention scarves and those fancy lil’ suit jacket thingies y’all business chicks—sorry, women—be wearing. What do they call them? Blazers?”

  She chuckled. “How would you know all of that?”

  “I have two sisters.”

  “Ah, that’s right,” she said. How had that fact slipped her mind? He had two younger sisters, Zoya and Amira. Zoya had moved to Asheville when she married Tennyson and Amira still lived in Wilmington. “Let’s look at the other three bedrooms up here.”

  She showed him a bathroom in the hallway and three spacious bedrooms near it.

  “These are all nice size rooms,” he commented.

  “I thought so, too.”

  “Cool. What’s left to see?”

  “The backyard. Come on,” she said heading back downstairs. “How important is a backyard to you, by the way?”

  “That’s another detail I left out, huh?”

  “It is.”

  “I would like to have a backyard,” he said as they crossed the kitchen floor to the backdoor. It led to a small patio and a fenced-in yard. He looked around and saw a shed near the left corner in the back corner quadrant. There were two trees and a swing set. Whoever moved out of this place had children. It also appeared they’d tried their hand at a small garden near the shed.

  “Well?” Jemisha asked, crossing her arms as she studied the area right along with him.

  “It’s doable. It’s not too big that mowing the lawn would feel like a huge undertaking, and it’s big enough for my children to play.”

  “Your children. You talk about a wife and children like you have them already.”

  “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right? Ain’t that the thing nowadays? Speaking certain things into existence, then hoping the universe answers?”

  “I don’t know. Is it?”

  “It is. It’s how I opened my second gym. I spoke it to life.”

  She nodded, not believing a word he said.

  “I’ve learned if you want something, you have to go get it,” he said staring at her lips. He wanted to go get them, bu
t Jemisha looked like the type who would slap the daylights out of a man who touched her without her permission.

  “Let’s take a peep into the garage, then we’ll discuss your overall assessment of the property.”

  “Lead the way,” he said.

  The two-car garage was clean and spacious. That’s all Mordecai needed to know about it. After they were done with a brief visit there, they assembled back into the living room.

  “So, give me your honest, overall opinion of the house,” she said.

  He leaned his back against the wall and crossed his legs at the ankles, sliding his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “I like the house. It’s definitely move-in ready. A negative for me, though, is the proximity to the neighbors.”

  “This is the standard lot size for most houses in this area.”

  “After coming from a townhome, I want something a little more private.”

  “The backyard offers a privacy fence, but that’s not enough, huh?”

  “Not at all.”

  “No worries. I will definitely keep that in mind. Was there anything else you didn’t like?”

  “The front yard. It’s small. The house in itself is phenomenal, though.”

  Jemisha nodded. “Well, we still have another one to look at today. You may like that one better than this one.”

  “Alright. I’ll follow you there.”

  “Cool. Let me lock up here and we can head over.”

  “Do you need help with anything?”

  “Nope. I got it, but thanks.”

  Mordecai stood outside while she locked up. Then he went to his car, started the engine and waited for her to start hers, trailing her to the next property.

  Chapter 8

  As Jemisha showed Mordecai around the second house on Moorings Drive, she couldn’t help but notice how he seemed more interested in her than the actual house. Several times, he’d zoned out while staring at her, not hearing her questions. And when she would try to get his attention, it was of no use. His eyes were feasting upon her something fierce, and he always looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

  Strange.

  It could’ve been that he didn’t like the house, but even she liked it more than the first one she’d showed him. It offered more privacy. It was under his budget at $649,000. There were four bedrooms – three upstairs. The master bedroom downstairs. There were hardwood floors throughout. Stainless steel appliances. Granite countertops. The front yard had ample room. The backyard was plenty. Fenced in.

  Jemisha cleared her throat hoping to get his attention. “So, how did you like this one?”

  He shrugged. “Meh.”

  “Stop playing. This house is laid out.”

  “It is, but to be honest with you, I liked the first one better. I just need to pick it up and set it on this plot of land.”

  “I’m sure I’ll have more listings to suit your taste next week.”

  “You think so?”

  “I do.”

  “How about we discuss the possibilities over dinner?”

  “Dinner?”

  “Yes—a real-estate dinner date.”

  She chuckled. Crap! He had her laughing again. Once she could recover, she said, “In adherence to keeping this relationship professional, a real-estate dinner date wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  “Of course it would. There are things you need to know about what type of property I’m looking for, so quit playing, girl. There’s a nice smokehouse down the street.”

  Jemisha chewed on her lip. It was a Friday night. She didn’t have any plans. Her best friend was living in Asheville so it’s not like she could call her up to hang out.

  She sighed. The things a woman talks herself into doing when she knows better…

  She looked at Mordecai and said, “Alright. I’ll follow you there.”

  A slow, tempting smile of satisfaction curved his lips as he delighted in the victory of wearing her down – not like he didn’t doubt his skills in that department.

  “Let me lock up.”

  After she secured the door, she followed him this time. A little voice of reason told her to take the next right and hightail-it home, but she continued following him until they arrived at the restaurant.

  He quickly got out of his car to open her car door.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She noticed he continued this wave of being a gentleman by opening the restaurant door for her. He even pulled out the chair for her at their table.

  Interesting, she thought. The Mordecai she’d heard about was no gentleman so what was all of this?

  When they were both settled, he glanced up at her and watched as she quietly studied the menu. When she was talking about houses, she was a nonstop chatterbox. In a setting like this, where it was just him and her sharing a table, she was withdrawn and borderline shy. He knew that to not be the case. She definitely wasn’t shy. Shy people didn’t make good real estate agents or any other job that involved interacting directly with people and clients, making direct sales.

  He broke the silence by saying, “I’m not telling you what to order, but order the riblets.”

  “The riblets,” she said, finding them on the menu.

  “Yeah. They’re so good, it’ll make you want to slap your daddy.”

  Jemisha chuckled. “I thought the saying was slap your mama.”

  “It is, but I could never imagine doing such a thing so I don’t say mama. My father, on the other hand, deserved a few slaps when he was alive.”

  “Why?”

  “He was one of those hit-or-miss fathers when it came to the four of us.”

  “Oh,” she said, surprised at how forthright he was about his father.

  “Are you close with your family?” he inquired.

  “I am. I was raised by both parents—a rarity this day and age.”

  “Definitely. How did they feel about you moving away from home?”

  “They didn’t like it. Well, I shouldn’t say they because my father was okay with it. My mother, on the other hand, is still having a hard time with my decision but she had no choice but to respect it. I’m a little too old to be asking anyone for permission to do anything, especially when I have my mind and heart set on something.”

  “I heard that,” Mordecai said. He heard it loud and clear.

  A waitress dropped off two glasses of water, then took their drink orders. Jemisha ordered a glass of wine. Mordecai opted for the same right before telling the waitress to go ahead and put their food orders in.

  “How long have you and Savannah been friends?”

  “Oh, we go waaay back.”

  He sipped water watching as she glanced around the place. Trying to keep her engaged in conversation, he asked, “Do you work out?”

  “Don’t tell me you’re one of those fitness gurus who walk around convincing people they should workout and eat keto or they’ll die.”

  His eyes crinkled in the corners. “Absolutely not. I asked because from what I’ve seen, you look to be in good shape.”

  “I see. All that talk about me checking you out, and you’ve been eyeing me like a hawk.”

  “Ain’t no shame in my game, sweetheart. Yeah, I was checking you out. You have a nice body. I’ve always believed you can tell a lot about a person by the way they take care of their bodies.”

  “Is that right?”

  “It is. The more you love yourself, the better you treat yourself and know your worth. I believe you’re a woman who knows her worth.”

  “I am now. Yes.” Jemisha thought about all she’d gone through with Carver. She definitely didn’t know her worth then. If she had, she wouldn’t have smiled at Carver Yates. It gave him an in. She’d been his fool for a full year before Savannah convinced her she deserved better.

  “You said you are now.”

  “You picked up on that, huh?”

  “I did. Does that mean there was a time when you didn�
�t know your worth?”

  “Maybe,” she responded, not comfortable answering his question with an in-depth response just yet.

  Shortly after the food arrived, she said, “I’m going to take note of your need for a bigger backyard space, preferably with a privacy fence.”

  “A privacy fence is not a deal-breaker. I can always have one installed if need be.”

  “Okay—oh, and I forgot to mention the HOA fee.”

  Mordecai frowned. “HOA fee?”

  “Yes. Homeowner Association Fees. So let me explain…some communities have organizations that make and enforce rules for its residents.”

  His forehead creased. “What kind of rules?”

  “For instance, the breed of dog you’re allowed to have, how high your privacy fences can be or they’ll remind you if your grass is too high—those types of things. If you move into an HOA community, you automatically become a member of the association and have to pay monthly membership dues. Sometimes the association offers perks like gyms or swimming pool access. The house on Moorings Drive that we just left has an HOA fee of $245 per month. The Tanbridge house with the small front yard has an HOA fee of $125 a month.”

  “Well, that seems like a waste of money. Why do I have to pay somebody two-hundred dollars a month to tell me to cut my grass?”

  “There’s more to it than that. They also offer the things I mentioned previously as well as coordinate community meetings, crime prevention plans, etcetera.”

  “Could you exclude houses that have this ridiculous fee when you’re doing searches for me?”

  “I could if that’s what you’d like, but it will eliminate a bunch of nice properties from the search results.”

  Mordecai ate more riblets then asked, “What do you think I should do?”

  “I don’t want to decide for you, but I recommend we at least look at the houses. You have nothing to lose by looking.”