Page 29 of Dancing With Lies

He sent a reply to the agent and then called Roxie.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked as soon as she answered the phone.

“I want you to come with me to look at a house the agent sent to me. Can I pick you up?” He didn’t even ask if she was busy because he expected her to drop whatever she was doing for him. That was the deal they’d made.

“Sure, I guess. I’ve got a friend over, but we can totally change our plans for you.” He could hear the sarcasm but instead of making him angry, it made him smile. He loved that sarcasm, even if it drove him crazy.

“Good, see you soon.” He left Kai’s house and drove over to pick up Roxie. She came out in a white linen dress with a square neck and strappy ties at her shoulders. On her feet were a pair of flat sandals and she looked…relaxed. “Hey.”

“Hi. So, where’s this house? I didn’t get an alert.” She waved her phone at him once she’d fastened her seat belt and he put the car in gear.

“Yeah, this is a different agent.” He went on to describe the house and told her where it was. He glanced over to see her nod and purse her lips. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing, that’s just an area I don’t go to unless it’s for a private gig. Too many rich folks.” She shrugged and looked out of her window as he continued to drive. “It’s a nice area.”

He noticed she’d lost most of her New York accent, except for when she was upset, and had picked up a lot of the lingo of the locals. He liked the drawl to her voice now and the way she talked. He followed her directions and they were soon at the house, sitting in the concrete driveway waiting on the agent who had the keys.

“How are you doing, Roxie?” He asked to break the silence.

“I’m alright, Lincoln.” She replied quickly. Too quickly. “Just trying to get by you know?”

“I do, yeah.” He nodded, but he knew he really had no clue about her life. He knew what he’d learned from probing her and Dylan too, what he could glean from information about Elmo’s, and what he’d learned from Emily when he went to dinner last Wednesday at her and Dylan’s house. That still wasn’t much, though.

She was involved in charity work, tried to help women caught in the never-ending cycle of drugs and the sex industry, did what she had to in order to make ends meet, and was generally a good person. Emily admired Roxie because she was fearless and strong, and he respected that.

He was about to broach another subject when the real estate agent finally pulled up. “She’s here.”

“Awesome,” Roxie said with a blithe drawl and got out of the car. He noticed how the sunlight caught the deeper purple shades near the bottom of her hair, tied up in a ponytail, and smiled. She was definitely fearless.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Young, how are you? I’m Grace Blackmore.”The gray-haired woman said with a smile wreathed in lines that his mother would say showed wisdom. But not too much wisdom because there were injections for those kinds of lines now.

Lincoln smiled because he knew that was exactly what his mother would say and took the woman’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Shall we take a look?”

“Of course. Now, this is an older house, from the early 1900s, and has stood the test of time. It’s been updated so it has the modern conveniences, but the sturdy frame of a much older home.” The woman walked them to the back of the house, so they could see just how close the ocean was, Lincoln was sure.

The house was brick and wood, definitely made to last. A deck ran along the first floor of the house, hidden by a wooden privacy fence. The gate stood open, and Lincoln decided he’d replace that with a sturdier fence once he bought it. He smiled because he’d already decided this was the place for him. He didn’t know if he’d ever have the family to fill all of the rooms, but he had friends and family that would love staying here for a break. It would also be a good place to bring clients if he ended up staying down here for a while.

That was still up for debate, but so far, he loved the area, what it had to offer, and it brought him closer to Roxie. That was impetus enough for the moment.

“I’ll take it.” He said the moment he walked into the huge kitchen.

“Oh, but let me show you the place first.” The real estate agent protested with a laugh as she turned back to him.

“It’s alright, I’ll have a look in a little while. Can we get the paperwork started today?” He looked at her without blinking and saw her eyes widen.

“I can call the owners and yes, we can get it started.”

“Good. Why don’t you do that, and we’ll have a look around.” He waited until she nodded again and looked over at Roxie. “Want to take a look with me?”

“Sure,” Roxie answered and turned to walk through one of the three doors in the kitchen.

That door took them to a room with polished wood floors and a huge picture window. A window seat had been built beneath the window and Lincoln saw how it drew Roxie right away.

“Oh, I love this.” She said and took a seat to look out at the gentle waves surging up the shoreline.

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?” He wasn’t in a rush, he liked how she looked right at home at a window that would soon be his.

“I love it, you’re lucky, Lincoln.” She sighed but got up so they could explore the rest of the house.