Today is a big day. Word-of-mouth has me standing in the middle of a high-rise apartment in the Gold Coast neighborhood, being shown around by a woman named Gilly.
“Your place is beautiful, Mrs. Baker.”
She waves me off. “Mrs. Baker is my mother-in-law and as much as I love her, it makes me feel a lot older than I already do.”
I snort at that, because Gilly doesn’t look a day over thirty-five and has a body with curves for days that you can just tell her husband enjoys—especially if her slightly mussed hair is anything to go by.
Her husband, Ezra, shook my hand and introduced himself, then weirdly said Skye had highly recommended me.
It took me a few moments to remember where I’d heard that name before. Skye, sister of Marco. The woman he’d made sure I knew wasn’t his wife or girlfriend.
Then Ezra had kissed his wife in a far-from-appropriate fashion, and told me Gilly was the boss and it was her decision.
That was forty minutes ago.
“Sorry. Gilly, what do you think about my plan for staging and marketing the property? If you were to proceed, of course.” Please say yes. Mama needs some new Jimmy Choos.
She studies me for a few seconds. “I’m thinking it’s two o’clock, and we definitely need wine,” she announces, and my heart stutters for a moment. Then I can’t help the half smile that appears. “Will you join me?”
“If it’s to celebrate signing with me, then absolutely,” I say, jokingly.
She walks into the kitchen and pulls out a chilled bottle of white from the refrigerator, then pulls down two glasses from the overhead cabinet. “Of course it’s to celebrate.” I do a little jump for joy in my head. “But it’s also because my darling mother-in-law has both our two kids tonight, and I’m pre-gaming for a date with my husband.”
“Nice,” I say approvingly. “A woman after my own heart.”
She pours two very healthy doses of wine and walks around the kitchen island. She hands one glass to me and nods over to the balcony where there are two big outdoor couches facing the lake. Places like these make me love my job. Hayls would flip if she saw this apartment.
“We love this place. Ezra has had it ever since his second divorce.”
Internally, my eyes are bugging out of my head and rolling off the twentieth-floor balcony, but since I’m a professional, I don’t outwardly react.
Gilly’s eyes dance with amusement. “Oh, you’re good,” she says with a smirk. “Yes. My darling husband—bless his heart—chose the wrong woman twice before getting it right the third time with me. And since I’m the one who gets to keep him now, I’d probably shake the exes’ hands if I ever met them.” A giggle escapes me. “But now we’ve got two kids and they need space, and we’re pretty well covered with rentals, so this is the first property on the chopping block—so to speak.”
“It’s beautiful, and I’m not just saying that because I scored the listing,” I say with a wry smile. Gilly takes a sip of her wine, her eyes coming my way. “We’re actually planning on selling our two-story place in Wicker Park too, if you’re interested.”
I have to bite my lip to stop my mouth from dropping open. Two listings in one day, and all because I tripped into a sexy man’s arms two weeks ago? What kind of sorcery is this?
Gilly sits first, and I follow her lead. “So, what do you say about taking on both listings?”
“I’d love to.”
“Awesome.” She curls her legs up and seems to get comfortable on the couch, as if she’s settling in for a while. It’s lucky I have nothing else booked for today. ”Now, Renee. Since we’re in business together. Why don’t you tell me all about yourself?” I guess it’s not the strangest thing I’ve been asked by a client…
“Okay. I’m thirty-four, and I’ve lived in Chicago for the past ten years.”
Gilly nods for me to continue. Why is this weird?
“Um . . . I live with my sister, Hayley, in a two-bed duplex I own near West Garfield Park.”
“That’s a nice area. Friends of ours have flipped a few houses near there.”
Wait. Surely not. “Do you mean Cook Construction?”
Her eyes widen, her expression becoming animated as she bounces in the chair. “Yes. How do you know them?”
“I’ve sold a few of their houses, actually. They do amazing work.”
“That they do,” she replies. ”My sister married Jax Cook, and Ezra is an honorary Cook brother too.”
A surprised laugh escapes my lips. “Wow. Small world then, huh?”
“Definitely.” She nods. “Enough of the standard things. Give me something juicy about you.”
I scrunch up my face. “Like what?”
“I know,” she says, taking a sip of her wine. “If you had three words to describe yourself on a dating profile, what would they be?”
Why are my Spidey senses tingling?
“Does this have anything to do with me signing your listing?”
She smiles. “Oh God, no. And it’s listings, remember?” She finishes her glass and stands up. “Hold that thought—I’ll just go grab the bottle and bring it out here. Ez will come by to get me so I’m not driving. We can always send you home in a car too.”
I don’t know why, but her reassurance relaxes me. And Gilly seems lovely. Like someone I could be friends with if I didn’t work dumb hours all the time. Although, I will say this is the first time I’ve been subjected to a Spanish Inquisition at a listing appointment before.
Then again, it’s a Friday, and I’m on the twentieth-floor balcony of a million-dollar apartment, so can I really complain?
She walks back and does a sneaky top-up of my glass as she walks past. I definitely like her now.
“Sorry if it seems like I’m interrogating you. I have two toddlers, so I’m used to drilling them for info for the fastest, most mess-saving response.”
I snort. I can totally see that method has merit.
“But I also spend a lot of time with those toddlers, so given the chance for stimulating adult conversation, I go for it.”
I wave my hand in the air. ”I get that. Go right ahead. Ask me anything. Another glass of wine and I’ll be looser than a town bike on payday.”
Gilly splutters and cracks up laughing. “You would get along with my sister, Ronnie. She’s full of crazy sayings like that too.”
I tilt my head and shrug. “Hayley and I have made it a game to try and come up with the most outrageous similes we can. The more shocking and offensive, the better.”
“I definitely like you more now,” she says. “So, c’mon, tell me. Where were you before Chicago?”
“Milwaukee, born and raised.”
“So old Chicago then?” she teases, her lips twitching.
“Ah, spoken like a true Chicago sports fan. Let me guess: Cubs, Bears and Blackhawks till you die?”
“Cubs—yes, ‘cause my husband would make me ex-wife number three if I didn’t. Bears—nope. I’m actually a Chiefs fan because hello, Patrick Mahomes is a god. And hockey?” She scrunches her nose up. “I can take it or leave it but Ezra is a diehard Hawks supporter and will probably wanna be buried in a jersey.”
My lips curve up. “So sports is not that big in your house, then?”
“Noooo, not at all,” she replies, both of us snickering.
“Okay. To turn the tables, Packers, Bucks, and the Hawks. And Hayley works for the Chicago Fire soccer team, so I get dragged along to those games too.”
Gilly’s brows lift up. “Interesting. So, what else is there to know about you? Do you have a husband, boyfriend, secret baby daddy somewhere?”
“Nope, nope, and I’d know if I did.”
“How? You’re hot, you’re funny, and you can obviously take care of yourself. Men love a strong, independent woman,” she says, looking me up and down.
“You tell me and we’ll both know,” I say with a grin. “Honestly, I came out of a bad relationship a few years ago, and since then, I’ve been focused on building up my client list and networking. My mom was a typical stay-at-home housewife who was totally reliant on the man she was with, and I never wanted to find myself in that position. I’m all about equality and trust in a relationship. Without that, what have you got?”
“See? And this is another reason I like you. You’re strong-minded and won’t let a man walk all over you. Take it from someone who rules the roost in her marriage—guys dig it.” She leans in. “They really dig it.”
“Yes, yes we do,” Ezra says, appearing out of thin air and wrapping his arms around his wife’s shoulders from behind. He looks my way. “Hey, Renee. Looks like my wife has inducted you into her little wine club.”
Gilly looks up at her husband and kisses under his jaw. “I’m preparing for date night,” she says softly.
Ezra turns and gives her a hard, fast but rather passionate kiss on the lips before straightening. “And Lord knows I approve of that.”
I down my glass and stand, smoothing down my skirt as I go. “I better get going.”
“Hey, don’t leave on my account. I need to do some work anyway.”
Gilly looks up at me. “You don’t have to go. Ezra is used to hanging around girls. He has two sisters who used to talk his ear off growing up. And besides, we were just getting to the juicy stuff.”
Ezra’s amused eyes drift down to his wife. The two of them share some unspoken conversation which awakens my Spidey senses again, but I have no idea why. Call it self-protective suspicion. “Sweetheart . . .” he grumbles affectionately.
She holds her hands up in surrender. “What? Just a little recon, that’s all.”
His lips twitch. “And we said we would stay out of it.”
“Stay out of what?”
“A few weeks ago, you met Skye and her brother at a house showing . . .”
The penny drops. Is this Marco’s doing? He gave me two listings with big potential commissions, all to get me to go out with him?
“Marco?” I ask. Granted, the man does intrigue me, and he has occupied my thoughts a lot since the club—more than I thought he would, anyway. But I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this play.
Gilly’s head jerks back. “Oh, God no. Skye—his sister. She’s determined to play matchmaker with you two.”
“Oh,” I say. Didn’t see that one coming.
“Her heart’s in the right place, and we’re not signing with you because of that. Business is separate from our personal lives.”
I breathe a sigh of relief. “Thank you for saying that. Now I’m just glad I didn’t tell you my deepest, darkest secrets.”
“Believe me, even if you had, Gilly wouldn’t have shared. She’s of the firm belief you have to make a guy work for it,” Ezra says with a smirk.
Gilly winks at me. “And look what happens when you do, baby daddy.”
The soft smile Ezra shoots his wife is nothing short of dazzling. “Totally worth it.”
“I do need to get going. But I’ll get my assistant to send you through the draft listing contracts and then we can schedule a coffee next week to sign them?”
Gilly stands, putting her glass down as she does. She holds her hand out to me to shake. Ezra does the same, then she leads me back into the apartment and toward the front door.
“I hope you didn’t mind the twenty questions,” she says cautiously.
“Not at all. It makes sense now. Besides, it was more like five, not twenty.”
“I was gearing up for some juicy ones, I swear.”
I laugh at that. “Maybe next time. But maybe you can even the score by telling me something about Marco. A girl’s gotta have some ammunition under her belt.” Especially if I’m going to keep crossing paths with the man.
She opens the door and taps her chin. “Hmm. He’s the oldest of five, Skye being the baby. She’s a paramedic. The others are a firefighter, a cop, and an aesthetician. They’re Chicago born and bred, and his mama makes amazing gnocchi.”
“Damn.”
“What?”
“I’m a sucker for a good gnocchi,” I say.
“You’re perfect for a Rossi man. Those boys have been tearing up the female population of Chicago for years, by all accounts.”
My face falls and Gilly doesn’t miss it.
“No, no. Not terribly. I mean . . . shit. You’d think, being a lawyer, I’d learn not to put my foot in my mouth.”
“Hey. All the lawyers I’ve ever known have a tendency to do that occasionally,” I reply, trying to break the weird change in atmosphere.
“I just know that men like that, with high-stress jobs and lots of testosterone around them, like to blow off steam. Skye holds her brothers in very high regard, though. She even held off hooking up with her now husband because they all work together, and those brothers are super-protective.”
Now that I’d believe. “Okay, tell me this and I’ll let you report back to Skye anything and everything I said.”
Gilly nods, fighting a grin. There’s no missing the fact she’s all in on this matchmaking malarkey. “Hit me with it and if I know, I’ll share.”
“Is he single now?”
Her head jerks back. “There’s no way we’d set any woman up for a fall, and there’s also no way any of the men in our lives—husbands, brothers, or otherwise—would ever cheat on a woman. They’re honest to a fault, protective as hell, and, the most fun part . . . they’re dedicated to the chase when they find the one they want.”
“Hmm. Good to know. Then report back to Skye and tell her whatever you want. But if Marco wants me, then I’m all about being the chasee. If he wants the water, he’s going to have to come to the well and dip the bucket in.”
We leave it at that, but my entire way home I totally overthink my decision. Then I decide, fuck it; Gilly has nothing to gain by playing up what a good guy Marco might be. Maybe it’s time I find out for myself.
Once he makes the first move though. What kind of chasee would I be otherwise?