Barbara Silkstone - Wendy Darlin 01 - Wendy and the Lost Boys Read Free

identify with. Money likes to hang with money.”
    “No more of your limp excuses. Your mom did well when she worked for me, and she was going through chemo during most of that time. She’s smart and independent. You have her genes. We’re going to make you into Realtor of the Year .”
    She shot me an angry look. “I’m nothing like my mother. Cripes, who retires to Mexico?” Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she knotted it at the back of her head. “I was born to be taken care of.”
    Her complaining was wearing thin. There are millions of reasons why something can’t be done, but I never let them stop me. Stepping into my mentoring mode, I said, “Grab your things. I’m on my way to meet a buyer. If he’s for real, I’ll give him to you. That’s how much confidence I have.”
    She was still thanking me as we buckled up in my Jag sedan and headed for our meeting with fate.
    It was easy enough to find the private hangers in Miami… They were the buildings that tried hardest to be inconspicuous. Charlie Hook timed his entrance for our arrival. He strutted from his jet as if he’d just won Best In Show. He was about six-feet tall and weighed about one-sixty. Lean and lanky, he had a thick shock of gray hair, a George Hamilton tan, and perfect white teeth that had to cost a small fortune.
    First words out of his thin lips grated on me. “Gotta trade in this Gulfstream. No damn leg room.” He eyed Marni and then put his arm around me like we were old friends.
    I choked down a gag and introduced him. My young agent’s doe eyes doubled in size when he invited her into his plane for a drink. I got the crazy feeling the hotshot was trying to make me jealous.
    “Marni’s on a tight schedule. She’s working with a number of clients,” I lied.
    Hook clenched his jaw and the pupils of his gray eyes became the size of BBs. “I want her exclusive attention or not at all.”
    I’d show him who was in control. I motioned Hook to follow us. “Marni’s laptop is in my car. She can give you a virtual tour of a couple of properties.”
    “I don’t do virtual. That’s for lookers. I’m a buyer.” He followed us to my Jag.
    Marni grabbed her computer and jacket from the front seat. “I’ll go with Mr. Hook in his limo if he doesn’t mind.” She twisted the corners of her mouth in a suck-up smile.
    Pulling her aside, I whispered in her ear, “What are you doing? Call me if he gives you any trouble.” I had an uneasy feeling.
    “What about you? ‘Hook said. “My money not good enough?”
    Ignoring his remark, I waved them off. “Cheers!”
    ***
    Ten days and twenty mansions later, there were no offers from Hook. Things were going circular, and he was taking gobs of Marni’s time. She was at the front desk setting up viewing appointments when Hook slithered into my office.
    “So, why did you shuffle me off to an underling?” he asked.
    “Marni’s a good agent. She needs this sale.”
    “And you don’t? Did your ex leave you with a secret fortune?”
    “Who told you I was divorced?” My skin felt crawly.
    “You’re a workaholic with one ex in your closet and no kids.”
    Marni-big-mouth must have given him the skinny on me. I needed to have a serious talk with that girl about discretion.
    I was used to new-rich, high fliers who thought everything came with a price tag. Hook was shopping in the wrong store if he was looking at me. I couldn’t afford to tell him exactly what I thought of him. Besides it wouldn’t have made a dent in his brain. There are some things money can’t buy; one is class.
    “Are you really in the market for a house, or are you just trolling?”
    Hook stood up like he’d been zapped with a cattle prod. “I don’t need to troll. I can have any woman I want.” He narrowed his snake eyes at me. “I’m taking Marni to see my yacht this afternoon. Want to play chaperone?”
    I was in no rush to complicate my life again, and certainly not with another wheeler-dealer. But now