Chapter 18
Two weeks later, Layton pulled up to a newly listed home in her rented vehicle, her clients in the back seat. “I think you’ll love the layout of this property,” she told the young couple. “The patio doors open to a beautiful pool and stunning backyard. It’s private and so lovely.”
“We can’t wait to see it,” the woman eagerly said. “Everything is so expensive here, but we’re ready to purchase our first home.”
“I’ll find you the right one,” Layton assured them.
They got out of the car, and Layton didn’t miss the diamond ring gleaming in the sunlight on the woman’s finger. The couple were newly engaged and eager to start their life together. She walked to the lockbox on the front door as they trailed behind her, already excitedly discussing the home’s features. Layton wistfully glanced back at them before typing in the code. She’d been young and in love once, too. She’d ended up with a beautiful daughter and sham of a marriage.
Now she was carrying the baby of another man, and she had no idea what the future would bring. Her shipping containers were finally due to arrive next week, so she and Caroline would be out of Hudson’s way. They’d generally behaved as roommates during her brief stay, the situation new but still in flux. Hudson hadn’t touched her since the night she’d moved in, but Layton didn’t miss the way he looked at her sometimes. Layton felt it, too, the inexplicable connection between them. They weren’t dating. They weren’t together. They’d made a baby during a night of wild love, and the emotions churning through her were too complicated to even begin to name.
Layton gasped as she opened the front door, seeing the house she was about to show had been ransacked. “Holy crap,” she said, stepping back without entering. The couple behind her stopped talking and gawked in surprise. “I’m calling the police,” Layton said, immediately dialing 911.
While she was new to the Hawaiian real estate business, the use of lockboxes came with a risk. Unauthorized people could become privy to the code and gain access. There’d even been instances when potential buyers saw the agent type in the code and then returned to rob the property.
“We’re going to have to wait for the police to arrive,” she told the couple. Layton glanced at the time on the phone. She needed to pick up her daughter from daycare in just over an hour. Hudson was training on the water today with his teammates—not that Caroline was his responsibility.
She huffed out a sigh. Life would be even more complicated with two kids. Even if Hudson was involved with raising the baby, he had an unpredictable schedule. Perhaps she needed to look into hiring a nanny. Layton had a flexible schedule, but she’d often need to operate outside of normal daycare hours.
Sirens wailed in the distance, and she frowned. She needed to call this in to her office as well. As the police cars pulled up, she was relaying the information over the phone. Not exactly how she wanted to start her first week of showings, but she’d deal with this and then find some other properties for the young couple.
***
“What? That’s awful!” Emersyn declared over dinner that night.
Layton had gotten stuck at the scene for over an hour. She’d called a new mom friend she’d recently met at daycare, and Caroline was currently having a playdate and dinner with their family. It amazed Layton how quickly her daughter had adapted and made new friends here in Honolulu. Layton would owe the mom a night out as well by reciprocating on the babysitting. As soon as she had furniture in her home, that is. She could hardly bring another kid over to Hudson’s home. Things were slightly awkward there as it was.
“It is awful. The home was beautiful,” Layton told her. “It was burglarized and completely ransacked, but whoever broke in also vandalized the property. The police don’t know if it was some type of vendetta against the homeowners or just a senseless, random crime. I feel bad for the property owners and the potential buyers.”
“Well, what about you?” Emersyn asked worriedly. “What if you’d walked in on the criminals?”
Layton swallowed. “The thought did cross my mind. It’s not likely a crime such as that would’ve occurred in broad daylight.”
“Hudson’s going to be worried.”
She shot her sister a confused look.
“He worries about you,” Emersyn said. “He probably won’t admit it, but Aaron mentioned it to me. You’re all alone when you’re showing properties.”
“Yeah, Hudson did say something along those lines. I’ve been a real estate agent for years. I’m not going to let Hudson’s worry prevent me from living my life.”
“I know. I just think he’ll be upset by this. So,” Emersyn added, spearing a piece of salad on her fork. “Could they still buy the home or is it off the market now?”
“It’s off the market, but honestly, they don’t want to deal with that mess. I can’t say that I blame them. We’ll do some more showings tomorrow evening instead. Both of them took off this afternoon, so I felt bad that things didn’t work out.”
“I probably wouldn’t want that house either. It sounds like some bad juju or something.”
Layton laughed. “It does. The home was gorgeous. We’ll find something else though. They both have high-paying jobs, so there are a number of properties in their price range. But what about you?” she asked. “You’ve been out of your place, too.”
“The new flooring arrived for my apartment, and the management office notified me that they’re installing it next week. Another crew already came in and ripped out the old. It’s a mess,” she said, shaking her head.
“I’m sure Aaron doesn’t mind you staying at his place,” Layton joked, waggling her eyebrows.
“Ha. I hear the same about Hudson,” Emersyn said. “What’s going on with you two?”
“It’s…complicated. There’s definitely chemistry between us. No surprise since he got me pregnant,” Layton added, blushing.
“You like him,” Emersyn teased.
“Well, yeah, but it’s too confusing of a situation. We’re basically just friends at the moment—and not friends with benefits,” she said, noticing the look on her sister’s face. “It’s all perfectly PG. Maybe the tiniest bit of flirting, but we’re trying to be adults about this.”
“Adults can flirt,” Emersyn countered.
“Well, duh. But we’ve got all these serious decisions to make. What will happen when the baby comes? Hudson deploys a lot. I don’t need to tell you that,” she said.
“It’s hard,” Emersyn said sympathetically. “I guess the baby will have to live with you and Caroline, right?”
Layton swallowed. “Yeah.”
“Hey. Why that look?” Emersyn asked.
Layton shrugged helplessly. “It’s just, sometimes when we’re there at Hudson’s, it feels almost like we could be a family. It’s silly to think that. Obviously, we’re not, and the living together situation is very temporary. My household goods are set to arrive next week, and then Caroline and I will be gone.”
“Not gone. Just moving into your home. Gone would by flying home to Virginia. Now that would be complicated, but there’s no reason you and Hudson couldn’t date now or something. Yeah, stuff happened backwards, but I can tell that he cares about you.”
“He doesn’t want to rock that boat. Bad analogy given he’s in the Navy,” she joked, “but it’s true. We’ve settled into a routine. We’re cordial to each other. Polite.”
“Polite doesn’t sound like how a baby got made,” Emersyn joked.
Layton gave her an annoyed look. “We’re being responsible now. We’re parents,” she added, emphasizing the second word.
To her surprise, Emersyn began to laugh. “You’re both into each other and just won’t admit it. I see it. Aaron can see it. Shoot, I’m sure strangers on the street notice the heated looks you two exchange. It’s always been that way, ever since the day the guys moved me in. Oh, that reminds me. I know you have movers, but Aaron offered to help.”
Now it was Layton’s turn to laugh. “You think Hudson would let that happen? The guy is crazy overprotective.”
Emersyn raised her eyebrows. “What?” Layton asked.
Her sister smiled. “That tells me everything I need to know.”