The Renovation (Contemporary Reverse Harem 2)

I took a deep breath. “Well, I might have a solution for the house. Or, at least a partial solution. And, it’s tied to the guys. Well, a couple of them anyway.”

“Seriously? Girl, you always land on your feet. I swear.” She rolled her eyes, still fingering her bangs.

“Hardly. How is having a boyfriend dump me, sticking me with a shit show of a house, landing on my feet? You are insane.”

“Okay, okay. It was just a figure of speech.” She held her hands in surrender.

“So, two of the guys have offered to pitch in and help with the house. Carter, the contractor, and Wyatt, the plumber. I feel a little weird about it, though. I’m not sure.”

“Are you nuts? TAKE THEIR HELP. Don’t be an idiot. Swallow your pride and save your future.”

“Yeah. I don’t know.”

“If it means you may be able to keep the house, then it’s a no-brainer.”

“And then there’s the bank.” Ugh, that familiar stomach knot came roaring back.

“Oh, yeah,” she said with a sneer. I loved her for that.

“I talked to them, and of course, they’re being dicks. I told them if they could get me more time, I might be able to successfully sell the house at a good price. I mean, that would be better for everyone, right?” I asked.

“Well, yeah.”

“But the guy at the bank said I was bringing him my proposal at the ‘eleventh hour.’ I mean, what a dick. I only found out just after Lance left that he’d not been paying the mortgage. Personally, I think I’m moving pretty fast on this whole fiasco.”

“Not to mention, moving fast with the dudes.” She smiled at me wickedly. She’d always been a big fan of sowing one’s wild oats. I had a lot of catching up to do, but it seemed I was well on my way. “So, do you have any other new guys I should know about?”

“I do, as a matter of fact. The odd thing is, he’s best friends with my neighbor, Carter.”

“What? The contractor dude?” she asked.

“Yeah. He introduced us. The guy’s name is Dig, and he sells real estate. Very handsome in that dark Italian-Stallion sort of way. He called me for a date earlier today.”

“But wait. How can you go out with two guys who are friends?” She looked incredulous. I couldn’t blame her. I was, too.

“Right? It’s definitely different. I asked him, what about Carter and wouldn’t it be weird. He said not at all. So, I said yes.”

Shelle pursed her lips. “It could come in handy that he’s a real estate agent, too, right?”

I nodded. “Possibly.”

She slapped me on my leg. “Things are so coming together for you, Jay. I knew they would.”

I supposed things looked like they were coming together, but that was only because they couldn’t get any worse.

Chapter 16

DIG

Was I glad Carter introduced me to Jayma. She was just my type, with that luscious red hair, adorable freckles, and tight little body. And she was clearly sharp as a whip, too. I was so over good-looking girls with nothing upstairs.

It wasn’t surprising Carter hooked me up with her. He knew my type, probably better than I did. We’d shared girls a few times over the years and it worked out great.

Thank god, we had none of those ridiculous jealousy issues that do nothing but fuck you up. No cock-blocking games like we saw so many other dudes get into. Maybe it was because we were thick as brothers, having stuck together since Carter’s family had pretty much taken me in. And if anything, we were even closer as adults, referring business to each other, loving the same ladies. You name it.

I’d been thinking about Jayma since we’d sat down for drinks with her. When I’d checked with Carter to see if I could ask her out, he was pleased to say yes. He’d known I’d like her. He told me the guy she’d been living with had made off with another woman. What a fucking idiot.