Page 150 of Mark
He is everything I thought he was.
Maybe I can face him. After all, he is clearly wanting to see me.
If he can, maybe I can.
Maybe.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Freya
Summer wasn’t lying when she said her cousin’s new home needed some work done to it. She was right in saying it wasn’t as bad as our flat, but it did need some serious TLC. Right now, the walls have wallpaper peeling off them, there’s no carpet, and the kitchen seriously needs updating. Four rooms have already been done, but Malia, the eldest of the six, isn’t happy with their contractor. Which is why I bit the bullet and gave her the number Mark gave me to give them.
Makayla, who is two years younger than Malia, looks them up on their phone. “Is he single?”
“He’s in a relationship and has two kids with her. Although I don’t think they are biologically his. Not that it matters. He’s obsessed with her. A bit nutty mind you, but if you check out his reviews, he takes his work seriously.”
“He’s hot. What a shame.”
So are the five women spread out in chairs around me. Long-legged, flawless skin, and thick, luscious hair. I have never felt more like an ugly duckling than I do right now. It seriously surprises me to find they’re single.
Milly, the youngest at only six years old, jumps on my lap. “It’s my birthday too. What did you get me?”
Mercedes laughs. “Dude, we don’t con our friends. You know your birthday isn’t until December.”
“But I want cake,” Milly pouts.
“If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t get a cake either.”
She jumps down now she knows she’s not getting any goods and a smile tugs at my lips.
Summer grimaces. “I’m sorry. I tried to get you a Colin the Caterpillar cake but it seems the fucker is in demand, and I know you hate the taste of the other sponge cakes.”
I chuckle at her put-out expression. “It’s fine. I’m twenty-four and way past cakes.”
“You’re never too old for cake,” Malia states. “I still think we should get dressed up and hit the town. We’ve not been able to do that since we moved in. I’m too scared another businessman or estate agent will turn up with another offer.”
“It’s still not died down?” Summer asks, concerned.
“No,” Malia replies.
Magnolia clears her throat. “One guy gives me the creeps. There’s just something about him that sets my nerve endings on edge.”
“Why?” I question.
“Have you ever been around someone who instantly makes you go on alert? A person who is too polite for it to be real? It’s like that with him,” she answers.
Mercedes nods her head. “And the way he looks at us, like he’s trying to figure out which one of us he wants to fuck first.”
“That too,” Magnolia replies. “Although it’s strange that ever since he first started to come around, we’ve had things go wrong with the property. The water was turned off from outside, there’s a couple of breaches in the fences, and I swear there’s a patch of dried grass from a tent. It’s like someone has been watching us.”
“Let’s change the subject,” Malia orders, giving her sister a pointed look. “We’re just being paranoid.”
Summer laughs. “What have you guys got a reason to be paranoid for?”
No one laughs aside from Malia. Instead, she does everything she can to avoid looking at her cousin. She’s also not acting relaxed as well as she thinks she is. “Exactly.”
“Well, we can run to the shop and grab some drinks. We can crash here, right?” Summer asks.