Page 127 of The Man I Hate

“I know,” she murmured. “It’s crazy.” She tugged my arm. “C’mon, let’s at least entertain her.”

My mind was made up. Nevertheless, I decided to play as if I could care less. “Okay.”

We toured the home, spending time in each of the 6 remodeled bedrooms, 5 gorgeous bathrooms, and the 3 resurfaced decks that faced the beach. In my eyes, the home was nothing short of heaven on earth. When we ended the walkthrough, we were back where we started.

I looked at Hap. “What do you think, Old Man?”

He scratched the sides of his head. “It’s one hell of a house.”

I glanced at Anna. “Anna?”

“I love it but—”

“What are they asking for it, again?” I asked Giselle.

“$5,900,000,” she replied.

“How long has it been on the market?”

“This listing isn’t on the MLS yet,” she replied. “It’s officially for sale this weekend. The owners are currently out of town and are expected to return Friday. It will list on Saturday.”

“Do you think they’ll negotiate?”

“Personally, I think they’d be fools to. This home will be sold within a few days of being listed. Other than me, you’re the first one to see it. They were preparing to list it before the pandemic hit. It was going to be $8,000,000, which was already a great price.”

I looked at Anna.

She shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“Do you like it?” I asked.

“Who wouldn’t?”

“Can you see yourself living here?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because it’s a mansion.” Her shoulders slumped a little. “An expensive mansion.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “If price were no object, would this home be one of interest?”

“Like I said,” she replied. “I love it.”

“Would it please you to live here?”

She gave me a funny look. “If money were no object?”

I forced out a dramatic sigh. “If every home on the coast were the same price, would this one interest you?”

“Absolutely,” she said excitedly. “I love that it has beach access and a beach view from every room. So many of them don’t have beach access, they’ve just got a view. This has both.”

I looked at Hap. “What about you, Old Man?”

“If I had $6,000,000 I wanted to spend on a home,” he replied. “I’d buy this cocksucker right now.”

I’d spend $60,000,000 on a home if it made Anna happy. Money was of no use to me if the woman I loved wasn’t satisfied with the place she called home.