A loud throat-clearing turned me around to see a woman in a slick business suit holding a clipboard in one hand and a dangle of keys in the other. The realtor? Maybe my luck was shifting. “Excuse me, can I help you?”

“I am here to see the house.” The words popped out of me before I thought better of it. And I held up the sign as if that somehow made it better that I’d pulled it out.

Her eyes narrowed on the sign. “Did you make an appointment?”

“No. I’m sorry, I just saw the sign,” I gave it a shake for good measure, “and was hoping to peek in the windows.” I smiled at her, though, she didn’t thaw for a second. “But you can show me around now. I’m sure you know all the nooks and crannies of the place.”

She plastered on a smile. “My name is Monica, and I am the realtor.” No surprise there, but I nodded and smiled. “I’m actually here to show another client this place,” she said. “You’ll have to come back another time. We can book right now if you like?”

“I don’t mind if she joins us.”

I looked past Monica to the rather broad-shouldered man with the short-cropped dark hair and . . .

“You look good with clothes on.” I tossed the sign to the side as if that was where it went. Best to act casual when you got caught red-handed.

Monica gasped and Crash just stared at me as though I’d sprouted another head. Maybe I had.

“Stars in the heavens,” Monica whispered. “I never in my life!”

And then it hit me that Crash was there to buy my grandmother’s house. That he’d only known it was for sale because of me and my big fat mouth. My eyes narrowed, and if I could have shot him dead on the spot, I would have.

“Sure, I’d love for you to show us both around,” I growled, suddenly thinking that maybe I would become one of those man-hating women who said they all could find a place to rot together. I could bury him next to Himself after I was through with them both.

Monica huffed and brushed past me on the path so she wouldn’t get her shoes dirty by stepping into the garden. Crash took a few steps and then was right behind me.

I deliberately widened my stance. “Seriously? I tell you about my gran’s house and then you go behind my back to buy it?”

His eyebrows shot up. “Behind your back? We are not friends.”

“Sure we are.” His face clouded over and I leaned toward him. “It gives me something to hold over Eammon.”

I was hoping to make him crack a smile.

I wasn’t banking on a full grin. His eyebrows went even higher. “You’d hold it over Eammon that we’re friends?”