Gynger Snap 10

Where The Heart Is part 2

"Is this a personal visit?" Britney looked up. Seeing the large crowd at the table her boss had hurried over. The portly man straightened to his full height looking up at Ryo and Dee. He blinked his washed-out blue eyes taking in their appearance. His graying brown hair was plastered to his head with what Ryo hoped was gel and not sweat as the man seemed caught up in his too-tight polo shirt. He turned a frown on his newest employee having taken a chance on hiring her from an insurance background. Not to mention she was fairly new to Colorado and did not have much knowledge of the land, yet she did seem to draw people in and get information for possible sales for his more seasoned agents. There was something to be said for having a pretty face and body like a brick house. "You know on shift we need to focus on work." Ryo frowned at the supercilious tone the man took with his employee.

"I wish this was a personal visit," Britney's laugh tinkled out. Ryo sighed as he saw her lowered face and the darkening of her already luscious complexion. "Believe me a gaggle of gorgeous men all wanting to buy houses would be a dream come true."

"Buy houses?" The agency owner offered a smile. He reached out to shake Ryo's hand. " I am Matt White, this is my agency, Sky High Realtors and insurance, how are you today?"

Dee sidled in front of Ryo seeing his husband avoiding the greeting. "I am Dee MaClean-Laytner, And you are right, he is gorgeous," Dee winked at Britney, "we were just sitting down with Britney here," Dee shook the hand smiling at the attempt to show dominance from the shorter man. Dee did not reciprocate knowing that breaking the man's fingers may annoy Ryo.

"Britney here," Matt glanced down at his employee. "Is more of an insurance agent, the ink is still wet on her real estate license."

"Don't worry," Ryo winked at Britney seeing her face fall at the loss of her sale. He placed his hand in Dee's showing their matching rings. "He likes virgins. We'll be your first."

"Sir," Matt backed up from Dee realizing the two men were together he ceased shaking his hand. He frowned then forced a smile as the dollar sign radar in his brain continued to ring at the gathered crowd. "I am sure she does not have the experience to handle such a large…"

"Let me stop you there," Dee folded his arms. "I will say what my husband is too kind to say… We either sit with Britney and handle this, or we walk. I am sure there are plenty of other agencies out there looking to sell around 5 homes in one go. Now you can leave her to it and we can go looking at places to see what we want, or we can finish shopping and I can take him home to appreciate the new chaps I just bought him."

"Dude," Bikky frowned at Matt as the man backed away holding a chair for Ryo to sit down in front of Britney. "Do you know how long it took us to even convince him to look at houses? Do not piss him off… because that will piss me off." Bikky lowered his voice frowning at the man. "Isn't it your tee time or something? You strike me as the type of business owner that spends most of your time golfing and only shows up for special occasions or to harass your employees."

"Bikky," Matt looked over at the smooth, deep voice with an odd accent. "Do not be rude. Will you take the younger ones to that toy store for a while? We would hate to bore them."

"My apologies Count D," Bikky spoke with a formality of his rank of Arcadian Squire to a superior. "I will indeed," He bowed after one last frown at Matt. "Hey Dads!" Matt gasped as the mature young man slipped into the mien of a teenager again all rambunctious grins and mischief. "Make sure it has a basement, we need a workout spot."

"And kitchen," Rain piped in. "A kitchen where Ryo can make fantastic food, I mean I know a house will have a kitchen, but I mean a state-of-the-art show-worthy kitchen. You deserve the best."

"You know he just wants to eat, right?" Dee chuckled. "We will also need a room for your Squire, and Alicia when she and Angelina come by… this is a tall order." He said to Britney.

Britney took a deep breath. "First… Thank you," She smiled over at Ryo and Dee. "I'm closer to my dream of buying a fancy RV and living the nomad writer life."

"That is a good dream," Count D sat down in the chair held out for him by Leon at the little table. As it was the last chair, Leon stood behind the seat with his hands on the slender shoulders. "We can do this in shifts. The rest of you can finish your shopping and exploring and we will let you know when we are done and the next set will come over." Britney nodded to the plan enjoying his soft, deep voice.

"You are a writer?" Ryo smiled at the new agent causing her heart to stutter. Was that much beauty in one person even fair? "So is my mother-in-law, Perhaps you two should meet. She writes romance. What is your Genre?"

"Fantasy," Britney saw the scowl she was receiving from Matt. "First thing first. What kind of homes are you looking for? Would you like to live near each other?"

Dee inclined his head to Ryo. "All you baby, my home is where you are so you pick, I follow." Dee lifted a strong hand to place a kiss on the back. He enjoyed the calluses along the palm from his skills with a gun. "Quick question though," Ryo turned to face Dee. "Are we still detectives?"

"We can discuss that part later," Leon chimed in. "How about areas? That Matt Guy said that you were new here in Colorado, so let's discover together. Do you mind?" He asked standing Count D to his feet before he sat in the chair pulling the slighter frame into his lap.

"First I think I need to ask your price range," Britne smiled proud that she had recalled the crucial question. No point in showing them a home that they could ill afford.

"There isn't one," Dee chuckled. "But, we would like something with great amenities, and according to our glutton of a son a five-star kitchen and I personally would like to see him with a backdrop of spectacular views. Just imagine that kind of gorgeous surrounded by mountains, brisk morning air putting color in those cheeks… and the ones on his face. "

"Will you behave?" Ryo gasped the words out as his cheeks did indeed tint a remarkable rose.

"Has he ever?" Count D asked with a chuckle.

"Good point," Ryo grinned then. "Naturally we would prefer to be in the same town or within a 20-minute drive of each other. "

Britney nodded then smiled broadly. "If money is not a factor I think I know just the place. I was dream scaping for the time I make it big and came across…" Britney punched a few words into her laptop before she turned her screen around to the group on the other side of the table. Ryo leaned over to see rather than search his pockets for his glasses. "Dear God, you smell great." Britney gasped. "I'm sorry," She looked away as he smiled at her.

"Thank you, I bathe," Ryo chuckled. He scrolled down on the computer. "These are quite a few, nice candidates. How about we just plan a day to go out and see them all? Then we can choose and buy." Britney noted that the entire time he spoke he did not even glance at the Millions on the price tag.

He looked to Count D noting that he had his eyes closed conveying the message. "What day is it?"Count D asked.

"Thursday," Britney supplied wondering how the pretty little man did not know what day it was.

Count D closed his eyes again. "Is Saturday good?" Dee asked her drawing her eyes away from the count as he communicated the plan to the rest of the group. Britney nodded with a sigh finding his deep green eyes and shining black hair appealing. "It's a date. We will pass along the message. Oh and once the commission nets… I would recommend finding a new employer." Dee stood then smiling. He faced Matt as the man hurried over seeing the group standing. "We will look at houses on Saturday, we sign with her or we don't sign at all." Dee smiled and then winked at Britney. She sat in awe as they all wandered off laughing as Dee dragged Ryo into Spencer's gifts.

To Be Continued… I promise

Chi