The Bottom Line (26 page)

“Well, think about it,” Bethany continued. “You’re gorgeous. That red hair, those green eyes. When you put on a business suit, you look like you could take on corporate America and win. You show someone a house, you’ll have them buying before they see every room.”

Bethany’s eternal optimism was a blessing. While that trait sometimes bordered on naïveté, this time it helped Juliana feel stronger about risking a change. “Thanks, Beth.”

Beth saluted her with a mock toast of her Diet Coke.

“You haven’t mentioned this to the principal yet, have you, Jules?” Mallory asked.

“Not that stupid,” Juliana replied. “Besides, it’s just a seminar. Who knows if I’ll even decide I want to give it a whirl?”

“You can use summer break to get a good start,” Danielle said.

Juliana nodded. “That’s what I thought, too. I’ll just head to the seminar with Robert, see what Max Schumm has to say and—”

Mallory choked on her Diet Cherry Coke. “Did you say Max Schumm?” The anger in her voice came as a surprise.

“Yeah… why?”

“Ben hates that guy.”

Ben. Mallory’s husband of a little longer than a year. The two of them had a bit of whirlwind romance that started when he renovated her house, which turned into true love when they connected at the Bayside mixers.

If only Juliana could be so lucky to land a hunk like Ben Carpenter. “What happened that made Ben hate him?”

“Schumm screwed up the paperwork on the house he sold when he got divorced. Cost Ben a pretty penny to get things straightened out. The lawyer told him Schumm doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground.”

“Then why is he head of the biggest real estate firm in Cloverleaf?” Juliana asked.

“Because there’s not much competition,” Mallory replied. “The other firms are national chains, and you know how tight-knit this town is.”

“Always use a local,” Danielle said, stating the town’s informal motto.

“Look,” Juliana said. “I’ll go to the seminar. Find out what I need to do to get licensed, and see if I can stomach Max Schumm. Then I can make some hard choices.”

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