BOOK SIX: SIXTH HOUSE

"I have a feeling this home will change your life," our perky brunette realtor said as she fiddled with a lock for the first-floor condo at our next viewing appointment.

A wave of icy air cut through the Florida August heat as the door swung open. I hung back to watch my almost former SEAL boyfriend walk through before me. Hey, it's not my fault he had a great ass. The government makes sure our boys are in tiptop shape and I appreciated them for it. One of NB's back nails scratched my arm as my small Jack Russell Terrier found a better position in my arms.

"Everyone knows the sixth one is the charm. Right, Von?" Broadrick turned and made eye contact with me as he asked.

I smiled, quickly glancing up to his deep green eyes. "Huh?" Were we talking about something? I was too busy staring at his ass.

He shook his head and propped open the white front door with his hip, letting me walk into the brightly lit condo. "Try to give this one a fair shot," he whispered.

My hackles immediately rose. "Broadrick, that round bedroom was weird."

No one wanted to sleep in a round bedroom. How the hell would we buy a bed? The entire place looked like a three-year-old designed the layout. We both knew it, but only one of us had the guts to admit it.

He lifted his left eyebrow and tilted his head. "And the one before?"

My mouth dropped open for a full ten seconds as we hovered in the open doorway, letting out all the expensive cool air. I raised my free hand as I spoke. "That purple counter looked ridiculous. It did not flow in that bathroom at all."

He chuckled and shook his head. He hated that counter, too. "Just keep an open mind this time."

I sat NB on the ground between us and narrowed my eyes when I glanced back at him. "Oh, I will. Trust me. My mind is completely open."

He nodded once, totally ignoring how heavily I laid on the sarcasm.

It's not like I purposely hated every place we'd looked at on the very ritzy Killdear Island. It's that rich people had horrible decorating taste. That and I wasn't completely sure I wanted to spend the rest of my life living among America's elite on some secluded island off Florida's coast. At least I wasn't into it as much as Broadrick seemed to be. Probably because his life on the island came with a fancy position with Ridge Jefferson's security firm. And mine came with... nothing.

Well... something. I just hadn't figured out what yet.

I'd given up being a private detective but hadn't decided what happened next. Killdear Island was my chance to reinvent myself, and that scared the shit out of me.

Who the hell was Vonnie Vines if I wasn't a PI?

Either way, if this was our forever spot, I wanted our future home to be perfect. Purple bathroom countertops were the antithesis of perfect. Everyone knew that.

I pressed past Broadrick with NB, leading the way into the open space. "Wow, it's a lot of white."

"Vonnie," Broadrick said in his warning voice.

I raised my hands, stopping NB before he made it to the living room. "What? I'm just saying."

Maybe color scared rich people? I didn't judge. Much.

But it was a ton of white. From a white couch to matching white chairs, rugs, and kitchen cabinets in the main space. Even the dining room table had white chairs with a light-colored wood top. In a weird way, I kind of liked it.

Larken, our realtor, turned around with a bright smile. She also had super white teeth. "Isn't it great? This condo gets so much light off the water. There's never a sad day with this much sunshine in your life."

I wasn't one hundred percent sure of that, but I smiled back at her anyway.

"It feels homier than the last place. Lived in," I said, walking through the kitchen while running my fingers over the sandy-colored countertops. The couches were fluffy as if they were inviting you in for a rest with a big thick blanket. Although...my smile slipped as the next thought came to me. It's not like we'd need a blanket in Florida.

Broadrick stopped beside me when we reached the end of the space. "Homey is good. We can work with that."

Larken led us toward the long stretch of windows, which ran the entire length of the living room wall. The condo had a large balcony and then expansive view of the ocean beyond. "Now, this unit only has a view of the Atlantic since another unit across the hall has city views of the mainland. That's one reason for the lower price point."

"That and because it's on the first floor?" Broadrick asked before I could inquire about the price. She'd been cagey about numbers all day.

Her brown hair flipped over her shoulder as she nodded. "Most residents prefer extended views, offering both options, or they wish to see the mainland city lights."

I crinkled my nose as I stared out at the endless view of bright blue water. Who wanted to look at city lights when you had the best view available right on the other side?

Again, rich people were weird.

"This unit also has the option to come fully furnished if you like many of the items included in our walkthrough." She turned away from the patio door without opening it and letting us walk outside.

NB sniffed her nude-colored designer shoes, and I pulled him back with a stern, wide-eyed warning. If he peed on our realtor, we'd both be in big trouble.

"How much does that add to the price?" I asked.

Broadrick cleared his throat super loudly right next to me. "I'm sure it's all negotiable, Von."

Yeah, he was definitely up to something. How expensive was this place that he didn't want me to find out the price? It had to be over a half million dollars. Earlier in the day, he'd told me not to worry about it, but that only made me double worry about it. How could I help pay the bills if he made us condo poor?

We followed Larken into the hallway as she opened the door to the first bedroom.

"Wow, this bedroom is small," I blurted.

Broadrick nudged me with his elbow. "It's charming."

No, my little home across from the ocean in Pelican Bay had serious charm. This room was small. The twin-size bed took up at least a third of the space, and it almost touched the other wall. Not shocking, they decorated the space in all white-from a drift-wood styled bed frame to a white ruffled comforter. Even the small nightstand was a distressed white wood.

"This would be a great home office for you once you get your practice up and running again," Broadrick said.

My forehead furrowed in frustration. We both knew I wasn't getting back into the PI business. I'd been perfectly clear that I wasn't cut out for it. "It'd be a magnificent bedroom for NB. Right, buddy?"

He was clearly reaching the end of his attention span as he sniffed the edge of the door and then pawed at it but didn't take even a second to look into the space.

"Just wait until you see the closet in the primary suite," Larken said, drawing our attention from the dog.

"What do you think so far?" Broadrick asked as we followed her down the hallway.

I shrugged. Truthfully, I didn't hate the place. Out of the six we'd looked at so far, this one had the most potential. And we wouldn't have to buy furniture. Every piece of furniture I'd purchased in the past was a hand-me-down from a friend or the thrift store. Something told me the rich people on Killdeer Island didn't have a Goodwill. Plus, everything had to be brought over by boat.

"Doesn't it feel like it's missing something?" I asked as we entered the primary bedroom.

Larken walked right through the spacious area toward a closed door on the opposite side. "I really think you'll die over this closet. It's every girl's dream."

I did like a good closet. Broadrick stepped to the side, waving his hand out in front of me as I passed.

Larken opened the door to the closet and took a half a step inside. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you," she said and placed her hand at the base of her throat as she paused and leaned into the space, closing the door halfway.

My steps slowed and then quickened as the vibe in the room grew heavy. "Is everything okay?"