Chapter 7 : Taking the Tour

**Cat POV Luke had a town car pick us up outside the hotel. He'd even called for a personal driver. I felt awkward, sitting in the back seat with him. Thankfully, he didn't try to strike up a conversation. I kept my eyes out the window, watching the city fly by. Despite all the craziness, I was looking forward to exploring it and making it my home. I'd never lived close to a city this size! "What was here before?" I asked when the town car pulled into the development. It was only a few blocks from the hotel. "Low income housing," Luke replied. "Too many of the buildings became condemned and had to be torn down." "Ahh, making it the perfect dream for developers," I said, glancing at him quickly. He smirked. "Though, this development doesn't resemble anything like what was here before. It is a completely different kind of housing." "I can see that," I muttered as the car pulled into the development. The development Luke's company was working on was only a few blocks from the hotel. I had read about low-income housing in school. When enough of the buildings were condemned, they tore them down and auctioned off the lots to realestate developers. Apparently, Luke's company had bought the land, spruced it up, and now they were building houses–luxury houses. The town car pulled into the development. I turned further in my seat and pressed my forehead to the window as I stared. There were large construction vehicles moving in and out of the back corner and lots of orange hatted construction workers. I could see where they were laying foundations. It wasn't that work that had me so impressed. Closer to the road where we'd turned in, there were a few houses already built. They were gorgeous homes that were similar in architecture but each one had its own unique styling. It was a good way to make it feel less like a subdivision. Only three of the houses were completed. The rest were in various states of construction. Some were still missing garage doors, others needed siding or paint. The three that were completed were what was known as "prototype" houses. They represented the three basic floor plans and home styles available. Buyers could tour those houses and choose which one they liked best, then their house would be built to similar standards. "Like what you see?" Luke's deep voice asked, his chuckle ringing in my head. I turned to him and smiled. "This is amazing. I've never seen the work up close and personal. I'm used to just having papers on my desk." "We've got some time. I can show you the model homes if you'd like," he offered when the driver pulled up in front of one house. "Yes, I'd love that," I gushed. Things might have been awkward with Luke, but nothing got me excited quite like architecture. Luke chuckled again and shook his head at me. We headed to the closest house. He carried my bags, again. "This one is mine. It is the only one that is full furnished right now and lived in. Still, a lot of buyers like to see one in use," he explained. He set my bags down on the porch and unlocked the front door. "Feel free to look around. I'll take your bags to the guest house," he said. "Yeah, thanks," I muttered, my cheeks burning hot. He was leaving me alone to look around his house? My stomach fluttered, and I chewed my lower lip as I went inside. Luke had the house furnished with modern, expensive furniture. I hardly paid attention to that. I wandered from room to room, inspecting the picture windows, looking at the beams in the living room and the arched doorway between the living room and kitchen. It was a two-story, five bedroom, four bathroom house with a an eat in kitchen, separate dining room, generously sized living room, home theater, game room, and a couple smaller rooms that could be an office or den. I was mesmerized! When I'd had my fill of the interior, I wandered into the back yard through sliding glass doors in the kitchen. They let me out on a patio with potted plants around the edge. The yard was large and fenced in. There were old growth trees on the opposite side of the fence giving it a private feel. The guest house was across the yard in the corner, right next to an inground pool! "This place is amazing," I said to Luke when he joined me on the patio. "I've added a lot of personal touches. Would you like to see the other model houses?" He grinned at me and held his hand out. I smiled shyly and nodded, but I didn't take his hand. We walked through the other model houses, and I compared the layouts. One layout was a three to four bedroom option with three bathrooms. The third layout had five bedrooms and four bathrooms like Luke's, but the first floor had cathedral ceilings and the second floor was an overhang. "What do you think?" Luke asked. I paused on the front porch of the third house. "Don't you have much more qualified people to answer that question?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. "I don't know about qualifications, but I have people that have worked with me longer. Your eyes are fresh. Tell me what you think of the entire development." He swept his arm out, as if he could brush it across every housing lot. "I think that some of the houses should be reoriented. People want southern facing windows at the front or back of the house, not along the sides," I said, pointing out one of the newly laid foundations. "Hmm, that is a good observation," he muttered, stroking his chin. "I'd also offer a variety of siding options - vinyl, brick, wood slat, wood shingle. These houses are going to be very similar as it is, but no one buying in this area wants to look down the street and see every other house is the same color," I explained. I turned back to the three model houses. They were all white with vinyl siding. "Variety is the spice of life, then?" Luke asked in a teasing tone. I glared at him and scoffed. "You asked for my opinion." "Yes, I did. I value it greatly. These homes will be bought by people closer to your demographic. Age range, income bracket, that sort of thing," he said with a nod. "Age range? You're not that much older than me," I pointed out. Not to mention having not gotten paid yet, I didn't think I could quite say I was in this income bracket yet. These houses were nothing like where Luke could truly afford to live, but they were nice. "I'm not much older than you. Which is exactly why I bought a house here," he said, smirking. "Right…" I rolled my eyes. "Alright, anything else you'd like to share with me?" Luke stepped off the porch and motioned for me to follow. We headed back to his house, walking along a sidewalk that had been recently installed. "Well, I hope you're planning on putting grass and trees along these sidewalks and roads," I said. "Yes, of course. This is an 'inner city' home without the 'inner city' feel," he said, laughing and throwing his head back. What a dork. "Then, I guess the only thing I'd say is to plump up the staging of your model houses," I said with a shrug. "How's that?" Luke asked. He stopped walking outside his house, and I turned to face him. "Your house is by far the most interesting because it looks and feels personal, lived in. That could create an unwanted bias toward buyers. Make the other model houses just as personal and lived in, make them desirable," I explained. "And once again, I feel like I am being schooled at my own business," Luke said, shaking his head. "How long has it been since you designed something yourself, from the ground up?" I challenged. "You think I don't review every proposal or design that comes through my company?" he asked back. I shrugged and headed up the walkway that led to the yard. I wanted to see the guest house. "I think reviewing designs someone else has put their energy into isn't the same as designing something," I said. Luke scoffed. I heard his hurried footsteps on the walkway as he rushed after me. He caught up to me right at the door of the guest house. "You've got fresh linens in there, a full bathroom, and a washer and dryer. Your own kitchen, bedroom, and a little home office. While you're staying here, you can use the pool, yard, and anything you want to feel at home," he said, his voice gentle and friendly. "Thank you. I… I really appreciate this." My cheeks warmed again, and I looked away from Luke. "Let me know if you need anything," he offered. I nodded, still not looking at him. He was just being too nice. "I will." "Great. I've got to hop in the shower. I'll see you tonight." He gave me a little salute and started walking away. "Wait…! Wait! Tonight?" I asked, running after him. "What's tonight?" I grabbed my side when a cramp twinged. "The firm works on several projects at a time. We recently won a bid for a very large development project on an island in the Caribbean. High-profile stuff. This will be the first company project you'll be working on start to finish," he said. "What does that have to do with tonight?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. Luke smirked. "There is a big fundraiser for the project tonight. You'll need to be there. Everyone important that's working on the project will be." "You just let these things trickle out, don't you?" I muttered, crossing my arms. "I had to be sure you were staying. Just an hour ago, you threatened to leave. I wasn't going to invite you to a fundraiser then," he teased, sticking his tongue out at me. Shaking my head, I sighed heavily. "Working for you is going to be like skydiving without a parachute." "Probably. But you're smart enough to figure it out. This is a nice party." With that, Luke left me standing in his yard. I wondered if I even had a fancy dress to wear. I stared after him, wondering what I'd gotten myself into. As if my last two days weren't hectic enough, now I had to go to a fancy fundraiser and make a good impression on important investors. Groaning, I balled my hands into fists. Luke must really think I was cut out for this. Well, that made one of us. Sighing, I turned to the guest house and went in. Immediately, I fell in love! It was so adorable and furnished in a classy, old-fashioned way. I unpacked as quickly as I could, making sure to check out each room as I did. It was like having my own private cottage. In the bedroom, there was a huge picture window that directly faced the patio. I'd need to get a curtain for that first thing! After a quick shower and changing into something comfortable, I finally felt like I could relax. I slipped my feet into comfy slippers and flopped down on the couch. Grabbing my phone, I dialed a familiar number. "Hey, Barbs, it's me!" "Oh my God! Cat?" she asked.