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price for this house is within five thousand dollars of two hundred thou."
    "You'll bet?" asked Jay.
    "Stop this," said Don. "I don't use agents to sell my houses. Can't afford the commission."
    "If I don't meet that price," said Cindy, "then I won't take a commission."
    "That wouldn't be right," said Don. "Your work is worth the price. So I won't have you doing the job unless I pay you for it."
    "I've made a bet," said Cindy. "Are you men or what?"
    "I'll take the bet," said Jay.
    "You've got nothing at stake," said Cindy.
    "My reputation as a judge of real estate values."
    "You don't have a reputation," said Cindy, "or I would have heard of you."
    Don laughed out loud. More of a bark, really, a couple of barks. Almost a warning. I'm amused, but stand back because I'm still ready to bite at any moment. But Cindy liked the laugh. Or at least her hormones liked it. Angry at herself, she realized he could probably take his shoes off right now and she'd probably get all excited by the smell of his socks. Get a grip on yourself, girl.
    "Won't take the bet," said Don. "I'm not a betting man. But I will think about giving you a shot at it. Not till after you see my finished work, though. Right now you're buying a pig in a poke."
    "She's not buying anything," said Jay. "Realtors take houses on consignment."
    "On commission," said Cindy. "If you don't know the difference—"
    "Let's not fight," said Jay. "Let's just agree that we don't like each other but we both love Don so we have to get along for his sake."
    What did he mean by that? Immediately she put on her business face. "I'll tell my client your offer is forty-six five. You may not like to dicker, but he does. When he settles for forty-nine I'll call you to set up a closing."
    "You think he will?" asked Don, looking surprised.
    "I know he will," said Cindy. Then she gave Jay her fullcourt smile, which she knew would almost blind him with the dazzling sarcasm of it.
    Jay ignored her and turned to Don. "It's your money and your life, Don. If you call it a life."
    "I don't," said Don. "But it's the only life I've got." He turned back to Cindy. "When should I call you?"
    "Tomorrow at five and we'll set up an appointment for the closing."
    "Are you really that sure?" said Don. "It could change the kind of fix I do on that front door."
    "Fix?" It took her a moment for her to remember that he had broken into the house with a wrecking bar.
    "I mean put up a new hasp, only fastened with a slotless head and inlaid so it can't be pried out the way I did. Or just put on a new frame and door, which is what I'll do if I'm actually buying it."
    "Put up the new door," said Cindy.
    "And what happens when the owner says no?" asked Jay.
    "If the owner says no," said Cindy, "I'll pay for the door."
    "Thanks for your help, Cindy," said Don. "Sounded to me like you went to some trouble doing research on the place."
    He noticed! "I did."
    "Maybe at the closing you can tell me more about Dr. What's-his-name—"
    "Dr. Calhoun Bellamy." She couldn't help sounding cold; she didn't like being patronized.
    "I'm not doing a restoration here, just a renovation. I'm not trying to get the house back the way he first built it."
    "I didn't think you were."
    "I'm fixing it up so I can sell it at a profit. But as long as you understand that, then I'd like it if you told me about him."
    "I'll do that," said Cindy.
    Don brought his fingers to his forehead as if to touch the brim of a nonexistent hat. Then he walked briskly back to his truck and drove away.
    For a moment Cindy was annoyed when she realized she had been left alone with Jay. But what was he going to do, really? And he knew Don. He could answer questions.
    "How many houses has he done this with?" she asked.
    Jay shrugged. "About one every four months for—I don't remember now—however long it's been since his wife died. Two and a half years?"
    "Four months. Is he that fast?"
    "The other houses were smaller."
    Only then did the reference to Don's wife