Party Crashers

her old life back. She felt as if she'd been given a second chance, and she was going to live life more largely than before.
    Minus the party crashing, of course.
    At red lights, she reviewed the listing that Beck wanted to see. The house was in the most exclusive neighborhood in Buckhead—Sammy's favorite, in fact. She'd be cross-eyed with jealousy if Jolie managed to sell one of the elite properties. The home was enormous and chock full of amenities, with a price tag to match. Secretly, she was disappointed that Beck had gone the "bigger is better" route, although her inner agent told her to keep her idealistic mouth shut. It wasn't as if he were buying a home for them to share. Besides, a tiny voice inside of her promised, If he buys a big house, he might stay in Atlanta . Not that she'd be running into him at the country club.
    She pulled up to the house a few minutes early, which would give her time to scout out the uber-structure. From the looks of it, she was going to need a map. She removed the door key from the lockbox device and let herself in the front door.
    Huge. Colossal. Gargantuan. She toured the first floor quickly to get a feel for the layout and the grounds, then she climbed the stairs and checked the rooms for the best views. She heard the front door open and close, and her heart rate kicked up in anticipation of seeing Beck again. She walked to the landing and looked over, then felt her smile dissolve.
    Sammy was frowning up at her.
    "What are you doing here?" they asked in unison.
    "I'm showing the house to a client," Jolie said.
    "Who?" Sammy asked suspiciously.
    "Beck Underwood."
    Sammy frowned harder and Jolie had the distinct feeling that Sammy wanted to stamp her foot.
    Jolie crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?"
    "I just finished showing a house two doors down, and I saw what I thought was your car in the driveway."
    In other words, it drew attention because it wasn't a nice-enough car to be in this neighborhood. Jolie checked her watch. "I don't mean to be rude, but my client should be here any minute."
    But Sammy walked across the foyer and up the stairs. "While I'm here, I'll just look around."
    Jolie glared as the woman sashayed by her on the landing. Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her purse, thinking it might be Beck saying he was running late. But when she saw the Florida area code, she smiled—Leann. She had so much to tell her.
    "Hello?"
    "Is this Jolie Goodman?"
    Jolie frowned. "Yes, who's this?"
    "This is Rebecca Renaldi, Leann's sister. I'm calling about the card I just received."
    Jolie smiled. "You didn't have to call—I hope you're recovering well. I'm so sorry for your loss."
    "Jolie, one of us is confused. I didn't lose a baby—Leann did."
    Jolie blinked. "What?"
    "Leann lost her baby early Sunday morning. Personally, I think it was the long drive."
    Gripping the phone tighter, Jolie said, "I thought Leann went to Jacksonville to take care of you."
    "No, she came here so I could take care of her . Gary was going to join her later."
    Starbursts flashed behind Jolie's eyelids. "Did you say 'Gary'?"
    "Yeah, Gary—the father of her baby."
    Jolie grasped the rail in front of her. Gary and Leann? Bits and pieces of conversations came flooding back to her: Leann telling her to stay away from Gary, exhibiting irritation if Jolie shared personal tidbits.
    "I would've thought Leann had told you about the baby and about Gary, but she was probably waiting to see if it would work out this time."
    "This time?"
    "They dated for about a year, then he broke it off, but she never really got over him Actually, I was worried about her."
    Gary's fatal attraction girlfriend. Leann had moved to the apartment complex within a couple of weeks of when she and Gary had started dating. In the laundry room, Leann had initiated a conversation with her...and fostered a friendship.
    "When you see her, you might not mention that I told you all of this."
    "When I see her?" Jolie asked, her voice shaky.
    "She left this morning to drive back to Atlanta, for good this time."
    Jolie's pulse raced. "What did you mean when you said something about Leann losing the baby after a long drive?"
    "She drove back to Atlanta last Saturday, against my wishes. But she said she and Gary had some things to talk about."
    I wish you could drive up and crash the party with us. If you left now, you could make it .
    Apparently, Leann had made it.
    "Jolie, was I right to tell you about the baby?" Rebecca