“I bet you’re glad to have found out about Lexi. She had been seeing Ben for at least a month before they left for Paris. I’d thought she’d gotten him out of her system because she felt so guilty about hooking up with him. She’d discovered what I learned: spending time with Ben doesn’t come close to spending time with you,” Halle said.
“What are you talking about?” David asked.
“Lexi and I had lunch at the studio cafeteria one day. Ben came in and was on the hunt for a bit of no-strings afternoon fun. He tried to get me to have it with him, but I turned him down. He ignored Lexi because he knew that the two of you spent time together.
“We were talking about girl stuff, and I told her she should take him for a spin as a joke. I guess she thought I was serious because she had me call him back to our table. When I saw her later, she broke down in tears over what she’d done.
“She must have gotten over it if what Isabel told me is true,” Halle said.
David kept his expression neutral, but inside, he was livid with Halle. He couldn’t believe she’d played a role in getting Ben and Lexi together. Friends didn’t do that to one another, or so David thought. Some days, he hated Hollywood. Because of what Halle had done, she’d ruined three friendships for him: Ben, Lexi, and now Halle.
◊◊◊
After lunch, they went to a set made to look like a park. The kids were running off their energy playing when David heard a squeal from Dawson. That alerted the rest that the puppies were bounding out from the back.
Seeing the joy as they played together almost made David forget how mad he was at Halle.
After a half-hour, the director came on set, and Halle had to get back to work. David made good on his promise of ice cream.
When they got home, he told his mom that Halle wouldn’t be his date. He had to rehash why, but she understood once he was done. It seemed like his personal life had taken some severe hits in the last week.
◊◊◊
David wanted his jet type rating. He’d borrowed Chubby’s jet to get his check ride taken care of, which was the last item on his list for his license. Once he’d passed, David could now fly jet-powered aircraft on his own.
He was itching to try out his newly minted freedom. So, he made dates with the three baby mamas living in his Malibu home. It opened up a whole new level of awesome when he could say, ‘Hey, want to jet to San Diego for dinner?’
With that in mind, David decided to kill two birds with one stone. He wanted to get some one-on-one time with Peggy, Ashley, and Scarlet. When he broached the idea, the girls were enthusiastic. Peggy picked Palm Springs; Ashley, Las Vegas; and Scarlet chose Monterey.
Things didn’t quite go to plan. First, Peggy wanted to invite some other people. By ‘other people,’ she meant her boyfriend, Walker Ames, and another couple. Peggy’s guy was in his last year of law school.
Her intention was for David to meet Walker because they were starting to get serious. She was going to be a senior at Pepperdine, and with him also finishing up school, David could see that this might be the guy she ended up with. But what was planned as a way for the two men to bond turned into David feeling like a fifth wheel.
The other couple were old friends of Walker’s and announced their engagement. The rest of the trip was focused on couples. When they got back, Peggy said that she was going to spend the night with her guy, so David didn’t even get to talk to her on the ride back from the airport.
Ashley’s trip to Vegas was a little better. She told David that she’d signed up for a poker tournament. For her to make it on time, they would have to grab a quick bite to eat. She told him at dinner that she planned to spend an extra day, so he didn’t need to wait for her to finish playing cards that night.
Dinner with Scarlet was without any surprises. They had a pleasant flight and then went to a romantic restaurant. But it was evident that the two of them were now living in different worlds. David was a college football player, and Scarlet held down a 9-to-5 job in the ‘real world,’ as she pointed out.
Scarlet did ask that David come home to Alabama with her and Ashley for Christmas so the grandparents could have the holiday with their grandkids. She used her dad’s hunting lodge to sell him on the trip.
◊◊◊
David’s mother had been working with Alyssa Timmons, the computer girl who’d helped David with his stats project last semester. His mom had hired her for the summer to expand on using real estate data to figure buyer and seller leads. David had asked to sit in on their next meeting.
His mom had rented a place in the Malibu Country Mart for her real-estate office. The Country Mart was a six-acre shopping center in the heart of Malibu that had a lot of foot traffic from its restaurants and an eclectic mix of high-end retail stores. There were also gardens, unique sculptures, outdoor dining and picnic areas, and the popular children’s playground—which his kids loved.
His mom and Alyssa were in a conference room with papers spread out all over the table when David walked in with coffee.
“Good, you remembered it was your turn,” Alyssa said as he handed one to her and another to his mother.
“Turn?” Carol asked.
“Our Financial Accounting class started at 8 a.m. David and I traded off who had to bring the coffee,” Alyssa explained.
“I didn’t think you liked coffee,” his mom said to David.
“You know I normally drink tea,” David said to Alyssa and then answered his mother, “You heard the 8 a.m. part? College students?”
“You don’t have to convince me. You were the one who was always talking about the evils of coffee,” Carol shot back.
“I hadn’t fully grasped the full benefits when I was in high school. What they really need is some of that Cuban coffee. That stuff has a real kick to it,” David said.
“Before he gets off on a tangent about going to Cuba, let’s focus on the task at hand,” Alyssa interjected.
David was happy to see that Alyssa was confident enough to be herself. She’d never cut him any slack in class.
“By all means,” he said.
“I was talking to Ashley, and she was telling me about the attorneys she has been working with to sell property that’s in probate. She said that when the attorney’s ready to sell, they may or may not contact her. What if I could give you a list of recent deaths with real estate ownership?” Alyssa asked.
“Stop the dramatics and explain what you did,” David said with a slight smile.
“Fine,” she said. “In LA County alone, there are over five thousand deaths per month. The homeownership rate is about 49%. So, a rough guesstimate is a potential of 2500 properties a month.”
“That’s a good starting point, but we know it can’t be that many,” Carol said.
“I know, but I wanted to see if it would be worthwhile to dig into. You said if I could come up with a couple hundred hidden leads a month to investigate …” Alyssa said.
“What criteria did you decide on?” David asked.
“The property either had to have no mortgage or a low one.”
“Good call. That leaves more room for negotiations if the bank doesn’t drive the price up,” Carol said.
“They had to be properties that were titled solely in the decedent’s name or held as a tenant in common, meaning the same thing—that there are no other owners.”
“I take it you think you can get these properties at a discount. What’s the seller’s motivation?” David asked.
His mom took that question.
“Heirs often live outside the area, which means it’s a pain to deal with. They might not want to spend money on insurance, maintenance, taxes, and the like. They could be looking for an easy way to make a quick buck.”
“And you have buyers that would pay cash?” he asked.
“I sure do,” Carol said to David and then asked Alyssa, “How many did you find in LA County?”