Lisa glanced in the rear-view mirror as Jennie pulled the car up the driveway toward the house. She could swear she just saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Was that... shit. It was. Lisa froze in her seat as she caught sight of her assistant, Jackson, emerging from a hiding place in the bushes to remove the 'Open House' sign from the front curb.
Did Jennie see it? Lisa ventured a sidelong look at Jennie's face, but she showed no reaction. Her attention was fully focused on negotiating the twists and turns of the narrow driveway.
"That's weird," Jennie said, as she pulled the car to a stop just in front of the three-car garage. "It looks like we're the only people here."
"Still pretty early," Lisa shrugged. "We must be the first ones."
"A house like this? You'd think it would be crawling with people, just wanting to take a peek inside."
"Yeah, you'd think." Lisa shrugged again as she pushed open the passenger side door. "Must not have advertised it very much."
Lisa snuck a look back over her shoulder as they made their way up the front walk, but the end of the long driveway was invisible from here. She was in the clear for now. No way for Jennie to see that the whole 'Open House' was a ruse - a careful conspiracy between herself, Jackson, and a few exceedingly helpful real estate agents.
Everything was going according to plan. So far, so good.
The whole thing had started a couple of days ago, after Lisa's little white lie about wanting to go house hunting. Not a bad idea, she'd realised, the moment the words were out of her mouth. What better way to show Jennie everything she could offer her if Jennie decided to move to LA.
Lisa hadn't wanted to waste time taking Jennie around to a bunch of houses, though. All she needed was for Jennie to set eyes on some garish, over-the-top monstrosity, and she'd get it in her head that every house in Beverly Hills had to be like that. Lisa needed Jennie to see houses that were understated. Comfortable. Big enough for a family, and in a neighbourhood where they would be secure - but otherwise, as close as possible to the middle class suburban home where she herself had grown up.
Choosing the house was the easy part, of course. It was the next stage of the plan that had been keeping Lisa up at night. It could backfire so easily if Jennie caught on - if she realised she was being manipulated. It could end up driving her away for good. A huge risk. But if Lisa could manage to pull it off, it just might be enough to convince Jennie.
The plan itself was simple. Set it up like an open house. Stage the furnishings inside according to her detailed instructions. And then let Jennie think they'd just stumbled on it by pure chance. Dumb luck.
No, not luck. Fate. The unplanned destination of an aimless drive through Beverly Hills... a random series of left and right turns... a passing impulse to pull over. Destiny. How could Jennie say no to destiny?
The front door opened to greet them now as they made their way up the walk. A neatly dressed real-estate agent came out onto the stoop, waving to them with a friendly smile. She had a tray of chocolate chip cookies balanced in one hand. Homemade? Nice touch, Lisa thought, as they stepped into the front hall and were immediately greeted by the delicious scent of cookies baking.
"Welcome!" the agent said, offering them the tray with one hand and a listing brochure with the other. "Please make yourself at home. Feel free to take a look around."
Lisa ventured another glance at Jennie's face, trying to gauge her first impression. Jennie was quiet. She merely nibbled at her cookie as she strolled through the rooms on the main floor of the house, taking it all in without comment. Was that a passing smile Lisa saw on her face when she looked around the kitchen? Lisa wasn't sure.
