“You go around in your fancy clothes,â€? here Joe looked down at his realtor’s uniform: a pima cotton light green polo shirt, tucked into beige khakis, a slim black belt with a modest gold buckle, and black shoes relatively scuff-free. Fancy? He thought. “You take us from one hooker to another, hoping to get the best price out of us for the cheapest apartment. Well I don’t feel like being one of your ‘johns’ anymore, OK?â€?

“Adam –,â€? Kate looked and sounded freaked out by this display, “you’re being ridiculous.â€?

“I’ve shown you twenty-five great apartments, places I would buy for myself. And I have high standards.â€? This was true; he wouldn’t show Kate a place beneath her. “As for the prices, you haven’t found one you liked enough for me to even try to haggle with you, so how would you know what they cost?â€?

Adam looked like he wanted to fight this, but couldn’t.

“Why don’t you just stop hiding the fact that you just don’t want to move in with her?â€?