“So, Mr. Sevier,” LaShawnda waved a hand toward the home. “What did you think?”
“It’s a house. I liked its clean lines and updated flooring. The yard’s a little smaller than I would like.”
“It is small if you want a dog or a few children.”
Simon turned to Holly. “What did you think?”
She really didn’t want her opinion to sway his decision, but he had asked. “I liked how they combined the old style with more modern sleekness, but it reminded me more of a posh doctor’s office than a home. I would feel like I couldn’t relax in a place like that. But that’s just me. You might feel perfectly comfortable here.”
Simon stared at the house, his eyes narrowing. Then he turned to LaShawnda. “What else do you have?”
She smiled and waved a hand toward the stairs. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you.”
They visited three more homes, each having pros and cons. None felt like home to Holly.
“I’ll find more for our next visit,” LaShawnda said. “Will you be available tomorrow for a couple of hours in the morning?”’
Simon frowned and met Holly’s gaze.
“I don’t work tomorrow. If you want to look for a house, I can go along with you again. Although I don’t know that I’ve been much help.”
LaShawnda tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow. “Did you find a house today that made you feel at home?”
Holly shook her head and transferred her gaze to Simon. “Did you?”
His lip pressed together. “I’m not sure what that feels like anymore.”
“It’s simple,” LaShawnda said. “Did any of the houses make you want to go in, kick off your shoes and let go of the breath you’ve been holding all day?”
Simon laughed. “No.”
The realtor clapped her hands together. “Then we’ll keep looking. I’ll line up a few more for tomorrow. In the meantime, you two should come up with a list of what you think of when you think of a home. Go through each room in your mind. What makes you think of home in a living room? What in a kitchen gives you warm fuzzies? Do you need a soaker tub to make your bathroom complete?” She smiled. “You get the idea.”
Holly could envision all those things, but she didn’t want to remind LaShawnda that her opinion didn’t matter. This would be Simon’s house. Not hers.
“So, tomorrow? Same time?” the realtor asked.
Simon met Holly’s gaze.
Holly nodded. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll text our starting address.” LaShawnda hugged Holly. “I’m glad you’re home.” Then she held out a hand to Simon. “You two will find the perfect house. I’m sure of it.”
Then she was gone, leaving Holly and Simon standing in front of the last house they’d toured.
Simon sighed. “House hunting is more painful than low-crawling through a mud pit.”
Holly grinned. “At least it’s not as dirty. Let’s go see Madam Gautier. Maybe we’ll be more successful countering my curse.”
After they climbed into the truck, Simon turned to Holly. “Your grandmother lives on an island in the bayou?”
“She does,” Holly said. “We can borrow a skiff from Mitch at the marina. My grandmother has her own, but it’ll be with her, whether she’s home or out visiting sick neighbors.”
Simon drove to the marina and parked the truck in the parking lot.
Being summer, the lot was full of people coming and going.
Inside the marina store, Holly found Mitchell Marceau behind the bait counter, fishing minnows out of a tank to fill a plastic bag for a customer. The scene was exactly what Holly would have expected, except for who was holding the plastic bag.
