My frown stayed firmly in place. That sounded all fine and dandy, but how would that work with the owner behind bars? “Walter’s in jail. Can something like that happen with him incarcerated? Does he have the funds—funds not frozen by the authorities—to do a project like that? I mean, the grounds look fine, but I’m sure the inside of the house needs some work. If nothing else, it needs updated, right? I mean, it’s sat empty for three decades.”
“It does, but Walter’s not the one doing the work.” Luke tapped his chest. “I am.”
My eyes narrowed to squints. I still didn’t know where he was going with this. “I don’t understand. He hired you as a contractor?”
Luke chuckled. “No. I guess I’m not being very clear, am I?”
“No. It’s about as clear as mud.” One side of my mouth lifted in a smile.
“I bought the house.”
My smile died as my mouth dropped open. For several seconds, I just stared at him, agog. “I’m sorry. You did what now?” How was that possible? This place had to be worth millions. I knew Luke wasn’t destitute, but not that he had that kind of money.
He put a knuckle under my chin and closed my mouth. “I bought it. Along with Dad and Lana. When I had the idea, the first thing I did, before I talked to anyone, was to go talk to Walter. Just to see if he’d even be interested in selling the place. And, I’ll admit, I was curious about why he kept it all these years and maintained it but never lived in it.”
My gaze roved over the manicured lawn, turning brown with the descent of fall. The boxwood hedges rimming the center island of the drive around the silent fountain were still green, however. In front of the house, between the windows, small junipers stood sentinel, broken up by more boxwoods. I knew inthe spring, daffodils and tulips would spring up, adding pops of color to the monotone landscape.
“What did he say?” I asked.
“After the debacle with Sarah, Miranda, and Moira, he said he couldn’t bring himself to live in the house because it was a reminder of what happened. He told his wife Edna left the property to an old lover of hers. When she later asked him why no one had ever done anything with it, he told her the man was elderly and lived out of state, so he just paid someone to do upkeep. Then later, he told her it went into a trust for the man’s children, but that they, too, lived out of state. Lucille never questioned it, and the two of them never had children, so there was never anyone to dig into it further.”
The wind kicked up, swirling dead leaves around our feet. I crossed my arms, huddling into my jacket as I glanced at the sky. Gray clouds danced overhead, heralding the imminent arrival of our next weather system. Rain was forecast for later today and for the next couple of days. It wouldn’t be long and the snow would fly.
“When I asked him if he had any plans for the house now that the case was out in the open, he said he’d probably just sell it. That was the only opening I needed. I asked for a number he’d be willing to sell at. Mina, it was a ridiculously low price. Probably a third of what it’s worth. I still couldn’t buy it alone, but through the business? I left the jail, called Lana, and asked her to meet me at Mom and Dad’s.”
“And they agreed with the idea?”
He nodded. “It makes even more sense to turn it into a hotel now than it did when Edna died. Juneau has grown. Tourism to Alaska has grown. It’s in a prime location. So, we contacted Claire and had her draw up an offer. Walter accepted it right away. We closed on the deal this morning.” He reached into hispocket and withdrew a set of keys, dangling them in front of my nose. “Want to see the inside?”
Once more, I stared at him agog. I couldn’t even process his question. My mind was stuck on one fact. “Claire knew about this?”
He laughed. “She did. I swore her to secrecy. She didn’t even tell Ozzie.”
“Oh, she’s so getting a piece of my mind later.” I couldn’t believe my best friend—or my boyfriend—could keep such a huge secret from me.
Luke took my hand. “Come on. Let’s go tour the inside. I want to tell you what I have planned.”
Excitement zinged through my veins, replacing the shock, as he led me toward the massive, nine-foot, double front doors. Their rich reddish-brown color blended seamlessly into the orangish-red brick.
I stared up at the three-story façade as Luke unlocked the door. It looked like one of those English houses from one of the old period dramas. Tall and imposing, but also wide. “How many bedrooms does this place have?”
“Ten.”
My gaze dropped to his. “Seriously?”
“Yep. There are three sitting rooms, a game room, a formal dining room, a library, a den, two kitchens—a nice one and a prep one—and four rooms near the kitchens that are designated as servants’ quarters. I didn’t include those in the bedroom total. There’s also the guest cottage out back.” He turned the handle and pushed the door inward, then swept a hand toward the opening. “After you.”
“Why would anyone around here need ten bedrooms?” I stepped inside and immediately forgot my question. A parquet floor stretched beneath my feet, extending in all directions to run into the rooms opening on each side of the giant foyer.Directly in front of me stood a grand staircase, the sweeping first-floor landing taking up over six feet of floor space. Dark walnut balusters swept up to the second floor, leading to a gallery walkway that spanned the twenty-foot space before the hall disappeared beyond the walls.
Luke flipped a switch on the wall, illuminating an enormous crystal chandelier directly overhead, eliciting a quick gasp from me. “Wow. That’s gorgeous.”
“Right? It’s in such good shape. The whole house is, really. It just needs some updates. Especially in the kitchens. They’re stuck in the seventies.” Taking my hand again, he led me toward the stairs. “Let’s go up. We can work our way back down.”
Together, we ascended the staircase, then turned left. He led me down the hall to another staircase. This one was smaller and not as grand, but just as beautiful. I ran my hand over the carved newel post as we rounded it and went up to the third floor.
The upper floor boasted six rooms; three on each side of the house. They were all comparable in size, and each one had a color theme.
“Do you plan to keep the themes when you redecorate?” I asked.
