One
“I just had the most extraordinary call,” Kate said as she looked at the two people in front of her. But they didn’t express any interest.
Jack was sitting on one of the blue couches, his long legs stretched out, and looking at the screen on his laptop. Kate wasn’t used to his new look, but he’d only been back a few days. He’d spent months in the wilds of Colorado, building and hunting, and it had changed his body. Now he was leaner, more agile, and as difficult as it was to believe, he was more muscular.
Besides the physical, he’d changed in other ways too. Last night he’d said... Her heart seemed to do a little jump at the memory of his words. They’d had years of friendship, of laughing together, working, figuring out problems, but last night, “friends” wasn’t what he’d meant.
When Jack felt her staring at him, he started to turn his head, and Kate quickly looked at her aunt. Sara was on the other couch and bent over one of her notebooks, colored gel pens in hand and writing fast. Maybe it was the quiet of the lockdown they’d just been through, but lately she’d been writing more. Years ago, her aunt had retired from a long, successful career of writing romance novels as Sara Medlar. “The waitress genre of the publishing world,” she said. “Everyone looks down on us but we take care of them all.” She said that the abundant sales of romance novels made it possible to publish the “literary” works, meaning books that made little money but might possibly live forever. Kate didn’t know what her aunt had been writing lately, but she was absorbed by it.
Annoyed by the way they were ignoring her, Kate said louder, “Truly extraordinary!”
Jack gave a bit of a nod and Sara lifted her chin about half an inch, but that was all.
“Old house,” Kate whispered, knowing that those words would get the attention of both of them.
It took a moment, but Sara looked up at her niece. It took Jack longer. He was Sara’s “honorary grandson,” the actual grandson of the man Sara had long ago loved and lost.
The three of them lived in Sara’s big house, each with a private area. But since Jack had returned just days ago, the three of them had not wanted to be apart.
“What old house?” Jack asked. He was a building contractor and specialized in restoring old places.
Kate was glad to finally have their attention. “That was Melissa, and she said some man gave me a listing.” Melissa and Kate were Realtors. “He specifically asked for me and said he won’t accept anyone else. I don’t know the house, but Melissa said it’s magnificent.” She knew that since Jack and Sara had been born in the little town, they were sure to know of it. She took a breath to give drama to her announcement. “It’s Lachlan House.”
She waited for exclamations of surprise and delight, but there were none. Jack looked back at his computer and Sara at her notebook.
“Turn it down,” he said. “It’s not a good investment.”
“A white elephant,” Sara said. “Nobody will want it.”
“Are you kidding? Melissa said it’s a million-dollar listing. Where is it? I assume it’s here in Lachlan but—” She broke off because her phone dinged. Melissa had sent photos of the house and Kate paused to look at them.
As it sounded, the house was big. It was two stories, with a long one-story wing to the side. The center entrance was dramatic, with a huge door surrounded by white marble. Tall windows and a covered portico were upstairs. It was, without a doubt, a true mansion. An estate.
There was a page of stats. Eighty-two hundred square feet, six bedrooms, seven-and-a-half baths. There was also a two-bedroom guesthouse and a one-bedroom gardener’s cottage and a three-car garage, all on three acres. The description ended with “No pool. Needs repair.” Since the whole house was draped in Florida’s floral attempt to reclaim the land, yes, it needed some work.
As Kate looked at the photos, it was as though her mind started drifting. She sat down on the arm of Sara’s couch. “I wonder who wrote this description.” She spoke so softly she could hardly be heard. “This makes the house sound cold and unfeeling. It doesn’t even mention the ballroom. It’s in the wing and it has glorious doors that open out to the fountain. And there’s the Palm Room. It’s a library.” Her voice was rising. “And what about the bedrooms upstairs? And the rooms at the top? Why aren’t they in the listing? Who cares if there’s no swimming pool?” She was almost shouting. “And what about the basement? That’s where all those bottles are. Dad said—”
The mention of her father brought her back to earth. She looked up, blinking.
Sara and Jack had swiveled about, feet on the floor, and were looking at her with interest and some shock.
Kate looked from one to the other. “What?!”
Sara gave a little smile—the kind you give to a person who is on the verge of going insane. “Nice house, is it?”
Kate turned to Jack. He looked like he was about to pour her some tequila and tell her everything was going to be all right. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s a big old house. You know I love them. I must have seen this one somewhere.”
“So when do you plan to visit it?” Sara’s voice was full of patience.
Kate narrowed her eyes. “Why should I go at all? You two—in all your great wisdom—told me to not take the listing. I guess I’ll turn it over to Melissa.”
“Would she even know what a ballroom is?” Melissa was not Sara’s favorite person. “What if we go see it together? How about right now?”
Kate was still smarting over the way they’d ignored her, and too, she was bothered by her own reaction to the photos.
When her niece was silent, Sara gave Jack a look to take over, then she picked up her phone and went to the kitchen. She called her brother, Randal, Kate’s father. “I need you to meet with us. Now.”
“Can’t,” he said. “I have a client in half an hour. She—”
