Then again, maybe that’s what he prefers.
Minimalist. Bare. Less is more, and all that.
Not necessarily my style, but that’s just another reminder that it’s not my house.
I offer a reassuring smile. “Decorated or not, your house is beautiful. We’re just appreciative that you’re letting us stay for a while.”
“Well, like I said, make yourself at home. And just let me know if there’s anything you want to change.”
April is already several feet ahead, tilting her head back as she looks up at the second-floor landing. “This is even better than the house that looked like a castle on the outside! Do you have a pool?”
“Yup. There’s a lap pool in the basement and a sauna on the ground floor, by the laundry room.”
“Can we see the pool first? Oh, and are there any other kids on the street?”
“April, sweetheart,” I cut in before she gets too carried away. “Remember what we talked about.” Turning back to Grant, I offer an apologetic look. “Sorry, she’s just excited to be here.”
He shrugs. “No worries at all. I don’t think there are any kids your age at this end of the neighborhood, but there’s a park just two or three blocks away. We can check it out sometime.”
“Yes!” April turns to me with the same look of wide-eyed wonder she’s had since we pulled up in the driveway. “Can we, Mom? Please?”
I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to turn down such a cute request. I’m also pretty sure she would enthusiastically agree to a trip to the dentist if Grant suggested it.
“Sometime soon,” I say. “But we should probably let Grant finish showing us around the house before we go exploring the neighborhood.”
We follow as he takes us through the living room, dining room, and the rest of the ground floor, then up a sweeping staircase that looks like something straight out of a movie.
“The bedrooms are all up here,” he says, gesturing in both directions from the top of the stairs. “They all have their own bathroom, but you can pick whichever ones you want. Or feel free to move to another one if you don’t like your first choice after a night or two.” He shrugs. “It’ll probably be the only time most of these rooms get used.”
I’m tempted to ask why he needs such a big house when so much of it clearly goes unused—or even unseen, from the way he’s describing it—but then I remember my talk with April and decide I should probably save any personal questions I might have for a more appropriate time.
“And then my room is here at the end of the hall.”
The last thing I expect is for him to open the door to his bedroom and invite us inside to look around, but that’s exactly what he does.
“There isn’t much to see, I guess. My bed. A dresser. A couch and chair over by the fireplace and?—”
“You have a fireplace in your bedroom!” April interrupts. “And a whole couch! Your bedroom is bigger than our last apartment! And wow! Look at that bathroom.”
I open my mouth to try to stop her, or at least slow her down, but I can already tell it’s a losing battle. “And she’s off,” I sigh instead. “That is a nice bathroom, though, to be fair. And closet.”
I peek around the corner to get a better look at the en suite with a closet the size of a small department store. His clothes and shoes only take up a small corner of the space, but it only takes about half a second to imagine all of my own things in a closet like that.
But not this closet. Not his closet.
I can feel myself blushing, almost like I’ve barged in on something I’m not supposed to see at all. I don’t know why it feels so intimate, but I imagine there’s only been a handful of people who have seen this much of Grant’s personal space. And now I’m one of those few people.
“It would take a lot of jerseys and shoes to fill up this closet,” he says, belatedly making me realize that I’m still gawking at all the empty space with the same dreamy look that was on April’s face when he mentioned that he has a pool. “I guess it’s obvious I don’t spend a lot of time in here, huh?”
“Where do you spend all your time?” I ask before I can stop myself. “I mean, if you don’t mind saying.”
My question gets an actual chuckle. Not quite a laugh, but it still feels like a breakthrough. Like that time we first met at a birthday party the team was throwing for him. He was the center of attention and looked absolutely miserable, but somehow completely adorable at the same time.
We talked a little, and I made some self-deprecating joke that got a grin out of him. Not quite as good as the chuckle just now, but I can vividly remember what an accomplishment it seemed like at the time.
I really should get out more.
“I don’t mind at all. I wish I was as mysterious as you make it sound, but I honestly spend about seventy-five percent of my time working out, training, or watching game footage.”
