Chapter One
“It’s perfect,” I practically squeal as I step into the two-story townhouse smack in the middle of the city, the keys dangling from the end of my finger.
“Uh,” Willow, my brother’s wife stutters as she tiptoes over the pile of rotten wood next to the door, and narrows her eyes at the cobwebs currently occupying the doorframe leading into the kitchen on the left, “Are you sure this is the right place?”
A laugh bursts from me as I turn and take in her expression, the cringe twisting her pretty features as her anxiety keeps her body tight and stiff.
“What do you mean!? Of course this is the right place! Can’t you see the potential?” I widen my arms as she hangs back in the doorway, and I stand in themiddle of what would be the living room.
“I see holes in the wall and a broken window.”
“I wanted something I could do up myself,” I shrug, “And this place has good bones.”
The floorboards beneath my feet creak and groan as I shift my weight, “I’ve already had contractors out, they’ll be starting the structural work tomorrow.”
Willow still doesn’t look convinced, but she finally steps away from the entry hall and into the room, wincing when groans sound beneath her. “I feel like I’m about to go through the floor, Savannah.” Her shrill, anxious tone forces me to take pity on her.
“I promise it’s good. We had it inspected before I signed any contracts and they said, while it could use some serious TLC, it is solid so you’re not going to go through the floor.”
I watch my sister-in-law, begging her silently to just see it the way I do. We haven’t known each other all that long but I love her like a sister already. She is the perfect fit for my brother and an incredible mother to their newborn daughter, Hope.
“Besides,” I continue, “Sebastian checked it out too and we both know how over the top protective my brother can be, and he wouldn’t have let me near it, let alone you if he thought either of us could get hurt.”
She purses her lips, but I watch the apprehension leave her, her shoulders lowering with the relief, “That’s true.”
“Exactly,” I grin, “Now imagine what this place is going to look like once I have it renovated!”
Willow’s blue eyes roam the large living room, taking in the bay windows that look out into a small front yard and beyond, to the city park across the street. The ceilings are high, and it even has a fireplace with an original oak mantel that I am hoping to be able to restore and original hardwood floors. The house has been neglected, left empty for a couple of years but no longer, because this is mine. A permanent home.
I’ve been on tour so much over the last couple of years that I haven’t been able to settle down anywhere, but I can now. My break was only supposed to be six months but after a long conversation with my manager, we came to an agreement that I could take more time. I still have to honor my commitments but that isn’t a chore in the slightest. I love what I do, just not the travelling so much.
I’ve seen the world, been to Europe, and Australia, danced in some of the most prestigious theatres and in front of thousands of people but nothing beats being home. Where my family and my friends are.
There’s plenty of work for me here and I’ve made a name for myself so it’s not like I’ll have to beg, borrow and steal to get it. Plus, I’ve earned a lot of money, money I’ll never be able to spend in this lifetime so if I wanted to take a full break, I could. But I don’t dance for the money, that’s just a perk, I dance because it is a part of my soul, it breathes life into me.
“This isn’t even the best room,” I tell Willow, grasping her hand and tug her across the hall and into thekitchen, not stopping as I continue through to a door at the back that opens into what I assume would have been a home office or library. An enormous one.
It’s an extension, which again needs work but one of the walls is made entirely of glass that faces out into a modest backyard. With its high ceilings and hardwood flooring the same as the main house, I’ve decided I’ll be making it my home dance studio. On one wall, I’ll be adding floor to ceiling mirrors with bars and on the other will be a small home gym. I never did like going to gyms, but I had to, and this way I can dance and work out in the privacy of my own home. But even with the equipment I’ll be getting, there’s still so much space tomove.I can dance without restrictions.
I know by Willow’s face she can’t see what I am seeing in my head and that’s okay. With a little love, this place will be a home, my own little sanctuary. Something I have worked hard for years to achieve.
“Let me show you upstairs,” I tell her and guide her back through the kitchen and to the stairs in the entry hall that groan like the rest of the house, but it doesn’t bother me. I can’t wait to breathe life back into this place.
When the tour is up, we head back downstairs where she places her hands on her hips and frowns, “Where are you staying while this place gets renovated?” She asks, “Didn’t your lease just end?”
“Oh, I’m going to stay with a friend, the structural work will only take a few weeks, and I didn’t want to tie into a six-month contract since as soon as it’sdone, I’ll be moving in, and I can decorate and such. She’s only around the corner.”
“Who is it?” Much like my brother, she’s protective and while I love her for it, I wish people would start treating me like an adult. I’m twenty-four, not a kid or a teenager, I mean I travelled the whole world on my own. I think I can look after myself in a city I know like the back of my hand.
“Sloane, I met her in college, she moved to the city a few weeks back.”
“You can stay with us,” Willow offers.
“And disturb your time with your newborn?” I scoff, “Absolutely not. You deserve this time with Bast and Hope, I’m good with these arrangements.”
“Okay,” She gives me a smile, “If you change your mind, you know we have the room.”
I nod, “I know.”
