"Very. Uncle Walter being mysterious is never good."
"Maybe he wants to tell us he's dating someone."
"Uncle Walter? Dating? He's been single since Aunt Marie died twenty years ago."
"People surprise you."
The next afternoon, Lucy and Jake went to Uncle Walter's house. He had coffee and cookies ready, looking nervous.
"Okay, what's going on?" Lucy asked. "You're freaking me out."
"Nothing's wrong. I just—I wanted to talk to you both about something." Uncle Walter took a breath. "I'm thinking about selling the house."
Lucy felt her stomach drop. "What? Why?"
"It's too big for one person, Lulu. Four bedrooms, huge yard, constant maintenance. I don't need all this space anymore."
"But this is the family house. Where I grew up visiting. Where Grandma used to make Sunday dinners—"
"I know. And I've loved living here. But I'm sixty-eight years old. I want to downsize, travel, enjoy retirement. Not spend every weekend mowing a lawn that's too big for me."
"Where would you go?"
"There's a nice condo complex near the lake. Two bedrooms, no yard, all maintenance included. I'd still be in Timber Falls, just—smaller. Simpler."
Jake squeezed Lucy's hand. She was trying not to cry.
"I wanted to talk to you first," Uncle Walter continued. "Because I'm offering to sell you the house. Below market value. If you and Jake want it."
Lucy looked at Jake. They'd been living together for six weeks. They hadn't talked about houses or long-term plans or anything beyond just being together.
"Uncle Walter, that's—we can't—" Lucy stammered.
"Think about it. No pressure. But Lucy, your grandmother would want this house to stay in the family. And you and Jake—you're building a life together. Eventually you'll want more space than Jake's apartment. This could be that space."
"Can we talk about it?" Jake asked. "Just the two of us?"
"Of course. Take all the time you need. I'm not selling until fall at the earliest."
On the drive home, Lucy was silent.
"Talk to me," Jake said. "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking that's a huge decision. Buying a house together. We've been living together for six weeks, Jake. Six weeks. People don't buy houses together after six weeks."
"People who've been living together for six weeks, no. But people who've known each other for four years, dated for months, survived Paris, survived distance, survived rebuilding trust—those people can buy houses together."
"Can they?"
"I think so. But Lucy—only if you want to. Only if you're ready for that level of commitment."
"Are you?"
Jake was quiet for a moment. "Yeah. I am. I want to build a life with you, Lucy. Not just share an apartment. Build an actual life. Home, future, everything."
"That's—Jake, that's basically proposing."
"Maybe it is."
