“She’s twenty-two years old,” her mom said. “She’s far too young.”
Joey smiled. “Mom, you weren’t that much older when you married Dad.”
“No, I know,” she said. “I just can’t even imagineyougetting married.”
“No?” Joey asked, something defensive rising up inside her. “Because I’m so immature?”
“No, of course not,” her mom said, suddenly backtracking. “That’s not what I meant.”
Joey certainly wasn’t going to tell her about Adam now. No one had been happy when she’d dated Tim at Wyoming State, and she couldn’t blame them. There was a known serial killer at large with that name at the time, though Joey hadn’t realized that her mom thought she was too young to date and get married at all.
Thankfully, the doorbell rang, and then smaller hands knocked on it. Joey swept the platter of candy bars into her arms and said, “That’s my cue,” before she went to answer the door. Hopefully, this would be the start of a steady stream of trick-or-treaters, and she’d barely have time to enjoy her chicken pot pie with only peas before she had to leave.
After all, she didn’t want to talk about how Kimberly was too young to get married, though she’d literally graduated from college a few months ago. Joey hadn’t managed to do that, and she wondered if her mom thought she was as big of a loser as Joey thought she was.
Then a hissing, whispering thought in her mindreminded her that Adam had not graduated from college either, and he certainly wasn’t a loser. Warmth filled her even as the icy early evening air hit her in the face when she opened the door.
College was overrated, and so was waiting to get married when you found the love of your life. She wasn’t sure if Adam could be that person. They hadn’t even had their first date yet, but as she let the kids take as many candy bars as they wanted, Joey decided that dreaming had always been good for her soul, and Adam made her dreams that much better.
CHAPTER
TEN
Adam pulled up to the fourth house in as many hours, ready for this day of looking at real estate to be over. At the same time, he’d seen and learned a lot of good things today. Number one, real estate in Dog Valley was far cheaper than Coral Canyon, and he got way more for his money. No wonder Morris had purchased land and built a house here, and Adam had since learned that his twin also lived in Dog Valley, and that Tex lived on the northwest side of town, closer to Dog Valley than the house where Adam lived now.
Luke had also moved to Dog Valley, which meant only Trace and Otis would have to make the drive for meetings, and Adam did not anticipate having very many of those anyway. Yes, Dog Valley had become a serious contender for his new home.
“This one looks great,” he said to himself as he peered out the windshield at the house.
Diane, a woman in her sixties, had been trucking along beside him for the past several hours, going over listings, leading him through houses, sending off texts to real estate agents to get answers to any questions he had.
From the outside, this house definitely looked the nicest. It was two stories and done in a dark brick with black shutters. The front door was also black, and Adam didn’t hate it.
The yard had turned the color of straw, and it ran back along one side of the house, while the other had an enormous cement parking bay for boats, toys, or an RV. Not that Adam had any of those things, but Diane said the owner of this house had built it specifically for all of the outdoor items he had. The three-car garage sat extra deep, as the current owner ran a construction firm and a handyman business, and he’d installed a workbench and a woodshop in his garage.
He’d seen pictures of the backyard, and to be honest, this house was far too much for Adam. It checked all of his boxes, though, and he got out of his SUV and joined Diane on the front sidewalk. “First impressions?” she chirped, something she’d asked him three previous times.
“I really like this place,” he said. “It puts off a very….” He paused and looked back to the house. “It feels sophisticated, far more than the last couple of houses we’ve seen.”
“Yes,” Diane said. “I agree.Sophisticatedis a great word for this house. You’ll see those touches all throughout as well.” She continued to talk about the interior finishes, fromthe soft-touch cabinets that had been painted a pale green—custom, apparently—to the hardwood floors, the quartz countertops, and the classic subway tiles in the kitchen, all bathrooms, and laundry room.
Adam had worked for celebrities in the past, and he understood what luxurious accommodations looked like and felt like. The moment he stepped foot inside the house, he knew he’d just entered a space like that.
Diane had told him in the office that sometimes places built by their owners, as handymen or construction workers, were the most jerry-rigged of all. But this place seemed immaculate. Every corner perfectly square, the rugs precisely placed and beautifully chosen to fit the decor. It was a mountain house with wood beams in the ceiling and one wall in the office made completely of blonde pine wood, but also modern, with cream paint on the walls and gray trim around the doors and ceiling.
“This would be the office,” Diane said, and Adam stood in the middle of the room and turned in a slow circle.
“This is perfect,” he said.
Diane shone like all the stars in the sky, as if she herself had built this house for Adam. She led him through the kitchen, the dining room, the living room, and the full bath that sat only steps down the hall. The master suite was as big as his entire floor in the house he rented now, and he could see himself retreating here with a cat—his pet of choice—and a recliner, a television, and his bookcase full of his beloved mystery novels.
The second floor held bedrooms, another greatroom, and bathrooms, and they all seemed to have the exact same attention to detail, high-end finishes, and sophistication running through them.
“There’s a basement as well,” Diane said. “It’s unfinished right now. The previous owner used it to store construction materials.” She opened the door and showed the bare wood steps going down.
“Oh, I don’t think I need to see the basement,” Adam said. “I’m not even going to use the upstairs.”
“It’s an additional two-thousand square feet,” she said, without taking a step down. “Completely open. You can design and finish it however you want.”
