“You really own the lighthouse?”
I smile; I can’t help it. She’s so gorgeous. “Yes, we really do.”
I step back and pause, waiting for her.
Mack and Devon are quiet. I had to fight to convince them she would want this. But once we owned it, they were both on board. We’ve put a lot of our blood, sweat, and tears into this renovation. Mack more than the three of us since he project managed the renovations.
Mack unlocks the door and leads Danger inside, but I follow just behind her as she hesitates, watching her face intently. My chest tightens, and I hold my breath as she passes into the light.
“Oh, wow.”
I exhale roughly and walk in, trying to see it how she might see it. The bottom floor is rectangular and divided into three massive areas: kitchen, dining room, and lounge, with a massive bedroom and bathroom hidden behind a black door with carved mermaids on it. The living room is dominated by huge grey couches that you sink into and a fireplace. Installing the add-ons for the fireplace and living room extensions took a lot of money and work, but it was worth it. Devon picked the colour scheme, a mix of greens, greys, and warm browns that goes with the white ceilings and trim.
“This is the bottom floor. Technically, you could live down here. There is a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living area. Plus the bathroom and toilet.”
“It’s absolutely stunning,” she says as she wanders in, running her hand along everything like she needs to feel it to really see it.
“Is it how you pictured it?”
She shakes her head. “No.” Her word is a breath of sound.
My excitement drops out. “No?”
“No, it’s so much better.”
The warmth in my chest inflates out.
Devon reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Good call.” He grabs her hand and tugs her towards the stairs. “Come on.”
I follow them up the stairs; my anxiety grows and deepens, subduing the warmth until I can’t feel it anymore.
Sofia pauses on the third step, looking at the framed photo. It’s Mack with a group of rescue dogs all dressed in knitted sweaters. It’s adorable and one of his happiest accomplishments.
“Wow, so cute. Are these all yours?”
Mack laughs. “Yep, I knitted all of them. My hands were broken after, but we got every dog in the shelter a coat for winter.”
She goes up the next step and stares at a photo of Devon on the day he got his boat. In the background, if you look closely, you can see the name of the boat. Sweet Rebel.
The next one is a photo of me with a seven tier cake I baked for Louisa Temple’s wedding. It took me weeks of preparation and was one of the most amazing experiences.
She creeps up the stairs, inspecting our lives.
The next floor has two rooms that are currently being used as studies.
“I love these spaces,” Sofia says. “They remind me of Dad and Pop’s office.”
Air whooshes out of my lungs. I nailed the vibe I was going for. I wipe my clammy hands on my shorts.
The second floor has what is causing my stomach to really twist and flutter.
She inspects our photos as she advances up. Us together, us on our own with our accomplishments, and then she gets to the landing of the second floor. There are three photos, and that’s it.
The first one is of Devon and Sofia at one of Sebastian’s birthday parties. They are looking at each other with three feet between them. I’ve always thought how obvious their feelings were in this photo.
“Where did you get this?” she asks.
“Felix took it,” I say. “It took some bartering, but he agreed to give it to me.”
