“That’s me.” I smile and step forward, hand outstretched. “Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Sullivan.”
“Oh, call me Elizabeth. I’m happy to meet you, too. Come in, come in. I wish you were staying longer than just lunch. You need to come and spend some time here, Nikki, it would be nice and restful for you.”
Hmmm. I thought her parents wanted her to work all the time.
We step into the foyer and holy crap, I’ve never seen so much wood. Knotty pine panels all the walls. The floor is wide wood planks. The staircase and railing to the second floor are all the same wood. It’s definitely a very, uh, rustic look.
“Hello!” A man appears in front of us. “You made it.”
“We made it.” Nikki hugs her dad. He’s only a few inches taller than her mom, and looks like a fit guy, with graying brown hair, a short gray and white beard and mustache, and black glasses.
Nikki introduces us.
“Call me Jack,” her dad says, shaking my hand and giving me an assessing look.
“Good to meet you, Jack.”
“Have a seat.” Elizabeth gestures to the living room. More knotty pine. And a huge brick fireplace in one wall. Wood beams span the white ceiling, which is a little break from the wood.
I sit on a brown leather couch and Nikki joins me.
“Would you like coffee? Tea? Something cold?” Elizabeth asks.
“Coffee would be great,” I say.
“I’ll have tea,” Nikki says. “Have you got something herbal?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth says. “I have that cranberry apple one you like.”
“Perfect.”
Jack takes a seat in a chair opposite us, a large square coffee table between us.
“This is a great property,” I say. “Fantastic location.”
“We really like it. We spent years in the city, so this is a nice change. I’ll show you around and you can see the work we’ve done so far.”
We make small talk until Elizabeth returns with a tray with four cups on it and sets them on the coffee table for us. She picks up her own steaming mug and sits in the chair next to her husband. “So this is a nice surprise.”
Her eyes shine with curiosity.
“I have news,” Nikki says, then sips her tea. “I’ve decided to make my home in New York full time.”
“Oh.” Elizabeth and Jack exchange a glance. “That’s great news.”
Nikki blinks. “It… is?”
“You’ll be closer! We’ll see you more often.”
I bite back a smile.
“Yes,” Nikki says slowly. “I’ll still have to travel, but I’ll be here more often.”
“Will that cause problems for you?” Jack asks. “Aren’t your people all in Los Angeles?”
“Most of them,” she agrees. “They’re mostly willing to make adjustments, even the guys in the band.”
“That’s great,” he says. “Of course they are. They get to work with you.”
