“She’s right. Staged houses bring higher prices and sell faster.”
“Right...” Riva cringed at the thought of what she’d do if her home sold quickly.
“Anyway, I’d love to see upstairs.”
Riva hadn’t actually been up there since Kenzie had cleared it out. Mostly because she knew it would make her sad to see part of her life and her home vanishing right before her eyes. But when they got up there, Windy didn’t seem to notice the bare walls or how they were in need of paint. She simply continued to gush over the spacious bedrooms, especially the ensuite in the back of the house, noting the quality of the roomy shared bathroom that had been remodeled in the 1990s, when Kenzie was born. “And the view of your yard from the ensuite is charming. Such a beautiful outdoor space. You must love being out there.”
“I suppose I used to. But it was my late husband’s domain. Paul loved being out there and keeping it all perfect. I’ve sort of let it go.” How sad Paul would be to see how neglected it had become.
“I adore gardening. Whether it’s produce or flowers, I love growing things. I used to have a wonderful yard. I think that was the hardest thing to say goodbye to when I lost my house. I keep potted plants now, but it’s just not the same.”
They were back in one of the front bedrooms now. Windy was looking out the window and gushing about the view from this side of the house. “I love how these rooms look out over the town. I’ll bet it’s pretty at night with lights on down there. Such fun.” She turned, a wide smile on her face. “Your house is a treasure, Riva. Even better than I envisioned.”
“Thanks, I’ve loved it all my life.”
“All your life?”
“It was my grandparents’ home. My dad inherited it when I was an infant, so I grew up here.” She felt a lump in her throat. “It’ll be very hard to leave.”
“I can imagine.” Windy looked at Riva with arched brows. “What if you could keep it?”
“I don’t see how. Short of buying a lottery ticket and getting lucky.” She turned to leave the room that she’d occupied as a child.
“You could take in boarders.”
“Boarders? Like a B and B?” Riva paused in the hallway, then shook her head glumly. “That sounds like a whole lot of work. Changing sheets and towels and cleaning rooms and preparing breakfasts ... not to mention booking and promoting and everything else that goes with it. I actually looked into all that last year but, after some research, I realized it wasn’t for me.” She headed for the stairs.
“No, I don’t mean a B and B. I mean you could rent rooms by the month. Thanks to the lack of affordable housing, a lot of homeowners in Greenwood are doing it. You’d be surprised how quickly they get snapped up. Do you have any idea of how much a room goes for in this town?” Windy followed her down the stairs, describing some listings she’d recently viewed and how much landlords expected. “A lot of them are real dumps too. I can hardly believe they get that much. Makes me wish I’d hung onto my home and rented rooms there. But that ship has sailed.”
Riva paused on the landing. “I wonder how much I could get?”
Windy tossed out a number she said was fair for a single room. “Multiply that by three for these rooms, although I’m sure you could get more for the ensuite.”
“Really? That much?” Riva considered it. “That would cover my mortgage payment.” She sighed. “But not my property taxes.”
“You have that lovely spare room downstairs.” Windy pointed up the stairs behind them. “And I’ll bet there’s a roomy attic up there. I noticed third-floor windows from my drive-by dreaming days.”
“You’re right. The third floor is large. Paul had it insulated and had drywall installed for a playroom when the kids were little. After they left, we talked about getting a pool table up there, but eventually we just used it for storage.”
“Can I have a look at it?”
“Of course.” Riva changed directions, heading back upstairs. She opened the door at the end of the second-floor hallway.“These stairs are a little steep,” she warned. But Windy was already scrambling up like a mountain goat.
“Oh, Riva, this is a glorious space. I would rent it from you in a heartbeat if you’d let me.”
“Seriously? Youwantto live in my attic?” She pointed to the high windows in the gables. “Not a lot of light up here.” She frowned at the teal paint on the walls. “And this dark wall color doesn’t help. My daughter picked it out when she was a preteen.” Riva looked down. “This old carpeting is pretty atrocious too.”
“Those are easy changes. Fresh paint. Rip up the carpet. Add some cheery furnishings and additional lighting, and it’d be perfect.”
Riva wrinkled her nose. She sure wouldn’t want to live up here. “I don’t even know what a spot like this would rent for.”
Windy spat out a number slightly higher than what she quoted for the bedrooms below. “Anyway, that’s what I’d pay for it. And I’d give you first and last, plus a cleaning deposit if you like, or you could let me invest that into improvements. You know, like paint and flooring.”
“Really? You’d want to rent this for that much?”
“That’s what I have set aside for my next move. It’s what I was originally paying for where I am now, before the rate increase. And believe me, my apartment is pathetic. Of course, I’d want kitchen privileges since I don’t think cooking up here would be such a great idea. I might like a hot pot for tea, though, and a tiny fridge for drinks ... but I do love to cook. Not so much in my apartment though. My stove has just two burners that sometimes work, and the oven is useless so I don’t really bother anymore. But I miss it.” Windy turned her attention back on the attic room, strolling about, guessing on wall measurements and scrutinizing the whole space as if she planned to move in today.
“You really love to cook?” Riva studied the colorful woman she’d only met a few hours ago. “I don’t mind making soup or something simple occasionally, but I don’t particularly love it.”
