“Damn. Hitting him where it hurts.” Kipp let out a laugh. “It is true that she keeps him inside, and he is in trouble already with Sage for not warning her that you bought this place.”
“You guys are assholes,” East muttered. “Just because I’m vintage.”
I noticed that he didn’t deny that Sage had given him crap about staying quiet, but the NDA was part of our deal for the month-long interior work before I arrived. It hadn’t been my expectation that he’d keep it from family, but it had given me a bit of a breather.
Kipp gave me a knock on the shoulder as he passed. “He’s a good one. If Sage gives us all shit, I’ll take the hit. I owe him.”
Kipp didn’t owe me anything. Maybe I’d tracked down someone for Hattie, but it had been the right call.
“Come on then. I’ll show you around. You’ll have to come back out when you can see the grounds. They really are something to see, but East and his team have performed miracles inside already.”
The foyer lights cast long shadows across the stone floor, the surface solid and smooth under our boots in that way that toldyou shit was built to last. Castleton was a beautiful three-story farmhouse that had somehow stayed standing despite being left unattended for years. There had been some rot in a few areas, but I knew from the reports that things were in remarkably good shape.
Kipp let out a low whistle as he stepped into the living room. “You could host a wedding in here.”
“I’m not hosting anything,” I said as I kept walking towards the kitchen. “Least of all a wedding.” Weddings didn’t interest me after the fiasco with Catherine. Once, I thought a forever had been inked on my future, but now things felt more fluid.
Wade wandered toward the tall windows overlooking the back gardens and the greenhouses beyond. “It’s a hell of a property.”
“It needs a lot of work,” I replied. “But I like it.”
East set the beer on the kitchen island and leaned his elbows against the counter. “Everything does. This will be worth it when it’s all finished. It’s going to be amazing with all this property.”
My parents would have loved this place. They would have wanted barbeques, and my mom would have sat in a rocker on the porch to knit. She would have liked Maggie Holt. Maybe she would have gone to that crazy book club that Lila ran.
My parents were on the older side when I was born, and they died while I was in the military. First, my father from a heart attack, then my mother. I’d always thought it was because of a broken heart. They’d been inseparable when I was younger. They’d doted on me and made it clear that family was everything. Losing them only solidified my belief that a love like that was worth cherishing. I wanted Opal to have that.Something strong and steady to get her through tough times. Moving here was my first step toward giving her that.
“Come on, assholes.”
I passed around extra beers and opened another for myself. The kitchen lights reflected off the fixtures, casting warm halos against plaster walls that had seen more history than any of us combined. East had brought in a specialist to repair spots that needed attention before they were given fresh coats of paint. Like everything in the house, its history was clear, and I hadn’t wanted to mess with it. Restoring and retaining as much as I could was the goal. Well, modernizing the bathrooms and kitchens had been a necessity.
They eagerly traipsed after me, even East, who was more acquainted with the place than I was. Castleton was a sprawling house built in the late 1800s for a large family. There had been smaller rooms on the main floor, but I’d had East knock down some walls, expanding the great room into a more modern concept and connecting it to the kitchen so I could see Opal at all times.
We didn’t go upstairs to the bedrooms, but those had been renovated, and the attic space had been turned into a large play area. Maybe one day it’d be a spot where she hung out with friends and painted nails, but right now there was a couch for her dad and all her favorite toys.
“So,” Kipp said, dropping into one of the chairs and stretching his long legs out in front of him. “You want to tell us how you ended up with a permanent address in our town?”
Wade shot him a look. “Subtle.”
Kipp shrugged. “He invited us for drinks. That’s practically an interrogation request.”
“I don’t think I invited you dicks out here.”
Kipp put his hand over his heart in mock outrage. “Wade, is that true? We don’t have an invitation? Did you lie?” He widened his eyes and batted his eyelashes like a tool.
“He wanted us here.” My friend was confident, and as always, Wade wasn’t wrong. Since it was my first night here, having them show up to welcome me was nice.
“So? What’s the story?” Kipp pressed. “Invitation or not, you’re basically family, so that means interrogations are mandatory. You have to share information, especially if you’re going to be neighbors with us.”
“Seattle stopped making sense,” I said, choosing my words carefully.
East lifted his brows. “That vague, huh?” He gave me a critical look that told me my answer wasn’t going to be nearly enough.
Wade tapped his fingers against his bottle. “Rhodes, you’re a planner. Always have been. We’re happy as fuck you’re here, but tell us why.”
I exhaled slowly, peeling the corner of the label before meeting their eyes. “Wade knows a little.” Very little. The whole Catherine deal was kept just to a few select people. Briggs knew. He’d called me a fool for putting up with it, especially since I had planned to dump her that night. “I was married to Opal’s mother, but we were finished before we started. She wanted different things. Catherine never wanted kids. My work is…” I trailed off again, looking into space.
It was hard to even explain the whole relationship/non-relationship with Opal’s mother. Frankly, I was ashamed by the entire ordeal with Catherine.
