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“Where are we going?” Emmie asked.

Ted turned to her with a grin. “You’ll see.”

Emmie grew more and more curious as he drove to the outskirts of town, down to the river where new condos had been constructed. The same development where Brad’s law partner had bought one.

“Why are we here?” asked Emmie.

Ted pulled up in front of a condo building, parked, and turned to her. “I have a proposition. Come with me.”

Emmie clapped a hand to her mouth, sensing what he was going to say. She got out of the truck and faced him. “Hold on! I need to tell you something. I realized it was very unfair of me to ask you to move to Ellenton when your family and your business are in Skaneateles. My news, my big news, is that Lauren and Rick are going to buy my house.”

Ted’s expression was priceless. It went from surprise to pleasure to one of tender emotion. He reached for her. “You’d move for me?”

“I love you, Ted, and I don’t want to spend most of my time away from you.”

He chuckled. “I feel the same way. I don’t want to sell my house, but I’m willing to buy a place here for us to live. A new space of our own. These are new and modern with all the latest conveniences, which means less work for you and me.”

“But now you won’t have to buy this,” said Emmie. “We’ll be living at the lake.”

He shook his head. “With a new grandchild, you’ll want to be able to come and stay here for a few days. This way, we’ll have the best of both worlds.”

It was Emmie’s turn to get emotional. She lowered her face into her hands and let tears run down her face. Ted was such a generous, thoughtful man.

When she lifted her head, Ted thumbed the tears from her face. “It’s all going to work out. C’mon. I called the real estate agent I was supposed to meet tomorrow, and she gave me the keys to the condo I want to buy.”

Emmie followed him to a building whose stone and wooden exterior rose to two stories. Controversial at first, the development gained most people’s approval because great care had been taken to integrate the buildings into the natural environment along the riverbanks. The lush landscaping was part of that theme.

Inside the building, it was obvious that only two homes were on each floor. They took an elevator to the second floor and stepped out into a hallway that led to two apartments.

Ted unlocked the door to one of them, and they walked into a wide entry that opened onto a large living area to the right, a generously sized balcony off the living room, the kitchen, dining area, and master suite, which had a smaller balcony overlooking the river. To the left of the entry were a powder room, two en suite bedrooms, laundry, and an office.

“This is amazing,” said Emmie, struck by its luxury. “Are you sure we need all this space?”

“I want my kids to get to know yours and for Gemma to know she has her own space here if she chooses.”

“That’s very thoughtful. I want our families to blend, too.” Emmie walked over to him and hugged him.

“You’re okay with me making this one of our homes?” asked Ted. “I really like Kate and Brad and want to get to know them better. Brad and I are going to play golf tomorrow afternoon.”

“It’s a fabulous idea. I’ve already invited Kate to my house tomorrow. It will give me time to explain what we’re doing. Please don’t mention it to Brad until I’ve had a chance to talk to her.”

“Okay,” said Brad. “Let’s go tell the kids. I can’t believe Lauren and Rick will be living in your house. It’s an outstanding opportunity for them.”

“And for me not having to worry about who’s going to buy it or live there,” said Emmie. “It’s a lot of work to live in a large older house. Seeing this condo has made me realize how much more convenient this is.”

“Move what you want into it, but then let’s hire a decorator to help get us the furniture and other items we want.”

“Thank you,” said Emmie. “I’m guessing the kids won’t move into the house for a couple of months. That will give us the time we need to make this work.”

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When Lauren and Rick heard the news about Ted’s purchase, they were excited.

“Now you won’t have to worry about keeping a room for us here at the house,” said Emmie. “We’ll have our space when we want to be in town. As Ted said, we want to be part of Clark’s life, and for all the other grandchildren we might have here and at the lake.”

“The condo is a wise investment,” said Rick. “Waterfront homes are becoming more and more valuable.”

“I think that’s what impressed me about this group of developers,” said Ted. “They want to make this as natural a setting as possible. I admire that.”