"Here we are!" he said with satisfaction clear in his voice.
Martin gazed out at a ranch-style house with clapboard walls and a sizable garage tucked to one side. He couldn't see the rear from where they were, but the size of the plot it stood on looked huge to his English eyes.
John got out the car and he and Claudia followed suit. John swept his arm around in a wide gesture to encompass the property. "You told me what you wanted, and I think I've delivered."
Claudia clasped Martin's hand and laughed. "Oh, it sure feels odd being on the receiving end of that old line!" she said, flashing a smile at Martin.
"Hon, would I lie to you?" John protested, placing his hand on his heart and rolling his eyes skyward.
"Of course not; you're the epitome of the professional realtor," she replied, patting his shoulder.
"You say the nicest things." He grinned as he produced a bunch of keys. "Shall we go look? It's unfurnished and needs some TLC, but it's a sound property."
They walked up a gravel drive in need of some attention and onto a low front stoop. Martin let his awareness flow outward until it filled the space around them, and fine-tuned his senses until he could feel the property.
It felt good. As John led them into the hallway, he and Claudia followed, and the sense of well-being began to infuse his mind. He hung back a little as they walked into the sitting room, Claudia holding his hand until it stretched and they were touching by fingertips only. She stopped and turned around to look at him, but when she saw his distraction she merely smiled.
They toured the house, viewing bedrooms, bathroom, study, kitchen and laundry, and walked out onto the back yard. Martin's initial impression was right; even allowing for the distorting effect caused by the snow which covered everything, it was big. "How much land is there here?" he asked.
John consulted a notebook. "There's four acres, Martin."
"Dear gods! Back in England a developer would fit over a hundred houses on a plot this size."
"Ouch!" Claudia exchanged a glance with John, in which a lot of information seemed to be exchanged in a kind of realtors' telepathy.
"I'll need a sit-on lawn mower to take care of this little lot in the summer," Martin said with a smile.
"Little lot, Martin?"
"It's a Briticism, John." Claudia spoke up with confidence as she watched Martin. "When an Englishman talks of a 'lot,' it usually means a group of people, as in 'hey, you lot!' or else a quantity or something. When Marty said 'little,' it was just the usual Brit understatement making an appearance."
"You know me too well already," Martin observed.
"I think I'm getting there, Marty," she said and took his hand.
John cleared his throat. "Well, I'll leave you lovebirds to make up your minds. If you need me, I'll be in the sitting room making a couple of calls."
He disappeared inside and Claudia squeezed Martin's hand. An exquisite curved auburn eyebrow lifted as she smiled. "Well, honey? What do you think?"
He looked around. "I love it," he said simply, and looked at his lover. "I love you, Claudia."
"I love you!" She leaned close and they kissed for a long, long moment. Her breath was warm on his face. "And I love this place too," she said when they parted. "We'll be happy here." She cocked her head. "Shall we make John an offer he can't refuse, or would you like to see some other places?"
"No need. Here's where we'll stay." He reached into his overcoat pocket and felt for the small case he'd secreted there whilst she was putting her coat on back at the apartment. He drew it out, and when Claudia saw what he held, she went very still. Fumbling with nerves and fingers turning cold, he went down on one knee and opened the lid. The cold and wet of the snow under his knee went almost unheeded as he looked up at her and saw her shining green eyes. "Claudia, my darling; will you marry me?"
She reached out and ran her fingertips lightly over his hair and down his cheek, until she stroked his lips. "Of course I will!" A bright smile lit her face. "Hey, think of it. I'll be another lady in white!"
The End
About the Author:
A native of the County of Norfolk, England, Adrian (44) attended a school in a village right on the North Sea coast before moving on to further studies at college and university. After an early career in the leisure/tourism industry, he worked in the Inland Revenue and local government, before starting his own courier business.
His hobbies include history and archaeology, science and technology, and he has traveled in Britain, the USA, Canada, Hungary and France. He lives within a stone's throw of the beach with his two adorable dogs, Ellie and Suzy.
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