by Anna Samuels
‘No, I know. Allie is my friend and she wanted me to view with her…I hope that’s alright?’
‘Of course! Did you get my email about Friday?’ he enquired.
‘I did, thank you! I’d love to attend.’
‘Oh brilliant! Your application was excellent so we’d be glad to have you on board.’
I smiled at him. ‘I can’t wait to come in and talk about it.’
‘Me too,’ he replied. ‘Sorry! Nice to meet you!’ he said to Allie.
‘Nice to meet you. I’m Allie.’
‘Yes, we spoke on the phone. Shall we go in?’ he asked.
Allie nodded eagerly and I followed them up the long drive to the house.
Half an hour later, Pete left us to look around in peace. He told us to find him when we were finished and then he would see us out. I stood at one of the upstairs windows, mute and stunned. The house was more beautiful than I could have possibly have imagined and it felt home-like. It felt perfect.
‘Hey,’ a voice said from behind me.
I turned to see Allie standing there, looking at me with a strange look in her eyes. With the sun shining on her hair, she had an almost ethereal glow emanating around her. ‘Hey.’
‘It’s perfect, right?’ she murmured softly.
‘There aren’t even words for how perfect it is,’ I replied softly.
She nodded, looking around.
‘I just…I’m thrown,’ I admitted.
She looked at me closely, her eyes on mine. ‘I know…that’s how I felt the first time I saw it. Now I just feel determination. It’s so wonderful and it feels like it could be home. I could make this my home; I know I could.’
I met her eyes. ‘Yeah…I know what you mean. It does feel like a wonderful home.’
‘I just need to figure out the details now,’ she murmured, walking to the window.
I joined her to look at the view. It was stunning from this window. You could see the whole bay. If I had been a photographer, I would have spent hours at that very window taking photographs.
‘Do you want to go yet?’ she asked me, glancing over.
‘No, not yet. Maybe a little longer?’
‘Yes. That’s what I was thinking.’
‘I’m going to wander around…’
‘Okay…I’ll see you downstairs in a bit.’
‘Okay,’ I agreed.
I spent another fifteen minutes simply wondering around the house. It was large and spacious. It was well decorated and felt open and airy inside. There were six bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs. When I went back downstairs, there were two reception rooms and one large, spacious kitchen which had a wonderful island table as a feature in the middle.
‘It’s a great house, right?’ a male voice said surprising me.
I whirled around. ‘It’s amazing!’ I told Pete, smiling at him warmly.
‘It’s on at a good price. I think the seller is keen to make a sale quickly.’
I nodded. ‘I see…’
‘I think he could be talked down a bit too…seeing as he wants a quick sale.’
‘It’s my friend who is interested-not me,’ I told him.
‘Oh! You could have fooled me!’ he laughed.
‘Well, who wouldn’t want to live here,’ I mused, looking around. ‘It’s the most beautiful house I think I’ve ever seen! And also, the location! I would love to live here.’
‘Yeah…about that-if you came to work with us, would you be moving?’
‘I don’t know,’ I said honestly. ‘The commute would be forty-five minutes so would be manageable. That being said, I do fancy a move-and here in Hope would be a wonderful location.’
He nodded. ‘Lots to think about and consider.’
‘Yeah…’ I nodded.
Allie re-joined us then and smiled happily. ‘Thank you for allowing me time to look around properly.’
‘No problem,’ he smiled. ‘Let me know if you want to arrange a second viewing or make an offer.’
She nodded. ‘I’ll be in touch,’ she promised.
Pete saw us out and then we said our goodbyes. I said I would see him on Friday for the interview and then we headed back down the coastal path towards Allie’s house.
We were quiet on the way back down, both lost in our own thoughts. I was thinking about several things…the interview, moving locally but most of all the house. It was absolutely wonderful and I now understood why Allie felt the way she did about it.
We reached the house without saying a word to each other. When she shut the door behind us, Allie spoke.
‘You seem thoughtful,’ she said quietly, heading for the sofa.
I went to sit beside her and looked over with a faint smile. ‘Yeah…so do you…’
‘Yeah…what did you think about the house?’ she asked.
‘Oh, Allie, it was wonderful!’ I gushed enthusiastically. ‘I can see why you want it so desperately. It’s perfect!’
‘I know. It is, isn’t it.’
‘So, what are you going to do?’ I wondered.
‘Well, don’t freak out, okay?’
I frowned in confusion. ‘What about?’
‘I’m going to say something now which you’re going to need to go away and think about…’
‘Okay…’ I said, slowly, ‘go ahead…’
‘Well, I’ve been thinking about the house very seriously and I came to a conclusion.’
‘You did?’
‘I did. I can’t buy it alone, Cass.’
‘No…it’s too much for one salary…’ I mused.
‘So, I kept thinking…I considered my family, whether I could get some kind of special mortgage…none of it was possible…’
‘Okay…’ I said slowly, wondering what she was getting to.
‘Then I came up with a plan that I really liked…and it involves you,’ she said softly.
My eyebrows rose.
‘I want you to buy the house with me.’
I stared at her in shock. She was serious. Deadly serious. ‘You can’t be serious?’ I asked her, voicing my thoughts.
‘I am, Cass. It solves all our problems…we both get a house we love, we’re both then home owners in a wonderful location. I get the house I love and you get to live near your new job-that is, if you’re offered it!’
I gaped at her. ‘You’re forgetting a few fairly major problems, Allie!’
‘Yes, I know…we would be living together and we have the issue of you and me and the unresolved attraction between us. I’m willing to put that on the back burner and try and focus on the friendship we share and how we get along well. We could live in that house and barely see each other, it’s so big! Just think of the positives! Not the negatives! There’s so much good, I couldn’t help but ask.’
I stared at her, trying to take it all in.
‘I know what I’ve just said is massive and you’ll need to give it some serious thought so don’t answer me until you’re ready. Just promise me you will think about it?’
‘I, uh…Allie, I can’t believe you’re asking this!’ I exclaimed.
She nodded understandingly. ‘I know, it’s a lot. Don’t say anything now. It’s going to be overwhelming and confusing.’
‘But you’re serious?’ I questioned.
‘Absolutely.’
‘You really are, aren’t you?’ I murmured, meeting her eyes.
‘I am. Think about it, Cass. That’s all I ask.’
‘And if my answer is no?’ I asked, raising my eyebrows.
‘Well then, that’s your answer.’
‘And would it mean our friendship is over?’
‘Of course not!’ she laughed softly.
‘You’re sure? This house means everything to you.’
‘It does, yes…but you mean more,’ she said quietly.
I looked up at her and felt my stomach clench with tension. ‘I…I think I’ll go,’ I replied in a soft voice.
‘Yeah…’
‘But I’ll
uh..’ I trailed off.
‘Think about it?’
‘Yeah,’ I murmured.
‘Good…I’ll walk you to your car.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be fine,’ I told her.
‘Okay…well, phone me, text me…whenever you want. I’ll be here,’ she told me.
I nodded and stood up. ‘Okay. Well, I’ll uh, talk to you sometime soon,’ I said evasively, as my head was busy spinning.
‘I’ll look forward to it.’
‘Bye Allie,’ I said at the door, turning back briefly.
‘Bye Cass.’
She smiled at me and then I left.
I made it to the car before exhaling heavily. What on earth had just happened? Allie had just turned my world on its head. Buy a house? With Allie? Was she insane? I wondered. I started the car but found myself turning right instead of left. Without thinking about what I was doing, I drove to the top of the cliff and pulled into the drive of the house. Hope House…the house that could be ours…mine in part. I stared up at it feeling a myriad of feelings. It was crazy! A crazy idea, I told myself. I chuckled to myself in silliness at the whole situation and turned my car around. I drove home quickly, but all the way found my thoughts considering her offer. It was madness? Wasn’t it?
My entire work week was long and hard and I found it very hard to concentrate on anything at all. My thoughts were with Allie and the house and although I never stopped thinking about it, I didn’t phone or text or visit. Instead I stayed away and mulled over my options carefully. My head said no but my heart; my wayward adventurous heart said yes. Deep down, in the depths of my thought process I was seriously considering the implications of saying yes. The thought excited me. It would almost give me everything I had ever wanted. Almost…the one thing missing would be Allie. Although we would be together, she had said we would still be friends. That wasn’t what I wanted ultimately. I wanted more than that with her, but I didn’t know how to approach it.
I went over the pros and cons all week long and wrote lists, surfed the internet and read up on the logistics of buying a house while thinking about Allie’s offer. When Friday rolled around, I dressed in a smart interview suit and headed over to meet Pete at his estate agents. When I got there, he was ready and waiting for me.
An hour after I arrived, I left ‘Homes of Distinction’ with a new job. Pete had interviewed me thoroughly and by the time I was about to leave, he offered me the role there and then. I didn’t hesitate to say yes and as soon I was outside, I phoned my current boss Yvonne to give her my good news. She was surprisingly pleased for me and accepted my notice period of two weeks happily. I hung up feeling positive and happy about the new chapter starting in my life.
I wandered back to my car and then drove over to Hope. It was a five-minute drive only and I pulled up onto the coast road and parked under Hope House. I gazed up at it for a long moment before climbing out of the car. I walked up to the house and then stared at it for a long time. I even sat down on the veranda and stared out to sea, wondering what to do about Allie’s proposition. I was still undecided and couldn’t seem to make up my mind. I had covered all bases and even been to the bank to check if I could afford to go into the agreement comfortably. I could. I was tempted and yet my rational brain screamed no.
I lost time sat there at the house and when I finally came too, I went down to my car and drove down to the seaside car park on the front. I locked my car and then headed over to see Allie. It was time to talk.
When I reached the gallery, I was surprised to find it closed. I then noticed a sign on the door saying, ‘Out for lunch. Back 2pm.’
I turned and headed for her house, hoping to catch her. I needed to talk to her about the house and couldn’t leave it any longer before doing so.
I walked through the village quickly, wanting to speak to Allie desperately now. I reached the hill and made my way up to her front door. There I knocked and waited, my heart beating fast and loud in my ears. In those few moments stood there anxiously waiting for her to answer the door, I made my decision.
Chapter 13
Trial run
‘Cass!’ Allie exclaimed as she pulled the door open.
‘Hey,’ I said, smiling nervously at the beautiful woman before me.
‘Come on in! I was just having lunch!’
‘Yes, I know. Sorry…I went by the gallery but then saw the sign so I thought I’d come on over.’
‘Great. I’m glad you’re here.’
‘Thanks.’
‘You’re looking very smart,’ she commented.
‘I’ve just come from the interview with Pete,’ I explained, sitting down on the sofa.
‘Oh of course! It slipped my mind! How did it go?’ she wondered, looking at me with interest.
‘It went really well! It went wonderfully, actually. I have a new job!’ I exclaimed happily.
‘You do? That’s amazing!’ she said, leaning forwards to hug me briefly. ‘Well done you!’ she grinned.
‘Thanks. I’m over the moon to be honest,’ I told her smiling.
‘You should be! What an achievement! And to be offered it on the same day as interviewing is quite a compliment!’
‘I know! He offered it to me there and then,’ I told her.
‘Wow! Well done! So, you’ll be working near me then?’
‘I will,’ I nodded.
‘You’ll have a bit more of a commute then…’ she supposed.
‘Yes…which brings me on to why I’m here…’
‘Yes…I was wondering,’ she said softly.
‘I, uh…I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch this week…’
‘No, it’s fine. I knew you’d need to think about everything and I didn’t expect to in many ways.’
‘Well I haven’t stopped thinking about it all week,’ I told her.
‘Really?’
‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘I’ve made pros and cons lists, I’ve been to the bank and I’ve deliberated over it through the night.’
‘Okay…you don’t have to let me down gently, Cass…I pretty much know what you’re going to say…’ she said, smiling kindly at me.
‘You think my answer is no?’ I asked her curiously.
‘Well yes…it is, isn’t it?’
I smiled at her. ‘No, actually,’ I said slowly and then watched as her face grew astonished.
‘You’re saying yes?’ she asked incredulously.
I nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘But…why? How on earth have you come to a yes?’ she wondered.
‘Well, all week my head has been saying no while my heart has been saying yes. I’ve weighed it up and considered it from every angle possible. When I get right down to it, I want to say yes…so I am. I’m saying yes, Allie. I’ll buy the house with you…I want to buy the house with you,’ I said happily.
‘I’m…stunned…I thought you were going to say no for definite!’ she exclaimed with wonder.
‘Well, if you had asked me a few days ago, it probably would have been a no. I’ve come to a realisation though…’
‘What, Cass?’ she asked softly.
I shrugged. ‘That life is for living and I don’t think I’ve been living to the max. In fact, I think I could be a lot happier if I made a few changes in my life. The first is the new job…the second is to buy this house with you.’
‘I absolutely can’t believe it.’
‘Well the details we’ll need to discuss of course,’ I murmured, thinking fast.
‘Yes of course…’
‘But when you’ve got more time.’
‘I have time,’ she said, wide eyed.
‘I…you do? What about the gallery?’
‘You’re more important,’ she said simply, holding my eyes.
I stared at her for a moment. ‘Okay…well, are we doing this now?’ I asked.
‘No time like the present!’
I nodded. ‘I guess not.’
‘So, go on…you have conditions? Details you said
?’
‘Not exactly conditions, just thoughts…’
‘Go on…’
‘Well, I think we should spend some more time together.’
She nodded. ‘Yes, get to know your neighbour-good idea,’ she nodded.
‘And we should discuss space in the house…’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Well, like personal space and times when we may want privacy.’
‘Of course! That goes without saying!’
‘Also, if I give my rental notice by tomorrow, I can save some money because I would only need to pay one more month of rent. The trouble is with that, I wouldn’t have anywhere to stay until the house went through…’
‘Well, not nowhere,’ she said slowly.
‘I, uh…was going to ask if you’d consider letting me stay with you…and we could consider it kind of a trial run for living together in Hope House.’
‘I think that’s a wonderful idea!’ she exclaimed happily.
‘You do?’ I said, surprised she had agreed so easily.
‘I do! I mean it’s small here, but perfectly functional for us both. And it would only be temporary until we moved into the big house.’
‘Exactly,’ I nodded.
‘You’re making a lot of sense,’ she smiled.
I looked up at her and smiled. ‘I just want to iron out all the details. I’ve been going over it all week.’
‘I’ll bet! I’d put it out of my mind whenever possible because I thought you would say no!’ she chuckled.
‘Are you happy I’m saying yes?’ I questioned.
‘Happy doesn’t even begin to describe how I’m feeling, Cass. I’m absolutely over the moon!’
‘Good,’ I smiled but then it faded as I thought about the other thing I had to talk to her about. ‘Allie?’
‘Yes?’
‘There’s one more thing we need to talk about…’
‘Yes?’
‘Well, obviously you’ve talked about a future that you’re looking for…’ I began.
She nodded.
‘Well, my question is-what happens if you meet the one? What happens if everything changes for one of us and we want to go down the route of marriage or children? What happens to our living situation then?’ I wondered.