Chance for Home

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Ben stepped beside them. “I think we’re ready to head to the next one.”

  They were nearly to the car when Ben’s phone rang. He looked at the screen and said, “Sorry, I need to take this. It’s the guy at the dealership.” He hit the talk button. “Hey, Paul. Sorry, I haven’t made it over there yet. My wife made another appointment for this morning. I was going to head over there this afternoon.” Ben paused. “What time would I need to be there?” Another pause. “No, that’s okay. I understand. I’ll see what I can do to be there before then.”

  “Problem?” Ryan asked as soon as he hung up.

  “Yeah. Apparently the dealership has a big training meeting this afternoon. If I want to pick up Maya’s car today, I have to be there by one.”

  “Does Maya need to be with you?” Kari asked.

  “I did want her to see the car before I finalize the paperwork,” Ben said.

  “You guys go ahead. I can look at the rest of the houses and check out the neighborhoods for you,” Kari offered. “I’ll even take notes to help you narrow down which ones you want to see yourself when we look at them again online.”

  “I don’t know,” Maya said. “I really wanted to see the other houses, and I feel bad abandoning you.”

  “I can go with her,” Ryan offered, surprised to hear the words come out of his mouth. “I’m sure the Realtor can drive us and drop us off at either my apartment or yours.”

  “I’ll check with her,” Maya said, heading for the front door where Gretchen, the Realtor, was securing the key in the lock box.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind?” Ben asked.

  “You guys go.” Ryan waved toward Ben’s car. “We’ll be fine.”

  Maya approached them. “Gretchen said she’s happy to drive you guys.”

  “In that case, we’ll see you later.” Ryan put his hand on Kari’s arm. “Come on, Kari. We have some houses to see.”

  “See you guys later.” Kari waved at Ben and Maya, then turned to Ryan. “You know, you really don’t have to come with me.”

  “I don’t mind,” Ryan said. “It’ll be good practice for when I do decide to buy a place.”

  “In that case, let’s go. Only four more houses to see.”

  * * *

  The first two houses didn’t impress Kari or Ryan. One was ridiculously large but felt more like a museum than a home. The second was located on a main street, and Kari knew that wouldn’t suit her brother or Maya.

  “The next two houses are across the street from each other on a cul-de-sac,” Gretchen told them. She pulled up to the gate at the community entrance and keyed in the code. She looked over at Ryan. “I believe two of your teammates live in this neighborhood.”

  Kari looked at the first few houses they passed, with their expansive yards and mature trees. The houses in this neighborhood appeared to be custom built and didn’t follow the same uniformity as the first few places they had visited.

  “Let’s start with this one first,” Gretchen said, parking the car in front of a colonial-style home.

  Kari liked the look of the outside, the stone front giving it character. They followed the Realtor inside, and she felt a sense of home she hadn’t experienced anywhere besides the house she had grown up in. She couldn’t explain the source of the emotion and wondered if Ben would feel the same sensation.

  A staircase to her left led upstairs, a stunning chandelier hanging above them in the center of a two-story foyer.

  Kari wandered through the large great room, appreciating the way a long breakfast bar separated it from the kitchen. Four ladder-back stools lined the family side of the counter, and an oblong table occupied the dining area.

  They circled through the rest of the main floor, finally coming to a hallway on the far side of the great room.

  “What’s over here?” Kari asked.

  “This house has a full in-law suite.” Gretchen led the way down a hall flanked with windows overlooking the back patio until they reached a door.

  Ryan reached out and opened it for them, and Kari stepped through first. She had expected to walk into a bedroom, but she found herself standing in a miniature version of the great room/kitchen combination she had seen in the main part of the house. Crossing through the rooms, she discovered a master suite, the bedroom nearly as large as her parents’, and a bathroom that rivaled the master bathrooms they had seen in a few of the other houses they had viewed today.

  “Does this suite have a private entrance?” Ryan asked.

  “It does.” Gretchen motioned to a door in the kitchen area. “That door leads to a one-car garage. The main house has a three-car garage on the other side of the main kitchen.”

  Kari snapped a few pictures with her phone. “How many more bedrooms are there?”

  “Five.”

  Ryan looked over at her. “Are you ready to see the upstairs?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  Together they walked back into the main section of the house. Gretchen waved in the general direction of the stairs. “I’ll let you take a look while I call about the next house.”

  Ryan led the way up the stairs. They found an upstairs living area with three doors opening into it. One by one, they entered the various bedrooms, Kari taking pictures of each one.

  “What do you think?”

  “I really like this one.”

  “Me too. It’s definitely my favorite so far.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Not that my opinion really matters.”

  “Of course it matters.” Kari wandered through the master bedroom and opened one of the closet doors. When she found it empty, she went to the other closet and repeated the process to find it empty as well. “It looks like there isn’t anyone living here.”

  “I’ve heard they leave furniture in these big houses so they’ll show better,” Ryan said. “Or maybe whoever owns it has so many houses they don’t keep their clothes here.”

  “I think it’s more likely the owner has already moved out,” Kari said. “That’s pretty nice, since Ben and Maya would probably have some flexibility to move in sooner than later if they want.”

  “True.” He started for the door. “Should we go look at the last one?”

  “Sure.” Kari snapped one last photo of the master bedroom and followed him downstairs.

  The door was already open, Gretchen standing on the porch with a phone to her ear. She put her hand over the phone and spoke quietly. “I’m just getting the alarm code before we go across the street. If you want to head over there, I’ll be right behind you.”

  “Okay.” Kari and Ryan made their way to the curb, their pace slowing when they saw a man approaching with a black lab.

  Across the street, Kari noticed two women standing in front of the house next door to the one for sale, and another man was standing in the center of the cul-de-sac while his son rode on his tricycle.

  “Looks like a family-friendly street,” Kari commented.

  “Yeah, it does.”

  The man with the dog stopped and greeted them. “Are you two checking out the neighborhood?”

  “I guess you could say that,” Ryan responded.

  “I’m Phil Atkins.” Phil extended his hand.

  “Good to meet you.” Ryan shook his hand. “I’m Ryan Strobel, and this is Kari Evans.”

  The man’s eyes widened. “I thought you looked familiar. You play for the Nationals, right?”

  Kari sensed Ryan’s reservation, but he somehow managed to keep his voice light. “Yeah. I gather you’re a baseball fan.”

  “Big time.” He waved eastward. “Domingo Hernandez and Shawn Nills live on the other side of the neighborhood, but I can’t say that I’ve ever met them.”

  “They’re both good guys,” Ryan said. “So tell me, how do you like living here?”

  “It’s great. My wife and I moved in five years ago.”

  Kari listened to the man chat about the positives of the neighborhood and asked her own questions about traffic and the other neig
hbors. The more she listened, the more she was convinced that this might be exactly where Ben and Maya needed to live.

  Gretchen approached them and interrupted the conversation. “I’m sorry about that. It took a few minutes to get hold of the right person.”

  “Lead the way,” Ryan said before turning to the man beside them. “Nice chatting with you.”

  “Yeah, you too. I hope you decide to move onto the street. It really is a great neighborhood.”

  “Thanks.”

  They headed across the street, and as soon as they reached the door, Kari leaned closer to Ryan. “You realize that guy thinks we’re a couple.”

  “Yeah, probably.”

  “And that you’re the one house hunting,” Kari added.

  “Yep.”

  Kari chuckled. “I guess he’ll find out that’s not the case when you don’t move in.”

  “Exactly.”

  Gretchen unlocked the door and deactivated the alarm. Ryan and Kari went inside, and again, Kari felt a sense of home. As with the other house, she suspected the furniture had been staged, but that didn’t diminish the warmth and the attractive use of space.

  Ryan wandered through the dining room located to their right and into the kitchen area. “I kind of like this one too.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Kari crossed to a window overlooking the backyard. “Maya is going to love this.”

  “What?” Ryan moved to stand beside her.

  “A tennis court.” Kari motioned to the left. “Maya is an amazing tennis player. It’s her favorite sport.”

  “Sounds like we need to take more pictures.”

  “I agree,” Kari said, “but I have a feeling I’ll be back here soon with Maya to show it to her in person.”

  Ryan turned to look at her. “I think you’re right.”

  Chapter 7

  “Ryan, I am so sorry about yesterday.” Ben dropped down in the seat next to him, a look of apology on his face that was out of character for him.

  “It was no big deal. Kari and I looked at houses. She took lots of pictures. End of story.”

  “Not exactly.” Ben pulled his cell phone from his pocket. “I’m guessing you haven’t seen Twitter today.”

  “No. Why?”

  “Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.” Ben opened the screen, tapped it a couple times, and turned it so Ryan could see the image displayed there.

  Ryan leaned closer to see a photo of Kari and him standing next to a For Sale sign. “So someone snapped a picture of me and Kari yesterday. What am I missing?”

  “Read the caption.” Ben handed the phone to him so he could take a closer look. He scrolled up enough that he could read the words that preceded the photo: Ryan Strobel and girlfriend, Kari Evans, out house hunting. Could there be a wedding in Ryan’s future?

  Ryan handed the phone back with a shrug. “I guess it’s true that single guys on the team can’t even talk to a woman without someone blowing things out of proportion.”

  “I really am sorry about this,” Ben said, clearly worried that Ryan would be upset. “I know you don’t like to have your personal life all over social media.”

  “It’s not like you or Kari had anything to do with it.” His eyebrows drew together. “Who did post that?”

  “I’ve never seen the name before.”

  “It must have been one of the neighbors. Kari and I talked to some guy walking his dog, and we introduced ourselves.”

  “Which explains how they had Kari’s name.”

  “Yeah.” Ryan considered how annoyed he would have been had this happened with Brandi. Had he grown a thicker skin over the past six months? Or had his mistrust of Brandi made him suspicious that she was somehow involved every time his name hit the Internet? “Has Kari seen this yet?”

  “I don’t think so. I only found out about it because Dayna in the front office showed it to me.”

  “How is Kari going to feel about it?”

  “Honestly, she’ll probably laugh it off,” Ben admitted. “I’m glad you’re about to do the same.”

  “Do you think I should at least call her and let her know about it before she gets ambushed coming to the ballpark?”

  “That’s not a bad idea.”

  Ryan pulled out his phone and started to scroll through his contacts only to realize he didn’t have Kari’s number. “What’s her number?”

  Ben retrieved her number on his phone and held it out so Ryan could put it into his phone.

  Ryan dialed the number, and Ben stood. “I’m going to get changed. Let me know if I need to apologize to her too.”

  “Will do,” Ryan said.

  A moment later, Kari’s voice came over the line. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Kari. It’s Ryan.”

  “Oh, hi, Ryan. What’s up?” Though her words were casual, he sensed she was surprised to hear from him.

  “I just wanted to give you a heads up. Our little shopping spree yesterday made it into my Twitter feed.”

  “You lost me.”

  Ryan explained how a photo of them had been posted on social media with both of their names mentioned. “I wanted to make sure you knew about it in case you come to the ballfield and get cornered by any reporters.”

  “You know, it’s pretty sad that you can’t go looking at houses without someone making a big deal about it.”

  “I know. I was just saying the same thing to Ben.”

  “Well, I appreciate the warning,” Kari said. “I assume these things normally blow over pretty fast.”

  “I’m not really sure. Brandi always tried to turn them into a big deal, so I have no idea what happens when the posts get ignored.”

  “I guess we’re about to find out,” Kari said. “Good luck at your game today.”

  “Are you coming to watch?”

  “Yeah. Maya and I are driving over in her new car. She’s pretty excited about it.”

  “I’ll bet.” He smiled at the thought. “I guess I’ll see you after the game.”

  “Okay. See you later.”

  Ryan hung up and was halfway through getting dressed when he realized he expected to see Kari after his game. For the first time since meeting her, he entertained an alarming thought. Did she have a boyfriend?

  * * *

  Kari grinned at Maya as they made their way to their seats. “I think you enjoyed driving yourself for a change.”

  Maya’s eyes lit up. “I can’t tell you how good it feels to have that kind of freedom again.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m doing well, actually. Today was just my Nuelasta shot. One more chemo dose tomorrow and I’ll be done.”

  “I’m so happy for you,” Kari said, slowing when they approached their seats and found several women standing in the aisle.

  A stunning blonde-haired woman turned to face them, her face lighting in recognition when she saw Maya. “Hey, Maya. How are you doing?”

  “Good, thanks.” Maya shifted her attention to Kari. “Kari, this is Celeste Nills. Her husband, Shawn, plays right field. Celeste, Kari is Ben’s sister.”

  “It’s good to meet you,” Kari said, extending her hand.

  “You too.” Celeste narrowed her eyes. “Wait, aren’t you the one who is going out with Ryan?”

  Not sure if this woman was one of Brandi’s friends, Kari said, “Something like that.”

  “I have to tell you, none of us had a clue Ryan was serious about anyone. Every time we turn around, it seems like he’s with someone new.”

  “How long have you and your husband been married?” Kari asked, deflecting the attention back onto Celeste.

  “Six months.” Her face lit up. “We got married last off-season.”

  Maya put her hand on Kari’s arm. “Kari, do you mind if we sit down? I think driving over here zapped my energy.”

  “No problem.” Kari sidestepped Celeste. “It was nice meeting you.”

  “You too. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you a
round.”

  “You can count on it.” Kari took Maya by the elbow and helped her the rest of the way to their seats.

  After they sat, Maya lowered her voice. “I’m sorry about that. The wives and girlfriends are all really nice, but during the season, everyone is anxious for something to talk about. I’m afraid you’ve become a hot topic of conversation the last couple days.”

  “It won’t last once everyone realizes I’m not really dating Ryan.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Maya glanced around. “I don’t see Brandi here. Maybe she finally gave up and went back home.”

  “I hope so, for Ryan’s sake.” Kari settled back in her seat and put her feet on the one in front of her. “Now, tell me, what do you think of the houses I was telling you about?”

  “I think the two of us need to go look at the two you liked tomorrow. I’m really excited to see the one with the tennis court.”

  “I thought that one would catch your interest.”

  “I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be able to play in my own backyard.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to wait for Ben to have another day off before you go look?” Kari asked.

  “That won’t happen for a while. The team goes out of town at the end of the week,” Maya told her. “I thought we could go see the two houses you liked the best and help narrow down our options. If I think Ben will like them, I can go see them again before he goes to practice day after tomorrow.”

  “That works.” Kari grinned at her. “Now that you have a car, all sorts of possibilities are open to you.”

  “I know.” Maya’s dark eyes lit up. “It’s so exciting.”

  Chapter 8

  Ryan cocked the bat above his shoulder, his focus on the pitching machine. His movement was fluid as he swung through to the ball, connecting with it and sending it into the net at the back of the batting cage. At his coach’s signal, he moved aside to make way for the next player in line.

  He saw Ben waiting a short distance away and crossed to him. “How did the house hunting go? Did you and Maya go this morning?”

  “We did. Maya’s with the real estate agent now, writing up an offer.”

  “Really?” Ryan said. “That was fast.”