by Natalie Ann
“Sort of. Actually, it was Trixie. I was on a conference call with Nick last week and Trixie was visiting the baby. She overheard me telling him you were looking. He won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”
“I wonder if that’s how my mother found out,” she said.
“Trixie wouldn’t have told your mother. Are they even friends?”
“No. Trixie is too brass for my mother.” The thought of Trixie and her mother sitting together made her giggle. “Sorry, you’re right. So where is it?” she asked.
“I don’t have the exact address yet. Just some pictures.”
“Then let me see the pictures.”
“Nope. It’s going to be a surprise.”
“Which means it’s way out of my league, right?”
“We’ll talk about it more once we look at it. If you like it, then we’ll go from there,” he said, kissing her again, this time with his hands roaming under her shirt.
“You’re trying to distract me,” she mumbled.
“Is it working?”
“Yes.”
Open Mind
“This is the house?” Amber’s jaw dropped. “On the lake. Are you nuts? I don’t even need to go in to know I can’t afford it.”
He knew she’d react that way. “It’s not a big house and it’s outdated. One of Trixie’s friends owns it. I guess the husband passed away and the wife wants to move south with family. She just wants to unload it fast.”
“That doesn’t mean I can afford it. I know what lakefront property costs. The cheapest thing I could find was at the very top of my range and it still needed a complete overhaul. Listen, Zach, it’s always been my dream to have property on the lake, but it’s just a dream. My family, people like me, we don’t live on the lake, no matter how much I always wanted to.”
He hated that she put herself in that category. That people like her couldn’t live here. He worked hard to get himself out of that category and thought she had too, but guessed not.
“Keep an open mind.” He knew the inside needed work. Nothing had been updated in close to thirty years, if he was guessing.
So they walked through, both of them biting their tongues since the widow was proudly showing the house off and talking about all her memories there.
The kitchen had yellow Formica counters and matching appliances. For the life of him, he couldn’t imagine that they still worked. One bathroom was covered in pink tiles from wall to ceiling, with a matching toilet to boot. The other bathroom was only slightly better since it was blue.
Poor Amber’s eyes were popping out of her head as they walked around. Each room just gave way to even more work. It was worse than the pictures, but it was built solid, he could see. All the major elements—furnace, roof, and well—were relatively new.
“It’s a little hard to get on the deck with all the snow,” the widow, Mrs. Cotter, said, “but let me just pull back the blinds and you can see the view.” The blinds were covered in wallpaper that matched the nasty burgundy flowers splattered all over the room.
And that was when Amber’s eyes started to fill. It wasn’t a big yard, but it had water access. The sun was shining bright over the frozen lake, almost blinding them, and there were kids running around with hockey sticks.
“What do you think?” he asked her, holding his breath. Were those tears of joy and excitement, or tears of fear and she was ready to run screaming from the room?
“I remember those days. Playing out there like that,” she said.
“I figured. You’d have to teach me how to play.”
She just smiled politely. “I appreciate you taking the time to show us the house,” Amber said. “But I think it’s out of my price range once I factor in the amount of work it needs.”
“Oh sweetie. I know it’s a complete gut job. Should have done it years ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to change a thing. I’m taking that all into consideration on the price.”
“I’m sure it’s still out of my reach,” she said.
“Thank you for the tour, Mrs. Cotter,” Zach said. “We need to talk things over and we’ll be in touch.”
“You and your family could have such wonderful memories here. I’d love to sell it to a nice young couple that’ll have kids someday. That would make this home into the treasure it once was.”
“I’d love to be able to do that,” Amber said. “I'm just not sure it’s in the budget.”
“We’ll talk it over, honey,” Zach said, squeezing her hand to get her to stop yapping.
They walked out and got into her car. “That just sucks,” she said.
“Why?”
“Because it’s a nice location and though it’s uglier than sin, there is a ton of potential, but it’s just a pipe dream.”
“You didn’t even ask how much she wanted for it,” he said.
***
“Because it’s too much,” she said again.
What could Zach have been thinking, bringing her there? The house would win the world’s ugliest dog contest hands down. But as nasty as it was, she’d love to have it. And she didn’t miss the fact that it was just a few houses from Nick and Mallory. It’d be perfect for Zach. But it couldn't be about him. She was the one who’d be living there. She was the one who’d be paying for it.
“What if you didn’t buy it alone? Then it wouldn’t be over budget.”
She was having a hard time going there right now. In the last few weeks, she was just starting to forgive herself for what happened in college. For what happened to Bethany and Greg. For all the mistakes she’d made and beat herself up over. For never being enough of a daughter for her mother.
She loved Zach. She loved him more than she ever thought she’d love another person. More than she ever thought she’d even open up to another person.
But buying a house with someone? Someone she wasn’t married to? That was pushing it too much.
She’d be dependent on him. And if there was one thing Amber was, it was independent. She wanted to come and go and make her own decisions. No relying on other people. She only ended up hurt in the end when that happened.
“It’s only been a few months, Zach.”
“Okay, Anne,” he said, frowning at her.
“Wow. Mean again,” she said. No one ever called her by her mother’s name.
“It was meant to be. Stop letting what other people think or say influence you. Stop beating yourself up over things you can’t control.”
“That has nothing to do with it,” she argued.
“Of course it does,” he said. “Listen, Amber. I want to spend more time here. I don’t care if it’s in your small apartment or not. You’re the one who said you wanted more space and I’m trying to help.”
“More space and out of my price range are two completely different things.”
“It’s not out of your price range for the house. What she wants for it is right at the top of your range. And I know I can get her down even more.”
“That doesn’t account for the amount of work it needs. Even if I could afford to do the work, I can’t live there while it’s being done, which means I’d be paying for two places. I just don’t see how it’s possible.”
“You aren’t listening to me. Stop for a second. If money wasn’t an issue, would you buy the house?”
“If I could get it at a decent price, then yes. Even with the amount of work it needs, it’d be worth so much more when it was done. And…and I always wanted to be on the water.”
“Then let me negotiate for you. We’ll get a loan together and I’ll front the cash for the reno.”
She started to shake her head. This was too much to comprehend. “I need to think. I need to run numbers. I need to figure out what I’d want done to the house, and how much it’ll cost.” And if she could afford it alone if Zach ever left.
“Think it over today and tomorrow. We’ll talk some more. I’ll let her know that it’s a lot to take in and we’re trying to figure it out. Don’t stress about it,
please. That wasn’t my intention.”
“What was your intention?”
“I wanted to give you something that you wanted. I wanted to maybe give us something together. I probably should have talked to you more about it first, though.”
“Yeah, you should have. But when you say things like you just did, it makes me think faster. It makes me see possibilities for things I didn’t see before.” Or thought she ever would.
“Like what?” he asked.
“Like us. Like a future. Doesn’t it seem overwhelming to you at all?”
“Of course it does,” he said. “No one said any of this was going to be easy.”
“It’s definitely not easy, I’ll give you that much.” Letting her guard down, giving up control…yeah, not easy by any means.
“Then let’s go home and get ready for dinner tonight.”
“Great, even more things I need to worry about.”
“Not us,” he said. “There is no reason to worry about us.”
She started her car and put it in drive, then pulled away, looking at the house in her rear view mirror.
Could she have that?
Could she finally have what she so desperately wanted in her life?
Was it really that easy?
This Is It
Was he the one that said it was easy earlier today? What an idiot he was for thinking that. Instead, he was stressing about dinner and he never stressed about something as simple as that.
But this was different. This was Amber’s parents.
Her parents, who couldn’t stand him.
Correction. It’s not him, they keep telling Amber, but what he represents. Worse, now that he thinks of it.
Fine. He gets that. Sort of. Maybe. Maybe not. Talk about old-fashioned.
Still, he had to make tonight count. He had to let them know he was the right person for Amber. That he wasn’t someone that was just flying in in the middle of the night and would be gone the next day.
Oh wait. That was him. Shit. Back to being nervous.
“Will you sit still?” Amber said. “It’s like you’re hopped up on something right now.”
He laughed. “Does it show?”
“Yeah,” she said, sarcastically.
“What if they hate me?” he said.
“Zach,” she said, walking over to where he was pacing. “Everyone loves you.”
He laughed, he had to. “That’s true. But we’ve established your parents aren’t like everyone else.”
“Nope, they aren’t. My father and Sally and her family will be fine.”
“But not your mother.”
“I think she will be. I hope so, at least. I don’t see her being downright rude. She just might be quiet or maybe ignore us, but that’s not bad. We have to start somewhere.”
“If you say so.”
“I do,” she said, kissing him. “Trust me. And if they don’t like it, too bad. I’ve thought it over. I’m giving my mother a chance. I’ve given her a lot of chances, but this is it.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning I’m not going to extend another olive branch after this. You and I are going to try to make this work, right?”
Did she really just ask him that? “I would think suggesting we buy a house together was answer enough. But if not, then I’ll be clearer. Yes. I want what we have to continue. I want to move onto the next step.”
“And the next step is buying a house together?” she asked.
Wow, she was actually thinking of it. He’d hoped she would, but wasn’t sure. “That’s one. I mean, it’s not like I’ll be living here full time. I probably won’t be anywhere near full time with the way my job is.”
“I get that. It’s fine. But if you owned a house here, or part of one, you’d be here how often?”
“Probably a couple weeks a month. Maybe more, depending on what is going on. At least half the time.” Nick and he had to work that all out still, but Nick knew they were looking at the house today, so he had to have an idea of changes he was willing to make.
“I’m still thinking it through,” she said.
“I know. I don’t expect an answer right now. We need to focus on dinner first.”
“True. But not enough to have it ruin your time here, either.”
“It’s only a few hours. We can come home and get drunk afterward if we need to. I even bought a nice bottle of wine.”
“I’ve got plenty of wine in this house,” she said.
“Can I ask? For someone who is averse to drinking more than two drinks when she goes out, you have a lot of wine in the house.”
She burst out laughing. “Do you think I’m an alcoholic?”
“No. Not at all.”
“It’s here because sometimes I see something I like when I’m in the store and I stock up. But I don’t buy wine more than a few times a year. Remember, I’m on call one to two weeks a month, so there’s no drinking at all during that time.”
He’d forgotten about that. “Makes sense. So you save it all up for when you aren’t on call.”
“No. Usually just after a bad day. It helps me sleep. Relaxes me.”
“I’m not judging you, Amber. I’m just asking. After what you told me about what happened that night, I would have thought maybe you wouldn’t drink at all.”
“I stopped completely after that for years. The rest of my schooling, I didn’t have much to drink at all. But then I needed something to relax me once in a while and I’d have a glass here and there. Despite what people think, I don’t go out to bars all that much. I’d rather have my lone glass here at home.”
“Where did the bar comment come from?”
She shrugged. “My mother. She wondered if you didn’t trust me living downtown. Like I was going to go out and party when you aren’t around.”
He laughed. “I’m sorry to say this, but I’m not sure what is worse. The low opinion she has of you or the opinion she has of me.”
“Probably both. So let’s go get this over with. I’m not drinking anything at dinner, so I’m sure I’ll need the wine when I get home.”
“Do you want me to abstain from drinking then?” he asked. He’d do whatever she wanted him to.
“My parents don’t drink. I don’t often drink in their company, and tonight isn’t the time to push it and get on my mother’s bad side, regardless of how much she might drive me to reach for the glass.”
“Then I won’t have anything other than water myself.”
“It’s your decision,” she said, reaching for her jacket. “I don’t want to tell you what to do.”
It really wasn’t his decision, though. Because he’d do everything he could for her and if that meant sucking up to her mother, then he was ready to pucker up.
***
Well, so far the night wasn’t going nearly as bad as she’d expected.
They’d gotten through the salad course, appetizers, and even small talk with no one saying anything nasty. Not even an eye roll. Had to be a record.
Zach seemed to be winning her father over. Not that she expected anything different there.
Even her mother was on her best behavior. She wasn’t saying much, but it was better than nothing.
“So, Zach, Amber says your grandparents raised you,” her mother said.
Now why would her mother bring that up right now?
“They did. For the most part, they’re my parents and I’m still very close to them today.”
“They live in Richmond with you?” her father asked.
“Not with me. They live in a nice neighborhood and are enjoying their retirement. My grandmother is a bit of a busybody, going around baking desserts for everyone. My grandfather has a woodshop in the back where he tinkers around. So they both have their hobbies.”
“Do you spend a lot of time with them?” her mother asked. “Amber is right here in town too, but we don’t see her often.”
Yep, there was the sarcasm she was waiting for all night. “Tha
t’s because I’m working, Mom,” she said back, trying not to grind her teeth.
Her mother waved her hand, then turned back to Zach, waiting for his answer.
“I don’t see them as often as I’d like. I’m on the road a lot with my job. I’m probably only home one to two weeks a month. But when I am there, I go to dinner as often as I can.”
“That’s nice,” her father said. “I’m sure they appreciate everything you do for them.”
“I don’t do it for their appreciation. I do it because I love them and they raised me. They’re my parents. That’s what family does. They want each other to be taken care of. To be happy.”
Her father smiled, her sister kicked her under the table, and her mother just stared at her water glass. It was better than her mother snapping back, she supposed.
So when dinner was served and everyone ate, Amber felt things were going better than could be expected. And because of that, she decided to not think something through for once. To take a gamble and take a leap of faith. Maybe it was time.
She grabbed Zach’s hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, then blurted out, “Zach and I looked at a house today.”
“You did?” Sally asked. “What’s wrong with your apartment?”
She didn’t normally keep secrets from her sister, but she hadn’t wanted anyone to know. She was surprised her mother hadn’t told her sister. And by the look of surprise on her father’s face, he didn’t know either. Wasn’t that interesting?
“Zach is going to try to spend more time here.”
“The owner of my company,” Zach said, “is based here, as I’m sure you know. We miss the time we spent together and it’s something that we think would benefit the company.”
“So it’s for work, and not Amber?” her mother asked. Was her mother actually coming to her defense?
“No. It’s for Amber and work is being accommodating. Nick is like my brother. Like I said, family takes care of their own and wants to see them happy.”
“Where’s this house?” her father asked. He was pretty calm about it all, shockingly.