“It’s not so unusual.” I grinned at Helen. “But what about the house? We don’t want anyone else to snap it up if it’s as good as you think it is.”
“Nobody is going to steal this house from us.” Zach took hold of my hand and led me over the road into a thatched pub called the Drapers Arms. We ordered our drinks and sat around a table. From the smiles on Zach and Gunner’s faces, I could tell they were in on the secret Helen was keeping from me.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Why all the secrecy about this house?”
“Zach’s had an idea,” said Gunner. He pulled a roll of paper out of his jacket and spread it across the table. It was an architect’s drawing of a house.
“Since we’ve been having so much trouble finding our own home,” said Zach, “I figured we might as well build our own. We all know what we want, but we can’t find it in one building.”
“Creating it ourselves is the only answer,” said Gunner.
Zach looked over at me. “What do you think?”
I stared at the plan, looking at the spacious bedrooms, massive downstairs living area and lots of outside space. “It looks amazing.”
Zach took hold of my hand and smiled. “We can have it just how we want it. And there will be absolutely no risk of any unwanted visitors.”
Gunner glanced at Zach. “Not sure what you mean by that.”
“He means the ghosts, idiot,” said Helen.
Gunner’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, yes. The ghosts. It all makes sense now.”
Helen tutted at Gunner and he grinned at her.
“Where are we going to build our dream home?” I asked Zach.
“There’s a plot of land just down the road from here that's for sale,” said Helen.
I shot her a surprised look. “How much do you know about this?”
“I’ve only known for the last couple of days,” said Helen. “Zach and Gunner made me promise to keep it a secret from you because they wanted to tell you themselves.”
“I hope you don’t mind,” said Zach. “I swore Helen to secrecy because I wanted to show you the plans first. We can finish these drinks and go and look at the land next. But I’m sure you’re going to love it. Loads of space for the dogs, amazing views. And it will all be ours.”
I looked down at the plans again and a big smile crossed my face. This was the perfect solution. We could all get what we wanted; I wouldn’t be bothered by restless ghosts lurking around in an old house, and we could take our time creating our ideal home.
I raised my glass. “This calls for a toast.”
“To a ghost-free home,” said Zach.
Gunner opened his mouth, but Helen frowned at him and he shut it just as quickly.
I shook my head. “To a home where everybody is happy.”
“To having the biggest bedroom and an attached bathroom,” said Helen.
“To having space for all my vinyl and a place to play the drums whenever I like,” said Gunner.
Helen frowned. “You play the drums?”
“I’m in a band, baby,” said Gunner. “Do you think musicians are sexy?”
Helen's cheeks flushed and she looked at Gunner with wide eyes.
I laughed as we clinked our glasses together, and I grinned at everybody around the table. This was going to be paradise. Noisy, messy, sometimes difficult paradise, but I’d happily take it.
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