Chapter 27: Chapter 27

Brady pulled his truck to a stop outside of the house. The for sale sign in the yard looked new, the dirt around the bottom freshly disturbed. He took a moment to admire the home from the street. It was even more beautiful in person that it had been in the photographs. The pictures clearly didn’t do the place justice.

Jennifer’s car was already parked in the driveway. She got out and waved at him, and he waved back before pulling his keys from the ignition and getting out of the vehicle. He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck and walked up the sidewalk toward the expansive front porch.

“Hi, Brady!” she called, meeting him on the steps. “How are you?”

“Good. And you?”

“I’m great, thank you. I think you’re really going to love this.” She headed to the front door and punched in a code in a box hanging there in order to access a key, which she used to unlock the door. “After you!” She held her arm out, and Brady smiled in thanks before walking into the house.

He expected a musty smell, as one often experienced in older buildings, but it smelled fresh and clean. A look around the foyer gave him the impression the entire place had just been immaculately cleaned. The large wooden staircase in front of him had ornate carvings along the handle and lovely newel posts that he assumed were original. The floors were wooden and shiny in a medium-toned wood with a textured grain.

“Obviously, this is the foyer,” she said, pronouncing it in the original French. “To our left, there is an expansive living room.”

Brady followed her into the room. It was large, with a nice bay window that overlooked the large front yard. A beautiful rose bush sat right in front of the window, and although there were no flowers on it at the moment because it was winter, he imagined it would be gorgeous in the spring and summer.

He followed her, noting the lovely crown molding and trim work, as she went through a set of glass doors. “This could be an office,” she said. The room was a decent size for a work space, and he liked the idea of having a room right off of the living room where he could work from home if need be.

Pausing next to the office, she showed him a half bath and a coat closet, and then they walked back past the stairs to a formal dining room, a kitchen, another powder room, and a walk-in pantry where the laundry hook ups were also located near an enclosed porch.

“The back yard is almost an acre,” she said as she opened the door that led outside. “You’d have plenty of room for a swimming pool, should you choose to put one in. Definitely a swing set. If you have kids someday.”

“That would be great,” Brady agreed. There were several mature trees, and even though he could see the neighbors houses, most of them were older as well and had large yards with enough trees that he didn’t feel encroached upon.

Brady followed Jennifer back inside and upstairs to see the three smaller bedrooms, a full-bath, and then the owners’ bedroom with an attached bathroom so big, he figured it had to have been another bedroom before the house had been remodeled. It had definitely been upgraded since it was originally built. While he’d noticed some work that needed to be done in the kitchen, the appliances were somewhat new, which told him someone had lovingly taken care of the home.

There was another bay window upstairs, and the turret room, which Jennifer suggested would make a great library or sitting room.

As Brady followed Jennifer back downstairs, she said, “Now, I did some checking with the listing agent. It seems the reason the house is listed at such a low price is because the owner recently passed away. She had no next of kin, but she did have a small mortgage. The bank has decided to sell the house quickly to recoup their costs. I would say, even though Holiday Hills is a small community, and most houses stay on the market for several months, this house at this price will move quickly. In fact, if you decide to put in an offer, I would suggest we offer a little more than what they're asking to let them know we’re serious.”

Brady nodded. He knew the price, and he knew the house was beautiful. More than that, it felt like home--a place he could see himself living for many, many years to come.

The only thing he didn’t know was how quickly he could get into the house. He really hoped to find a place to move to before Christmas so that he wasn’t imposing on Rob and Kyla any longer.

In the back of his mind, he knew that wasn’t the only reason, but the idea that he could possibly move in before Pooch was adopted seemed like a ridiculous, fleeting thought.

Even if he had to move twice, Brady knew he couldn’t pass this up. “Let’s do it,” he said. Jennifer’s smile brightened, and he agreed to follow her back to her office to write up the offer.

* * *

Leaving the animal shelter that evening, it was dark and cold, but the twinkling Christmas lights Cliff had hung earlier that afternoon made the place look more inviting. Noelle always hated leaving, knowing the animals would be left alone for several hours. It was especially hard when she’d gotten new animals, like she had that day. Mrs. Cooksy, an older woman who lived down the street, had found a litter of kittens and their mama living in a drainage ditch near her home. She’d wrapped them up in towels and brought them in. By the time Noelle had gotten them, it had been too late to call the vet and have him come over and check them out, so Noelle would have to leave the mama and five babies until the morning. Since the kittens only looked to be a few days old, she knew she’d be worried all evening that she’d come in to find one or more of them had passed away during the night. The mother cat had been grateful for the food and water, though, and even though she looked like she’d been on the streets for quite some time, she’d purred when Noelle had petted her. Her reaction was yet another reminder that all animals wanted to be loved.

It was two hours after the shelter’s posted closing hours when she made her way to her car. A familiar truck pulled in beside her as she was about to open her door, and she stopped, not sure if she should smile at Brady or be mad that he’d left the way he had the day before and hadn’t contacted her since then. Surely, he wouldn’t expect her to let him in to see Pooch at this late hour, would he?

Brady rolled his window down. “Hi, Noelle,” he said, his voice implying that he wasn’t sure whether or not she was upset at him. “How are you?”

“Tired,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. She wasn’t happy with him, but technically, he hadn’t done anything too terrible. He wasn’t obligated to walk the dogs or bring her lunch, after all.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you’re probably heading home. I actually went by there first, but obviously you weren’t there.”

“Obviously,” she said with a small smile. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she waggled it at him and said, “I could’ve saved you some time.”

“I know,” he said, looking sheepish. “I just… wanted to see you.”

Despite herself, Noelle liked the sound of that. “Well, here I am.”

“Do you… want to go for a quick drive? I want to show you something.”

Her eyebrows raised as she wondered what it might be. “Okay,” she said, guessing it wouldn’t hurt to leave her car there for a while longer. Noelle headed to get into his truck. Brady hopped out and got the door for her, which was really nice of him. He was always a gentleman.