Keeping Her Read online

  "Then forget it," she says, walking toward the bathroom, completely naked.

  "Hey!" I come up behind her and scoop her up in my arms. "I'm not in that big of a hurry."

  We shower and dress, then go to breakfast and meet up with Elana, the real estate agent, in her office. She gets a map out and points to the areas she'll be taking us to and tells us a little about each one.

  "Are you hoping to move in right after the wedding?" she asks Rachel.

  Rachel looks at me to answer.

  "It's up to you," I tell her. I want Rachel to make the decision. I want her making all the decisions about the house. What style it is. The layout. How it's decorated. The only decision I'll weigh in on is the location, but I'm flexible on that. I want Rachel to have the house of her dreams.

  She looks back at Elana. "I guess right after the wedding would be good, but it could be later too. April or May would also be fine."

  "I'm sure we could get you in any of these houses whenever you'd like. There's no need to wait." Elana smiles at me. She knows how it works. She only deals with wealthy clients. She knows we have the money to make things happen. If Rachel wants the house in March, we'll convince the sellers to be out of there in March.

  We get in Elana's car and she takes us to the first property. It's a ten-bedroom house set back in the woods, surrounded by a large iron gate. The property also includes a guest house, an outdoor pool, and a tennis court.

  "It's very large," Rachel says as we walk inside the house. The ceiling in the foyer extends to the second floor and off to the right is a large winding staircase.

  "Would you like to go upstairs first?" Elana asks Rachel.

  She bites her lip as she glances around the downstairs. She seems nervous. Why would she be nervous?

  "Could I talk to Pearce for a minute?"

  "Certainly," Elana says. "I'll go wait in the kitchen. It's just down the hall to the left. Meet me in there when you're done."

  Once she's gone I turn to Rachel. "Is something wrong?"

  "Are they all like this?" she whispers.

  "Sweetheart, you don't have to whisper. She can't hear us. Now what were you asking?"

  "Are all the houses she picked like this? Are they all mansions?"

  "This isn't a mansion. It's just a large house. My parents' house is a mansion." As I say it, I realize Rachel's never even been there. She's my wife and yet she's never been to the house I grew up in. I'm sure if I brought her there, my parents wouldn't even let her inside. They're still not speaking to me.

  "It's a mansion, Pearce. It's huge. It has ten bedrooms. What would we do with ten bedrooms?"

  "So you don't like the house."

  "No." She frowns. "I'm sorry."

  I take her hand. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You don't have to like this one, or any of the ones we see today. We're just looking. We don't have to buy anything today."

  "If they're all like this, I don't think I want to look at the others."

  "They'll all look different. This one feels too ornate for us, with the crystal chandelier and the gold banister on the staircase. We'll just go to the next house."

  "I wasn't referring to the way it's decorated, although yes, it's too ornate. But what I meant is that it's just too big. I feel like I'm in a hotel."

  "How big of a house would you like?"

  "I don't know. Maybe four bedrooms? And I'd like it to be in a neighborhood, not hidden away behind a gate. I want to have neighbors. I don't want to be all by ourselves with nobody else around."

  I guess we should've discussed this before I talked to the real estate agent. I just assumed Rachel wanted a large house like this. And I didn't even think about living in a neighborhood. I've never lived in a neighborhood. Having neighbors? That would be a huge change for me. But if that's what she wants, I'm willing to try it.

  "I'll go talk to Elana," I say.

  "Pearce, maybe we should look at a few more houses before you tell her. I feel bad that she did all that work, finding places for us to look at."

  "There aren't many properties in this price range. She didn't have to work that hard." I kiss Rachel. "Don't worry about her. This is her job. Wait here and I'll go explain what we decided. Or do you want to go tell her?"

  "You go ahead."

  I walk down the hallway to the kitchen. "Elana," I say getting her attention. She was gazing out the window. "There's been a change of plans. Rachel would like to look at some smaller houses."

  "Smaller than this?" She seems surprised. "This is the smallest house I'd planned to show you today."

  "Yes, I assumed that was the case. And I know you generally only show higher-end listings, so if we need to find someone else, I understand."

  "No. Of course not. I have access to other listings. What type of house is she looking for?"

  "She'd like to see something in a neighborhood. Something with maybe four or five bedrooms. Could you show us anything today? Or do we need to reschedule?"

  "Hmm." She taps her fingers on the kitchen island as she thinks. "I might have something she'd be interested in."

  We go back out to her car and she drives east, through some small towns a little inland from the coast. About twenty minutes later, we arrive at a town square with stores all around it.

  "So this is the town," she says. "There's a small grocery store, a drugstore, some shops. There's not a lot here, but you're close to some bigger towns."

  Rachel smiles as she sees it. "I love it. It feels just like Indiana."

  "Would you like to get out and walk around?" Elana asks Rachel.

  "No, that's okay. Let's go see the house."

  We drive along a winding road with woods on both sides and eventually turn onto a small street lined with houses.

  "It's a very family-friendly neighborhood," Elana says, as we pass two young girls playing in one of the yards. "Your neighbors here would be mostly doctors and lawyers or people in business."

  She parks in front of a brick colonial-style house with black shutters. There's a large tree out front that's bare now because it's winter. It must be an older neighborhood because all the houses have full-grown trees in the yards. But the houses don't look old or dated. They're all traditional styles that hold up over time. I like that they're spaced far apart. I didn't want our house to be only a few feet from our neighbor's house.

  We follow Elana up the long sidewalk to the front door. Elana opens it for us and Rachel and I go inside and stand in the foyer.

  I look over at Rachel. She's smiling and her entire face is lit up. I've seen that look. She had that look when we got married.

  I think we just found our house.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  20

  RACHEL

  This is it. This is the house. I could feel it the moment we walked in. I haven't even seen all of it yet, but something just feels right about it. I love the little town it's in and I love the street it's on. And I love the outside. There's a big tree out front that would offer some shade in the summer, and along the sides are some azalea bushes that will flower in the spring, framing the house in beautiful pink blooms.

  "Come look around," Elana says, leading us into the house. "To the right is the dining room and to the left is the formal living room. There's also a family room off the kitchen at the back of the house."

  "Could we go upstairs first?" I ask, pointing to the staircase.

  "Of course. Go ahead."

  I walk up there, with Pearce and Elana following behind.

  "There are four bedrooms total." Elana motions me to follow her and we go in a large room with a king size bed. This is the master. It doesn't have a walk-in closet but you could always build one. The master bath has been updated with a new walk-in shower, new sinks, and new counters."

  I go in the bathroom. It's very spacious, and it does look brand new, with granite counters, a large soaking tub, and a tile shower with multiple shower heads, similar to the one at our loft.

  Next, she takes
us down the hall and shows us the other three bedrooms. One has a crib in it and the another one has a tiny bed and lots of stuffed animals. The last bedroom looks like a guest room with a dresser and a queen bed.

  It's a basic layout upstairs but it's just what I wanted. We go back downstairs to the living room.

  "The floors are cherry wood," Elana says. "I think it adds a rich warm feel to the house."

  I've always loved cherry wood floors. My parents' house has oak floors but I prefer the cherry.

  "The kitchen has also been recently renovated." Elana waves at me to follow her. "Do you like to cook?"

  "Yes, I love to cook."

  "Then you'll love this kitchen. Granite countertops. All new appliances. Two ovens. And one is a convection oven."

  She continues to talk, but I lose track of what she's saying. I'm too busy taking it all in. There's a huge kitchen island with stools along one side and the other side is a work area with a built-in sink. It's the perfect place for rolling out dough or preparing cookies. I turn around and along the back wall there are tons of cabinets to store things.

  "Rachel, open the drapes," Pearce says. I look back and see him smiling at me.

  I'm standing over the sink, and above it is a window covered in a short cotton drape. I move the drape aside and see a big back yard with an in-ground pool. "It has a pool!"

  Pearce comes up behind me, his arms going around my waist. "And it's heated, so you could get more use out of it during the year."

  I flip around to face him. "This house is so great."

  He just smiles, then leans down and gives me a kiss.

  "Would you like to see the office?" Elana asks.

  We go down a short hall to a room that has a desk and built-in bookshelves just behind it. It's a big room. All of the rooms in this house are much larger than I thought they'd be.

  "This would be a great home office," Pearce says.

  He likes the office, but I can't tell if he likes the house. It's not as modern looking as his loft and it's not a mansion like he grew up in.

  We return to the kitchen and continue on to the family room. I like how it's open to the kitchen. I could be making dinner while Pearce is reading a book or watching TV and it wouldn't feel like we're in separate rooms. There's a fireplace in the family room and the back wall has several windows, letting a lot of light in.

  When we're done with the tour, Elana says to me, "Is this more like what you were looking for? Because I have several other houses this size that I could show you, although the neighborhoods aren't as nice as this one."

  "Could we have a minute?" Pearce asks.

  "Absolutely. Feel free to look around again if you'd like. I need to run out to the car to get something."

  When she's gone, I smile at Pearce.

  He knows what it means. "You want this house, don't you?"

  "I love this house. I love the layout, and the kitchen is incredible! And the yard. Did you see the yard? It's huge. And the pool. Did you know it had a pool?"

  He nods, smiling. "Yes, but I wanted it to be a surprise."

  "I love the pool. I love everything about this house. And I love this street and the little town square. It all just feels right."

  "Then let's buy it."

  "Pearce, this isn't just my decision. I want you to be happy with it too. I know this isn't what you wanted, so we should keep looking. We don't have to decide today."

  "Rachel." He holds my shoulders and looks me in the eye. "Do you really love this house?"

  "Yes. It's perfect."

  "Then there's no need to keep looking. If you love it, then we're buying it."

  "But you don't love it."

  "I don't care what type of house we have. You'll make any place we live feel like home. As long you're there, nothing else matters to me. And I want you to be happy. So would you be happy living here?"

  "Yes. Absolutely. And if we have a baby, this would be the perfect place to raise a child. It's a safe area and there are other families around and I like the small-town feel. It reminds me of where I grew up."

  "Any questions?" Elana is back.

  "Yes," Pearce says, putting his arm around me. "How soon could we move in?"

  An hour later we're back at Elana's office filling out the paperwork to buy our first house. I thought it'd take months to find a house, but instead it only took one day. It's like when I met Pearce. I didn't need months or years to get to know him. I knew right away that I liked him. There was something about us that just felt right. Like we belonged together. Sometimes you just know. And today, I knew that was our house.

  Elana talked to the sellers and they said they'd be out of the house at the end of January. Pearce and I decided we wouldn't move in until after the wedding. Even though we're already living together, moving into a house is different, and for appearance's sake, it would look better if we waited until after our fake wedding.

  The timing will work out well. I'll have plenty of time to get the house ready before we move in. I think I want to paint some of the walls. Pearce told me to buy all new furniture, saying he'll just sell the loft furnished. But I want to keep some of his things, like maybe his leather couch and his living room tables. They're only a year old and they'll look good in the new house. Plus, those things will always remind me of the loft and when we were dating, so I don't want to give them up.

  "We need to celebrate," I say to Pearce as we're driving away from the real estate office.

  "We can't tonight. We have that party to go to. And we're going to be late if we don't hurry. With traffic it'll take us over an hour to get there."

  "I forgot about that. We'll have to celebrate tomorrow."

  The party we're going to is in Scarsdale, New York, one of the wealthiest towns in the country. It's hosted by the Seymour family. I've never met them, but Pearce said his family has known them for years so he's expected to be there.

  I'm nervous about going. A lot of high-society people will be there. People like Victoria, who will spend the evening tossing insults at me. I'm sure Holton and Eleanor will also be there.

  We arrive at the party at eight. The house is hidden behind a gate, and it's an even bigger mansion than the one we looked at today. But it looks similar inside, with shiny white marble floors and a large crystal chandelier in the foyer. It's not my style. It feels cold. I prefer a warmer look.

  A maid comes up to us and takes our coats. She says nothing. She just takes them and disappears. Pearce wore a black suit and I'm wearing one of the new dresses the shopper picked out for me. It's a cream-colored long sleeve dress with a thin black belt and black trim along the neckline.

  A woman with bright blond hair, wearing an elegant black crepe dress comes up to Pearce.

  "Welcome to our new home," she says, smiling at him. She's probably in her mid-forties. I think she's had plastic surgery. The skin on her face looks like it's been pulled tightly back. So tight that it doesn't look right. She has her hair up in a twisted bun that's neatly tucked behind her head. Sparkling diamond earrings shine from her ears and match her diamond necklace and bracelet.

  "Hello, Audrey," Pearce says. He puts his arm around me. "This is Rachel Evans, my fiancé."

  I have to keep reminding myself to pretend we're not married. I keep wanting to call Pearce my husband.

  "Rachel, this is Audrey Seymour," Pearce says.

  "It's nice to meet you," I say, shaking her hand. Her hands are cold and bony. She's very thin. Too thin. I can see the outline of her collarbone through her dress. "You have a beautiful home," I tell her. Even if it's not my style, it's still a very nice house.

  "Thank you." She smiles weakly, then looks back at Pearce. "Your parents arrived a few minutes ago. I believe they're back by the bar."

  "Pearce." A man walks up behind Audrey. He's about her age with dark hair that's streaked with gray. He's wearing a black suit and his skin is very tan for this time of year.

  "Leland," Pearce says, shaking his hand. "This is my
fiancé, Rachel."

  "I've heard a lot about you," he says as he shakes my hand.

  Why would this man have heard about me? Pearce said he never talks to these people.

  Leland and Audrey are both looking me over, assessing my dress and my shoes, just like Victoria did. What is with these people? If they're going to assess my clothes like this, they could at least be more discreet about it. Or maybe they do it on purpose to make me uncomfortable.

  "I'm glad you could make it," Leland says. "Enjoy your evening."

  They walk away and Pearce places his hand on my lower back and leads me farther into the house. There are a lot of people here. Some old, some young. All of them are very well-dressed and the women are covered in diamond jewelry, like it's a contest to see who has the most.

  Everyone's watching Pearce and me as we walk by. Some are whispering to each other.

  "Pearce," I say quietly to him. "Everyone's staring at us."

  He leans down to whisper in my ear. "They're staring because you're beautiful. They've never seen such a beautiful woman."

  "I don't think that's the reason," I whisper back.

  "Just ignore them." He leads me to the bar. "Let's get a drink. What would you like?"

  "A glass of white wine. Any kind."

  Pearce goes up to the bartender. "A glass of Chardonnay and a bourbon, neat." He waits for our drinks, then hands me mine.

  "Shall we go see if we can find Jack?" Pearce has that formal tone he used when we were first dating. And he said 'shall' which he hardly ever says anymore, at least not around me. But as he's told me before, he changes when he's around these people.

  We sneak through the crowded area near the bar. We go around a corner to another room and there are Pearce's parents, right in front of us.

  Pearce stops, holding me at his side. "Mother," he says to her, ignoring Holton. "How have you been?"

  "Fine. And you?" She smiles a little.

  "Excellent. I'm sure Father informed you that I have a new job."

  Holton clears his throat, then says to Eleanor. "I see the Prescotts just arrived. We need to go speak to them."

  He tries to leave, but she holds him back. "We'll speak to them in a moment. Right now, we are speaking to our son."