Page 41 of Icebound Hearts
Jake’s eyes shoot wide open. “So I’d gettworooms?”
“They wouldn’t both be yours alone, but kind of.”
“Sold!” Jake nods excitedly, making Violet and me laugh again.
“Not so fast, buddy. We still have a few more houses to see.”
We tour the rest of the house, peeking into the bedrooms and bathrooms before exploring the huge, fenced backyard that hasplenty of room for a pool, then lock up and pile back in my car to head to the next one.
“Well, what did you think overall?” I ask Violet as we back out of the driveway.
“It was nice. Really nice. I could definitely see you and Jake living there, and it’s within walking distance to the playground, so that’s great too.”
“What about you, Jake?”
“I love it! But I wish it had a pool.”
“Then you’re gonna love the next place,” I tell him and watch his face in the mirror as his eyes widen again.
The next house is in a neighborhood about ten minutes’ drive south of where we are now, but Jake presses his face to the window when we finally turn into the entrance to a gated community.
“Whoa, they have a fence?”
“Yup. And a security guard,” I answer, pointing at the uniformed guard waiting at the upcoming booth to talk to us.
I tell the man that we’re there to meet a realtor and view a property. He makes a copy of my driver’s license, then lets us through, waving to Jake as we pass by.
Fittingly, the houses in this community are much nicer than the one we live in and the one we just viewed. Most are relatively new construction, and the house we’re going to see is one of the newest in the community. I wasn’t really interested in living in a gated community like this, but the real estate agent talked me into at least looking at it, so I gave in.
But as we drive through the neighborhood, with its perfectly manicured lawns and HOA-managed community foliage, I already feel out of place. This is clearly where rich people live, and while I guess I’m technically a rich person now too, I’ve never really fit in with that crowd. Maybe it’s my working-classbackground, or maybe it’s because it’s all my ex-wife ever saw in me, but I don’t like flaunting my wealth.
This house is on the western side of the community. It has a dark, navy-slate exterior, its lower third made with faux stone trim, and it’s a single story as well, just like most of the homes in the area. It has a huge garage with a raised addition made to store an RV out of the Denver elements that I’ll almost certainly never use, and as soon as we pull into the driveway that’s already occupied by the realtor’s Mercedes SUV, Jake lets out an impressed breath.
“Wow,” he whispers.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Violet says as she unbuckles her seat belt. I park, and she climbs out, glancing at me with raised brows. “Do I even want to know how much this place costs?”
“A lot,” I admit, leaving it at that.
I’m really not trying to impress anyone. The only thing I care about is if it’s a good fit for Jake and me, and as the realtor climbs out of her car to meet us, I’m already feeling like it isn’t.
“Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Townsend,” she says with a huge smile, her hand extended. I close the car door while Violet gets Jake out and shake the realtor’s hand.
“Nice to meet you too, Ashley.”
“And you must be Jake! Welcome to Vermillion Cliffs,” she says to Jake and Violet. “Come on in.”
She leads the three of us into the house, which takes “open concept” to a whole new level. There basically aren’t any walls in the place except for the four keeping the roof up, and a few half walls that are supposed to serve as dividers for the bedrooms. Violet steals a glance at me, and my dislike of the place must be pretty easy to read on my face, because she hides a laugh behind her hand.
“Whoa, look at the pool!” Jake points across the living room at the huge sliding glass doors that lead out into the backyard, which is more of a courtyard. He makes his way over and presses his hands against the glass. “It has a waterfall, Daddy!”
“I knew he’d love that,” I say to Ashley, who chuckles indulgently.
It’s difficult to peel Jake away from the pool, but we eventually tour the rest of the house, including the massive garage. By the time the tour is over and we’re standing in the living room again, I’m overwhelmed. It’s way too fancy for me. I’m afraid I’ll break everything in the place.
After politely informing the realtor that I don’t think the place is the right fit for us, I head back to the car with Violet and Jake.
“That place was gorgeous, but was it just me or did it seem kind of, I don’t know… cold?” Violet asks as she helps Jake clip into his booster seat.