She doesn’t look convinced.
“Let’s call Mark and schedule a viewing ASAP,” Jett says. “Maybe this house will finally get us out of my childhood bedroom.”
We head toward the main road back home when Harper says, “Mommy? I have to potty.”
“We’ll be home in about fifteen minutes,” I say, turning around to face her. “Can you wait that long?”
“I have to potty now!” she squeals, kicking her feet.
I wish she had told us this before we left the restaurant, but four-year-olds love keeping you on your toes.
“Do you need me to stop now?” Jett asks.
“Yes! I have to potty!”
Frantically, I search for public restrooms on my phone. “There’s a new gas station two blocks that way,” I say. “Hopefully the restrooms aren’t a total nightmare.”
Jett grimaces but turns in that direction. Luck is on our side because the bathrooms are nice and clean, and we get in and out without any accidents on our hands. Once we get back in the truck, I set the GPS to home, even though Jett knows his way around this town way better than I do.
“Cherry Street?” he says, brows dipping as he looks at the screen. “I didn’t know Cherry Street went through to our side of town. He shrugs. “Let’s find out.”
We make our way down unfamiliar roads on the older part of town where giant oak trees sprawl out on front yards and drape over the roadway. It’s beautiful. Unlike the newer neighborhoods where the homes are all so close together you can hear everything your neighbor is doing, these homes all have big yards and plenty of space between them. I would love to live in a place like this. Spaced out but with enough neighbors so your kids can still go trick-or-treating, unlike at my parent’s house where it’s only the two houses with the large dirt bike track in between them.
We drive in silence, all three of us checking out this part of town we’ve never seen before. Jett rolls to a stop at a three way intersection.
We all see it at the same time.
Harper shouts first. “My house!” she says.
“Holy shit,” Jett mutters under his breath.
“Whoa.” I lean forward. The two story house in front of us in an older home, not quite a Victorian home from a hundred years ago but close. It has a long covered porch stretching across the front, and two large bay windows upstairs.
But the weirdest thing about it is that it’s painted dark blue. Where have I seen a house like this before? Why does it look so familiar and yet not familiar at the same time? I know for a fact I’ve never driven down this part of town. I basically only know the way from my neighborhood to my parent’s place and to the grocery store. Jett drives us everywhere else.
“Why does it feel like I’ve seen this house before?” I wonder out loud.
“That’s my house!” Harper says again.
That’s when it hits me. Duh. She’s right--it is her house.
My jaw drops. “It’s just like your drawing.”
“Uh, babe?” Jett says in a serious way that makes chills prickle all over my body.
“What?” I say.
He points. “Is that what I think it is?”
It’s old, weathered and faded like it’s been there for a long time. But it’s still legible from the road. A plastic sign shoved in the ground and leaning against the mailbox.
FOR SALE BY OWNER
“Oh my gosh!” My eyes widen so hard they hurt a bit. “No way! Harper that house looks just like the one from your drawing, plus it’s for sale!”
Chapter 14
Jett
