They walked past white leather couches and a massive television hanging on the wall and into the dining room, which had a glass table with a modern-looking chandelier hanging over it.
The kitchen was all stainless steel and marble. A door in the back opened out to a slate patio and a square of pristine grass with a painted slat fence behind it.
“It’s close to work for you,” Sloane said as she came down the stairs. “And it’s in good condition. But there’s not a lot of outdoor space.”
“It’s the opposite of the other one,” Gael pointed out.
“Yes,” Sloane said, smiling. “Erik wanted you to see different kinds of houses today, so you’re getting lots of variety just so we can get an idea of what’s important to you. Once you three decide what kind of house feelsmost like home for your family, we’ll know just what to look at the next time.”
Sloan treating them like a real family somehow felt like the most natural thing in the world to Erik, and also one of the most painful things he could imagine.
“What do you think of this, Erik?” Jenny asked him.
“It’s not me,” he said automatically, shaking his head. “You?”
“No,” she agreed, looking relieved. “It’s way too fancy. Too bad, since it’s so close to your work.”
“This is very, very pretty,” Gael told Sloane earnestly. “But we need a yard for a dog. And the house shouldn’t be too fancy because I’m a kid and I might mess it up.”
Erik couldn’t help smiling at the idea of a dog. He’d always wanted one.
“That’s really great feedback, Gael,” Sloane said, clearly charmed by the little boy. “I think maybe the next one will be a good house for your family to see. Do you want to see the upstairs here first? Or should we keep going?”
Gael looked to Erik.
“Let’s just keep moving,” Erik said. “This definitely isn’t the right house.”
“Okay,” Sloane said. “We’re heading to the edge of town next.”
They waited for her outside while sheturned off the lights and locked the doors, then piled into the SUV.
“This is interesting,” Jenny said as Erik followed Sloane’s Volvo to Princeton Avenue. “There really is a lot of variety here for such a small community.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of farmers, of course,” Erik said. “And there are the local business owners, and folks who take the train to work in offices in the city. A lot of the professors at the community college live in town too.”
“It’s such a special place,” Jenny said thoughtfully.
Erik nodded, stealing a glance over at her.
Is it special enough that she and Gael might like to live here?
He tried to stop his thoughts, but they were stampeding like wild horses and all he could do was let them flash images in his mind of what that life could be—unpacking a moving van, putting a real wedding ring on Jenny’s finger, and heading to the shelter for Gael to pick out a dog.
They pulled up to a house with aFor Salesign out front that was half hidden by rhododendron bushes.
The house itself was cedar shake with red painted trim around the windows and a red front door hung with a pine wreath. It wasn’t a big house, but the deep front yard and the big porch felt spacious and welcoming.
“I like this one,” Gael said firmly, scrambling out ofthe SUV. “There’s room on the porch for all the guys from the Center to come and sit.”
Erik smiled at that thought. It really was a nice front porch for a gathering.
“You could still walk to work from here,” Jenny said thoughtfully as they headed down the curving path to join Sloane on the porch.
“Yes,” Erik said. “Probably ten minutes or so, not bad at all.”
“Here we go,” Sloane said, opening the front door. “Go on in. I need to take a call from the listing agent for the house I just showed you, so just take your time.”
She swiped her finger across her phone and lifted it to her ear to begin a quiet conversation there in the little entry hall as they filed past her.
