AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is something for both of you,” his mother explained, returning to sit beside her husband. They clasped hands, and Elizabeth practically vibrated with eagerness. “It’s a belated engagement present, or an early wedding present.”
Simon’s radar began giving off warning signals. Caroline slipped off the bow and lifted the lid. Nestled on a cushion of cotton was a key. Simon’s emotions reeled as his mind leaped to a crazy conclusion. They couldn’t have.
Caroline held up the key. “I don’t understand.”
“Tell me you didn’t,” Simon groaned.
“Now, Simon, don’t be like that. We haven’t done anything, not yet.”
“What’s going on?” Caroline questioned, her gaze bouncing between Simon and his parents. “What are you all talking about?”
Hannah supplied the answer, her voice quietly awestruck. “I think they bought you two a house.”
Caroline stared at Elizabeth and Charles, expecting a denial. When they smiled, she looked to Simon. “They bought us a house?”
“Apparently.”
Caroline grabbed at the chair’s armrest, suddenly dizzy. “You can’t buy us a house,” she protested, hysteria rising. Why couldn’t they have bought a china place setting like regular people? “It’s too much.”
“Don’t you want to see it before you turn it down?” Hannah suggested, looking very much as if she’d like to do just that. “Where is it, Mom?”
“Charlton Street.”
“That’s only five blocks away,” Dane said with a laugh. “Mom’s sure to be a frequent visitor.”
“I’m sure that’s the point,” Simon muttered.
Caroline stared at him, wondering why he’d lost track of what was really important. What did it matter how close or far away it was? His parents had bought them a house as an engagement present and they weren’t even engaged. His plan hadn’t just gone off course; it had fallen completely off the map.
“Can we go look at it?” Hannah asked again.
“Of course we can,” Charles said, getting to his feet. “And we didn’t buy you a house. We put a contingent offer on it.”
Simon crossed his arms over his chest. “Oh, that makes all the difference in the world.”
Caroline let Hannah pull her to her feet and bundle her into a coat. She was a queer blend of numbness, anxiety and delight. A house of her own?
It was crazy, but suddenly she was as anxious as Hannah. Elizabeth and Charles led the way, Simon’s mother nattering on about how she had found out about the house, who owned it, why they were selling.
Caroline let the information wash over her. She gazed at the houses they passed, each one a century-old work of art. She walked between Sarah and Hannah, each arm linked with one of theirs. If not for their steady pace, she might have run all the way to Charlton Street and tried to guess which one fit the key clutched in her hand.
A rational part of her knew that she would never live in one of these houses. She and Simon weren’t getting married. They wouldn’t be living the life that involved an antebellum home in Savannah’s Historic District. But it was Christmas. Caroline remembered Simon’s kiss beneath the mistletoe and let herself pretend for a little while longer.
The house was a pale yellow green, the color of split pea soup, with black shutters and a narrow iron scrollwork balcony lining the front. Everyone waited on the front steps, forming an honor guard, while Caroline stepped up to the front door and fitted the key. The door opened into a grand foyer with a majestic curving staircase that spun upward on its way to the second floor. Caroline walked over the threshold and fell instantly in love.
“The kitchen has been newly updated. I’m not sure I like the green cabinets, but the stainless appliances are top-of-the-line. There are three verandas off the back overlooking the courtyard.”
“The house was built in 1854,” Charles said, picking up as tour guide.
“How big is it?” Sarah murmured, drifting into the kitchen.
“About six thousand square feet,” Elizabeth said.
“Eight bedrooms,” Charles added.
Eight bedrooms. She didn’t even have one. What would it be like to live in more than one room?
“What are we supposed to do with eight bedrooms?” Simon demanded, his voice rough with irritation.
