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Erin sighed. “I better go home and start cleaning.”
“No. Tonight we celebrate the good news. We bought our dream house at a great price.”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t let anything spoil our joy.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll help you tidy your house.”
“You’d better start by cleaning yours,” she retorted, stressed about the job awaiting her at home.
Waving a hand around, he dismissed her comment with a shrug. “As you can see, it’s all tidy and clean. Brianna is not here, and I’m not using the kitchen. Just my bedroom and the bathroom.”
“What about the bedroom that’s been locked for months? It must have collected tons of dust.”
His beaming smile vanished and his carefree jovial face morphed into a somber mask. “That room is empty. No furniture, no clothes.”
“Poor Tim, you couldn’t stand the sight of it after the plane crash.” She caressed his cheek with a soothing hand.
Far from relaxing, his features tightened. “No, I threw everything out two months later, when I found out she’d been cheating on me for more than a year. If I ever discover the bastard’s identity, I’ll beat him to a pulp.” Anger and grief shadowed his eyes.
Good God, his wife had had an affair. The lovely and bubbly Annette adored by her students had cheated on Tim. Erin swallowed the wrong way, a hundred questions colliding in her mind.
With a foreboding look, Tim raised a hand. “Do me a favor. Don’t ask questions. Don’t ever talk about her again.”
Unable to utter a word, she nodded. He must have suffered so much.
He inhaled deeply and poured two glasses of Amaretto. “Let’s drink to a new future together,” he said in a controlled voice, still struggling to recover his calm. “We’ll be very, very close neighbors.”
She arched her eyebrows and suppressed a smile. It was almost like moving in together.
***
Driving their own cars to her house in the early morning, they arrived before the children awakened. Grinning ear to ear, Erin announced her good news to Teresa.
“Congratulations. I’m delighted you’re buying the house you wanted.” She poured coffee for them and for a change didn’t ask questions.
“I’ve put our house up for sale. The real estate agent will hold an open house on Saturday, which means we’ll have to make it spic and span before the show.”
“I’ll help you, dear, but from noon to four I’m busy.”
“Ah okay.” Erin met Tim’s glance.
“I’m glad things are going well with Russell, Teresa,” Tim said with a genuine smile.
“Couldn’t be better. We enjoy cozy meals and friendly time together. Do you mind if I share all the good news with him?”
“Not at all.”
After driving the children to camp, Erin multitasked, doing laundry, tidying, and cleaning. In the afternoon, Russell who’d heard the news from Teresa called to congratulate Erin.
“Teresa told me you have an open house on Saturday. Bring everyone to my house. We’ll have lunch on the patio, and the children can play in the pool.”
“That’s so kind of you. Thank you so much.”
Spending the day at Russell’s house with Teresa cooking for them would help a lot. She left instructions for the children to put their toys and books away, to be careful, and not mess up their rooms. In addition, David should mow the lawn, and the girls pull the weeds. Not sure yet what moving would entail, the children welcomed the news with mixed feelings.
“We’ll show you pictures and videos of the new house on Saturday when we go to Mr. Russell’s house.”
On Saturday morning, Teresa baked a chocolate cake that filled the house with a delicious aroma. Erin had the kids ready for the day by seven-thirty, and Tim took them out for breakfast, while she prepared their pool bags, made their beds, and inspected each room. She waited for Josie to arrive and left with Teresa to join her family at the coffee shop.
