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With that settled, we hopped in the Range Rover and drove back to the city and our hotel.
There was nothing to do until our flight, so we spend the rest of the day visiting with Ethan and Elaine, eating a nice dinner in the hotel suite together, and watching a movie before bed.
Once Sophie had her bath and was tucked into bed, Drake and I spent some time in the separate living room, watching news and looking at neighborhoods in Brooklyn where Maureen and Chris were staying in an Airbnb. There were quite a few homes for sale in the general area, and so we had our pick of places. Since money was no object, we could pick a home that was as close as we could get to whatever home Maureen and Chris finally chose. In the meantime, we would also stay at an Airbnb, fully furnished, and keep our own furniture and possessions in storage.
“I hope they get a place in a nice area, so we can find a good place to put down roots.” I pointed out the closeness of the river and how many small parks there were nearby.
“Look at this place,” Drake said and pointed to a six-bedroom five-bathroom townhome two blocks from the river. “We could have room for Ethan and Elaine if they needed to move in with us, plus rooms for Sophie and Liam, an office for you and a bedroom for us. Plus, a room to spare. You never know…”
I glanced at the price and did a double take. “Wow. Expensive…”
“Shhh,” Drake said. “Don’t look at the price. Besides, it’s close to schools that Liam and Sophie could attend. And so close to the waterfront and parks. The promenade…”
“It’s beautiful.”
The apartment was an old brownstone three storey, at the end of the block, which explained the price. It was beautiful, with ornate plasterwork on the ceilings, grand fireplaces, stairs and polished wood. Fantastic views of Manhattan and the waterfront. Plus, there was a small garden off the first floor.
It was fantastic.
“I love it,” I said, feeling a sense of excitement at the prospect of getting a home like it or something similar. “Now, if only we could settle where Maureen and Chris will be living and whether we get custody during the week, I’d feel like we could get it. But until then, we should wait. If they pick somewhere at the other end of Brooklyn Heights, it would mean a lot of driving to get to the school…”
Drake shrugged. “If we really love it, we could get it. We can always drive the kids to school. It’s not like we’re not going to anyway.”
I took in a deep breath, loving the home and location.
“Hopefully, it will all be settled soon.”
We went to sleep in each other’s arms, our minds filled with the coming trip back to New York and our search for a home.
* * *
The next day felt hectic,even though it wasn’t. We had a leisurely breakfast with Ethan and Elaine in the suite, but all the time I was eating and listening to them talk, I was thinking about the move and what it would entail. I kept running through mental lists of what needed to be done before our flight the next morning, and so, I didn’t feel as relaxed as Drake looked.
He looked so happy to be going back to New York and NYP in particular.
We drove out to the house to check on the cleaning job. It was the last item on our checklist for the move and once we approved the job, we would turn in the keys to the real estate agent, who would be responsible for selling it.
The house was immaculate, and the empty rooms echoed as we walked through them. I felt sad to think that someone else would be living there, but after seeing the potential homes in Brooklyn Heights that we could own, I felt a little better.
Drake shook the hand of the head cleaner, thanking her for the excellent work, and then we said one last goodbye to the place and left for good.
On the drive back to the city and one last night in the hotel, Sophie sat in the back, her Lego characters in hand from Liam’s gift.
“When are we flying?”
“Tomorrow morning, sweetie,” Drake said and glanced at her in the rear-view mirror. “We’ll get up early tomorrow and drive to the airport. Then, we have to go through Customs and get on the plane. We’ll be back in New York City in the afternoon tomorrow.”
She didn’t say anything in response but seemed excited.
“It’ll be fun, Sophie,” I said. “We have a really nice seat by the window, and you can look out at the clouds and the ocean when we’re flying. We’ll be like birds up in the sky.”
She nodded and smiled briefly. Then, she glanced at her two Lego characters and that was the end of her questions.
I took Drake’s hand and squeezed. “I’m excited to see the 8thAvenue apartment again.”
“It’s a walk down memory lane,” Drake said with a smile. “I was glad to stay there.”
* * *
