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Serenity Johnson stood out front of the cottage-style home and handed us the fact sheet. “Word sure spreads fast in this town. Here the Connor’s didn’t think they’d be able to sell this property.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why are the owners selling?” I questioned, looking down at the fact sheet in Ethan’s hand. “Is there something wrong with the house?”
“Quite the opposite. They have well maintained the home over the years. It’s been in the Connor family for many generations.”
“I see. Why don’t I recognize the name Connor from here?” I questioned.
“Well, Peggy, you probably wouldn’t. The Connor’s who lived here passed away about two years before you moved here. The couple who owns it live in Pine Harbour, five hours north of here. Tim and Verena Connor are the parents of Ella Darling.”
A shiver ran through me. Ella had passed away a couple of years ago. “Ah, well, it’s a shame that they are selling it as opposed to leaving it for Connor.”
“It is, but Connor needs to build a new barn after the last storm that passed through. He also needs to do some other upgrades to some equipment. Plus, the old farmhouse needs some repairs. Unfortunately, it all comes with a hefty price tag. Word around town is that the bank has denied him any more loan money. So, Tim and Verena came to me and wanted to sell the place and surprise him with the money from the sale of the cottage. Now, you both didn’t hear that from me…and on that note, that is enough gossip on my part.” Serenity smiled.
Ethan met my eyes. I could only imagine what was going through his mind as Serenity stood there, spilling all about Connor Darling’s problems. Everyone knew Serenity was prone to gossip. Somehow, she seemed to know all the details of everyone’s life in Willow Valley. Suddenly, I wondered what sort of rumors she would spread around town about us at this point. I softly smiled at him and nodded toward the fact sheet, pretending to be interested in something on there while Serenity slid the key in the lock.
“Honestly, I think you will really like this property. It sits on a little over an acre, and the water’s edge over there is the edge of Willow Valley Bay,” she said, pointing to the water. “I will let you know now that I have had more inquiries on this property since opening my agency than any other property in Willow Valley. Even people just passing through during summer vacation have stopped in to inquire. So, if you are even the least bit interested, you’d be best to at least make an offer. Once it hits the real estate booklet in a couple of days, I can assure you it will be gone. Especially at the price they are asking.”
Ethan looked over and smiled. “Noted. So, the property butts onto the water?”
“It does.”
“So that means I could make a viewing area over the water?”
“I see no reason you couldn’t. You’d own the property right up to the water’s edge,” she said, smiling.
“And I have full access to the lake?”
“You do. The only thing Willow Valley requires is a license to fish and a license to place an ice fishing hut on the lake. Otherwise, you can boat or canoe all you’d like. Would you like to go inside and see the house?”
Ethan nodded and took my hand in his. “Love to.”
“Follow me. Unless, of course, you’d like privacy and prefer to go through it on your own.”
Not wanting Serenity to hang on to our every word, I smiled. “We can look, and we will make a list of any questions we have.”
“Sure thing.” She nodded, pushing the door open.
“I think this would be perfect,” he whispered into my ear as we stepped through the door. “I mean, being close to the lake every morning would make my day.”
I smiled as we stepped inside. Ethan glanced down at the fact sheet. “Says here that everything has been recently renovated. The kitchen and all bathrooms, freshly painted bedrooms and new hardwood floors and carpets throughout. That’s a bonus.”
“It is,” I said as I ran my hand over the quartz countertop as Ethan followed behind me. “It’s beautiful,” I agreed, opening the pantry cupboard to check for storage. “Would you look at this pantry? Goodness, you could probably fit the entire pantry at The Crispy Biscuit in here.” I giggled.
Ethan stepped up behind me and looked inside the pantry as well. “It’s perfect,” he replied as we continued through the rest of the house. We checked out the family room, which looked out over the lake, then into the master bedroom, which also had a view of the lake. They had renovated the master ensuite to include a large two-person shower along with a large soaker tub. The last two bedrooms were smaller but still larger than we expected, and they shared another three-piece bathroom.
“This really would be perfect,” Ethan responded as we headed back to the kitchen to meet up with Serenity out front.
“Well, what did you want to do? Did you want to see the other places first?”
Ethan looked around the kitchen and then shook his head. “No, I think this is the one.”
“All right then.” I smiled. “Let’s talk to Serenity.”
“Well?” she asked as we stepped out the front door hand in hand.
“I think it’s perfect,” Ethan replied.
“Wonderful. So, it’s probably best if you make an offer if you are serious. We can see if they accept it and, in the meantime, we can always look at the other places you wanted to see.”
