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“As a matter of fact, yes. Sammie and I looked at an old farmhouse that I think could be perfect for us.” Elliot brought her mug to her mouth and took a quick sip. “Good coffee, Sammie.”
“Thank you,” Sammie said. “Caspian’s very specific about how he likes it.”
“Don’t I know it,” Elliot said, rolling her eyes.
“Where’s this house?” I asked, curious. How come no one had mentioned it to me before now?
“An old farmhouse down that one road—what’s it called, Sammie?” Elliot asked.
“Holland Road,” Sammie said, not looking up from whatever note she was writing in her planner.
“Yeah, right,” Elliot said. “It’s about three miles down Holland, and then we turned down a dirt driveway. Like I said, it’s a farmhouse with this cool old apple orchard. Does that ring a bell?”
“Sure, that’s the old Mobley farm,” I said. “Such a shame none of the kids were interested in keeping it. Mama told me when she was a child, they hosted fun parties every fall, with hayrides and bonfires. Everyone brought their own basket and picked as many apples as they wanted. People brought food to share—that kind of thing.”
Sammie sighed, sounding wistful. “Wouldn’t that be fun?”
“We’re going to do that,” Elliot said. “Every year. It’ll be a tradition. Sammie, you were so right about this house and the land. Caspian saw the vision right away, like you did.”
Sammie looked up from her notes. “I’m glad he saw it too.”
“They didn’t make a living off the orchard?” Elliot asked me.
“I doubt it. If I remember right, she was a schoolteacher, and he ran their small farm and did odd jobs on the side.” We hadn’t known them well, but Mama thought highly of the Mobley family. “But no one’s lived in that house for a long time.”
“The kids just want to get rid of it,” Elliot said. “Which is great for us. We’re getting it at a really good price. The renovations will cost nearly as much as the house. We talked to Stella and Jasper, and they think we should go for it even though I’m nervous about all the work.” Elliot picked up the other coffee mug. “Caspian’s all for it, though, and your dad agreed to help us.”
“He’s getting too old for that,” I said, chuckling. “But he’ll never admit it.”
“Caspian said we’d hire a lot of it out, but your dad wants to be involved as much as he can. We’re so lucky, aren’t we? Jasper and Stella make so much of what we want possible.”
“They always have,” I said. “I’m happy for you guys.”
“I wish it was going to be finished before the wedding, but there’s no way,” Elliot said.
“You can stay here as long as you need to,” I said. “That goes without saying.”
“I appreciate you saying that,” Elliot said. “I love living here with all of you, but it will be nice to have our own home for our future family and all that.”
“I totally understand,” Sammie said wistfully. “That’s my dream too. Or it used to be. Now I just want to—” She cut herself off, clearly realizing she was about to share an insight into her life. If only she’d trust me. I could help her. I know I could.
An awkward silence descended for a few seconds until Elliot broke it. “I should get back to Caspian before his coffee gets cold. You two have a great day if I don’t see you later.”
“What did you like about the Mobley place?” I asked Sammie after Elliot had headed up the stairs.
Sammie raised her head from her notes. “Everything. With a remodel, it could be restored with some modern touches, yet keep the essence of the original.” She went on to describe the layout. “It’s a house for a family. And the apple trees were so pretty. Think of all the pies and apple butter you could make.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever been inside,” I said. “I can remember going with Mama to pick up a box of apples, but I think I waited in the truck.”
“Selfishly, I’m thrilled at the idea of Elliot and Caspian buying it,” Sammie said. “Just so I can visit. And maybe help a little with decorating. I love putting rooms together.”
“It would be fun to refurbish an old place like that. Pop did it in the house where he and Mama live.” I told her how he’d bought it and fixed it up when he first moved here. “He rented it out once he moved in with us, so when they decided to move out of the big house, we had to do a lot of work again.”
“You did all of it yourselves?”
“Pretty much, except for electrical and plumbing. Pop doesn’t like to mess with those. He always says to leave that to the experts.”
“Would you want to build on the property or buy a place of your own?” Sammie asked. “If you were to move out of here into your place?”
