Page 74 of Where Secrets Lie

Hez’s eyes flew open. “What’s wrong?”

“Look! My favorite house is for sale!” They’d driven by it plenty of times in the past, but he’d never been inside. The owner, Edward Mossberg, was an architecture professor, and he’d been a friend of her grandfather’s. Grandpa Andre had brought her to visit several times when she was a child. “Do we even want to look at it? It’s probably way over our budget.”

“I’d love to see it.”

“I’m half afraid to. It was a magical place when I was a kid, and I’d hate to see all its foibles now. I might see it through a different lens.” But she turned into the lane anyway and parked in a space at the end of the driveway. From here it was justas charming as she remembered. She pointed out the folly perched on the hillside overlooking Mobile Bay. The miniature medieval watchtower had always felt so real to her, and it was still in pristine condition.

She turned off the car and opened her door. The green carpet of grass was soft underfoot. Bees hummed in the flower beds along the walk to the door, and hummingbirds fluttered around the red feeders. “I think there are several acres here. The yard seemed to go on forever when I was a kid. The owner tinkered with this place for fifty years, and every time we came, he’d added something new. I wonder if Mossberg Cove is still here.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a sea cave, and Professor Mossberg pretended it was a pirate hideout. His grandkids loved it, and so did I.”

“It sounds idyllic.” Hez squinted in the sun as he stared toward the house. “It’s really different, though.”

Differentwasn’t a strong enough word.Unique,mesmerizing, andmagicalwould be more apt descriptions but still not the right words to describe how the home made her feel. “Let’s go inside.”

A woman wearing a slim tan skirt and an eager smile greeted them inside the front door and handed them a listing paper. “Have a look around and let me know if you have any questions.”

Savannah nodded and stood enchanted by the play of sunlight through the prism window onto the inlaid floor, made from wood from myriad different countries. She remembered watching the Mossberg kittens chase beams of light around the room. “I think there are prisms in most of the windows.”

“There are prisms in every window,” the Realtor said. “You seem familiar with the house.”

“I came often when I was a child,” Savannah said. She thanked the Realtor, then led Hez through the living room and up a spiral staircase to a tiny observatory perched on top of the house. “No window is the same. There’s the one with the stained-glass rose and another with a hummingbird, and then there are all those prisms. They make rainbows where you least expect them, and they never look the same in the summer as they do in the winter.”

Hez stared up at the roof in the observatory. “Is that thing retractable?”

She nodded. “I was here once during an eclipse, and Professor Mossberg opened it. I wanted Grandpa to buy the house when I was ten, and he tried, but Professor Mossberg refused to sell it. Can you imagine Simon exploring this house? He would love it so much.” And it might help heal him. Hez would do about anything for her, but she didn’t want to ask him to bankrupt them over a house.

She’d been afraid to look at the price, but she had to know. Her gaze dropped to the listing paper, and she blinked. “Hez, it’s not nearly as expensive as I thought. Look.”

He took the paper and read methodically through the listing. “We might be their only prospects. It probably costs the earth to keep up. If we broke a window, it’s hard to say how much it would cost to repair. That retractable roof on the observatory probably leaks, and I have no idea how hard it would be to maintain.”

She stepped closer to slip her arms around his waist. “I know it’s not practical, but I’m not feeling particularly practicalright now. Maybe it’s crazy, but I want this house, Hez. What do you think?”

He pulled her closer. “I think you’re much more beautiful than the house and even more irresistible.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her.

The breath left her lungs and all thoughts of the house flew from her head. Hez centered her, and where they lived didn’t matter. His fingers trailed through her hair, and a rainbow of light touched his face when he drew back.

“Can’t you just picture it, Hez?” she whispered. “Us slow dancing through rainbows on that gorgeous inlaid floor, having a picnic in the little tower, swimming in the cove, growing old together here.”

He smiled and wrapped a lock of her hair around his finger. “I can see us living here with Simon and our kids forever. Even all that upkeep might not be bad. I need something to keep me out of the office on weekends. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but let’s make an offer. I’ll bet we can get a good deal.” His hand trailed down to her cheek. “I’d give you the moon if I could.”

A starburst of joy jolted through her chest. This home would be their fresh start, and she imagined their children running through the grass with Simon. Their laughter was a faint whisper on the wind, but it was coming.

Chapter 40

Hez peeked into Savannah’s office to make sure she was alone. Then he walked in, shut the door, and did a little dance.

She looked up from her monitor and burst into laughter, the sunlight catching the gold flecks in her green eyes. She applauded. “Very impressive. I love that you have an actual happy dance. What’s the good news?”

He bowed. “The deal is done. The Hornbrook wire transfer cleared and we got the signed release of the loan and withdrawal of their claim. I’ll file a motion to dismiss the bankruptcy, but that’s just a formality at this point.”

“Whew!” She sagged back in her chair. “I was scared they’d pull out.”

“Me too, but they followed through despite some grumbling.” There had also been blunt and unsettling threats about what would happen if he or Bruno ever leaked the hacked videos, but no need to worry Savannah. “I think they also want to put this behind them as fast as possible.”

Her eyebrows went up. “But it’s not behind them or us, is it? What about Jess’s murder?”

---