Page 78 of Stronger Than Blood
I was pondering that when a fancy Lincoln rolled past the house and pulled into the driveway of the Victorian across the street. A man I didn’t know climbed out of the car, went to his trunk, and pulled a sign out, sticking it into the ground.
It read, For Sale. I laughed as I jumped out of my seat and rushed down the street to the surprised Realtor. “Um, this is for sale?” I asked, and he said it was.
“How much are they asking?”
When he told me the price, I shook my head. “Not worth that much. Sorry.”
“Wait, are you interested?” he asked.
“Not at that price, no. Maybe half that much.”
“Well, um, come inside. Have you seen the place?”
I shook my head. “No, it used to belong to my great-great-grandparents. My Granny Ida lived across the street, I just thought—”
“Well, come in. You might change your mind.”
I knew I wouldn’t. I knew what real estate went for around here because I’d already looked online to get an idea of what Granny Ida’s house would be worth. Still, the moment I walkedthrough the huge, tall wooden doors into the elegant living room, I knew I’d arrived home.
I let the man show me around, and I wanted to squeal at how beautiful the wood-paneled dining room was. It looked like something out of a magazine. Granny had been so sad to know the family who’d bought it from her family had let it run down.
But whoever had purchased it after that had done an amazing job renovating it, though. When I stepped through the door from the dining room into the kitchen, I froze.
“It’s a commercial kitchen?” I asked.
The realtor was frowning as if that wasn’t a good thing. “Yes, the previous owner was a chef in Nashville. He thought he was going to move here full time, but… I know this isn’t what most people want in a family home, but it could be…”
I ignored him and walked around the space. It was huge. Like you’d expect to see in a commercial kitchen. Hell, it was as big as Brenda’s kitchen. “He must’ve added onto the back to build this,” I said, mostly to myself, but the Realtor quickly answered that he had, and of course, all the appropriate permits were taken out for the build.
I didn’t even remember them doing it. How could I have missed that? I wondered. The fact that Granny hadn’t mentioned it or, rather, complained about it, was shocking as well.
We wandered through a formal sitting room and library separated by what must’ve been mahogany doors and then up the intensely beautiful staircase to four bedrooms. The fourth, the primary suite, was built on top of the kitchen extension and featured all the modern conveniences, including a walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom.
We walked up another set of stairs, and I paused before going into the attic because on the doorframe, right next to the door, were little notches and a carved name, “IDA.” I laughed, and theRealtor turned toward me and again frowned when he saw the name.
“I told him he should’ve sanded that out, but the owner swears it adds character.”
“Indeed,” I said, and followed him into a large open attic space. I’m not sure how I knew, except for Granny’s carved monogram outside the door, but I was certain this was where she and probably her sister slept as children.
When we walked downstairs and out the front door, I allowed the Realtor to rattle off about the thirty acres that went with the home. The exterior had been painted, and the slate on the roof had been repaired.
I didn’t say much other than to take his card. When he left, I walked across the road and called Jonah. “Um, is there any reason why I can’t sell the house that Granny Ida gave me?”
“No… Why? Are you thinking of selling?”
“Yes, and I think I’d like to purchase my ancestral home across the street.”
“There’s nothing to stop you from selling. In fact, I might know the perfect buyer. Do you know how much you want?”
I sighed. “Well, according to what I saw on the internet, with the acreage…” I told him what I thought it was worth, but that I’d need to talk to someone who knew more than me.
When I hung up, I wandered through the now-sleeping gardens and let the sadness flow over me. I would never plow the fields again. Nor would I pick endless rows of green beans and peas. Not that I minded giving that up.
That’d been Granny Ida’s thing. Of course, the food was amazing, but even if I ate the canned foods she’d left daily, I would have a few years left.
I hoped whoever the new owners were that they’d be willing to grow a small garden, at least. In fact, I would make sure they knew where the most fertile part was, just in case.
Now that I’d been in the Victorian across the street, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’d called the Realtor and asked him to show it to Kalinda and Rory, and they both agreed it felt like my home. Luckily, they didn’t say that in front of the Realtor.
