Page 43 of Forty and Fighting Dirty
I’d won the house…but now I’d have to work with Rhett in and out of the office.
A flash went off,and I had the distinct impression that in the picture they printed in tomorrow’s paper, I’d have my eyes closed and a dopey, forced smile on my face. Rhett and I each held one edge of the key to the house’s front door. We were two halves of the town’s newest feel-good story.
We’d avoided a legal battle and decided to work together in the spirit of community. Wasn’t that wonderful? Rhett Baldwin was such a good man. To give half his house to that single mom from out of town. He had such a big heart, didn’t he?
My cheeks ached with the force of holding up my smile, but I couldn’t help the flutter in my chest when we were finally given the green light to enter the home. Nate and Alec hovered around my legs, Alec hopping excitedly, Nate hobbling on one crutch. It was Tuesday morning on a beautifully clear autumn day. The air was brisk and smelled like new beginnings. Snow had started clinging lower and lower on the mountains, but the valley was still clear. Frost dusted the grass and trees, and drifts of fallen leaves gathered around the bases of nearby bushes.
I’d taken the boys out of school to come see the house for the first time. They’d grown bored while I’d signed the paperwork, but now their excitement sparked again.
“It’s huge!” Alec whispered loud enough that a ripple of laughter went through our small audience. There was a local reporter, a photographer, David, Maya, and the raffle’s young social media manager. They watched Rhett, the boys, and me with benevolent smiles on their faces.
A part of me wished I’d fought harder. My claim on the house was stronger than Rhett’s, and I needed it more. But I’d had my fill of court battles during the divorce and custody hearings, and I couldn’t complain about winning half a house even if I should’ve won a whole one.
It meant I could keep my job—and I’d still get a payout when we sold it, even if I didn’t get to keep the house.
“Shall we?” Rhett asked. We still both held the key, and when I tugged it lightly, he resisted. He tugged it back, and I gritted my teeth as I kept a grip on it. Then his lips curled into a smile and he let go. He was toying with me. Anger and disgust stirred in my stomach like a sleeping tiger cracking one eye open. I curled my fingers around the key, feeling the sharp metal edges of it against my palm, and glared at him. His smile widened when the flash went off again.
“You’re enjoying this a little too much,” I grumbled.
“Mom, let’s go!” Nate exclaimed. He’d already swung himself up the porch steps beside Alec, and the two of them were hanging off the square timber column that held up the porch’s roof. Behind them, a freshly painted black door beckoned.
I cast one last glance at the exterior of the house and couldn’t quite quell the excitement in my gut. It was just so dang cute. A pitched roof overhung a huge front window. The house was clad in rich wood, with stone hugging the bottom half of each column. It was a two-story home, with a huge chimney promising an epic fireplace inside. Half-bare trees framed the view, evergreens poked their heads out from behind the house, and the mountains rose up in the distance. Against the clearblue of the sky and the slanted sunlight beaming down on us, the house looked like a dream. It looked like a home.
The wings of my heart fluttered. How would it feel to raise my boys in a place like this? There was room between the houses on this street, space enough to play and explore and create. When I glanced down the hillside, the town spread out at my feet down the valley between the towering mountains. It was breathtaking.
But it was only half mine, and I’d have to enter careful negotiations to make sure my boss and now co-owner of this beautiful home didn’t rip me off while promising to give me a fair deal. Wouldn’t be the first time I’d had to go up against Goliath in difficult negotiations. At least this time I wasn’t married to him.
“Mom!” Alec said, jumping on the porch. The boards creaked in protest, and I hurried up the steps.
“All right, all right, we’re coming!”
“Let’s get one more photo of you all in front of the door,” the social media manager, a young woman in her twenties, requested.
Dutifully, the four of us lined up like one big happy family. I hooked my smile back on, ignoring the ache in my face muscles, and then took a deep breath and turned toward the door. The eyes of our audience burned into my back as Rhett peered over my shoulder. My hands were steady as I brought the key to the lock.
It scraped a little, so I had to jiggle the key and try again. Then, with a little more force, the lock slid free. I turned the handle and opened the door.
A big foyer opened up, greeting us with the smell of fresh paint and something else—something a little mustier that I couldn’t quite place. High above us, a chandelier flickered to life after Rhett hit the switch, illuminating the big, dark wood staircase and thick ceiling beams.
My heart gave a mighty thump, and I tumbled right over into love with the place. To the right, the promised fireplace presided, looking a little worse for wear but still gigantic and cozy. The walls had obviously been freshly painted, and our steps echoed as we began our exploration. The camera shutter clicked and clicked and clicked as our audience followed.
Nate let out a whoop, and Alec took off. I tried to call them back and quickly gave up, laughing. They deserved to explore, even if I’d already explained that we wouldn’t live here. The past year had been as hard on them as it had been on me—a little happiness and hope wouldn’t go amiss.
My smile widened when I entered the kitchen. A big, deep sink sat beneath a window overlooking the huge backyard. The cabinets were very ’90s chic, with their orange hue and brushed brass handles, but it felt nostalgic rather than outdated. The tops of the walls were decorated with a homey wallpaper border filled with lemons and green leaves. A rumble came from the refrigerator as it came to life, loud enough to make me glance over and catch the expression on Rhett’s face.
He didn’t look like he was in love with the place. In fact, he looked like he’d just swallowed something sour and was trying to pretend he was fine. I watched him lift the lever on the kitchen faucet, and his scowl deepened as the water spluttered and spat, then became a trickle.
So the water pressure wasn’t great. That could be fixed, couldn’t it?
He folded that big body and opened the cabinet under the sink. Swearing slightly, he reached under to fiddle with something.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sink’s leaking.”
“Oh.” I moved closer, trying to look over his shoulder but not seeing much. Maybe that was where the musty smell was coming from. “Nothing a plumber can’t handle,” I answered brightly.
“Hmm,” he replied.
