Page 50 of Your Second Chance
“You’re already winning, Scratchy Itch.”
“I thoughtyouwere the Scratchy Itch.” I grinned, pulling the keys from my pocket.
“Tomato. Tomahto.”
Once the door was unlocked and I’d pushed it open, Nova wasted no time brushing past me, her bag slung over her shoulder.
“Holy. Shit.” She dropped her bag onto the bench in the front hallway and spun around, taking it all in. “Iknewyou were rich.”
Her grin was huge, the kind that crinkled her eyes and made her look like she was finally letting herself have some fun. It caught me off guard for a moment, and I found myself smiling back.
“Mum’s an artist, Dad’s in finance. They did well for themselves, and yeah, I’ve got a bit of an inheritance. I used it to get this place.”
She wandered farther in, running her hand along the back of one of the oversized chairs in the sitting area. The furniture was massive—deep, warm pieces. The dark interior gave it a grounded, almost moody vibe, with textured walls and dim lighting.
“This is unbelievable,” she murmured, spinning to take it all in.
“It’s a house,” I said teasingly, motioning for her to follow me.
“Just a house,” she repeated, shaking her head as we moved through the first floor.
When we reached the back of the house, I gestured toward the kitchen. “This is new. Had it redone a couple of years ago.”
Her jaw dropped.
Dark green cabinets stretched from floor to ceiling, their gold hardware catching the light from the pendant fixtures above the large island. The countertops were pristine, a marbled stone that added a touch of brightness to the otherwise dark space.
“This.” She pointed around the room. “This is adreamkitchen.”
I chuckled. “Glad you approve.”
She turned to me, her eyes bright with curiosity. “What about upstairs? Can I get the grand tour?”
I headed toward the staircase. “Anything for you, love.”
“It’s so warm.” Her hands grazed the banister, and we made our way upstairs.
“Thank you,” I responded earnestly. “I worked hard to make sure it was a place I wanted to come home to.”
“The last place I lived was cold. It was minimal. It wasn’t... a home.”
She glanced off into the distance, and I knew she was thinking about the place she had shared with her ex. A home with an addict, cold and despondent—it wasn’t surprising that was where she’d been living. What surprised me was that she found warmth here, in this space with me.
“How many bedrooms does it have?” she asked.
“Technically, there’s a garden apartment below,” I said as we moved up the stairs. “I’ve had tenants in it for a while, but they recently got married and moved out. So, including that? Five bedrooms. Four in the main house.”
I gestured to the large open loft space in the center of the upstairs. “I don’t know what to do with this, so I use it as a reading nook.”
Nova stepped in, her mouth agape as she spun around the room. “It’shuge,” she exclaimed, taking it all in. “And carpeted?” She looked down, her boots sinking into the plush surface.
“I know it’s kind of the American thing to do,” I admitted with a shrug, “but I hated how cold the floors up here were.”
I led her to the first of the three guest bedrooms, pushing the doors open one by one.
“Plenty of natural light.” There was so much awe in her voice as she walked slowly around each room.
“Kind of.” I glanced at the windows. “We’re close to the neighbors, though.”
