Page 156 of For Wrath and Redemption
We climb out of the car and make our way up to the door. I flip through the keys, then smile when I see a queen chess piece on a keychain. I’ll have to commend Mabel for that one.
“I’m honestly surprised,” Claire says as I unlock the door.
“Why’s that?”
“I expected you to live in some sort of penthouse bachelor pad downtown with minimal furniture and a fully stocked bar.”
I swing the door wide, and we step into the foyer, and I watch her face go slack. It’s the perfect view of the open-concept first floor.
“What do you think?”
She laughs and flicks her eyes to me before she goes back to staring.
“Good lord, Jonah. This is beautiful.”
I drag my eyes away from her and take it in for myself. She’s right. It’s beautiful.
I’m met with vaulted ceilings that must reach about thirty feet and an elegantly crafted staircase leading to the second floor. Then there’s an expansive living room, highlighted by a stone fireplace, and a dining and family room with views of a pool and landscaped gardens. The real jaw-dropper, though, is the panoramic view of Downtown Los Angeles offered through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Even Sav’s house doesn’t have a view like this.
Claire kicks off her shoes, so I do the same, and then I follow her through the first floor.
“I was right about one thing,” she says with a laugh.
“What’s that?”
“Minimal furnishings.”
I glance around. “Oh, yeah.” I tap on the back of a cream-colored sofa. “I think these actually came with the house.”
She laughs again. “What?”
I smirk. “I bought some of the staging furniture. You know. So, it wasn’t totally empty.”
Claire shakes her head and walks into the kitchen, then whistles.
“Do you even cook?”
“I could learn.” I glance around the space. It’s a gourmet kitchen. Granite countertops, six-burner stove, massive refrigerator, dual ovens. I hum. “Looks like I’m going to have to learn.”
“Can I go outside?”
“You can go wherever you want.”
I follow her through French doors that lead to a BBQ patio. The patio wraps around the house and has access to the pool and spa.
“Whoa.” She cups her hand over her eyes and peers out into the distance. “Is that the ocean?”
I follow her eyes. “Yep. I bet we get some pretty sunsets.”
“You bet?” She turns and grins at me. “You’ve never seen it?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
She laughs and shakes her head, then turns around and looks up at the second-story patio. “Can I go upstairs?”
“Already told you, Trouble. You can go where you want.”
I follow her back inside and up a staircase to the second floor, where she wanders in and out of three sparsely furnished bedrooms and a few elegant bathrooms.
