Page 74 of Playing for Keeps
She waves a hand.“You’ve got to stop apologizing. I’m fine. Once we’re back in Hope Creek, no one will care.”
I let out a laugh.“You’d think, but I already got messages from Ash and Seb. So much for flying under the radar.”
She grins.“Yeah, same here. All the girls messaged me. I ignored them and just shut my phone off.”
I smile. “Same.”
She rises from her stool, and my eyes drop automatically to the jersey and her bare legs beneath it.
“I’ll make us some breakfast,”she says, breaking me out of my not-so-subtle stare.
“I can do it.”
“Let me, please. It’s the least I can do after you spoiled me yesterday.”
I offer a soft smile.“Okay. If you insist.”
“Bacon and eggs?”she asks, her eyebrow raised.
“Sounds perfect.”
She nods toward her laptop.“Check out the listing on the screen. That’s one I’m lining up a viewing for. Let me know what you think.”
I take her place at the breakfast bar and glance at the open listing. A striking three-story brick home fills the screen, surrounded by mature gardens. I click through the photos. There are dated interiors, a kitchen stuck in the 1970s, and five bathrooms that all need gutting. Still, the house has character, high ceilings, intricate moldings, and the kind of grand entryway you don’t see anymore. The sweeping staircase alone has me hooked.
“What do you think?”Ivy asks, slipping on her glasses as she comes to stand beside me.
“I love it,”I say without hesitation.
She turns to me, surprise lighting up her face.“You do?”
“Definitely. Sure, it needs work, but I like that. It means I can make it exactly how I want. It’s off Willow Street, right?”
She nods.“Yeah. A little outside Hope Creek, but with the land you want, that’s the trade-off.”
“I’m fine with that. Being out of town is part of the appeal. I know Hope Creek isn’t Phoenix, but I still want privacy.”
She smiles knowingly.“Can’t blame you for that.”A pause.“We’ll have to double-check if there’s enough covered space for your cars, though. That’s the only thing it’s really lacking.”
I nod, already imagining the possibilities.“That’s manageable. I’m excited about this, Ivy.”
Her grin widens.“Me too. That entryway and staircase? Imagine it at Christmas. A massive tree right in the center. It would look incredible.”
I chuckle. She’s not wrong. I’d been thinking the same thing.
“Yeah. It’d be beautiful.”
“I’ll set up a viewing first thing Monday.”
“Can’t wait.”
And I mean it, but not just because of the house. I’m already dreading leaving here, dreading the gap between now and the next time I see her. We’ve just spent the whole weekend together, and still, it’s not enough. Even when I’m with her, I’m thinking about her.
The idea of going days without seeing her?
It doesn’t sit right. Not at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
