his hair is gray and thin. The lines on his face show the years spent working in the sun. His pale blue eyes show nothing but kindness.
“He knows. He approves. I only ask one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Keep this house a home.”
I’m not entirely sure what he means by that but I agree anyway. “Of course.”
He gives me a little half smile. “You don’t understand, do you?”
I laugh. “No. I assume if I live here, it’ll be my home.”
“You don’t understand yet, but you will.”
“Sounds ominous.”
He winks a bright blue eye at me. “Well, then. If you’re gonna buy this place and kick me out of my home,” he jokes, smiling at me, “I’d say we have some phone calls to make.” Richard slaps me on the back and we cross the yard to go into the house as I laugh at his joke. He looks at me over his shoulder and gives me a little nod in the direction of the house.
My footsteps falter as I take it in. My new home. One I wouldn’t be able to afford if my other house didn’t already have a sale pending. The front porch alone on the house that stands before me is worth the hefty mortgage. It’s the perfect place to sit with a cup of coffee.
The old farmhouse isn’t what I pictured myself in when I was younger, but now I can’t imagine living anywhere else. Location? Yes. Absolutely. But I assumed I’d be in something new like the house I’m selling now, not a house that’s a century old. But then again, I’m learning that what I once saw for myself when I was younger, is no longer what I want.
We spend the next hour going over numbers and signing papers that wouldn’t hold up in court because they’re handwritten by Richard himself, but we made a gentleman’s agreement and there’s trust between us. Until everything is finalized and official? It’s enough for me. And for Richard, it seems. There’s an auction house that will sell off most of his belongings for the farm as well as the household items he won’t be able to fit in the duplex he purchased. Aside from the few pieces of equipment that we agreed upon including in the buying price, he’s getting rid of most of his things.
Standing next to my pickup, he looks to the house and back to me. Before I open the driver’s door, he stops me with a hand on my arm. “Bring her here. That’s how you’ll make it a home.”
“What? Who?”
“You heard me.”
“Now you’re talking in riddles, old man,” I joke and the corner of his mouth ticks up. “Just say what you mean.”
“I did. Now it’s for you to figure out the rest.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll do that. Talk to you next week to close?”
“Yes. I hired a moving company, too. They’ll be here end of the week so it’ll be cleared out for you. Auction’s the following weekend. Once that’s done, it’s all yours.”
“You were so certain I was going to want the house, that you made all these arrangements already, huh?”
He shrugs a shoulder. “Just a hunch.”
I chuckle. “See you next week,” I tell him, climbing inside my truck.
He taps the hood twice before turning and walking away. I watch as he retreats back into his house, wondering how he’s handling this so seemingly well. I don’t think I’d part with something that’s been in my family for over a hundred years quite as easily as he is. Especially to someone who’s not related to me. But he seems happy, eager, even to make the move.
As I’m pulling out of the driveway, I look at the house in my rearview mirror and hate that I’m leaving it behind. I can’t believe I just made a gentleman’s agreement to purchase a house that’s meant for a family of at least six people. But something came over me and I couldn’t resist signing on the dotted line, so to speak.
I’m not sure why he contacted me about purchasing his house, and I’m certain he’ll never share that with me seeing as he seems to love having me figure things out for myself. Whatever the reason, I’m grateful.
Chapter Eleven
Addy
“I bought a house today.”
“Come again?” I ask, my head jerking up from looking into the dishwasher as I load it with our supper dishes and a detergent pod.
“I bought a…”
“No, I heard you. I just… what?” I stand up and close the dishwasher door shut and start it up.