And another chapter! Thanks for all the support, reviews and follows everyone. It means the world. :-)
When Grisha stepped through the door the following Thursday, he found his fiancée glued to her laptop, again. She'd been busy meeting the insurance company, searching for a new venue, and writing a new business plan, so he smiled, kissed the top of her head and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Just as he put the lid on the tagine, he heard her shout in triumph.
"I found it!"
He turned the heat under the tagine down and went back to the dining room. "What? A venue?"
"A house." She half-turned in her chair and reached for him, her eyes still stuck to her screen. "Look at it. Split level, three beds, two baths, a big enough garden to have a massive dining table… And the best part is that they have a separate guesthouse, which is perfect for when we have family coming over, or to convert to a workshop space."
Grisha laughed at her enthusiasm. "Slow down. Let me see it."
Dee scrolled through the pictures with him, explaining why it would be perfect. It was light, airy, had a big enough kitchen, although the stove would have to go because wasn't going to do with just four burners and the French doors leading to the balcony in the master bedroom were gorgeous… Stealing a glance at the price, Grisha calculated in his head. If they sold their house and they put a big of savings in it, it could work. And judging the way Dee was already re-furnishing in her head, she was in love with it, which meant that he was going to do everything to make her happy.
"Call the realtor," he said, getting up. "Make an appointment."
"Really?" Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, biting her lower lip.
"You love it, don't you?" When it stayed silent as he walked back to the kitchen, he called out. "Babe?"
"Well, yes… But you have to love it, too. It's a big investment."
"I know." He mixed the oil-and-lemon juice dressing with a fork as Dee came to lean against the doorpost, her doubt still etched on her face. "You won't know for sure if you live it until you see it. It may look ready to move in, but there is no way to be certain unless you see it. And if we're going to live there for, say, twenty years, it'll be worth the investment."
She raised an eyebrow at him, not totally convinced. "And that from the man who couldn't bring himself to buy a couch a year ago."
Grisha lifted a shoulder and grinned. "What can I say? I'm a changed man."
For a moment, she regarded him. "Are you sure?"
"Why the sudden doubt, sweetheart? You were over the moon two minutes ago." Putting his fork down, he took the few steps to where she was standing.
Dee took a deep breath. "I calculated the mortgage in my head. It's gorgeous, but the down payment alone will leave a serious dent in our savings."
"Probably." He shrugged. "Which will be worth it if we love what we're buying."
"Mmm."
Amused, he shook his head, pressed a kiss to her temple and went back to the counter to start their salad. "Call the realtor. Make an appointment. If you're still as happy with it after the tour as you are now, we'll find a way to make it work."
"It's the first house," she protested. "It's literally the first house I see, Grisha."
"So? It could be the fourth, or the fifteenth. Call. Go see it."
Early morning Saturday, Dee went to see the house. Callen got called away for a loose end on a case, so she was on her own. Getting out of the car, she squinted against the light. It was quiet around her, which she liked. The red fencing she wouldn't have picked, but they could always replace that. Closing the door, she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. On my way. Should be there in twenty.
Ah, he was coming after all. She sent him a thumbs up and walked around to the front entrance of the fence. The garden was as huge as the pictures had made her believe it was, which was good. Enough room for an outdoor kitchen and the massive family table she dreamt about.
"Miss Barrow?"
Caught off guard, she looked up. "Yes?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to spook you." The man held out his hand. "Adam Howser. We spoke on the phone?"
"We did." Dee shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you." She pushed her hair out of her face. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Absolutely not, you're right on time." Adam smiled. "Shall we go inside?"
Dee's eyes strayed to the guesthouse. "Actually, would you mind if we start with the guesthouse? I have proportions in my head and I really want to see if they add up."
"Of course." Adam preceded her in the other direction. "It's perfect for guests, you can even rent it out because it's completely self-sufficient. Everything your guests could need is there: kitchen, bathroom, a washing machine." He fished in his pocket for the key. "Did you have anything specific in mind?"
"That depends on the space."
"Here you go." Adam opened the door to let her in.
Dee looked around, trying to figure out if breaking down the wall between the kitchen and living room would give her enough room. She pointed to it. "Is that a load bearing wall?"
"No, not that I know of."
"That's good." Dee rummaged in her bag and produced a pen and paper. As Adam watched in amusement, she made a quick drawing of the space. "You'll think I'm crazy; and I 'm leaving you with that impression." Having finished her sketch, she pointed to the doorway on the other side. "Bathroom and bedroom? Can I see it?"
Adam patiently led her through the rest of the guesthouse, as Dee scribbled notes on her paper, mumbling to herself. At last, she folded her paper in half and nodded. "Yes, that'll do."
"Are you sure? No other corner you'd like see?"
Dee shook her head, chuckling. "No, this is it."
Adam took her from the guesthouse in the direction of the house. "Uhuh." Dee looked around the garden. "The garden wraps around the house?"
"It does. And since you have all those trees here, you're pretty much out of sight, which gives you great privacy."
"It does." She spotted Grisha's car pulling up the curb. "Ah, there he is."
"He? Were we still waiting for someone?"
"My fiancée. He needs to see the house. The guesthouse, we'll figure out if and when we're buying."
Grisha got out of his car and strolled in their direction. "Hi, sweetie. I'm sorry I'm late."
She squeezed his hand. "Glad you make it. Grisha, this is Adam Howser; Adam, Grisha Callen."
Callen eyed the realtor for a moment, then decided that he couldn't be bothered and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you." He turned to Dee. "You've seen the guesthouse yet?"
"I have."
"And?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "It has potential."
Grisha rolled his eyes. "Okay."
Adam took them in the direction of the house while talking about details. "They renovated the house three years ago: all new plaster, new master bath, new floors, new kitchen. It's basically ready to move in." He opened the front door. "Ladies first."
Deja stepped into the living room. It was as light and airy, and big enough. "I'm never going to get used to the fact that American houses open in the living room," she muttered.
Grisha laughed. "Oh, now you're going all European on me?"
"You're not from here?" Adam informed.
"I've lived here for the past fifteen years, but I'm from London." She turned to Grisha. "It's big enough, right?"
"It is," he agreed.
"I like the flooring," Dee said. "Real wood. Takes work, but it's worth it for the vibe of it. Oh, the kitchen!"
"Like I said, they put in a new kitchen three years ago. All stainless steel appliances, marble countertops, enough storage…"
Grisha leant into Adam. "You can save the speech. She's s a chef, she knows what she wants."
"Ah." Adam watched as Dee studied the kitchen. "In that case, why are you looking to move?"
He'd been thinking about that question. He couldn't tell the truth. But he hadn't really thought of another answer, either. Dee, thankfully, had. "We'd like to start a family, and our house is beginning to feel smallish." Well, at least the first part was true. "Besides, I'm relocating my café and we're trying to keep the commute as short as possible." Which would be true if she had actually found a new venue. Hetty was right; she would've made a great agent.
"Well, this is a great buy if you're looking to upgrade a bit. The kitchen to your liking?"
Dee nodded. "Whoever lives here likes to cook. Shelves are great, more than enough space… I like it."
Adam gave them the full tour. Three bedrooms, two baths and the yard later, Grisha knew he had to make some calls.
Dee was right, she'd found their house.
