JENNIE
"How is your father?" I ask, kissing Lisa on her cheek before I greet Lily.
"He's a little nervous but otherwise in good spirits," she says, handing me Lily's overnight bag. "Thank you so much for looking after her."
"No problem. We'll have a good time, won't we, Lily?"
Lily grins and wraps her arms around my legs, and when I pick her up, she hugs me. We've grown close, and she likes staying with me on the rare occasions Jackie isn't available to look after her. "We'll meet you at the hospital tomorrow morning to check in on Grandpa."
"Is Grandpa sick?" Lily asks.
"Not really, honey," Lisa says. "But his hip is old, so he needs a new one." She pats her hip to demonstrate what part of the body she's referring to. "But after the operation, once he's recovered, he'll be able to walk again just fine."
Lily nods, seemingly content with that answer, then points to her bag. "Can I take my toys to my room?"
"Of course. But let me go with you, the stairs are a little dangerous." I put her down and carry the bag for her, walking behind her up the stairs. By the time we built this house, our kids were old enough for us not to worry as much about someone falling down the staircase, but I realized a while ago that it's anything but child friendly. I love that Lily is referring to Ella's room as 'her room' now, as she's only slept there a couple of times. We tried to sell one of the other three bedrooms to her, but she insisted, and even asked if she and Ella could have a sleepover together. I slip down the stairs while she's busy organizing her toys and yell for her to call us when she wants to come back down.
"Don't worry; I won't let her go up and down by herself and she's generally careful."
"I know. You're so good with her." Lisa suddenly looks emotional, and I reach for her hand, wrapping my other arm around her waist. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you worried about the operation?"
"No." Lisa shakes her head. "I mean yes, of course I'm a little worried, but just seeing you with her, it's…" She swallows hard and cups my face. "It's so wonderful and I still find it hard to believe that everything is so easy with you and so damn perfect."
"Yeah, it really is perfect, isn't it? I haven't felt so happy in…" I shrug. "Well, never, actually, not counting the birth of my children." The love in Lisa's eyes as I say this warms me and I contemplate telling her what's been on my mind for the past week. We've been over at her father's farm a couple of times to check what needs to be done while he's away and I've fallen in love with the place. "Do you have time for a coffee? There's something I want to talk to you about."
"Sure, I don't have to leave yet." Lisa makes two cappuccinos and we sit down at the kitchen island. "You sounded serious."
"Don't worry," I say, putting her at ease. "I've been thinking about your father's farm. You had it valued last week, right?"
"Yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. He doesn't want to sell it yet."
"And you don't want to live there?"
Lisa frowns. "I love the farm and Dad wants me to have it but it's totally unrealistic. I don't have the money or the time to do it up and besides, he'll have to sell it eventually so he can buy a ground-floor apartment."
"But what if none of that was an issue?" I ask. "Would you want the farm?"
"Of course. It's a special place to me and I'll be sad to see it go. But I made peace with that a long time ago; some things aren't forever." Lisa smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes.
"What if I fixed it up?" I say, deciding to just get it out. "What if I arranged for it to be renovated and extended so that your father could live there too? Or we could build a small place on the land for him to live. There's plenty of space."
Lisa stares at me for long moments but as expected, she shakes her head. "I could never let you do that. I don't want your money, you know that."
"But what if you just thought of it as rent? I'll live there for free, so I'll pay for the work."
"You'd want to live there? With us? And my father?" She hesitates. "Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes…" I swallow hard. "I'm sorry, I understand if it's way too soon, I just wanted to discuss it with you now before it goes on the market. Not that I'd want to buy it," I hastily add. That's not my intention, the house should be yours and Lily's one day."
Lisa stares around the living room and the kitchen then out to the pool and the yard. "I don't understand. Why would you want to move away from here?"
"This was never really my house," I say softly. "I like it here, at least I do now, but Mark designed it and Yeji did all of the ground floor interior. I love old buildings, places with character. Glass boxes aren't my thing, but I was charmed by your father's farm the first time I saw it. It's such a beautiful location and it has genuine character." Lisa remains silent and taking her hand, I smile to let her know it's no big deal. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. Forget I ever said anything."
"No… I just didn't think you'd ever consider living on a farm, especially not with my father on the premises."
"Where I come from, it's totally normal to take your parents in when they're old. Not that my mother would ever want to live with me. Anywhere would be too small for her and her cats, which trust me, is a blessing."
Lisa laughs, and this time it's genuine. She gets up and embraces me from behind, nuzzling her face in my neck. "Are you serious about this?"
"I am." I turn around on my stool and pull her between my legs. "I love you and I want to be with you every day. And I've thought about asking you and Lily to move in here, but I don't think this is the right house to start a life together. It has too much baggage and as I said, it's just not me but I could rent it out during the summer season, or maybe even sell it back to Mark, if he's interested."
"You have no idea how happy you've made me by saying that," Lisa whispers. "I want to be with you every day too. And if the farm is genuinely somewhere you could see yourself, then I could think of nothing better."
