Authors: Cheryl Douglas
He sighed. “Did
you ever think to ask me what I wanted?”
“I don’t—”
He silenced her
with a kiss. “Can we talk about this later? I have an appointment to get to and
I want you to come with me.”
She tried to step
back, but he wouldn’t release her hand. “What kind of appointment?”
“You’re gonna have
to come with me if you wanna find out.”
She rolled her
eyes, suddenly feeling happier than she had since she slipped out of his house
the morning he left town. He was here because he wanted to see her. That had to
count for something, didn’t it?
Derek knew he was
taking a risk inviting Ashley on his house hunt. He didn’t even know if she still
wanted a future with him. But he didn’t want to buy a house she couldn’t
imagine sharing with him… eventually. No matter how long it took, he was
willing to wait.
Judging by the
listings his real estate agent had sent him, the first house they were going to
see was by far the best. It was tucked away in an area of Hillsboro Village he
and Ashley used to love. It was so close to the university, they would often
sneak away to one of the local cafés or restaurants whenever they needed a
little alone time in between classes. That area had some great memories for
them, before their relationship took a turn for the worse.
Ashley smiled as
they drove past the boutiques and funky vintage shops she used to love. “God,
it’s been years since I’ve been here.”
He threaded his
fingers through hers. “We used to waste quite a few Sunday afternoons down
here, remember?”
“Of course I
remember.” She looked out the window. “I think that’s why I haven’t been back.
Everything here reminds me of you.”
He loved that this
was still their place, an area untouched by memories of the other people who
shared her past. He didn’t begrudge her the husband she’d built a life with or
the kids she adored, but it was nice to know there was still a place that
belonged to them and only them.
Derek turned down
a tree-lined street mixed with older and newer houses. Another street they knew
well. They used to walk Fairfax and the neighboring streets and imagine what it
would be like to share one of the quaint houses. The newer homes were bigger
and more luxurious than the ‘charming’ homes they used to favor, but they
weren’t kids starting out anymore. He thought she would appreciate the added
space and upgrades of the house he’d selected.
Ashley pressed her
fingers against her lips and blinked back the tears. “God, I used to love this
street. That house was up for sale when Josh and I bought our first home…” She
pointed at one of picturesque bungalows that would be perfect for a small
family. “I just couldn’t do it. I think he knew why.”
Derek spotted the
‘For Sale’ sign and turned into the paved drive. He sat there staring at the
house for a few moments, lost in his vision of the new memories he and Ashley
could create in this house. It was perfect. “Wow,” he whispered, smiling. “I
love it. I didn’t know if the pictures would do it justice, but they do. In
fact, it’s even better than I imagined.” He turned to Ashley. “Don’t you think
so?”
“It’s beautiful,
but…”
His heart sank. He
knew if she didn’t love it as much as he did, they would simply keep looking,
but his intuition told him this was the house for them. “You don’t like it?”
She gestured
toward the house with a trembling hand. “What’s not to love? It’s gorgeous, I
mean from the outside, but…”
The real estate
agent waved as she pulled into the double drive beside them. He’d called a
woman Ty used to know from his high school days. In fact, if memory served,
they were once an item, but Derek couldn’t swear to it. With four boys, there’d
been a parade of pretty girls through the McCall house over the years.
“Come on,” he
said, reaching for his door handle. “Let’s see if this house looks as good on
the inside as it does on the outside.” If the virtual tour was any indication,
he knew Ashley would be impressed.
“Hey, y’all,”
Tanya said, stepping out of her shiny convertible. She walked around to the
front of Derek’s truck, giving him an enthusiastic hug before he could reach
Ashley’s side of the vehicle to help her out.
“Hey, Tanya, long
time no see. How’s life been treatin’ ya?”
She grinned. “I
can’t complain. I married my business partner. We’ve got twin boys. All in all,
life’s pretty good.” She poked him in the ribs. “Not as good as it is for that
hot shot brother of yours, though.” She rolled her eyes. “If I’d known he was
gonna hit the big time, I wouldn’t have ditched him the night of our senior
prom.”
Derek laughed. “I’ll
tell him you said that.”
“If I had a dollar
for every dumb mistake I’ve made over the years, I wouldn’t have to work for a
living.”
Lord, did he know
how she felt. “With age comes wisdom, right?”
She set her
large-framed sunglasses on top of her head, pushing her shiny blond tresses
away from her face in the process. “God, I hope so.” She walked toward Ashley
and offered her hand. “You must be the lucky Mrs. McCall.”
Ashley glanced up
at Derek, looking decidedly uncomfortable. “Uh—”
“Why don’t we get
started on that tour you promised me, Tanya? I can’t wait to see the inside.”
He didn’t feel the need to explain their relationship to a virtual stranger,
and he could tell Ashley appreciated the reprieve.
Tanya pulled the
keys out of her oversize designer handbag. “You got it, Derek. I have the keys
right here. The owners have already moved out of state, and they didn’t want a
lockbox on the house, so they just left the keys with their agent. Another
agent in our office has the listing, and he assures me the vendors are very
motivated.” Her high heels tapped against the cobblestone walkway as she led
them to the stained mahogany door.
Derek pressed a
hand to Ashley’s back, encouraging her to move forward. Judging by the look on
her face, she would flee at the slightest provocation. Like he would let that
happen; hell, he’d stand guard by the door if he had to.
Tanya glanced at
the gun and badge strapped to the waist of his jeans before she opened the door
and punched in the alarm code. “So, you’re one of Nashville’s finest, huh?”
“I am now. I just
packed up my place in Arkansas last week.”
“Well, welcome
home.”
He smiled as he
pulled Ashley against his side. The look on her face when she looked around the
main floor of the open-concept house said it all. She loved it as much as he
did. “Thanks, it’s great to be back.”
“How’s the real
estate market in Arkansas?”
“It must be good.
I got two offers on my two-story penthouse within twenty-four hours of puttin’
it on the market.”
Her lacquered
mouth fell open. “Are you serious? God, I thought multiple offers were a thing
of the past in this economy.”
He shrugged. “I
guess I got lucky. My building always had a waiting list and there were only
four penthouse suites in total.” He followed Ashley’s gaze into the cozy family
home off the gourmet kitchen. It had wall-to-wall built-in cabinets, painted
soft ivory, a floor-to-ceiling fireplace, hardwood floors, and impressive
plaster mouldings. He wouldn’t change a thing. Everything, right down to the
furniture, was perfect.
Tanya smiled. “You
just might be gettin’ lucky this time around, too. This house was custom built
about eight years ago, but they spared no expense. Everything, from the kitchen
to the games room, is top quality.”
Derek didn’t know
a lot about new home construction, but even a layperson could see this was a
quality house. “I like what I see so far.” He squeezed Ashley’s waist. “What
about you, sweetheart? What do you think?”
Ashley gaped up at
him, as though she was at a loss for words.
Tanya’s cellphone
buzzed and she checked the screen. “Damn. My husband’s supposed to be showing
the house down the street, but he got caught up making an offer, so I’m gonna
have to head over there and meet up with his clients.”
Ashley slipped out
of his grasp and crossed the foyer to investigate the kitchen.
Derek wasn’t ready
to leave this house. In fact, he didn’t know if he’d ever be ready to leave,
and judging by Ashley’s reverent expression, she felt the same way. “You mind
if I lock up for you?” He grinned. “You can trust me.”
She laughed. “Of
course, take your time.” She handed him the keys. “I’m so sorry to have to bail
on you like this.”
“No worries.”
Derek would much rather wander around the house at their leisure. He wanted to
have an opportunity to read Ashley without an overzealous salesperson breathing
down their necks.
Tanya handed him a
business card. “Don’t worry about the alarm. I can come back to set it later,
but would you mind dropping the key by my office when you’re done? It’s the
real estate office right on the corner—”
“Not a problem. I
saw it when we were driving in.” He watched Ashley slide her hand over the
granite countertops as she stared out at the mature landscaping in the generous
backyard. “You gonna be at the office later… if I decide I want to make an
offer on this place?’
Tanya frowned.
“Don’t you wanna look at the other houses first?”
Ashley smiled as
she opened the sub-zero refrigerator. For someone who enjoyed cooking as much
as she did, Derek knew the spacious gourmet kitchen would be a dream come true.
Her home dated back to the ‘20s, when kitchens weren’t designed to be as
efficient. He knew she and Josh had expanded theirs, but it hadn’t been updated
in a while.
“I don’t know if
we’re gonna need to look at any of the others. I’m thinkin’ this might be the
one.”
Tanya giggled as
she pulled a feature sheet out of her purse and passed it to him. “I can’t tell
you how many people go back to the very first house they saw after looking at
dozens more. Problem is, sometimes it’s already taken by the time they realize
it’s the one they want.”
Derek would never
make the mistake of letting something he wanted slip through his fingers again.
His experience with Ashley taught him to seize every opportunity instead of
wasting time questioning his decisions. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem for
us.”
She winked at him.
“Your wife seems to like it. You know what they say, happy wife, happy life. My
husband can vouch for that. Why do you think he doesn’t even try to curb my
shoe shopping?”
Derek chuckled as
he scanned the paper she gave him. “I’ll keep that in mind if Ashley ever gets
carried away shoe shopping.” He scanned the listing quickly. “It says here all
the furnishings, light fixtures, window treatments, and appliances are
included?” Could he be that lucky… to find the perfect house, turnkey?
“What you see is
what you get. The previous owners were transferred. Apparently, his company is
setting them up with a new house, complete with a budget for new furniture. I
guess it’s so expensive to ship large items across the country, it just didn’t
make sense for them to take it with them.”
“I’m not
complainin’. Everything looks perfect, exactly as it is.”
“I’m glad you
think so. Sometimes these things are just meant to be, I guess.”
Derek glanced at
Ashley, who’d moved to a set of French doors in the family room. “I guess so.”
Tanya raised her
hand to Ashley. “It was so nice meeting you. I’m afraid I have to dash to
another appointment, but take your time looking around.”
“Oh…” Ashley looked
at Derek. “Okay, thanks.”
He waited until Tanya
closed the door behind her before turning his attention to Ashley. “Well, what
do you think?”
How could Ashley
answer that question without sounding presumptuous? This was her dream home, but
he hadn’t offered to share it with her yet. “I think it’s beautiful, Derek.”
He grinned. “I
think so, too. What do you think of the furniture and accessories? Apparently,
they’re part of the deal.”
Given the choice,
Ashley wouldn’t change a single thing about the house. She thought it was
perfect exactly as it was. She pressed a palm to the glass door. “Wow, they even
have a saltwater pool. Look at all that beautiful stone work, and the
landscaping… It’s breathtaking.”
Derek pulled her
back into his arms as he nuzzled her neck. “Could you imagine barbequing on
that patio… or how about just lazing around by the pool?”
“Yes and yes.” She
turned into his arms. “But we have to talk first.”
He stroked her
face with the palm of his hand. “Of course, you can talk to me about anything;
you know that.”
Ashley did know
that. If there was one thing that hadn’t changed over the years, it was the fact
that she still felt comfortable sharing her deepest secrets with this man. “I
learned something about your relationship with Rosanna when I was in Arkansas. That’s
why I left.”