Page 102 of Second Chance with Seth
He glances up at me, smiling, before returning his attention to his phone. “So, once I’d dismissed that idea, I looked at other options.”
“Such as?”
“Such as buying somewhere like this.”
He turns the phone again, showing me a house which I know to be in Cedar Street, even before I look at the address. I recognize the style, and take a moment to study the photographs, showing an open plan first floor, with a beautiful kitchen, and space for a dining table, which leads to a large living area. There’s a terrace out back, and more than enough space to park both of our cars. Upstairs, there are four bedrooms, two of which have adjoining bathrooms, and there’s more closet space than even River could fill.
“It’s lovely,” I say, looking up at him again.
“You like it?”
“Who wouldn’t?”
He moves closer, turning the phone in my hand so we can both see the screen, and he pulls up a floor plan, pointing to the smallest of the bedrooms.
“I was thinking this would make a good home office,” he says. “It wouldn’t take too much work, and the rest of the house is in excellent condition.”
“It is.”
He nods his head, taking the phone back again, and taps on the screen a few times. “The other alternative would be something like this,” he says, turning it back around again, and showing me a second property, in Maple Street.
This time, everything is all on one level, with the front door entering straight into the open-plan living and dining space. The kitchen is slightly separate, through an archway, and there are three bedrooms at the back of the property, sharing two bathrooms between them.
“I like this one, too,” I say, looking up at him. “Although there’s nowhere for you to put your office… not if we’re gonna allow for a brother or sister for River.”
He smiles, using his legs to pull me closer. “No, but the house is a lot less expensive.”
“I noticed.”
He smiles. “I thought you might.” He takes his phone back again. “Do you want a third option?”
“I’m not sure I can handle it.”
He chuckles, tapping on the phone again, before handing it back to me. This time, I’m faced with a property in Beech Street. It’s significantly smaller than either of the other two, with a price tag to match. There are only two bedrooms this time, and one bathroom, and while it’s nice enough, I’m not sure I can see the point.
“Would we be gaining anything?” I ask him, looking up from the floor plan. “It looks like it’s roughly the same size as this place.”
“It is, but it’s on a fairly big plot of land, so there’s scope to extend it. We could add another bedroom, and a home office, and at least one more bathroom.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that, but before I voice my doubts, I offer him the phone. “Are there any more?”
“Not that I’ve found.” He tilts his head slightly. “So… what do you think?”
“They’re all lovely houses, but I’m not sure about that last one.”
“No?” he says, glancing down at the screen again, where I imagine it’s still on display. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. But I don’t like the idea of living somewhere while we have construction work done… not when River’s so little.”
“We could live here while it’s done, you know?”
“Hmm…” I’m still not convinced and I think it must show, because he swipes to the right on his phone and smiles up at me.
“We can dismiss that idea, if you like?”
“It might be for the best. I mean, how would we pay for the work?”
“The cost of the house and all the work wouldn’t be any more than buying the place in Cedar Street.”
