“Would you guys sit out here a lot?” I asked, imagining some evening when we might sit and stargaze together.
“More on the back porch,” John answered. “There's more room and it's screened in.”
He led me through the door and into the foyer.
“Wow,” I said, my eyes widening.
The ceiling was high, probably twenty feet, and featured a large, old-fashioned chandelier. The walls were painted an off-white, and a wood floor of rich mahogany flowed from the foyer down a long hallway that ended in a set of French doors. A wooden staircase stood off to the left, leading up to a second floor landing enclosed with dark wood railings. A small wooden bench stood by the door, next to a closet with white doors.
It was grander than I’d dared to imagine. I turned to John.
“I didn’t picture this,” I said, looking up at the chandelier again. “How big is this place?”
“Six bedrooms,” he answered, with more nonchalance than I thought that announcement deserved. “Five bathrooms. Like I said, it’s been in the family forever. Generations have lived here, often under one roof.”
I took another minute to marvel. Was I really going to live here?
“Where do you want to go next?” John asked, watching me.
“You tell me, it’s your house,” I said, still in disbelief.
He smiled, then lifted my fingers to his lips.
“It’s your house now, too.”
“I might need a minute on that,” I said, shaking my head.
He grinned at me, then took me down the hallway to the kitchen. Cream-coloured cabinets wrapped around the room, with lacquered wood countertops. A large island sat in the middle with a double sink and three raised chairs in front of it. A large steel fridge stood in the corner. On the opposite side of the room was a wood table, painted a deep blue, with four chairs. A set of glass doors on the far-left wall led into a dining room. Next to that, a white door stood ajar, and Kimmy stood inside a spacious pantry, putting away the food that Sarah had gifted us.
“Wondered when you’d turn up,” she said casually. “I got the other animals settled with Asha’s help, so I think we’re okay to be in for theevening.”
“Where is Asha?” I asked.
“Exploring the property,” Kimmy replied, and she suddenly sounded strained. “We…had a little fight.”
“Oh no, what happened?” I asked. “Is it about the council meeting?”
She sighed. “Yeah. I guess I didn’t do the best job defending her yesterday, but what did she expect me to do?”
John stared at the floor, looking uncomfortable.
“You could’ve called her your girlfriend,” I said with a shrug. “Not judging, but I can see why that might’ve—”
“She doesn’t want me to,” Kimmy interjected sharply. “And she’s made it very clear that she’s not my girlfriend, so I don’t know what she wanted me to say.”
“But…you guys are together,” I replied, staring at her. “It’s obvious.”
Kimmy crossed her arms. “Apparently not. She’s fine to travel with me for two months, to live with me, tofuckme—”
“Wow, this definitely doesn’t sound like my business,” John interjected, shifting from foot to foot. “When you two are done talking, I’ll be waiting in the hall, Claire.”
He left the room, and when Kimmy met my eye, we burst into giggles. For a moment, we couldn’t stop, and it felt so good to laugh together after months of tedious travel.
“I’m never gonna get tired of embarrassing him,” Kimmy said, wiping her eyes. “His face is fucking priceless every time.”
She imitated John’s brow, furrowed with discomfort, and I endured another bout of giggles.
“I’m sorry, Kim,” I said once we’d calmed down. “I didn’t know. I thought maybe you were just nervous about telling everyone about the two of you.”
