Not a bright yellow like my mom’s. But a really light yellow. I was pretty sure the average house buyer would just think it was one of many shades of off-white. But I could see the yellow hue. And I couldn’t really explain it, but it felt like I’d just walked into my home.
“Are you okay?” Tanner asked.
“Yeah…I…” my voice trailed off. The kitchen was top of the line. When I bought the lake house 15 years ago, our kitchen had been brand new. But this looked like it was just installed yesterday. “Did you flip this house?”
“No. A friend of mine did though. He put a lot of love and care into this place. He slowly renovated it while he was living here for the past few years.”
I turned around in a circle. “Why would he ever want to leave?” I ran my hand along the granite countertop.
“Well, it’s a family home. And he’s single.”
I nodded. This place did seem big for one person. I wouldn’t want it alone. I needed Jacob’s laughter to fill it.
“All the furniture was just delivered today,” Tanner said. “If you don’t like something, just let me know and I’ll replace it.”
“Tanner, you didn’t need…”
“I had to get it for the staging anyway.”
“Oh. So you rented all this furniture?”
He shook his head. “I don’t rent things.”
“But you’re renting this place to me.”
“No. I’m letting you stay here for free.”
I couldn’t stay here for free. But…I really did want to stay. I wanted to dance with Jacob in this kitchen. It just felt right. “How much is it to buy?”
He just stared at me. “You want to buy it? Brooklyn, you haven’t even seen the whole place yet.”
“I don’t know how to explain it.” I shook my head. “This house feels…warm. I can feel the love put into all the details. It feels like a home. And I want to give Jacob a home here. I want to give this city a real try. That’s what he wants.”
Tanner nodded. “I’ll have to look at some comps to determine the sale price. But for now…you can just stay.” He handed me the keys. “I’ll go take Jacob to his room and then bring the boxes in. How about you take a look around. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
“You’ve already done enough.”
“I would do anything for my best friend’s friend,” he said.
It was weird that he kept saying that. Especially since every time I brought up Kennedy he seemed to have no idea who I was referring to. I was really getting the sense that the two of them weren’t that close. Maybe Tanner just didn’t have many friends. Which made my heart hurt for him. He was an odd man, but I didn’t mind that. I felt a little out of place here too. It was nice to have a new friend. Especially one Jacob liked so much.
“We should get this little man to his bed chambers,” he said.
Bed chambers?I just shook my head with a smile and lifted Tanner’s hat off Jacob’s head. My little guy had completely lost his stranger danger over the past few days. He’d had so much fun playing with Tanner today. And Tanner didn’t even care when Jacob ran all over the limo butt naked wearing nothing but Tanner’s borrowed hat.
“Goodnight, sweet boy,” I whispered and kissed his forehead. “Here’s your hat back,” I said and handed it to Tanner.
“Oh, no, he should keep it.” Tanner put it back on Jacob’s head. “I think he looks like a proper gentleman, don’t you?”
I laughed. Jacob was still naked, except for that hat. “He definitely looks like an old-fashioned gentleman.”
Tanner nodded. “Indeed. I’ll be back down in a minute. Finish taking a look around.”
I nodded and watched the two of them go upstairs. I ran my hand along the granite countertops. Honestly I didn’t need to see the rest of the house. But I was a little curious. The kitchen was open to the living room. And it seemed just as homey as the kitchen. I wandered down the hall and out the back door.
There was a small yard back here. With a patio, table, and grill. It was cute. Nothing like the huge open yard the lake house had. But bigger than one would expect to have in the city. I could picture Jacob playing out here for hours.
I wrapped my arms around myself. I was still wearing one of Miller’s old sweatshirts. And his smell on the fabric made it feel like he was giving me a big hug. I looked up and my eyes started to water. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to see the stars in the city. But on this cloudless night, away from the high rises, I could make out a few. Especially the biggest, brightest one. “Is this okay?” I whispered.
