Waking up next to Carly and holding my daughter all morning has been unbelievable. I never thought I could be so damn happy and content. Georgia has been coming over and helping with Natalia during the day as she usually does. With my limited mobility on my right arm and the fact that I have therapy every day, she’s been watching and writing from our place. And man does she have an interesting concept for her next crime novel…
We pull up in front of the large tri-level home featuring blond brick on the bottom half and white vinyl siding on the top. The first thing I notice is the concrete patio with white pillars. The double front door is a light oak with ornate, beveled glass.
“Wow, this is prettier than in the pictures,” Carly says almost absently from the driver’s seat. I glance over at her beautiful face to gauge her reaction to seeing this house for the first time in person.
“You ready?” I ask as she removes the keys from the ignition.
“To see this house?” she asks, still staring at the place in front of us. Then she turns towards me, her face lighting up with a bright smile as she says, “Absolutely.”
Natalia starts to holler from the backseat as if sensing that it’s time to get out. Slipping out of the car, I opted to leave the sling at home today so I could use both arms. Carly gets a very excited Natalia out of the backseat and hands her to me. I prefer to carry her everywhere we go, even if it’s with my less comfortable left arm. There’s something about carrying her. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that I know it won’t be long and she’ll want to walk and run everywhere she goes. So for now, I’ll soak up all this time with her that I can get.
I take in the house as we walk up the stamped concrete pathway. There’s an attached two car garage with a large master bedroom over the top. A large picture window is just to the upper right of the front door, which should be the smaller living room. The entire front is landscaped with well-manicured bushes and shrubs. This is exactly the type of place I want to raise my family in.
Our realtor, Charles, steps out onto the front porch as we approach. “Good morning,” he says with a big smile. The man I’ve spoken to in great lengths this past week is an older gentleman with gray hair. He’s wearing a plain white button down shirt and a blue and green tie with khakis.
“Good morning,” I state, suddenly nervous as hell. I just pray Carly can’t detect the hint of nervousness in my voice.
“Hi,” Carly says as she shakes Charles’s proffered hand, her nerves very evident in her voice.
“Well, come on in and let’s take a look around, shall we?” Charles motions for us to follow him inside the front door.
The first thing I notice is the beautiful tile. It’s a terracotta color and partners well with the beige walls. It’s warm and inviting, and I can plainly see coming home and walking through this front door every night. Straight ahead and to the right are stairs ascending while the stairs just to the left descend downward. We head that way first.
At the bottom of the small staircase is a large great room with warm beige plush carpeting. A large stone fireplace adorns the far wall with sliding glass doors on the back wall. I feel like I can’t look everywhere fast enough.
“Here is the family room. There’s obviously a large stone fireplace on this wall that was handcrafted by the best masonry in town. Over here, there’s a half bath,” he says while leading us to the small room just off the large open space. I link my fingers with Carly’s as we follow Charles from room to room. I can feel the slight tremble in her hand as we make our way through the lower level. Together, we walk over to the sliding glass doors and peek out. The doors are directly below the covered porch off the kitchen, so this area is shaded and comfortable. From what we can see, the backyard is spacious and beautiful. I can’t wait to get out there and check it all out.
“Here is the mud and laundry room. There’s a large storage closet here that already has a clothing rod on one side and shelves on the other. The washer and dryer both stay as well as the other appliances. All are about three years old. The previous owner purchased all new ones with their new house,” he adds casually.
“This way leads you to a smaller room that would make a perfect office, as well as the attached two car garage,” he says opening the door and granting us access. This is my kind of garage with plenty of space for two vehicles, plus extra room in the back for a small shop area. I’ve always enjoyed tinkering with cars when I was a teenager, which is what helped me prepare for the undercover job.