"It's vacant at the moment. The previous tenants moved out last week. Perfect timing, and it's only $130 a week so I'll be able to afford to buy some furniture to put in the house too. I guess we need to start looking for all that stuff."
She frowned as she grabbed her pen and jotted down a few notes about furniture she'd need to buy on a piece of scrap paper. How on earth was she going to get all this done in a week?
"How about we take a tape measure with us and measure the house, then we can go do a round of the second hand shops and see what's around that will fit."
She smiled as she looked into Dominic's eyes. He thought of everything--especially the little things she always forgot. She would have arrived at the furniture shop before realizing she didn't know how big the rooms were.
"Sounds great."
~ * ~
Dominic stood in the driveway next to Adele and the Real Estate Agent, Marlee Van Dyke. He was holding Adele's hand and felt her excitement vibrating through her. He looked at the house. It really was purple. The photos hadn't been exaggerated as he had hoped. Some moron had actually clad the house in light purple iron paneling. From the outside, the house didn't look anything special--aside from the purple factor--just your average iron clad home with a fenced backyard and carport. He could tell Adele loved it already, so it looked like he was going to have to get used to a purple house, not that he expected to be moving in with her next week. It was too soon for that, but at some point they would live together--apparently in this bloody purple house.
Dominic allowed Adele to drag him up the drive behind her. He could hear her quietly chuckle.
"Something you find amusing, beautiful?" He was pretty sure it was his reaction that had her amused, but he couldn't resist the chance to tease her a little.
"Don't you like purple, Dominic?" Her voice was laced with humor as she spoke.
"I like purple just fine. Just not on houses as the only color." That earned him another chuckle as Marlee opened up the front door and ushered them inside then led them around the house on a quick tour. Dominic was having serious trouble not wincing as each room revealed more purple horror. Even the metal edging around the shower door was bloody purple! However, Adele was right about the kitchen. It was nice and big and the stove was brand new. He needed to focus on the positives. The bedrooms had built in robes so that was money saved. He took out his tape measure and started taking measurements of the rooms while Adele and Marlee finished going through the house. He needed to distract himself from focusing on the purple everywhere. He made sure to measure the windows too. The deep purple curtains were going. There wasn't going to be a discussion on that one. There was a limit of how much he could endure, and the curtains pushed way beyond it. He finished up and found the ladies chatting in the lounge room by the front door.
"There you are! I was starting to wonder if you got lost. I can move in as soon as I want. I was thinking Wednesday. That will give me a few days before Kelly gets released to get everything set up. Do you think you and Kit could get the day off to give me a hand?" Adele's voice was so excited Dominic couldn't help but smile at her.
"Sure, beautiful. You'll have all the help you'll need. I promise," he said with a wink.
~ * ~
Adele smiled as she stood in the driveway of her new home. Number fourteen Wattle Avenue. She was fingering the front door key in her hand as she looked up at the house. It was a pretty house, iron clad and painted purple. She knew a lot of people who wouldn't be caught dead in a purple house, but she loved the color. It wasn't anything special, just your average three bedroom house with a fenced backyard and carport. But it had been available for her to move in straight away, and the rent was in her price range--and most importantly the Child Protection Service had approved it as suitable.
Kelly. Her poor petit fille would remain in the hospital until Friday; poor girl had been horrendously beaten. Adele brushed a tear away from her cheek. Kelly's pain was over, and she would never be hurt like that again. Adele would make sure of it.
As Adele unlocked the front door, she heard footsteps coming up behind her. Before she had time to turn around to see who it was, she was lifted in the air with ease. She squealed in surprise until Dominic silenced her with a steamy kiss. It had only been four days since Dominic had made love to her for the first time and rocked her world. Her cheeks heated in memory, but damn, the man was hot.
"Dominic, what on earth do you think you are doing?" She asked, her voice all husky at the heat Dominic brought out in her by simply holding her.
"Why, my love, I'm carrying you over the threshold. You don't move into a new house every day and you have to make sure you do it just right," he said it in a serious tone but the glint in his eyes gave him away. Adele couldn't help but laugh. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on his cheek.