Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (20 page)

He nodded. “It may be a fantastic house and now even a valuable one, but it’s also a home, Cathi. You have to let the kids kick their heels up, and you have to let me eat!”
 

She gave a guilty smile. “Sorry if I’m being a bit obsessive.”

Michael had taken the girls out of the house pretty fast after that talk. She had tried not to lie to him. Technically, she wasn’t going to leave the house. Nor would she clean. It was all done. All she had to do was walk in ever decreasing circles, ensuring everything was perfect for her maybe house buyers.

Having lapped the lower lever, Cathi headed upstairs to double- and triple-check the bedrooms. That’s when she heard the first set of visitors. A shiver of apprehension tickled down her spine. Should she pretend to be another buyer or tell them the truth that she was, in fact, the owner and as such could answer any questions they had? She was in Katie’s bedroom at the time, so she checked her reflection in the full-length mirror there.

Just like every detail in her house, Cathi gave quite a lot of thought to her own style for the day. Today she was in Parisian black wool from head to toe, and she wore a long gold chain. Cathi liked a classic style of tailoring as opposed to Maria’s more flamboyant form. She knew her friend turned more heads than she did, but Cathi was stable, steady, and reliable. She didn’t live life at the same high-octane level Maria did. Although today sure was frantic.
 

She heard another couple arrive, and her heart beat faster. Returning to her reflection, she studied herself. Cathi worried if the all-black look was a little too morbid, like she was going to a funeral, but then she reminded herself it was very chic and classy. That was what she was selling today—style and grace. She heard voices coming up the stairs. Strangers were wandering around her house with a view to buying it. How incredible was that? Then they were in the room with her.

The man nodded at Cathi when she turned to say hello.

“Isn’t it a fabulous house?” She hadn’t planned on saying anything. It just came out.

The woman looked at Cathi and gave a slight nod of agreement.
 

“Just look at the proportions of this room,” she said. “And the décor? So pretty.”

Not looking as convinced as Cathi sounded, the couple glanced around at the much lauded décor.

“Isn’t it tasteful?” Cathi was finding her stride. “It’s so charming and elegant.”

The man shrugged. “We have three boys,” he said and walked out.

The woman gave Cathi an apologetic smile and then followed her husband. It sure stopped Cathi in her tracks. Her tiny rosebud-print wallpaper would be of no use to them. Oh dear. She let them go and waited for the next party to arrive. Within minutes, two ladies walked in. They looked like mother and daughter—the daughter being Cathi’s age. She smiled at her newest guests.

“Hello there,” she said. “Isn’t this a fabulous house?”

The woman her age looked nice and beamed at Cathi. “Oh yes,” she said. “The downstairs is lovely, too. All the rooms work together.”

Cathi’s heart skipped a beat. This woman understood her vision. “Don’t they? They
blend
. So much thought and money went into the house. It’ll make a fabulous home for somebody.”

“Oh, I agree and the location . . .” The younger woman was just as enthusiastic. Her mother hadn’t spoken yet. She was busy looking around the room and opening closet doors.

“What do you think?” Cathi tried to engage her, too.

She looked at Cathi for the first time and then at her daughter. Then she sniffed. “Smells funny,” she said.

“Oh, I think that’s potpourri,” Cathi tried to explain.

“Smells like cats to me,” the older woman said. “And the wallpaper looks like somebody threw up on it.” She walked out of the room.
 

Her daughter looked helpless. “I don’t think she likes it.”

“But you do?”

“Oh yes, I think it’s a dream home, but I’m not the one who’s buying here. It’s my mother-in-law, and I don’t think it’s what she had in mind.” She looked out the bedroom door to see which way the older woman was heading. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I better keep up with her,” she said and ran out of Katie’s bedroom.

Cathi was disheartened. She looked at the wallpaper anew. How could anybody think it looked like vomit, cat’s or otherwise. She turned her head to the side.
They are clearly rosebuds
, she thought petulantly. Was cat puke pink? Some people had no taste.
 

She swung around. “Oh, hi,” she said looking a little startled. Distracted as she was, she hadn’t notice the man entering her daughter’s room. He was alone and had a quiet walk. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

He nodded. “I hope I didn’t scare you.”

“No, I was just admiring this wallpaper. Do you like it? They’re rosebuds—not, not anything else.”

He gave the walls a quick once-over. “Yes, very nice. I have a daughter who’s just seven years old. I think she might like this room.”

Cathi’s heart leapt. “A daughter? There’s another lovely room just next door. I, um, saw it, too. It looks like it might be for a younger girl. This is all red, while the other is all pink.”

He smiled at Cathi. “Better and better. I have two daughters, so they could have a room each. Which way did you say it was?”

Cathi wasn’t going to tell him when she could show him. She moved out of the room faster than she could say
sale pending
and brought him into Stacy’s pink paradise.

“Wow.” He laughed. “You weren’t exaggerating when you said it was pink. But I guess this is what little girls like.”
 

“Oh, it is, it is.” Cathi was beside herself. Was she looking at the buyer of her home? He sure looked rich enough. She glanced out Stacy’s bedroom window and saw a rather gorgeous Mercedes parked in the driveway. If that was his car, he could afford the house.

“Is it just the two girls you have?” She watched her mystery man open the closet doors to see what sort of space lay within. She’d blitzed them over the last few days, too.

“My wife is pregnant with number three. That’s why I’m out looking by myself. She’s due in a few weeks, and she really wants to have a bit more room. I figure it’s the least I can do while she’s the one with the big job making the babies.”

Cathi was smitten. Was this guy for real? Rich and adorable. What a perfect match for her perfect house.
 

He looked at her a little more sharply. “Are you another realtor?”
 

“Me? Oh no. I’m not a realtor. I . . . I just live near here and thought I’d have a look.” She hadn’t planned on fibbing. It just happened.
 

He seemed to accept her answer. “Do you know if there’s a bedroom that would work well as a nursery for the new arrival?”

“Yes! Yes, I do.” She couldn’t hide her excitement. “Well, it’s a man’s study now, but it could be converted back into a bedroom for the baby, no problem, and it’s just next to the master suite, so that’s convenient. Have you seen that room yet? It’s to die for.”
 

It didn’t bother Cathi that there were no more prospective buyers after the man she now thought of as her Prince Charming. Collette didn’t seem too happy with just three parties, but Cathi was walking on air.

“I’m telling you, Collette, he’s our buyer. He loved everything about upstairs, and we both know the downstairs is even better than the upper level. I think he’s our buyer.”

Collette gave her a weak smile. “I’ve been in the business a long time, Cathi. They can say one thing and think another. Please don’t get your hopes up just yet. We’ll have more open house days, and I’m sure I could get more interest if I put a for sale sign up in your yard.”

“No.” Cathi’s tone was harsher than she meant. “I mean, no thank you. Really, Collette, I don’t want to unsettle the children. We haven’t told them about the move yet, and if we have the deal done before they know, that would be a great help.”

“I wish you’d reconsider. You’d sell a lot faster with a sign.”

Cathi didn’t care, because she was convinced she already had her buyer. That gorgeous man with the big car loved her home. He was rich, good-looking, and adored his family. What more could any woman want?

“Okay, I think I better pack up.” Collette interrupted her house-selling dreams, which was a good thing because it made Cathi check her watch for the first time all afternoon.

“Oh my! I had no idea it was so late. Yes, yes, you must go. Take your open house sign and all the house brochures.” She was almost pushing Collette out the door now.

“Can’t I leave the brochures and the sign here for next weekend?”

“No.” Cathi panicked. “Take them with you. I’ll call you. Let’s see if we get anywhere with today’s house hunters first.”

If Collette thought her client’s attitude was strange, she didn’t show it. She bundled the kit into the back of her car and left a rather frazzled Cathi in peace.
 

Alone once more, Cathi rushed around the house. She switched on the television, threw some popcorn in the microwave and did a quick tour to ensure all the rooms looked normal. Thank goodness she did, because to her horror a house brochure lay on her bed.
 

“Vindictive old woman,” Cathi muttered, assuming it was the granny who had disliked the house so much. She pushed the brochure down to the very bottom of the trash. Then she rushed about the house making it look a bit more disheveled. She lit the gas fire and bounced on the sofa cushions so it looked like she’d been lounging there for the afternoon. When her popcorn pinged, she threw it into a big yellow plastic bowl and brought it into the living room.
 

Cathi found
Gone With the Wind
on cable and started watching it from the halfway point. Just as it began to look like she had everything settled, she remembered Fifi. She’d put her in the garden shed for the afternoon. It was unfortunate but necessary.
 

Some house buyers weren’t into small dogs. Some were even cat people—who knew? She wondered which her Mr. Perfect was as she went to get the dog. Fifi was livid and barked her annoyance until Cathi picked her up.

“Hi, honey, we’re home.” She was in the kitchen when she heard her husband call from the living room.
 

Ooh, that was close
, she thought.
 

He walked into the room and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “I can smell freshly baked bread in here. What a great idea—you’re watching
Gone With the Wind
. Good girl. Nice afternoon?” he asked as he headed over to the fridge and opened the massive chrome doors. “Hey, what’s on this door?” He winced in disgust when his hand brushed up against the outside. “Were the kids messing around with the fridge this morning? This feels gross. It’s covered in some sort of oil.”

Cathi reached for a tissue.

Chapter Fourteen

Mixed Blessings

Maria reached for a tissue and blew her nose loudly. She’d read so many stories and seen one too many
Oprah
s on this subject. They all said the same thing—if a woman thought her husband was having an affair, she was probably right. One thing Maria was certain about—they were having major marital problems.

She and Ricky had moved beyond the fighting stage. They hadn’t had a full conversation since the stupid fight over Puerto Rico. Maria understood there was more than a simple argument going on here. They often disagreed on stuff. She knew she was quick to fly off the handle, but he used to love that about her. Some of their best makeup sex happened after those fights, but that sure wasn’t happening now.
 

Rick had refused to look at her the morning after they’d fought. Instead he’d told her he had to work all weekend. She hadn’t believed him, but he had left early both mornings and worked late. The following week, he had been up and out before she and the kids were even awake. He had maintained that grueling pace of work ever since. She didn’t need to worry about Rick bumping into their sitter anymore, because he was in the house so little. This was day ten of their cold war. Was that a record?

All the previous week, he had e-mailed her and said he was going to the gym after work. She had gotten into the habit of putting his dinner in the microwave, and then she would be in bed pretending to be asleep before he got home. The second weekend, he had claimed to be still working on his new Fidelity account.
 

She decided it was easier when he was out of the house. Then she could push thoughts of him away—most of the time. What had happened? How had it gone so bad so fast? There was only one real plausible explanation—Rick was sleeping with somebody else. No man could be spending that much time in the gym.
 

Maria had all but given up her running ambitions, but now that she had childcare, she could get out for some head space. That was the best thing in her life—her few hours of freedom.
 

She preferred to spend the time wandering around Bloomingdale’s in Chestnut Hill or heading for one of the bigger shopping malls while Jessie had Alice. With winter upon them, the shops were full of festive colors and gorgeous holiday decorations. She was never able to window-shop with the kids hanging on her, but with the sitter watching Alice, she could spend hours wandering around, enjoying the season and soaking up the atmosphere. Heaven.