Tudor Redemption (Tudor Dynasty Book 4) (16 page)

“What
about the heat and stuff?”

“Already
in.”

“I
have the girls to consider too. I doubt either one of them would want to move
back out here now.”

“They’re
grown women. If they don’t want to move, perhaps they could stay in the condo.
Or move into their own apartment.” Zara was glaring at me with her ‘don’t make
excuses’ expression.

“Okay,
okay. It won’t hurt to look. Let me go change, and we’ll at least go check it
out.”

Amadeus
drove the four of us down a little-used lane to the house. There was a stone
entrance and wall along the front perimeter. Something I hadn’t noticed the
last time. Zara gave my brother the code to open the black, iron gate.

“Looks
a little different from this side,” I muttered. It certainly didn’t give the
impression of being something massive.

Everyone
walked around in silence. I was pleasantly surprised when Beth took my hand as
I led her to the enormous great room on the main level. I felt her squeeze it
as she saw the massive wall of floor to ceiling windows.

“Oh
my!” she whispered. “This is breathtaking.”

“Look
at this fireplace, Dame.” It was made of river rock and ran along a side wall.

“The
house is pretty eco-friendly and energy efficient. There are three bedrooms on
this level, with two and a half baths. Two more bedrooms on the lower level,
along with a bath. The master is on the main level. All the wiring has been
done for internet, satellite, and security,” Zara said.

“What’s
the asking price, as is?”

She
rattled off a figure I, for sure, thought was a typo. So, I asked her to repeat
it and give me the square footage and size of the lot.

“It’s
tempting, I can’t deny that. I wonder what the water depth is at low tide. There’d
be no sense even considering if I couldn’t dock my boat here.”

“Your
sailboat would be fine. There’s specs here on the dock as well.”

“What
are you thinking, Dame?” Beth asked.

“I’m
thinking while it’s very tempting, I’m not sure I can throw more changes on the
girls.”

“Why
don’t you let them decide? They’re both mature young women who want the best
for you.”

“I
know, but I don’t want them to feel like I’m pushing them out.”

“Perhaps
they haven’t made any changes in their lives because they don’t want to upset
your sense of stability,” Beth replied.

“She’s
right, Dame. You have been the stable force in their lives since Julia left. At
the same time, they may be afraid leaving you alone might upset all that,” Zara
added. “You’ve got a lot going on right now, and more that’s fixing to happen.
It’s time to let them spread their wings. They know they’ll always have a place
to come home to no matter where you land.”

“Okay,
I get it. I need to cut the apron strings. Let me think on this and talk with
them, because this is a huge change.”

“Don’t
wait too long. I don’t think this place will be on the market long. Frankly,
Amadeus and I would rather have you for a neighbor than some stranger.”

“Like
I said, I have to weigh all angles.”

“I
don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m hungry,” Amadeus said.

“Come,
let’s go back to the house. I have stuff for lunch already prepared. Then, it’ll
be time to pick up the kids.”

“And
it’ll be time for us to head back,” Beth interjected.

I
said nothing, didn’t even look at her when she dropped that bomb. Obviously, she’d
misunderstood when I asked her to spend the day with me.

After
lunch, I loaded up the SUV. I promised Zara I would not only have the CD liner
notes to her that evening, I told her I’d have an answer about the house one
way or another.

Amadeus
grabbed Beth in a hug before she got into the vehicle. “It was great to finally
meet the woman who’s stolen my brother’s heart. I’m really glad the two of you
found each other again.”

“Thanks.
I really enjoyed coming out and finally meeting you as well.”

“Perhaps
we can plan for one last family jam before the weather gets cold, and that one
gets too busy with his career. Right, Dame?”

“Sounds
good.”

As
we headed toward the ferry terminal, Beth tried to engage me in small talk. I
think she’d seen the shift in my mood, but I wasn’t having any of it.

We
had to wait on the next ferry, so I grabbed the CD my brother had given me and
turned it on. I sat back and tried to listen to what I was hearing, blocking out
the outside world. This was beginning to get frustrating, and I knew I had to
get myself in check before I said something I might regret.

Suddenly,
the music stopped. I opened my eyes and glared at her.

“Dame
what’s wrong? Don’t you dare tell me nothing.”

I
sat up and turned to face her. “Where should I begin? First, I thought this was
a day we were going to spend together. Next thing I know, you need to get home.
I can’t figure you out, Beth. I thought we had all that behind us. But today,
you’re right back to being hot and cold about us and anything else. I thought
you wanted to explore what’s going on between us, but I guess you’ve changed
your mind…again. I know what I want, but I can’t take your inability to make a
decision. It’s driving me crazy.”

“We
have spent the day together. I’m not going to ruin it just because you want to
act like a caveman. I have a life, things I’ve carved out for me. Please
respect that.”

“I
do.”

“Why
don’t we plan something for this weekend?”

“Oh,
you want to pencil ‘us’ in your planner?”

“Damien,”
she groaned.

“I
bet if I told you I wanted to buy that house and have you help me turn it into
a home for us, you’d turn me down. Wouldn’t you? Because Beth has her own house
and her own life.”

“I
never agreed to live with you.”

“I
don’t recall asking. You know what? Let’s drop this. When you decide what you
want from me, us, let me know. I sure can’t figure you out, and I’m getting
tired of trying.”

I
turned back and stared at the incoming ferry approaching. I didn’t know how to
get through to her. How to make her understand what I wanted and needed from
her. I was at a complete loss. Perhaps I needed to back off and allow her to
figure it all out. What was it with women? The only thing they seemed to want
out of me was to crush my heart. That wasn’t happening. Not again.

By
the time we arrived in Seattle and I pulled up at the Bainbridge ferry dock, I
was still barely speaking.

“I
really did enjoy today, Dame. Even if you don’t like the way it’s ending. I’ll
call you tomorrow, and we’ll plan something for the weekend. Okay?”

“Sure.
Whatever pleases you, Beth. Right now, I need to get home and finish some
stuff. I’m not going to sit around any longer. I’ve been doing that for too
many years. I’ve got things to plan and do. Either you’re with me or you’re
not.”

“Don’t
ruin this for us, Damien. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“It’s
you who needs to think about not ruining it for us. You’re the one who can’t
make up her mind.”

I
leaned over, shut the door, and watched her as she looked at me for a second
before turning and walking toward the terminal.

When
I arrived home, I thankfully found myself alone. I threw everything on the bed,
grabbed the CD, and headed to my desk. Opening my laptop, I found what Zara
needed, reread it and sent it on.

I
then made the decision. I was buying that house. With or without Beth. I knew I
had to jump on it. The girls would insist I pursue it if that’s what I wanted. And
it was.

I
typed out a text to Zara and told her I wanted the house. I mentioned I didn’t
have an agent, so I was going to need some hand holding into how the process worked.

A
few minutes later, she fired one back. She sent word to her realtor friend,
telling her I wanted the details on the property and was interested in making a
bid.

So,
I waited.

Courtney
walked in, bubbly as usual. Britt followed suit, making me wonder if this was a
staged take over.

“How’d
your photo shoot with Aunt Zara go today?” Britt inquired.

“Great.
Would you like to see what we chose for the cover?”

“Yes!”
they both chimed in together.

I
pulled up Zara’s email and opened the attachment. They both stood there, mouths
hanging open.

“Well,
what do you think? Pretty cool, huh?”

“Pretty
bad ass, Daddy,” Court replied, grinning.

“Britt?
What do you think?”

“I
think it’s the best picture I’ve seen of you. For your career of course. I love
it.”

“Thanks.
Zara’s going to get it fixed up with the graphics, send it to me for approval,
and then it’ll go to Peter’s people to put the entire package together.”

“Why
are you using Peter’s people? I thought that’s why you started your own company?”
Britt asked.

“Because
he offered his services until I get everything in place. That takes time. Next
one will probably be done in-house.”

“Um,
where’s Beth?” Courtney asked, looking around the house.

“She
went with me, but she said she had some things to do. So, I dropped her off at
the terminal.”

“Oh.
Well, we’re going to a free concert at the university. Want to come?”

“No,
but thanks. I’ve got stuff here I need to get done.” I decided to feel them out
about the move. “Did you know someone was building a house near Zara and
Amadeus’s place?”

They
glanced at each other.

“It’s
not finished, just sitting there. We went over and looked at it today. I’m
thinking of making an offer.”

“Really?
For you and Beth?” Britt asked.

“No,
it would be for me. The three of us. I wouldn’t sell the condo if I can work it
out. That would give me a place to stay in town and a place for you two to
continue living. If you wanted.”

“You
and Beth aren’t going to do this together?” Court sheepishly wondered.

“I
don’t know, Court. Right now, she doesn’t seem to want to make any changes. I
know if I don’t at least see if I can’t get this place, I’ll kick myself for not
trying.”

“And
Zara and Amadeus will end up with strangers for neighbors,” Britt quipped.

“That’s
true.”

“Do
it, Daddy. Beth will come round.”

“Yeah.”
I remembered the CD and held it up. “You guys want to listen to a couple tracks
before you go?”

“Is
that your new stuff?” Courtney’s eyes lit up.

“Yep,
final mix. Have to say, I’m pretty damn proud of this.”

“Do
you know what you’re going to use for the single?” Court asked.

“Yep,
I’ll play it for you. We’ll listen to the whole thing when you have time. This
is the only copy I have right now, otherwise I’d give you each one.”

A
while later, the girls left for their concert, leaving me to tie up some loose
ends. I was pleased to find a response from the agent. No offers had been made
on house. I told her to put together a contract and send it to me. We continued
discussing price, what she thought I could or could not get. Straight up, the
house was at rock bottom price, and the owners were not willing to negotiate.
It was getting late and if she got the offer drawn up, I told her I’d have it
back so she could forward it to the seller’s agent this evening. This was going
to work.

I
decided I needed to see what I had in the way of dinner prospects. Looking into
the refrigerator and pantry, I found not much. I started to grab a beer, but
instead dug in the pantry for a bottle of whiskey I kept there. I reached for a
glass and filled it half way.

As
I took a sip, I felt my phone vibrate. I pulled it out and looked down. Beth. I
toyed with the idea of not responding. For a second.

I’m downstairs.

I
responded, trying to make sure I was comprehending correctly.

You’re here?

Yes. In the lobby.

I
got up and grabbed the phone that we used for the desk down in the lobby. I
told them to let Ms. Asher up, and to put her on my list.

Come on up.

Swallowing
the contents of my glass, I rushed to the front door and opened it. I didn’t
have to wait long. The elevator doors opened and out she stepped, her arms
loaded.

“Here,
let me help with that,” I said, taking two of the sacks from her. I wanted to
kiss her, but didn’t want to push my luck. She looked as though she had
something heavy on her mind.

I
followed her inside, leading her to the kitchen.

“I
got on the ferry and thought about everything. I couldn’t leave things the way they
were. So, I took the return ride, walked around for a while. Decided I was
getting hungry, so I stopped and got us some Thai, and a couple of bottles of
wine. And you know the rest of the story.”