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“So much to fix up, though,” Elliot said.
The Realtor, Maisie Templeton, greeted us warmly before leading us up the steps of the spacious porch. Maisie walked carefully in her high heels, obviously worried about the loose and rotten floorboards.
“Look, Mama. It’s a swing.” Chloe pointed to the old porch swing that had obviously been crafted from sturdy aged oak and bore marks and patina from years spent exposed to the elements. How long had it sat empty? Had a couple grown old together in this very spot?
Maisie unlocked the front door, and we followed her inside to a square foyer with a coat closet. A dry, earthy smell of old wood and dust greeted us. I glanced to the right, taking in a sitting room, empty of furniture other than a ratty rug that had seen better days. Much better days.
Chloe, who had been holding my hand, let go to run into the sitting room. Dusty floorboards creaked, even under her light weight. Wallpaper, a once-vibrant floral pattern, had faded and peeled at the corners. A fireplace with washed-out tiles and wood mantel needed updating, but I could imagine enjoying cozy winter evenings as the snow fell gently outside. Beneath the accumulation of dust, wide-planked floors could easily be restored to their splendor with refinishing. The ceilings were higher than I’d expected, too. “Awesome floor and ceilings,” I said. “Tons of potential.”
“Tons of work,” Elliot said. “But it’s a house meant for a family, which is what we want.”
Goose bumps traveled up my arms; I could almost hear the echoes of a family long since gone. And the old house had sat here waiting for a new family to come and bring it back to life. I hugged myself before following the others into the kitchen. A large farmhouse sink, and solid wood cabinetry were all that remained. The floors were the same wide planks as the other rooms but had been stained from water damage.
“The kitchen’s a nice size, but you could knock out that wall,” Maisie said. “A full remodel to modernize it, and you’ve got a dream space for two chefs.”
“How long has it been since anyone lived here?” Elliot asked.
“The house was owned by the same family since the forties,” Maisie said. “It’s been empty for ten years. The children of the original owners couldn’t bear to let it go even though no one wanted to live here. Now, though, they’ve gotten to the age where they’d like to sell and leave their children the money from the sale.”
“So, it’s just sat here all these years?” I said. “How sad.”
“Yes, but that means you can get it for a steal,” Maisie said. “Which would help with the remodeling costs.”
My head buzzed with transformative ideas. I glanced at Elliot. From the look on her face, I could tell she wasn’t as enamored as I. In fact, she looked downright doubtful. Not everyone could see the possibilities as I could. Maybe that was my problem. I’d thought John could be refurbished. Instead, he’d proven himself to be unfixable.
We went up a creaking staircase to the second floor. Three small bedrooms needed as much work as the rest of the house.
If only I could buy this for Chloe and me. I’d fix it up, bringing back its former glory while updating it for the modern world.
I wandered over to one of the bedroom windows, looking out to an orchard with rows of ancient, gnarled apple trees. Thick, twisted trunks and sprawling branches hung low and heavy with clusters of green and yellow apples.
“There’s an apple orchard,” I said, more to myself than the others.
Elliot came to join me, with Chloe following quickly behind. The three of us looked through the mottled glass, hardly breathing, as if witnessing something magical. Grass, moss, and fallen leaves formed a patchwork quilt beneath the trees, interspersed with apples that had fallen to begin the natural cycle of decay. Long and untamed grass grew in tufts, with wildflowers occasionally peeking through like the belle of a ball. A pair of old wooden chairs sat under one of the trees.
“I can see you and me out there sipping wine and eating cheese,” Elliot said to me.
“That would be so fun,” I said, my voice hollow. I might not be here long enough for that to come to fruition.
“You move here?” Chloe asked Elliot.
“I don’t know. What do you think?” Elliot asked her. “Do you like it? Would you come visit me and Caspian if we lived here?”
“Yes, yes,” Chloe said, bouncing on her toes.
I glanced down at my offspring. Her cheeks had flushed pink, and she quivered with excitement. Maybe she had the decorating bug like her mom.
“What do you think?” Maisie asked Elliot.
Elliot tugged on her thick braid. “I don’t know. It seems like a lot of fixing up for two people who work all the time. I’d have to bring Caspian out to see what he thinks.”
“Your future father-in-law knows his way around a remodel,” Maisie said. “He would see the possibilities here, I’m sure.”
“It’ll cost as much to remodel it as it would to build a whole new house,” Elliot said.
“True, but this place has history,” I said. “Good bones that need a little tender loving care and a family to fill the rooms with laughter. And that orchard is amazing.”
“Yes, true. Think of the apple desserts I could make,” Elliot said.
