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I point behind me then left. “Bathroom. Dining room, which we very rarely use.” We move forward. “Obviously the living room.” Continuing, I point left. “Other living room.”
“Are those pocket doors?” Cora asks.
“They are.”
“This house is bigger, but it reminds me of the Victorian house I grew up in.” She turns toward the stairway. “We had stairs like this, and I always dreamed of walking down them on my wedding day, after getting ready with Mom, to my dad and all the pictures. It would have been beautiful.”
“You’re welcome to use these for pictures when that day comes,” I offer.
She smiles. “Thanks.”
I open the door to the downstairs master bedroom and see a duffel bag on the bed.
“Bedroom and a new guest?” I ask Gwen.
“Marks moved his things down here. All girls upstairs.” She nods toward the stairs.
Security reasons, I’m sure, I think as we head up the stairs.
“My bedroom is on the left, the bathroom is right next to it, and the other four bedrooms are this way. The three front rooms are open.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“You should have seen it when she found it.” Gwen winks at me.
“Needed all the love, from a new roof to the floor.”
“I know you make good money, being a vet, but you just graduated, and you own Wags and a house like this, all on your own?” she asks, looking in each room.
“The house was a foreclosure and needed so much work that no one would touch it. My sister’s husband and his family own a construction company. Without him doing all the work, I couldn’t have afforded it. I lucked out on Wags. The Underwoods were friends with one of my professors, and it was either sell or close down. Again, Chloe and Danny helped me come up with the money and figure it out. I owe them so much.”
“She’s full of shit. She’s paid them back every dime.” Gwen laughs. “Which they didn’t want, but this one?—”
“It’s a pride thing; I get it.” Cora smiles at me. “I’m going to figure out how to make vet school work.”
“I know you will.”
“That would have made my mom proud.”
“Would have?” I ask.
“She died in a car accident four years ago.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Your mom passed away when you were really young, right?” she asks.
I’m sure I never told her that.
“That’s my bad. I let that slip last night over bad late-night TV and shitty pizza,” York explains.
17
Puppy Daddy
Friday
After Cora picks out her room, I grab clean linens and make up the bed, and then we all change into much comfier clothes and head back downstairs.
