Page 39 of Joey

“No. The previous owners were… well, paranoid is probably the most generous word to call them.” He chuckles. “But you have to admit, it’s a cool feature everyone wants, but only crazy people actually pay for.” Then he winks. “It’s not included in the price. This isn’t worth much as far as resale value goes. So consider it a perk. But the best part is that there’s this…”

He presses the heel of his hand on a wall panel and it pops open.

“A door?” I say.

“It goes outside. But here’s the really cool part. And why that detached garage is no big deal.” Allen pauses to smile. “There’s a passageway that goes under the driveway. And there’s even an automated cart and dumbwaiter system that will haul all your groceries right up to the kitchen.”

“Sold!” I say, giggling.

“I knew you’d like that,” Allen says. “Come on, I’ll show you. And then we’ll look at the back garden and talk about it.”

We follow him down the passage. It’s dark, but there are tiny lights built into the floor that light up as we pass. And it’s a short walk to the other side of the tunnel.

He demonstrates the cart system and the dumbwaiter that will carry groceries for me, then shows us around the four-car garage and finally we end up out in the back yard.

“The pool has an impenetrable cover,” Allen says, then demonstrates by walking on it. “No child safety issues here. And there’s security on the cover. It even comes with an app. So if your precious children ever try to swim without permission, you’ll be alerted.”

Our precious children.

I dwell on that statement a little too long, imagining his daughter and, since there’s a nursery upstairs too, a baby.

My baby?

So stupid. But that’s why they call it a fantasy, right?

Anyway, there’s also an outdoor kitchen and a cabana. Allen demonstrates how the glass walls can fold away in the summer so it’s almost like a small covered pavilion.

“Well, this place certainly has everything,” I say.

“And then some,” Joey agrees.

“I’m not sure anything will top this,” I say.

He squeezes my hand and I realize he’s been holding it the entire time. “Do we even need to look at anything else?”

“I don’t know. It’s up to you, Joey. The price—”

“Fuck the price. Do you love it?”

“I love it,” I say.

“I love it too.” He looks at Allen. “I want everything. Even the furniture. How soon can we get this done?”

We’re silent as we walk back to his car. And we sit there, inside, without turning it on. Allen honks at us as he drives away and still we say nothing.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask.

He looks at me. Smiles. “Us,” he says. “In that house.”

I stifle a laugh. “It’s just pretend, though.”

“It’s yours,” he says. “You can have the house, remember?”

“I’m not going to take this house away from your daughter. This is her house now.”

“Well, you stay as long as you want. It really is your house. I’m putting your name on the deed.”

“You don’t have to—”