150. Good-bye Sunshine Manor!
Archer
Life was complicated with all of us back in the manor but despite being cramped with four of us in a one-bedroom apartment, the atmosphere in the house was joyous. Friday nights on the roof became every night on the roof. We’d all gather up there after a day at work, drink cold beer and reminisce about when we first came to live here. The kids played together and Daire didn’t freak when one of them yanked a flower or a leaf from his precious plants.
“They’re his babies,” was what we used to tell people if newcomers got too close to the plants, and we enjoyed teasing him about it.
“Give her to me,” I told Nate as he juggled holding Benate and eating a burger. I inhaled her delicious baby scent. Part of me wished to have another child but whenever Micah and I discussed it, we remembered the sleepless nights, dirty diapers, and teething. We looked at one another and said, “Nah. We’re good. We have two children who we love more than life itself.”
And now we were living in a confined space, there was no way I’d consider getting pregnant.
“Any idea how long your house will take to fix?” Martin asked me and Micah.
Our insurance company had been slow to pay our claim and work was delayed.
“That’s a painful topic.” Micah sighed.
“Ours is taking a while, longer than a while,” Daire noted, referring to the house on the other side of the Manor that he owned and where his and Neil’s family lived. “But guys, I had an idea.”
Everyone stopped talking, even the kids. In the years I’d known the grizzly shifter, he’d come up with some amazing ideas—also a few hare-brained ones—but as we’d been discussing our living situation, this was something to do with our homes.
“Who knows when the houses will be repaired and while I love living in the manor again, it’s too small.”
Everyone nodded. I expected him to say he’d bought another home and my eyes filled with tears at the thought of us all going our separate ways. It had to happen, we couldn’t live together until we were old and gray. Could we?
“My folks haven’t used the lake house much in years.”
“Probably because we’re always there,” Neil joked.
“That’s partly it.” Daire nodded. “But they prefer the house at the beach.”
“Are you saying we all move into the lake house?” Ivor asked.
While the house was big, it was a house, not a bunch of apartments, and it only had one kitchen.
“Not exactly.” Daire went on to explain that we could all build separate houses on the estate, and use the existing building for guests, celebrations, and Friday nights on the patio.
“But what about me?” Poor Anthony was worried he’d be left out. Neil put an arm around his shoulder and Dyani took his hand.
“Don’t worry.”
“You’re one of us, Anthony.”
“You go where we go.”
While Daire and Nate could afford to build a new home and so could Micah and I, Neil and Martin didn’t have that sort of money, Anthony certainly didn’t, and after Ryder’s recent cancer scare and the subsequent loss of income, I wasn’t sure he and Ivor could either.
“Won’t that be expensive?” Ryder glanced around, his wary expression confirming my fears about his and Ivor’s financial situation.
“Depends what you mean by expensive,” Daire said.
I sent the grizzly shifter a “Don’t say that” look and elbowed him in the ribs because while he had almost unlimited funds thanks to the success of his and Micah’s business, the others didn’t.
He ignored me and continued. “Look, no one needs to worry about money.”
“Says you,” Anthony piped up.
“Babe, just tell them.” Nate had Benate over his shoulder and was patting her back because she was fussing and not wanting a nap.
“I’ll build you each a house, and we’ll do them around the estate, depending on where you want to be. Closer to the lake or in the woods or wherever.” He went on to say there’d be a large house for Neil and Martin and their three kids and one for Ryder, Ivor, and Dyani.
“That’s very kind of you, Daire.”
“We can’t thank you enough.”
We interrupted and said we’d pay for our own having received word this morning, our other house, the one a street away from the manor, had been repaired. We’d been discussing selling it because while it was huge and had a separate apartment and a beautiful garden, we no longer wanted to live there. In some ways it was too big for our family.
Anthony made to speak and Daire held up his hand. “Yes, Anthony, you’ll get a house too because you’re part of our family, unless you want to live in the existing one.”
“Thank you. I’d love a small place of my own, if possible. What will happen to Sunshine Manor?” Anthony asked.
“I’ll rent out the apartments to new tenants.”
“Oh.”
Having a new group of people in the manor, making friends, and creating a new manor family was comforting. I’d hate the building to be lonely.
“If we’re to start the building sooner rather than later, I suggest you come up with ideas of what you want in a house.”
The next few weeks consisted of everyone drawing their ideal home and then adding to the designs and getting rid of bits. We went back and forth on what was feasible, plus we had to decide on the location. Micah and I chose a piece of land surrounded by woods, whereas Neil and Martin wanted to live close to the original house as did Anthony. Neither he nor Neil liked being near the trees. After much discussion, Ryder and Ivor decided to build on the other side of the lake.
Daire and Nate chose a place right on the edge of the lake because Daire’s grizzly loved to grab fish in the water.
During the months the homes were being built, we muddled along in the manor, spending most weekends at the lake house, inspecting the progress of our new houses, plus shifting and eating good food.
In the house being constructed for Neil and Martin, Neil had included an office so he could work from home as he’d always done. Anthony would continue to work with him but Anthony would also be the designated driver, using Daire’s van to take all the manor kids to and from school.
Martin would go back and forth to town each day because he was running Ryder’s original business, while the rest of us could work from home if we chose as we’d been doing that for a while now. We’d added an extra room to use as an office in our new place, and Ryder and Ivor had done the same.
That left Nate, but he traveled a lot, both close to town and further afield, though he’d stopped his overseas trips since Benate’s birth.
“I have another suggestion.” That was Daire as we sat on the manor roof.
“Please tell me you don’t want us to move to the beach,” Ivor joked.
“Nah, though that might be?—”
“Stop!” We all cut him off and laughed at his expression.
“What if I rent out the four smaller apartments to new tenants, and 1A can be used as an office. Ryder, we could move your company to the manor and the rest of the bedrooms and living room could be set up for when any of us needs to work in town for a bit.”
“What do you think, Martin?” Ryder asked.
The fox shifter agreed.
Moving day was frantic with five separate moving trucks taking our belongings to our new homes. Anthony, who didn’t have much stuff, was the babysitter, while the rest of us watched our lives being transported away from the manor
The people here were my family. Some, like my mate and little ones, were family in the literal sense, but family was not about that. The people here were my kin—almost like a de facto pack or herd or den or whatever our beasts traditionally belonged in. We loved each other and were bonded in a way that meant more to me than the building.
But while we were all looking forward to our new homes, the day was tinged with sadness. Sunshine Manor held so many memories and I thought back to the day I arrived when Kellen had stormed out.
With the moving trucks on the way to the lake, we all gathered on the sidewalk in front of our beloved former home. Nate gave us each a champagne glass while the kids got orange juice, some in sippy cups depending on how old they were.
Daire popped the champagne and we raised our glasses.
“Speech,” we yelled.
“To Sunshine Manor. You celebrated our successes and cocooned us when we failed. You helped us create a family and even though we’re no longer living here, you’ll be in our hearts forever.”
I wiped tears from my cheeks, kissed Micah and cuddled our children.
“You didn’t tell us you’d make us cry,” Neil sobbed.
“It’s okay, TD,” Toby said. “We’re not going far. We’ll be back.”
“To Sunshine Manor.”