Chapter 9
L ottie was excited because she was about to meet the white wolf in person.
It was every wolf’s dream. The average wolf considered white wolves’ royalty.
Not exactly a modern outlook, but it was true.
Some of the alphas looked at them for power and fame.
They would have to protect those little girls for as long as they lived.
Even after they were mated, not everyone considered them safe or off-limits.
They pulled into a paved parking lot, which seemed odd in the middle of a farm.
Someone immediately approached them to see who they were, and once they recognized them, they left.
Maybe Darren knew them because she didn't. The house was a huge log cabin, and they walked up to an entry door.
Darren knocked, and a young girl opened the door and let them in.
A teenager came up and led them back to the dining room.
Harry had told them that they should arrive early for the best choice of food, and Darren had taken her advice. People were lining up, and the teenager directed them to get behind the first person in line.
“You are guests, so you get to go behind the boss.” The teenager said.
The food smelled wonderful, and they piled their plates high and continued following the lady in front of them. They followed her to a table, and she indicated where they could sit.
“I'm glad to see that you made it. Here.” She handed Darren a piece of paper.
“It has Roger's number on it. He has a place right now that would be perfect for you, so call him quickly.
It's a bank repo, and the people were building it new, and suddenly they ran out of money, but it's almost finished.”
“Okay. This is my mate, Lottie.”
“We’ve met before. Harry brought Lottie here for a meal.” Ariel observed.
Darren questioned. “How would these people run out of money?”
“It's the economy, you know. It's up, and it's down, and no one knows what it's going to do.
The company he worked for cut 25% of its workforce, and he was part of that.
He went from making a huge paycheck to no paycheck at all.
This was completely unexpected. The house was their vacation home, but now he's going to be job hunting instead of taking vacations. The bank wants to turn it around quickly and is willing to make a deal.” Ariel explained.
About that time, her mate, Blake, slipped into his seat, and she saw that Ariel had a plate fixed for him already.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if they found a lovely home on the lake?
This would be the perfect time because Flo had mentioned that her second-oldest daughter, Helen, might be coming home.
There was no need to overwhelm Flo with a house full of guests.
Ariel didn't seem to have much more to say, so apparently, the available house was the whole reason that she had invited them here.
Everyone was concentrating on eating, and the food was so good.
Once their plates and Darren's were empty, they went up to get dessert.
When they were done eating, they cleaned up their spot, thanked their host, and left.
Even though it was after supper, Darren tried to call Roger but left a message instead.
They said goodnight to the girls after he read to them.
It was the new book Lottie had ordered. They wanted him to read the whole book, and he got halfway through before they finally let him stop.
It was now time for them to get ready for bed.
She got the shower in his room, but when she came out, she was ready for bed. He’d already taken a shower elsewhere.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” Darren said as he let his robe fall open.
“You don’t need to wait anymore.” She fell into his arms, and he kissed her.
The next morning, they were woken by the phone. It was Roger who wanted to set up an appointment to show them the house. Darren set it up right after breakfast. When they got ready to meet Roger, the girls wanted to go.
“If we go back, both of you can come,” Darren said.
“Promise?” They asked in unison.
“Yes.”
They headed to a local restaurant to meet Roger, who said it was fine for them to leave their SUV there.
After getting in with Roger, he took off heading towards the lake.
The drive was scenic, and there were places along the highway where the lake could be seen.
It was clear they were getting close, and he suddenly turned on a paved road.
Many of the other roads along the way had been dirt.
They passed a couple of medium-sized houses, but then they went a couple of miles without passing any more houses until they got to the end of the road, where the lake was laid out in front of them.
“This is the King's River arm of Table Rock Lake. There's a beautiful view from the house’s porch. You can walk down to the lake, and there is a boat dock on the property. This is a perfect lake home if you can afford it.”
“What is the price?” Darren asked.
Roger whispered the price, and Lottie gasped.
“I can afford it. Let's take a look.”
The real estate man led them up the porch and to the door, which he opened and waved them inside.
The place was gorgeous, with floor-to-ceiling windows on the wall facing the lake.
This house even had a new smell from the recent construction.
When they got to the kitchen, it was obvious what work had not yet been completed.
Only a little was needed, and it appeared that all the supplies except the appliances were sitting around.
“Any suggestion on what to offer?” Darren asked.
“It's a beautiful house, and it's early in the process, so if you really want it, I would offer 20,000 less than asking,” Rogers suggested.
“Do it.”
“We will need to sign some papers, and I'll need earnest money put in my account.”
“Sounds good.”
After that, they headed back. Lottie had never bought real estate before or been involved in it in any way.
This would be a learning experience. They headed to Roger's office this time, and once they entered, after he offered them a drink and suggested they sit, he began typing up papers.
He was very quick, and they both signed the papers.
When she looked at the amount they would be paying, it made her think of the saying 'signing your life away'.
She just hoped Darren knew what he was doing.
Darren got on his phone and immediately started moving money.
Once it was done, Roger checked and nodded when he saw it going to his account.
They had taken a huge first step, and she couldn't deny she was excited, hoping they would get the house because she loved it.
Roger dropped them off with their car, and they headed back to Flo's house.
Roger thought that they would close the deal quickly if they were happy with the price.
They had a lot of money invested in the house, and they wanted that money back to invest in something that would make them money.
That made sense to her and, apparently, to Darren, too.
“I see things went well,” Flo observed.
“I think so. We've made an offer and are now waiting to see if they accept it. The house is amazing, and you can see the lake on the porch.” Darren explained.
“I have a feeling Ariel will be happy if you get it.”
“Why would she care?”
“Apparently, you've forgotten about the family gatherings where every relative takes in guests.” Flo chuckled.
Lottie looked at him, and it was obvious from the look on his face that he had forgotten.
She understood that you had responsibilities toward your family.
Darren had been away from his family for so long that it seemed he had forgotten or maybe had never realized it to begin with.
She was looking forward to going to one of the white wolf gatherings because she'd heard a lot about them.
It was probably a lot like an extended pack getting together for a celebration.
The look on Darren’s face was funny, but she knew he would do as required whenever he was asked.
There was a guest house behind the main house that could always be used for that.
She’d noticed the attic was set up like an apartment, and if they added an outside door and a stairway, so it had its own entrance, that would work as a housekeeper/cook.
A garage had been started on but left half-built.
That was another project to see to. They would be busy working in their home.
Lottie couldn't wait to start, and she knew that the girls desperately wanted to see their new home. They had done what they planned for today, and anything else would come later. Until they knew if the home was theirs, everything else would have to wait.
It was two days later when Roger called. The deal was done, and the house was theirs as soon as the money was transferred; they could take immediate possession. The bank was glad to let the house go and wanted nothing to do with it afterward.
“We'll have to talk about furniture and finishing construction,” Darren suggested.
“Do you have any furniture?” Lottie asked.
“Sold it or gave it away before I came here. It wasn't worth moving because I didn't have any attachment to it. The girl said they were excited about getting new furniture when we got a new house. Do you have anything?” Darren asked.
“I have a few pieces. It would all fit on a small moving van. I also have a few things that my mother has, but I think it's best to keep that room furnished for when we visit.”
“All right. That means we'll do some furniture shopping as soon as we get the house livable.”
“It's livable now, it just needs a little work. It might be easier to get the work done if we're staying there. I think we should take the girls to see the house today.” Lottie said.
“We can go just as soon as we're through with breakfast.”
Apparently, the girls heard what was being said, and both squealed with happiness. When they were done eating, they headed out to the SUV, and the girls happily chattered all the way there.
“Is this really it?” Adele asked. “I think it's bigger than grandma's house.”
Lottie thought it was as well, but only a little bit.
It also didn't have a security fence, but that was one of the first things they should consider adding when the house was complete.
She really didn't know how much money Darren had, and it felt awkward to ask.
With cold weather moving in, they wouldn't be going outside as much, and she would take on the cleaning and cooking while they decided whether they could afford to hire help.
If she didn't have a job, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to handle all of that.
The girls ran through the house like little tornadoes. They picked their rooms from the area they’d been told to, and now they were ready for furniture. “Not yet, girls,” Darren instructed.
“We want to choose,” Adele said.
“We’ll see when it’s time. You’ll have some input.” Darren agreed.
“I can pull up some furniture on the computer when we get back home. You two can look at it.” Lottie promised.
“Yay!” Both girls yelled.
It was time to head back. They would be just in time for lunch. Lottie was glad because she was hungry. When they opened the door, the aroma of food hit her, and her stomach growled like a hungry beast. They sat down, and everyone began to eat.
“One of my sons is coming to visit,” Carlos said. “He’s my youngest. He’ll be getting some experience working with the wardens.”
“Does he need experience?” Darren asked.
“He’s actually good at security, but you can never learn too much about such things,” Carlos admitted.
“You'll have more room once we move out,” Lottie observed.
“Don't be silly. We have plenty of room.” Flo insisted.
“Don't forget that you'll have Helen and her two children,” Darren mentioned.
“This is a big house,” Flo observed.
It wasn't hard to wonder if Flo’s daughter and Carlos’s son visiting at the same time wasn't part of a plan. One of Carlos’ sons had already married one of Flo’s daughters.
Was it possible that the next two were being set up?
That would certainly make for a close family.
She knew that Helen was a widow and had been for about 10 years.
Her oldest child was in college, and the youngest was checking out colleges for next year.
It might be a good thing that they wouldn't be here in the middle of whatever was going to happen. They would come over occasionally because Darren would want to spend time with his sister. Flo had already said that after Helen got here, they would have dinner, and Shiloh and the kids would also come. Lottie assumed that Jorge, Shiloh’s mate, would also come.
She could only hope that they would have the house ready and be out of here by then.
There would be a lot of work to do, but she still thought the house was ready to move in now.
If they were doing a lot of work, she wouldn't have much time to cook anyway.
When they were done eating, she took the girls to the living room, and she put on a page from a local furniture store.
The girls began looking through things and found a million and one things that they loved.
None of them was what she would consider too far out there.
They would probably get the furniture that they selected.
Both girls marked their favorites, which would help them narrow down their choices when the time came.
Darren would decide when they took the time to buy some furniture. If they got a large amount, they would get free delivery, and she would make sure the delivery guy helped set up the beds and the other things that needed it. Things were getting very exciting.