Chapter 18 #2
The relief in Ann’s expression broke his heart a little. It should have occurred to him sooner to put her at ease. When he would have done it, he had no idea, but it was a stark reminder of how little they truly knew about each other.
Next, they stopped at a real estate office. “The Millington house on Main Street is for sale, you know,” said the broker as they looked through the offerings.
Yes! That would be perfect. He’d always loved that house.
But Ann frowned, examining the listings with a skeptical gaze.
Seeing her expression, the broker continued, “We also have some nice houses further north. Here are some sketches you can look at. Let me know if you see anything you like.”
“Could we see the Millington house?” Bill turned to Ann. “It’s right up the street from my parents’ place. I imagine we’ll want to stay close so that Mum can care for Junior once you start teaching.”
Once she saw it, she would love it. He was sure of it.
“I could take you there right now.” The broker grabbed the keys from a drawer.
“Well, I suppose it can’t hurt to take a look.” Ann squeezed Bill’s hand. “Though I doubt we’ll buy the first home we see.”
That was just because she hadn’t seen it yet.
It was a beauty with two stories, gingerbread trim, and a wide porch they could sit on in the evenings and watch the world go by.
There would be plenty of room for a growing family.
Junior might have been an only child at the moment, but Bill hoped to give him siblings in the not-too-distant future, though that was another thing he should probably discuss with Ann.
They followed the broker down Main Street, and Bill pointed out the house as soon as it came into view.
“Oh, it’s lovely,” Ann said looking at it from the front gate. “I love the porch, and it looks so spacious.”
That was a promising start. He could hardly wait to see how charming it was inside, given how much he liked the outside.
When they walked through the door, though, things were in rough shape.
The house had obviously been neglected by the previous owner.
The wallpaper was peeling. There was water damage in two of the upstairs bedrooms from a leaky roof.
One of the back windows was broken. The bathroom tap didn’t work at all.
The stove was wood burning, not a modern gas one.
It was all fixable, though. With a little love and elbow grease, he could have this house shipshape in no time.
Ann pulled him aside, murmuring in his ear so that the broker couldn’t hear.
“I don’t know, Bill. This seems like a lot of work and expense to fix up.
Maybe we should look for somewhere that’s in better repair.
And are you sure you want to spend your precious savings on a house this big?
We could make do with somewhere smaller so that we save as much as possible. ”
No! This was perfect. He just had to help her see the possibilities, and he certainly didn’t want her worrying about his silly dream.
It was probably never going to happen anyway.
“Nonsense. Don’t worry about the cost. We can easily afford this, and the repairs are easy enough to take care of.
You’ll absolutely love it once I’m finished with it.
” He loved fixing things. This would be a delightful project.
“Yes, but how long would it take you, and wouldn’t the repairs eat into your savings even more? I don’t know how long we can stay in your tiny apartment before we drive each other mad.”
Oh dear. Was he already driving her mad? It had only been one night. He tried for his most soothing tone. “It won’t take too long. Don’t worry, dear. The price is a steal, and the location is just right.”
She tensed and gritted her teeth. “Can we at least look at some other options?”
He wasn’t sure why it was so important to her or why she was so worried. “Do you not like it here? I thought you liked it out front.”
“I did, but it’s a mess inside, and I really do think it’s too big. I’m not sure we should take on major renovations. It’s not practical with both of us working and the baby.”
It was a lot. He couldn’t argue. But this was far too good an opportunity to walk away from. There had to be a way to bring her around. “We’d figure it out, but if you want to look at other houses, then of course we should. I’m just saying I like this one a lot.”
“If we can’t find something better, I’ll consider it.” But her frown said otherwise.
He didn’t like arguing with her, even if it was a friendly discussion about something important. It made his shoulders tense.
They headed to the dry goods store next, both unusually quiet. She went over to examine the yarn as he waited by the door.
He wanted her to be happy. If she needed to look at other houses, then so be it, but he loved the idea of being in the Millington House. As he mused on repairs, two ladies entered and one of them turned to him.
“Bill, is that you? What are the odds?”
He looked up to see a familiar and somewhat unwelcome face. “Edith, what a surprise,” he said with a tight smile. He hoped he could manage to get out of this without offending either Edith or Ann.
“My faucet is leaking again, you know.” Edith stepped close, batting her eyelashes.
He cleared his throat and took a step back. “Is it now? You should call a plumber.”
“Oh, but I’d much rather you took a look at it.” Edith reached out and stroked his cheek.
Suddenly, Ann was right behind her, holding Junior.
“Excuse me, who are you?” Ann asked in a quiet voice that scared the living daylights out of him.
“What do you mean ‘who am I’? Who are you?” Edith’s voice was nails on a chalkboard to him now. What had he ever seen in her?
“I’m his wife,” Ann said with icy dignity, her shoulders so tense they nearly touched her ears.
Edith looked her up and down, noting Junior in her arms, then turned on him. “You no good schmuck!” She slapped him hard. “How dare you fool around with me when you had a wife and baby at home. I hope you rot in hell, Bill.”
She turned and grabbed her friend and marched out of the store.
Hell’s bells. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do.