Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
“ W hat do you think about this one?”
“Uh … it’s a lot of house.” Larissa could only stare at the huge living room. Who in the world would need a living room this big?
“I want plenty of space. I’ve never really had any space to call my own. Only had bedrooms, not even with an ensuite.”
“I’ve shared bedrooms my whole life, too. I still wouldn’t buy a house this size.”
Moon opened the fridge then moved around, investigating the other appliances. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not the one who’s interested in buying the house.”
“True.” Nervously, she thrust her hands into the pockets of her maternity dress. She would never be able to afford any of the homes Moon had taken her to look at today. With each they were shown, the more inadequate she felt.
“I like this one the most so far.” Moon stepped out of the pantry to stand in the living room. “What do you think?”
“It’s a beautiful home,” she said flatly.
Moon frowned. “Is there something wrong with it?”
“No.” Other than if Moon took her to court to get custody of their child, if it came down to how better he could financially provide than she could, there wasn’t a thing wrong that she could find.
“I can take the largest bedroom and make the one next to it a nursey for the times I have the baby.”
“That would work.” She nodded. Walking to the window, she looked outside. “The construction going on in the neighborhood shouldn’t disturb him there.”
The home Moon was considering had been built in a new subdivision in Treepoint. Spacious lots had been sectioned out into one-acre lots where the larger homes had been built. Another section of the subdivision had been sectioned off to build smaller homes, and construction had just started.
“This area is very pretty. When I was looking for a house, I considered buying one of the three-bedroom ones, but it’s going to take at least a year before any of them will be finished.”
“You toured the model home?”
“I did.”
Moon moved to the window with her. “We had a mild winter; some of them could be completed ahead of schedule. Might be worth a shot to ask your realtor to check it out for you,” he suggested. “You met Drake Hall when we went by his office. Talk to him; he’s the best realtor in town.”
“Before I went to Bowling Green, I was looking on my own and was getting nowhere. I’ll talk to him when you take the keys back.”
He gave her a boyish grin. “I’m glad you’re at least considering moving back to Treepoint.”
Had her heart just double-tapped the walls of her chest? Moon had a lethal charm; she would have been easily taken in if her survival instincts weren’t constantly on the alert. She couldn’t explain the strange tingle of danger that ran down her spine when Moon spoke or moved in a certain way. Only that it happened.
At first, she had blamed it on their terse interactions during their initial meetings. Then she blamed it on finding out she was pregnant and the fear of his interactions. The more she discovered, the more familiar she became with the knowledge that the tingle wasn’t easing—it was becoming stronger.
She turned from the window to give the room another once-over. “You’ll have to buy a lot of furniture to fill all this space.”
Moon shrugged. “One of the women in the club is a designer. I’ll have her take care of it for me. I’ll save the nursery for me to do, with your help, if you wouldn’t mind?”
“I’d like that.”
Moon nodded his head toward the window. “Jet going to be coming along?”
“I’ll talk to Stud.”
Despite the strange tingle urging caution, Larissa didn’t want to backtrack the ground they had gained. Moon was no longer regarding her with hostility and seemed to be making an honest effort of overcoming the uncomfortable situation they had found themselves trying to navigate though. Whether it was a good faith effort or contrived, there was only one way for her to find out, and that involved him gaining her trust.
“Do what you think is best for you. I don’t need Sex Piston breaking my neck if you’re just doing it because I said something. I can get used to having him around. I’d rather not have to look over my shoulder while we’re choosing what to buy for the baby. This is my first child—I want to enjoy the experience.”
Larissa felt a lump in her throat at hearing the sincerity in his voice.
“Same.” She gave him a misty smile.
After they turned off the lights and locked all the doors, they drove to Drake Hall’s real estate office. Once there, she waited in the outer office while they discussed making an offer on the last house they had seen.
She was in the midst of making a list of baby items for Moon when the receptionist told her she could go into Drake’s office.
Drake rose from the desk as she entered, motioning her to the chair in front of his desk. “Moon told me you might be interested in one of the new builds in Contessa Court?” he said, returning to his chair.
“Yes, if I can get it for the right price. When I toured the model home, the developer said it would be the end of the year before any of the builds would be completed. I wouldn’t want to wait that long, so if you could check and see if they’re on the same timetable, I was hoping I would luck out and they will be available sooner.”
“I’ll certainly check it out for you.” Taking a form out of his desk, he reached for a pen. “How many bedrooms?”
“Three, and at least two baths.”
“I’m friends with the developer. I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’d appreciate your help.”
After they left the office, she felt as if a huge weight had been taken off her back. She had come to a decision while inside the office to buy a house in Treepoint. It didn’t matter if it was in the same subdivision or not, she would buy one where Moon would have access to his child.
“Would you like to grab a bite to eat?”
Larissa gave him a disappointed sigh. “I would if I could. I’ve already made plans with Priss and Lana to have dinner and go to a movie.”
“Oh. Okay, then, another time.” His downcast expression tugged at her conscience.
“You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like?”
“I wouldn’t want to ruin your sisters’ night.”
Larissa burst into laughter. “I’m sure they won’t mind.”
“If you’re sure, then; I haven’t been to a movie in a while.”
Opening the car door, she saw him looking around. “Is something wrong?”
“I was looking for Jet. Is he going to the movie with us?”
“No, I texted him that he could go on back to Jamestown. Lana and Priss said they would take me back.”
“I’m surprised Jet went ahead and left without Stud’s say-so.”
“I texted him also.”
“You were busy while I was selling my soul.”
Larissa got in the car, and Moon closed the door then rounded the hood to get in the driver’s seat.
“Did you try to bargain the price down?” Larissa asked, buckling the seatbelt.
“No, I don’t bargain when there’s something I want.”
T he evening started off shaky when Moon and she showed up at the Silver Spoon for dinner. She had texted her sisters on the way to the restaurant; both made an attempt to be friendly. However, the effort fell short, as mistrust shone in their eyes for most of the meal. It was only when Moon mentioned that she had talked to Drake about purchasing a house at Contessa Court that their frosty attitude began to thaw.
“You’re definitely going to move back to Treepoint?” Priss asked excitedly.
“If I can find a house I want.” Placing the slice of cake she had ordered for dessert in the middle of the table to share, she acknowledged speaking with Drake. “Most of the homes for sale in Treepoint need repairs. I want something ready to go.” Larissa gave her baby bump a gentle pat. “I’m going to have my hands full with the baby. I don’t want to do any renovations. I struggle enough just changing an air filter or a lightbulb.”
“I can vouch for that,” Priss teased her. “You nearly electrocuted yourself when you tried to fix the toaster.”
“I’m not very mechanically gifted.” Larissa flushed at her sister tattling on her.
Swiping the cherry off the top of the cake before anyone else could, Lana ate it then used the spoon to point at her. “Larissa has more lives than a cat. When she was two, she turned the stove over on herself. We lost count of the number of times she has nearly electrocuted herself. The toaster was just the tip of the iceberg,” she confided to Moon. “Mom said she had to start dyeing her hair in her thirties because of Larissa.
“She woke up early in the middle of the night one time and decided she was going to surprise us all with breakfast. That was when she was three. At four, she talked me into letting her curl my hair. I had unplugged the hair curler and told her she could. She caught me not paying attention and plugged it back it.” Lana butted her spoon against her to steal the last bite of the cake. “I still haven’t forgiven her for ruining my fourth-grade pictures.”
Piqued at her sisters ratting on her, she gave Moon an innocent face. “They’re exaggerating.”
Skeptical, Moon narrowed his gaze on her. “So, what your sisters are saying is you’re accident prone?”
She wished she could form a quick comeback to put Moon in his place, but she could only sit there with her mouth open like a fish out of water. How could she come up with a comeback when she kind of was?
One thing her family enjoyed was a sense of humor, especially when it was directed at her.
Laying her spoon on the table, she tugged the sleeve of her dress down to her wrist. “What my sisters are failing to tell you is each of those accidents were a direct result of one of them doing something to instigate my behavior into having said accidents.”
The laughter at the table was abruptly cut short. Priss started motioning the waitress for the check. Lana started choking on the cake she had stolen from her, placing the napkin over her face.
“How are they …?” Moon’s gaze dropped from her eyes to the swell of her belly.
Larissa helped him out when he seemed lost for words. “Put it this way,” she said silkily, “if you hadn’t gone upstairs the night I went into your room, you still might be sitting at this table.”
Moon’s eyes shifted in concern to Lana. “Is she okay?”
Larissa looked toward her sister. “She’s fine. She’s just eating crow.”