30. Chapter 30
Chapter thirty
“To the new owners of Paradise Hill.”
Before work on Friday, Abe went to the Riverside Retirement Home in Fairfield. When he went to the reception desk, he asked for Mr. Mayhew.
The woman behind the desk smiled politely. “Are you a relative?”
“Not exactly. Well…no.”
“Mr. Mayhew only allows family to visit him.”
“Um…he knows my girlfriend. Will you tell him a friend of Maggie’s is here?”
“Is she a relative?”
“No. But I’m pretty sure he’ll…can you just ask, please.”
“I’ll be right back. Have a seat in the lobby.”
The room was empty, and Abe took a nearby seat. He never considered that the old man might not want to see him. The woman returned, and Abe stood.
“Right this way.”
“Thank you.”
“He tires easily, so don’t overstay your welcome.”
“I won’t.”
He followed her down a hallway resembling a motel, but much less aesthetically appealing with gray carpeting and sterile white walls. They stopped at a door. She knocked softly. “Mr. Mayhew, it’s Alice with your visitor.”
A gravelly, “Come in,” came through the door.
Alice opened the door, and Abe stepped through it.
He’d seen Mr. Mayhew from time to time when he was younger, but it had been years.
The man was old and frail, barely recognizable.
The room smelled of antiseptic and old food, and if Abe wasn’t mistaken, the old man had recently taken a sip or two of bourbon.
Mr. Mayhew waved toward a chair with a trembling hand. “Have a seat, young man.”
Abe sat.
“Maggie sent you?”
“Um…no. She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“So, you just used her name to get past Alice?” He was sitting in a worn chair, and he adjusted the blanket on his lap.
“No. Well…yes. But…” He sighed. “I’m here because of Maggie. She’s my girlfriend.”
“I see.” He studied Abe for a moment. “You’re one of the Buchanan boys.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which one?”
“Abe.”
“Right in the middle.”
“Yeah.”
“You look like your father.”
“Um…thank you.”
“So, why are you here?”
Abe stood and walked to the window. There wasn’t much of a view. Just a small grassy area with a patio and several chairs, two of which were currently occupied. He turned back to Mr. Mayhew. “Maggie wants to buy your property.”
“Yes, I know. I’m saving it for her. But…well, time isn’t on my side.”
“If you’d allow it. I’d like to buy it for her.”
He cocked his head. “You want to buy my place for Maggie?”
“Yes, sir. It’s a dream for her and…well, like you said…time is…” He sat back down.
“How do I know you’re not trying to buy the place for yourself?”
“We can put her name on the paperwork. I’ll sign whatever you want to prove it. I’m not trying to trick you, sir.”
“Do you know how much I want for it?”
“No. But I’m sure it’s a fair price. I know you wouldn’t try to scam Maggie.”
“And you’re financially able to buy the place?”
“Yes, sir. I own Rocco’s Pizza with my brother. We’ve done quite well, and I don’t really spend much money.” He shrugged. “Except on racing motorcycles. It’s my one vice. But I have a son now, so I’m not doing much racing. Um…yeah. I can buy the place.”
Mr. Mayhew reached into a cupboard in the table next to his chair. “Fetch yourself a cup, son.” He set a bottle of bourbon on the table.
Abe stood and took a cup from next to the sink.
Mr. Mayhew waved him to the chair. “One good thing about living as long as I have is that people tend to look the other way from time to time.” He poured a healthy shot into his cup, then another into Abe’s. “Are you planning to live in the place with Maggie?”
“Yes, sir.”
He held up his cup. “To the new owners of Paradise Hill.”
“Paradise Hill, sir?”
“That’s what the bluff the house sits on used to be called. It was a long time ago. Not many left who remember it.” He drank some bourbon. “Drink up, young fella. You just bought yourself a little piece of paradise.”
It was hard keeping such a big secret from Maggie, but Abe didn’t want to tell her until escrow closed.
The day after it closed, when the place was officially theirs, was their day off.
Abe packed Kai into the car and drove to Maggie’s place.
He’d told her he had a surprise and to be ready to go when he got there.
When he arrived at the house, he tooted the horn. Maggie didn’t come out, so he honked again. He looked back at Kai. “Where the hell is your future mother?”
He got out of the car, removed Kai from his car seat, then went to the front door and opened it. “Maggie? I’m here. Are you okay?”
As he stepped into the house, Maggie came from the bedroom, wiping her eyes. She released a sob, then went to him and hugged him.
“What’s this? What’s wrong?”
She sobbed into his shirt, and Kai patted her head. “Mama sad.”
She looked at Kai, then stepped back. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset him.”
“What’s going on?”
She took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with a tissue. “It’s Mr. Mayhew.”
“What about him?”
“He…died last night.”
“Oh…wow. Damn. I’m sorry.”
“I should’ve gone to see him more often. I knew he didn’t have much time left.” She wiped her eyes again. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to his property now.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my gosh. I’m a terrible person.”
“You’re not.”
She blew her nose. “I’m okay now. I don’t want to ruin our day.” She moved close again and kissed Kai. “I’m okay, honey.”
“Do you feel like leaving the house?”
“Um…sure. I just need a minute to pull myself together.”
“Take your time. I’ll let Kai run around out front.”
Abe took Kai outside, and Maggie came out ten minutes later, looking better, but still sad. She managed a smile. “So, where to?”
“I thought we could drive by the Mayhew place.”
“Oh, I couldn’t.”
“You can give him a proper goodbye there. It’s where you knew him best. The good memories.”
“I suppose.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. Okay.”
They put Kai in his seat then got into the car. Maggie sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Jeez.” Abe started the car, and they drove five miles out of town to the faded sign that read ‘The Mayhews.’ Abe slowed, then pulled into the driveway. “Let’s drive to the house.”
“We won’t get in trouble for trespassing?”
“Who’s going to complain?”
“I guess no one, now.”
Abe took her hand and kissed it, then continued down the drive a half-mile to the old Victorian-era house.
Maggie held her breath for a moment. “I love this house.”
“I know you do. It’s not in bad shape. It won’t take much to fix it up.”
Maggie opened her door. “Yeah. For someone.”
Abe got Kai, then they went up the steps to the porch, which wrapped around the entire house. Maggie peered through a window. “I don’t even know how many bedrooms there are.”
“You’ve never been inside?”
“No. I just knew I wanted it. I didn’t care what the inside looked like. With an outside like this, it has to be good.”
Abe took the key out of his pocket. “Let’s go check it out.”
Maggie turned away from the window, then looked at the key in his hand. “Why do you have the key?”
He held it out. “It’s yours.”
“What do you mean? The key?”
“The key, the house, the old barn, the twelve apple trees, and the fifty acres.”
She took a step back. “What are you talking about?”
“The place is yours, Maggie.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not.”
He grinned. “Yes, it is. Escrow closed yesterday. You do have a co-owner, though.”
“Who?”
“Me.”
She rushed to him and threw her arms around him, making Kai giggle. She kissed Kai on the cheek, then pulled back and looked at Abe. “You’re not just…”
“No. That would be really mean.”
“You bought it. You bought the Mayhew place.”
“I bought it for you.”
“It’s really ours?”
“Yeah. Do you want to look inside now?”
She took the key from him. “Oh my gosh, yes.”
They went into the house and toured the place. Maggie loved every inch of it, from the crown moldings to the real hardwood floors. The kitchen was amazing, with an old gas stove that could have been the original.
Maggie went to Abe and hugged him. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I did it for you.”
Her smile faded. “Do you think he was holding on until he knew the place was in good hands?”
“I think he might have been.”
They went out the kitchen door and followed the porch to the back of the house. There had once been a yard, and a big oak tree sat just begging for a swing. The view of the mountains was beautiful, and you could see parts of the Smith River sparkling in the distance.
Abe put his arm around her. “Pretty damn cool.”
Kai was climbing up and down the four steps to the yard, sitting at the top each time for a moment, only to climb down again. He looked at Maggie. “Mama.”
She smiled. “Yes, baby.” She took Abe’s hand. “Abe?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you marry me?”
He turned to her. “Um…excuse me?”
“You heard me.” She rested a hand on his chest. “Will you marry me and move into this house with me? Will you help me fix it up and bring it back to its glory days? And will you sit on this porch when we’re old and gray, sipping sweet tea and reminiscing about the good old days?”
“Hmm…” He tapped a finger to his lips. “I think I need to think about it.”
Maggie shoved him. “No, you don’t.”
He laughed. “What? You can take time to think about things, but I can’t? Maybe I’m not ready.”
She looked out at the view. “You’re ready, Abe.”
“If you know that, then why ask and give me the option of saying no?”
She turned to him again. “Are you saying no?”
He took her hands. “Magdalena, I’d love to marry you and fix this wreck of a place. And when we’re old and gray, I want to sit with you on the porch and reminisce about the good old days. The only thing I’d change is the sweet tea.”
“What would you change it to?”
“Hard cider. That way, I might get lucky when the sun goes down.”
“Are you still going to want to get lucky when you’re old and gray?”
“With a hot wife like you? Definitely.”
Wes Buchanan was popular at Bridgeport High. Students loved him, teachers admired him, and parents appreciated the fair and thoughtful way he handled problems when they arose.
Even though he was nearly forty and still single, Wes was happy with his life and his career as principal of the small-town school.
But when the woman who had broken his heart fifteen years earlier was hired as the new guidance counselor, Wes had to find a way to set the hurt aside and work with her.
He wasn’t about to let her steamroll through his life again.
Mr. B is the sixth book in the Buchanan Brothers series.