Chapter 26 Audrey
Chapter twenty-six
Audrey
“Please let Ed know I'll be back for the two o’clock client briefing.” I smile down at Ed’s assistant sitting at her desk before gathering my belongings and making my way to the lobby.
My legs don’t feel very steady as my heels click on the stone floor, and my heart races as I exit the building, walking to my car. But as I start the engine and begin my drive towards the stone house in Forest Hills, I’ve never felt so sure this is the right choice.
I punch in the code and the large iron gate, situated before two stone pillars, opens and I drive forward onto the semi-circle driveway.
Think of all the parties we can have here, Drey. Jackson’s voice rang in my head as I rested back in my seat, checking my phone to see if the Realtor had texted me.
It’s no longer your decision, Jackson.
A red sedan slowly pulled in behind me and out popped a smiley, auburn haired woman possibly a few years younger than myself.
“Hi, you must be Elena!” I smile, extending a hand as she strides over to me in the middle of the driveway. It’s an overcast day, a rarity for June in North Carolina, but the gray clouds are painted like backgrounds against this ostentatious house that was now in my name.
“I am, it’s so nice to meet you, Audrey.
What a beautiful street and home!” She smiles, staring up at the house, unable to hide her awe.
She wasn’t listed as a luxury realtor; in fact, she was relatively new to the game.
Her social media page was overly joyful, optimistic, and friendly; and I could see she was eager to make a name for herself.
Jackson would’ve scoffed at the idea, calling up one of his broker friends who would get top dollar and only show this house to the most exclusive circle.
But as of yesterday at 2 p.m., after the notary witnessed our signatures, the house was gifted to me.
How Jackson got that to happen in less than three days was beyond me, but then again, maybe this has been in motion for a while.
The idea that I was probably the last to know about everything only makes hiring Elena that much sweeter.
And anyway, I like to give people a chance. God knows this property could use a good spark of joy.
“Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I want to get the ball rolling and get this place listed as soon as I can.”
Elena snaps her face back to me, her eyes wide as she grins a little too big.
“We will do everything we can to get this place listed as soon as possible. Want to show me around?”
I nod, and walk her around the property, giving her the grand tour. In the backyard, I noticed a line of rose bushes that weren’t there a few days ago. Prickly thorns and bold red petals contrast against the brown and gray stone of the south facing wall.
“Wow, what beautiful landscaping! You and your husband must have an incredible team of landscapers.”
I hold back a scoff that would be entirely inappropriate, given she knows nothing about me other than the quick contact form I filled out on her website, asking her to meet me here today to sell a house.
She couldn’t possibly know the last final dig from Jackson would be to fill the backyard with the flowers I hated.
“This landscaping could sell the home alone,” she says reassuringly, and this time I do smile big.
Jokes on you, Jackson Tippins.
“That’s wonderful. And you should know, I'm the sole owner of the home. No Mr.— just me.” I pause and she winces apologetically.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t—”
“Please, don’t apologize. If you get this house sold for me, you’re doing me a great service.
” I nod toward the house. “Let’s move inside, there’s a lot to see.
” She follows me into the finished walk-out basement; complete with a sauna, home theater, gym, and two guest suites.
You know, for all the family that would happily visit me.
“My contractor assured me all the finishing touches would be done in a week or two. It’s just a few paint touch-ups, but that won’t be a problem, right? We can list it before it's complete?”
Elena nods vigorously, punching something into her phone. “Absolutely, that is not a problem. Not a problem at all.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
I continue showing her around upstairs and by the end of the hour, we are back out front, standing under the portico.
“Thank you again for the opportunity to list your home. I’m confident this place won't be on the market long, especially not in a sought-after neighborhood like this.”
Music to my ears.
I wave at Elena as she drives away and cross my arms over my chest, tipping my head back to the sky.
It feels foreign; yet deeply, undeniably right. Saying goodbye to this house will be a weight lifted off my shoulders. Taking agency isn’t merely a step forward; it’s a reclamation.
As I open my eyes, the sun begins to peak from behind the clouds.
I could hear my phone ringing while I was in the shower, instantly irritating me.
If it wasn’t Rhett, Penny, or my new listing agent, there was a short list of other people who could be calling me, none of which I wanted to talk to.
Nonetheless, I hopped out, threw on my silk robe and snatched my phone from my dresser.
Five missed calls from my mother. I had only been in the shower for ten minutes.
Sitting pensively on the bed, squeezing my dripping hair with a towel, I dial her number.
“Is your phone broken?” Her voice greets me, angry and shrill.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Do you know how to pick up a phone? If you’re going to live so far from your family, we at least need to know you’re alive.” I put the phone on speaker, wrap the towel around my head, and inhale three deep breaths before responding.
“I’m alive and well.”
Since the breakup with Jackson, my mother and father have barely checked in at all.
They have been quiet on the matter, making me wonder if they are truly okay with it.
Perhaps the needle is finally shifting, and they are learning to accept their only daughter doesn’t align with their values perfectly; but that she is still a worthy member of the family. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
“I’m calling to talk about your house.” She sounds unreasonably annoyed, like my house is somehow a burden to her.
Her and my father were there when we bought it.
Jackson, of course, buttered them up by inviting them to visit the day we closed, surprising them with our new purchase. It only solidified their love of him.
“What? Why?” I sat up straight, my stomach twisting in knots.
“We are redecorating the first floor of our house, and I know how long it takes for furniture, so I thought I’d ship our old furniture to you. You can use what you want out of it.”
I crease my brows so much it hurts my head because Evelyn Elson didn’t just give things away. Not without strings attached.
“That’s very generous Mom, but not necessary.”
“Audrey, you can’t live in an empty house. You’ll be moving in when the renovations are done, which I believed to be any week now.”
Exhaling a sharp breath, and willing myself not to feel so small, not to revert to old Audrey the people pleaser, I steady myself against my headboard.
“I’ve been thinking about it all, and realistically the house is too big for me. It would be lonely to live there by myself, and it’s not even my taste.” It’s not a farmhouse. “So, I've been considering selling it.”
Actually, the I’s are dotted and T’s crossed, and a ‘For Sale’ sign will be in the yard by the end of next week.
“You can’t be serious? After all the money Jack—” She paused, correcting herself.
“All the work you put into it, making it your own. He gifted you this house and you’re going to react ungratefully.
This home is in the best zip code. You never know what your future holds, Audrey. Don’t be rash and ignorant about this.”
Her words cut but I can only focus on one aspect. I never told her Jackson gifted me the house.
“How do you know about the deed transfer?”
I could feel the tension through the phone, her pause, before she casually spurts out, “Jackson told your father, obviously. It’s a big deal.”
Of course.
“Living in that house says a lot about you as well. It has a certain appeal; it will attract the right person into your life.”
“What if I meet someone who doesn’t want to live there?”
That certainly shouldn’t have slipped out of my mouth.
“What kind of man wouldn’t want to live there?” She laughed a bit too manically into the phone, like the idea was simply implausible. “You really don’t know what’s best for you, do you?”
I ignore her condescending remarks as my thoughts flash to Rhett, and I pinch my lips together, determined to never let a word of him slip to her.
Because he was mine, and I was his. And in the little world we had together, I was safe. I didn’t have to be an Elson, or an ex-almost-Tippins.
I could simply be Audrey.
Whatever it was, I needed to keep it safe.
I needed Rhett to be a secret, my secret. Until I figured this all out.