Chapter 47
forty-seven
ROWAN
I clench and unclench my hands while I stare at the enormous two-story house that displays itself in front of Ellie and me. Both of our mouths gape with our heads tilted back.
“Holy shit,” Ellie whispers out.
I say nothing.
I continue to stare toward the house that sits in the hills amongst other large homes. Is my dad some sort of drug lord? How the hell does someone own a house like this? It towers over us. I know Mom mentioned him going to school for engineering, but can someone with that profession live in a place like this?
It’s surrounded by large trees, shrubs, and more trees. My eyes follow the long driveway that I assume leads to an entrance. Unless there isn’t one, and I need to teleport myself inside the house.
“I was not expecting this.” Ellie breaks into my thoughts.
We continue to stare at the house, and I reply, “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know. A townhouse, maybe? A small one-bedroom house? Is he some celebrity we don’t know about?”
“That would be better than a drug lord,” I murmur.
Ellie turns her head to me with pinched eyebrows. “A drug lord?”
I wave her off. “Let’s go.”
We walk up the driveway and as we turn around a curve, a long path continues, and I must admit, even the driveway is nice. It leads up the hill where the house sits, a brick path leading the way. I look at Ellie, and her eyes scan everything around her.
Finally, I see the stairs in the distance on the left side of us but notice the path continues up. Maybe to the garage?
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Ellie says in an exasperated tone.
When we reach the front of the stairs, both of our head’s tilt slightly upward, following the concrete stairs that go up and up and up. It’s surrounded by more trees that hover above it. You can tell that this space was made for privacy.
Once we get to the top, I look over at Ellie, who tries to catch her breath and places her hands on her hips.
“I gotta lay off the sweets,” she breathes out.
The house exterior is a deep charcoal with beadboard siding. A wooden pergola roof is entwined in more greenery, covering the large porch. The porch is filled with potted plants that either sit on the floor or hang from the wooden roof of the pergola.
It’s only when we start walking down the path to our right, toward the door, that we both turn and look over the railing.
The ocean’s sprawled out and vast, you can see so much of it. Below us are more homes, and in the distance, we can see more large homes that sit in the hills.
When I look down, I notice that the driveway goes next door to another house, a neighbor, instead of a garage. We must have missed it somewhere in the jungle. I feel Ellie grab my hand, and I look down to her.
“You ready?” she asks gently.
“No,” I reply.
We walk toward a light wooden door, and I can’t seem to lift my hand to knock. I feel paralyzed. I stare at the door, and I can feel every thud my heart makes against my chest.
“Do you want me—” Ellie points to the door.
I don’t look at her, but I nod in reply. She takes a deep breath, like she’s doing it for the both of us and then lifts her fist to knock on the door. My heart feels like it’s fluttering around in my chest, and I tap my finger on my jeans with my other hand that’s not wrapped in Ellie’s.
The door opens, and I hold my breath. A blond woman stands at the entrance of the home. She’s small, like Ellie, with hazel eyes. Her warm smile greets us, and she looks like someone who would take you in with open arms.
“Hi, can I help you?” Her voice comes out angelic and sweet.
Ellie looks at me and I can’t seem to find my voice. My mouth is suddenly dry. Ellie looks back at the woman.
“Hi, um, I’m Ellie. This is Rowan.” She points to me. “We were hoping we could speak with Michael Williams?”
The moment Ellie says my name, the woman’s smile falls and turns into surprise. She looks behind her and then back to us. I still can’t say anything, still can’t move. She forces a smile on her face.
“Of course, hold on just a second, okay?” She leaves the door open and quickly walks back into the house.
Ellie slightly leans in, trying to peek inside. “Wow, and we thought the outside was big.”
From where I’m standing, I can see it’s an open-concept layout. Dark wooden floors, but everything else is a bright white. The furniture color scheme is in a cream, tan, or powdered white. The kitchen cabinets are walnut with white marble countertops. Black pendant lights hang above the dining room table and kitchen. A large, black candle chandelier hangs above the seating area.
We hear footsteps approaching, and I think my heart stops beating. I breathe in a sharp inhale when I see my dad walk toward me. I see Ellie look between us, noticing the resemblance. The dark blue eyes and deep brown hair. Except his hair is shorter. He has the same nose with a small bump, and he’s the same height.
He widens his eyes when he gets a full look at me.
“Hi.” Ellie holds out her hand. “I’m Ellie.”
My dad looks at her, still stunned, and he takes her hand in his. She gives him a smile, holding his stare.
“I’m sure you remember your son, Rowan?” she says confidently.
My dad blinks between me and Ellie while his wife stands behind him, wringing her hands together, showing her nerves.
“I do, of course.” He places his hands on his hips for a second before turning to the side, then gestures us inside. “Please.”
Ellie lets go of my hand, but I still need to touch her. I put my hand on her lower back. I gently guide her in first because she is taking the lead with this. The space is clean and bright. On the left is a railing that goes downstairs to another level, while ahead of me is a large glass door that leads to the deck.
There are windows throughout the home, showing trees and the ocean. A surfboard hangs on the wall above the staircase that leads to the lower level.
“Would either of you like something to drink? We have lemonade, sparkling water, tea?” the woman asks.
I shake my head, and Ellie says, “No, thank you.”
“Let’s sit outside. It’s beautiful today.” The woman turns to start walking, then turns back around. “I’m so sorry. Where are my manners? I’m Amy.” She holds out her hand to Ellie.
Ellie smiles politely and shakes her hand. She reaches her hand out to me, and I force my arm to move, grabbing her hand in mine. It’s warm and soft. She doesn’t grip my hand. A gentle shake is all she gives me.
We step outside to the large patio, and I have never seen a patio as big as this one. I stop where I am and look around me.
You can host an entire party on this thing. There’s an entire furniture set on one side and a table on the opposite side with a large umbrella along with a marble bar and window to the kitchen.
The entire ocean surrounds the view. I guess being on top of a hill that’s the kind of view you get when you live on the coast. I’d have to go on the roof of my house to see the ocean. They guide us to the couch, letting us sit down first, and they take the two lounge chairs across from us.
When Dad sits down, he rubs his hands on his jeans, a small smile appearing on his face. We sit there in silence, and I grab Ellie’s hand again, not wanting to let go. I need her more than ever, and I’m going to thank her a million times for forcing me to let her join.
My dad looks good for his age. He looks healthy. His skin is smooth and tan, even his hands don’t look like they’ve aged. Same as Mom. He must take good care of himself because his body looks strong, and his posture is confident.
The blue button-up he has on makes the color of his eyes seem brighter, friendlier even. He looks like someone I would aspire to be as an adult. And the thought makes me sad.
“So,” Ellie says.
I keep my eyes on my dad, and he does the same. We don’t speak, just stare, like we’re trying to read each other’s mind. I look down at his hand and see his finger tapping on his leg. Well, we have one thing in common so far.
“So, Rowan. How have you been? Your dad has told me so much about you. I feel like I know you,” Amy says.
I furrow my brows in confusion. Know me? How would she know me? I haven’t seen or spoken to my father since I was a kid. Her kind smile fades when she notices my expression. I feel Ellie squeeze my hand, telling me to relax and be nice.
I clear my throat and throw on a smile. “I’ve been fine,” is all I can manage to say.
“Oh, that’s good.” She nods and looks at my dad.
He looks at her, and she angles her head toward me in the faintest motion. I can tell she’s trying to tell him to talk to me.
“Ellie,” Amy says. “I would love to show you a tour of our home. Maybe give these two some privacy?”
Ellie hesitates and looks at me. “Oh, um, yeah, that would be great.”
I whip my head to her, and my grip on her hand tightens, willing her not to go.
“It’ll be okay. I’ll just be inside,” she whispers. “It will be okay.” She kisses my cheek, and I reluctantly let go of her hand and watch her and Amy go inside the house.