Not So Suddenly Soulmates, page 14
Levi glanced over at Rhi. “What do you think?”
“Can’t be any worse than the ones we’ve already looked at.”
“You’re right about that, dear. I need to re-evaluate some of my rental listings. Those places need some major updates.” Jackie typed something into her phone and smiled. “Follow me down the road.”
Levi shut the door and started the car. “Ready?”
“I guess.” Rhi stared out the window.
“What do you think about a house?”
“How different is it going to be? We’ve always been in apartments or condos. A house feels like a big commitment.”
“I mean, we can check out the condos or townhouses instead?”
“I was thinking about the logistics. Owning a house means fixing your own problems. Renting would come with landlords for that.”
“There’s nothing to stop us from hiring someone to do maintenance for us. And we’d have more control over what we could do. You could even paint a wall peach like you always wanted to do here.”
“And as owners, there’d be no one to complain when I put holes in the wall while hanging pictures.”
Levi snorted. “Yeah you should probably leave that to me. I’m a little more handy than you.”
“Who fixed the washer? Or the fridge?”
“Menards fixed the fridge. We bought a new one. And it was you who didn’t remember to take things out of their pocket that broke the dryer in the first place.” Levi smiled.
“Milo gave me a rock. I didn’t remember I put it in my pocket until I pulled it out of the dryer.”
Levi followed her aunt into the driveway of a small yellow house. “House, condo, or apartment?”
“I feel like I’m playing the game kids Edge’s age used to play. What was it? MASH? Mansion, apartment, shack, or house? Should we draw until someone says stop so I can count the lines?”
“Speaking of Edge, he offered you his house.”
“What?”
“The night we went out on the island and Sara was helping you get ready?”
“Yeah?”
“He and I talked for a while, and he said that if you want the house, he’d give it to you.”
“Like free and clear? No money changes hands?”
“That’s what it sounded like to me.”
“That’s a big house.” Rhi took a deep breath. “What would we do with all that space?”
“I don’t know. I just forgot to tell you before now.”
“Let’s at least look at the other houses. I’ll think about Edge’s house too.”
“Good plan.” Levi climbed out of the car, came around the side, and opened the door for her. “I kinda like the color and it doesn’t look that much bigger than our apartment.”
“Does it have a garage? An attached one would be preferable. If we’re getting a house, I don’t want to have to wade through the snow to bring in groceries.”
“You have groceries delivered. We don’t even have to leave the house.” Levi chuckled.
Jackie walked over to them. “There’s an attached two-car garage behind the house. It’s fully insulated and heated, so you’ll be plenty.”
“That would lead to having the driveway plowed in the snow.” Rhi grimaced. “Houses sound expensive.”
“There’s a lot of money saved with owning a house, dear, especially if you buy outright. Yes, you do need to pay for maintenance and upkeep, but how much are you paying now in rent?”
Rhi looked at Levi. “What, like three grand a month?”
Levi nodded. “That includes utilities though.”
“You get double the space and still wouldn’t pay more than five hundred a month in utilities.” Jackie punched in the code on the key box then unlocked the door.
“Plus, we could put some of our former rent money aside to pay for repairs.” Levi glanced around the front room. “It seems smart to me.”
Rhi turned and put her hand on his head. “No fever. Are you sure you’re actually Levi? Because my Levi doesn’t do commitments.”
Levi put his arms around her. “That changed when I woke up and realized the perfect woman was with me all along.”
“You mean all those girls who told you they were the right one?” Rhi cocked her head and gave him a wink.
“Yep, but I already had the right girl. I just wasn’t looking at her with a clear head.”
Rhi laughed. “Come on, let’s take the grand tour.”
Twenty minutes later, Jackie led them into the living room. “What do you think? Still small enough that the upkeep wouldn’t be bad.”
“It doesn’t feel much bigger than our apartment.” Rhi glanced over her shoulder at the hallway that led to the two other bedrooms.
Levi frowned. “I don’t know, there’s some upgrades that would need to be done. It doesn’t feel as modern as I’d like.”
“If you want modern, I have just the place for you.” Jackie moved to the door and motioned them to follow her. “Two doors down, recently built. It’s a little larger and a little pricier but I think you’ll love it.”
Rhi took a deep breath and caught Levi’s arm as he went to follow Jackie. “Can you give us a few, Aunt Jackie?”
“Of course, dear. Take all the time you want. We can leave your car here and drive over there together.” She breezed out of the house.
Levi wrapped his arms around Rhi. “Trying to get me alone so we can sneak off into the other room?”
Rhi broke out of his grasp and stepped away. “Is this what we want? What happens if we don’t work out? Are you sure we want to buy a house together after we just started dating?”
Levi took her hand. “We’ve lived together for the last five years. Other than sharing a bed now, how is this going to be any different?”
“We’re in love now but what if that changes? If we split the cost of buying this place and break up, we’re both stuck with a mortgage to a house that one of us might not even be living in.” Rhi squeezed his hand. “I don’t want to end up regretting doing this.”
“Then we go back to looking at apartments.” Levi dropped her hand. “I’ll let Jackie know we’re done for the day.” He strode to the door.
“Levi, wait.” Rhi hurried and stopped in front of him. “This is a big decision.”
“One that should be thought about overnight instead of jumped into head first?” He moved around her and out the door.
Rhi blew out a breath. She followed him, closing and locking the door behind her.
Jackie met her on the porch. “Levi said you’re done for the day?”
Rhi shook her head. “Let’s go see the other house. I don’t want to end this day on a bad note.”
“You two fighting? Maybe an apartment or condo would be a better idea since you’re still newly in a relationship.”
“That’s what I said and now he’s mad.” Rhi sat down on a bench.
“You’re sure he’s upset? He told you that?”
Rhi rolled her eyes. “I’ve lived with him and known him long enough to know when he’s mad.”
Jackie scoffed. “I’ve lived with Everett for fifty-one years and still don’t know if he’s mad at me or upset with himself. This is a big decision. Chances are he’s upset with himself for not thinking about it.”
“What happens if this doesn’t work? I don’t know if we could go back to living as friends if it doesn’t.” Rhi glanced over to where Levi stood near his car.
“Then how is getting an apartment or a condo together any different? If you pay outright for a house, you sell it and go your own ways. With a condo or apartment, you have a lease to break, leaving one of you to pay rent on your own.”
“And if he wants to stay in the house and I paid for it?”
“Then he buys the place from you.” Jackie took Rhi’s hand. “You love him, I know you do. And do you think if your parents or I thought this was a terrible idea, we’d even be involved?”
“I’m sure there’s a backup plan in place if it doesn’t work out.” Rhi chuckled.
Jackie pulled her into an embrace. “Always.”
“Are you still willing to show us the other house?”
“Of course, dear, come along.” Jackie strolled to her SUV and climbed in.
Rhi bounded over to where Levi stood and bumped his shoulder. “I’m not planning on us not working out. I hope you know that.”
“I do. And here I am, trying to talk you into a house when I didn’t think about that aspect.” Levi kissed her forehead.
“I talked to Aunt Jackie. The house may be the best way to go, so we don’t have to break leases.”
“Did you want to stop looking for today?”
“No, let’s go look at this one, then maybe...”
“What?”
“If we don’t like this one, what if we talked to Edge about renting his place? We could spend more time looking for our perfect house.”
Levi opened the door for Rhi. “He said you could have it. I doubt he’ll charge you rent to stay there.”
“Would you like me to see if he’s home?” Jackie grinned.
“Let’s wait until we see this next house.”
“It’s the blue house two doors over.”
Levi climbed into his car and followed Jackie down the street. “It looks nicer than the first one.”
“I love the stonework. It reminds me of my parents’ house.”
“Does it come with your mom’s cooking?”
“Nah, but we’d be close enough and you know she’d be bringing food over.”
“Mom’s Delivery Service. I like it.”
Rhi hit him in the arm and got out of the SUV.
“This one is a little bigger than the last one. There’s a guest apartment over the garage. The master is on the main floor, an office you could turn into a bedroom, and two bedrooms upstairs.”
“What are we going to do with all the space?” Rhi stared at the house. It didn’t look that big from the outside.
“What would we do with all the room at Edge’s place?”
“I don’t know. I’ve always loved his house. Despite its size, it always felt cozy and…homey.”
“That may have had something to do with him being there though.” Levi grabbed her hand as they walked toward the front door. “Let’s see the inside. I’m liking it so far. We could let Robby move into the space over the garage.”
“Robby?”
“Your dad said their network administrator is retiring soon and when I talked to Robby about it originally, he said to think of him if I ever have an opening. He’s ready to get out of the big city.”
“The guest suite at Edge’s has a separate entrance. That could work.” Rhi nodded.
Jackie smiled. “There’s a staircase on the side of the garage leading up to the apartment here. He doesn’t even have to enter the house.” She opened the door and led them inside.
“Yeah, and if this doesn’t work, you can move me up there.” Levi chuckled
They walked through the foyer and into the living room. A fireplace took up a large portion of the right-hand wall and opposite it was open into the kitchen.
“There’s plenty of room for entertaining.” Levi turned around in the living area.
“And I love the fireplace.”
“Out this door is a covered back porch with an outdoor fireplace and kitchen.”
“I’m not sure we need the outdoor kitchen but the outside fireplace reminds me of the island.” Levi glanced out the back door.
“That makes me wonder if Edge’s house would be better for us. The whole house reminds me of the island. And they have the same wicker outdoor furniture on their patio.” Rhi glanced around. “How much bigger is Edge’s house than this one?”
Jackie pulled out her phone. “Looks like this one is just a tad smaller than his. Same amount of bedrooms. The kitchen in Edge’s house is larger. He has the media room upstairs. Plus his basement.”
“Oh I forgot about the media room. Why go to the movies when we can bring the theater to our friends?” Levi chuckled.
“If we head back to the front, this is the home office.”
“I love the window seating but is that enough to justify spending this much money on a house?”
Levi wrapped his arm around her waist. “The office is almost in the same place at Edge’s. We could add a window seati.”
“Was that office big for us to share though?”
“I figured I’d take one of the rooms in the basement. Remember when we were in high school and he’d let us play video games in his work room? Do you know how nice it would be to see my software designs in that much detail? I could finally finish that video game I’ve been working on.”
“Sounds like you’re leaning more toward his house.” Rhi turned to face him.
“I like the idea of both of us having our own spaces. We’re going to be sharing a bedroom for the first time ever. I know over the years I’ve pissed you off enough for you to need your own space and you’re the one that will be working from home. With that space, I’ll have the option to go into the office or work from home.”
Rhi hugged him. “What kind of understanding boyfriend knows a girl needs space?”
“The kind that’s lived with you for five years and knows how scary you can be at times.” He chuckled.
She smacked him in the shoulder. “I like this place but I think you’re right about Edge’s.”
“Let’s go over to there.”
Chapter Thirty-One
LEVI
June 16th
Levi walked up to the front door of Edge’s house.
The door opened and Edge waved the three of them in.
“I’m going to make a couple phone calls while you three hash things out.” Jackie motioned back to her vehicle.
“You mean you’re not going to come in and see me, Aunt Jackie? I’m insulted.” Edge’s smile betrayed his fake outrage.
“I’m sorry you’re insulted but I lose my commission if you give them the house.” Jackie winked.
“I’ll sell it to them for a dollar, so you can get commission.” He laughed.
“Now who’s insulted?” Jackie gave a mock scoff and turned back to the SUV. “I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
“Well of course you are. I’m trying to talk half your kids into moving to Minnesota.”
Jackie gave a sad nod. “I’m not sure it will take much convincing. Everett and I have been talking about a retirement-slash-family vacation home up there but were going to wait a few more years. That might have to happen sooner rather than later now. And in the meantime, it’s a good thing we have a private plane.”
“How many of the family are you gonna convert to residents of the great white North?” Levi chuckled.
“No one who doesn’t want to come willingly.” Edge shut the door behind them. “I’m happy to leave this off the market if you want to just live here until you find a place.”
“We’re actually kinda thinking this may be where we want to live. We’ve been talking about it all morning and everything seems to lead back to here.” Levi put his arm around Rhi.
“Oh yeah?” Edge motioned to the living room. “I’d ask if you want the whole tour but I think you’ve been here a time or two.”
“I’ll give you market value for it but I’ve always loved this place and I’d really hate the idea of you selling it.”
“Why? You’re my sister and part of me doesn’t want to sell. If I give it to you, I can stay here when I’m in town visiting.” Edge shrugged and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
Rhi frowned. “If you don’t want to get rid of it, we can stay here as caretakers until we find another place.”
“I have no problem signing it over to you. I would love to do that. The idea of selling it to someone outside the family felt very…final. There are a lot of memories in this house. And even though I have no desire to move back to Indiana, there’s always a piece of me that will call this home.”
“Are you getting sentimental on us now?” She narrowed her eyes then winked.
“Yeah. I’m actually getting ready to tell Mom that Sara’s pregnant again, so there’s definitely a bit of sentimentality here.” Edge laughed.
“She is? I’m going to have another niece or nephew?” Rhi threw her arms around his neck.
“Yep and I’m excited to be able to go through the whole process this time.”
“Congratulations. That kinda makes sense why you wouldn’t want to sell when you’re going through that.” Levi shook his hand.
“I know we’re going to have to spend more time down here during the pregnancy, and especially after the baby is born, so it is nice to have a place to stay.” Edge chuckled.
“Well, you’re welcome any time.” Rhi looked around the room. “I always thought this place was too big for two people but I’m starting to see the benefits to all the space.”
“Sara used the office for her work, and the basement was set up with every modern computer system in mind. We always had people over, so it never felt oversized. Well not until I was alone in it for a few years.”
Levi nodded. “I loved your setup down there. Might have to recreate that at some point. Where is Sara?”
“She’s visiting her dad.”
Levi took Rhi’s hand. “Do you mind if we look around?”
“Not at all. Go for it. If you haven’t seen the master bedroom, it’s right through there.” He motioned to the door behind him.
Levi tugged on Rhi’s hand and they walked. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I want this house. I know it’s a totally different direction that we had talked about but it really feels like the right move. What about you?”
“Remembering the basement set up and how much I could actually get done down there makes me think this is the right choice. There’s still a guest suite for Robby if he wants to live here for a while. And there’s more than enough space for entertaining.”
Rhi took in the master. “I want it.”
“We’ll have to make our own repairs or hire out.”
“We’ll hire out for sure. Neither one of us is that handy.”
