Chapter 71: A Little Piece of Home
*I miss Austin. But it will never be home for me again. – Evie*
They had stopped at the clubhouse before going house hunting. Partially for the men to check in and also because Toad always seemed to know what all was going on. As expected, he had been able to point them to several houses for sale. One had not even been listed yet.
It was on the edge of town and sat away from the road on a two-acre lot. The front yard had flower beds against the wide wrap around porch. Two large oak trees sat on the far side of the front yard, the perfect distance apart for a hammock. Which, if they wanted to know, was in the shed on the same side of the house.
The backyard had a pool and hot tub on one side and a fire pit with a large seating area on the other. At the back was a small grove of apple, peach and pecan trees. The old man had complained about the pecan trees, but his wife had been from Texas and insisted on them fifty some odd years ago. Tank smiled down at Evie as Ink kissed her cheek. Law stood behind her and when he saw the curious look on the man’s face, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her back to his chest.
“Really make him wonder.” He whispered in his sister’s ear causing her to giggle.
The back portion of the porch opened up to a wooden deck and then a stone patio. Stepping stones made paths to all three areas. On the patio was an outdoor kitchen with a smoker, grill, refrigerator and even a kegerator. This had all been done by the man’s grandson, expecting to inherit the house. This had angered the man and he decided that none of his grandchildren would get it.
Which is why it was now going up for sale.
Ink held Evie’s hand as they followed the man inside the house and out of the light snow flurries. The lower level had been revamped by a granddaughter, to make it easier on the older couple. The man rolled his eyes as he explained this.
Hardwood floors ran the length of the house with rugs interspersed. It was an open floor plan with columns forming a type of break between the different rooms. All of the walls were white with light teal wainscoting and trim. The living room furniture was a light gray with teal and white throw pillows. On the wall to their left was a large fireplace that was open on both sides. On the other side of the wall was a full-sized office with built in shelves.
The walls in the office were bright blue with pale gray on the built ins. Across the hall from the office was a powder room tucked under the stairs. The man had explained that the granddaughter thought that it would make it easier for him to have a bathroom closer to his office. He thought that it was too small, but would increase the value of the house.
He was right. It was tiny. Even Evie felt claustrophobic standing between the toilet and the pedestal sink. She was certain that with a coat of paint and a smaller sink, it would be much better.
The kitchen was open with pale walls and medium gray cabinets contrasting the light floors. The countertops were soapstone with the center island having butcher block. All the appliances were newer models. There was a large L-shaped island that separated the kitchen from the other rooms.
A short hallway led from the kitchen to the garage. Behind the kitchen was a half bath with a deep sink in the counter and a toilet on the opposite wall. On the other side of the hallway was a walk-in pantry with an upright freezer. The hall ended in an open mudroom with washer and dryer on one side and a high counter on the opposite side. Against the walls by the counter were cubbies for shoes and jackets.
Pulling one of the six laundry baskets out of the cabinet under the high counter, the old man said “You can keep the baskets. We never used them. Pretty sure that Polly had it done this way so there was a basket for each of her kids.”
Then he opened the door to the garage, three car bays and a separate work area. Years ago, he had started his bike shop here on the weekends. Eventually it became a full-time business, which was recently sold to the club. Grinning at each other, the two Saints knew how Toad knew about the house.
He then took them upstairs and showed them the master suite, four bedrooms and two full baths. There was also a small reading nook with a window seat that overlooked the side and front yard. It sat above the office with a hallway leading down the middle to the master suite. Two bedrooms with a bathroom between them sat on either side of the hall.
The master suite was above the garage. The second floor had been remodeled by his other granddaughter. She had no expectation of inheriting the house and had simply told the general contractor to send the bills to her.
Once through the door to the master suite, there was another small hallway that led into a sitting area. The hallway was created by a bathroom on one side and two walk in closets on the other.
The bathroom reminded Evie of a spa she had stayed at in Mexico with her sisters. The man said the name and then when she looked at her in surprise, he explained that his wife had gone there too. She had insisted that if she ever got to redo the bathroom, it would be like the spa. So, she had.
White marble floors and counter tops with pale pink cabinets and brass accents. Two pink glass bowl sinks sat on the counter and the large walk-in shower had a pink hue to the glass. It was large enough that all five of them fit. But he drew the line at getting in the Jacuzzi tub with them. Although he did laugh as they all four tried to squeeze into the tub. They finally decided that it could be done. Just without any water.
When they stepped in to look at the closets, Evie noticed that none of wife's clothes had been touched in quite a while. She looked at him, not with sympathy, but understanding. Then they shared a hug and a few tears.
She tried not to laugh at his reaction when he heard her two bikers discussing if a sex swing could be supported in the large open doorway between the sitting area and bedroom. She laughed even harder at his reaction of Law declaring “I’m trying to pretend she’s not my sister for this conversation.”
“How’s that working for you?” the old man asked with a grin.
“Not very well.” Law admitted dryly.
The last thing that he showed them was the finished basement. Along with the mechanical room, there were two large rooms, a full bath and a large open space. It was quickly decided that the open space would become the man cave while one room became a gym and the other a playroom.
All three knew that they didn’t need to look at any other houses. They sat down with coffee in the kitchen at the bar and haggled out a price. Evie offered more for some of the furniture and then they settled it with a handshake.
“How long do you need to get financing arranged?” the old man asked and Law scoffed quietly.
“I don’t do financing. Do you prefer cashiers check or wire transfer?” Evie asked casually and the men other than her brother stared at her. Looking at her men, she softly told them, “I receive checks every month reminding me that I’m a widow. Other than my ‘vette, I haven’t used it for anything. Please don’t let this be an issue.”
“It’s not an issue, luv.” Tank said getting up and wrapping his arms around her.
“Just surprised us, pet.” Ink said joining them. “We were going to get the house for you.”
“But we understand that you need to do this.” Tank said pressing a kiss to her temple.
