I think Nina enjoyed seeing my awestruck face, because she didn’t hesitate to tell me just how much money everything in here was worth.
“There are only about three thousand people in the whole town,” she explained. “The average price of a house is five million, but this property is worth much more than that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can you imagine living in a house that’s only worth five million dollars?” I asked in mock horror. “Imagine what the other Bedford housewives would say,” I smirked at her. “Oh, that’s right. You’re not allowed to tell anyone about your relationship.”
Nina gave me a sharp look but ignored my words. “There’s a guest apartment over the ten-car garage that you should stay away from. That’s where the boys spend most of their free time. Next door to that is the pool house. Most of the pool is indoors, but you can swim through to the terrace outside. The pool house is also where you’ll find the fitness center and the ballet room that Richard set up for you.”
I looked at her in disbelief, and she seemed smug. “We have a wine cellar, 3D theater, billiards room, two-story library, and even an elevator. We have close to three acres of land here, but most of it is merely a barrier to the outside world. Only an acre is covered in decks and walkways made from French limestone.”
“Only an acre? You better tell Richard that he needs to work on that if he wants this wedding to happen,” I mocked her.
She gave me a haughty look. “It sounds like you could use a nap. I’ll show you to your room.”
She slammed the door shut behind me after shoving me in, but I didn’t mind if it meant our mother/daughter time was over for the day.
I looked around the room slowly. It was larger than the Logan’s entire apartment combined, and I had a bathroom connected to my room. I was grateful that I wouldn’t have to share with either of the two terrors. The house seemed large enough that I might not have to see them at all for the next two years.
My new walk-in closet was larger than Ryan’s bedroom, and it was already full of clothing and shoes in my size. At first, I thought that my mother had left some of her clothes in here, but then I realized that everything still had tags, and some items were labeled with things like ‘Katya’s dress for Saturday’s dinner party’ and ‘Katya’s dress for brunch on Sunday.’ It irked me that someone had decided they could control my life to the point where they were dressing me like a doll, but that was a battle for another day.
There was a large bed with a fluffy white comforter, and decorative pillows piled high. I was grateful that the room was decorated tastefully and not in the Pepto-Bismol pink that most people associated with ballerinas. I kicked off my shoes so that I could wiggle my toes in the thick carpeting and indulge in the luxury of it all.
Next, I wandered over to the makeup vanity table and ran my hand over the surface. It was the epitome of old Hollywood glamour, and I kind of loved it – even though I knew I shouldn’t. When I was a little girl, this was exactly what I thought my life would look like as a prima ballerina. However, a big room filled with pretty things wouldn’t change my mind about going back to New York. I didn’t belong here in Bedford with the super-rich. I needed to be back with my best friend as we worked to live the life of our dreams.
After two days of arguments over where I was going to live, and hours on a plane with my new family, I was more than ready to stretch out my legs. I located my ballet bag in the closet, where someone must have dropped it off for me, and dug through it to find what I needed. I changed and popped my wireless earbuds in before I went in search of my new ballet room.
Once I got outside, I discovered what ‘French limestone’ was. Nina acted as if it was supposed to impress me, but it just looked like regular rocks to me. However, I had to admit that the landscaping outside was gorgeous. I could easily see myself sitting out here to read a book on a bright sunny day - if it was even possible to get those out here in Washington.
I saw the two buildings that Nina had referenced and hesitated. First, it was kind of outrageous that someone’s home even needed multiple buildings to contain everything. Second, I definitely did not want to walk into the devil’s lair by accident.
I guessed that the building closest to the driveway was the garage I was supposed to stay away from, so I walked around the other building. I let out a breath of relief when I saw the pool in the back. Perfect. I had just identified the correct building.
I wandered into the pool house and checked out the fitness center. I would definitely be able to do all of my strength training here without a problem. The fitness center was separated from the ballet room by a transparent glass wall. Anyone in the fitness center could easily watch what I was doing. I shrugged it off. Who would even want to?
I slipped in the room to see that two of the walls were completely covered
