“Why haven’t I been here before?” Heather asked, glancing around curiously as they drove along a beachfront lined with weeping willows.
“There’s not too much out this way, just these scattered houses on some prime real estate. At one point when he was developing Chesapeake Shores, Dad wanted to buy up the land and incorporate it into the town, but the owners united and held out. Drove him crazy, but personally I’m glad they did.”
Heather regarded him with surprise. “Why? You almost sound nostalgic.”
“I suppose I am. I like the fact that the houses along here are pretty much the way they were fifty, even seventy-five years ago,” Connor said. “Same families, too, at least for the most part. You almost never see a For Sale sign along here.”
“Really?” Heather said, then peered through the windshield. “Connor, wait! There’s a For Sale sign. It’s just up there at the bend in the road. Let’s go look.”
Admittedly intrigued himself, he drove a few hundred feet, then pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine. His enthusiasm died as he got a closer look.
“It’s not much,” he said, disappointed to see how badly the house had been neglected.
“It’s charming,” Heather contradicted, her eyes alight. “Look at the yard. It’s filled with lilac bushes.”
“All overgrown,” Connor noted. “And I doubt the house has been painted in years. It’s probably riddled with termites.”
Heather gave him an exasperated look. “Aren’t you cheery?” Her expression brightened. “Look, it’s called Driftwood Cottage. How perfect!”
Connor finally spotted the sign dangling crookedly from a single nail above the door. “Looks more like it’s been cast adrift to me.”
“Now you’re just being mean,” she chastised. “I wish we could see inside. Do you suppose anyone’s home?”
“Not if they value their lives,” Connor muttered, not sure why he found the place so depressing. Heather was right. It did have the charm he’d been talking about only moments ago, even if it required some serious attention.
“Help me get out of here,” Heather said, ignoring his comment. “Let’s go knock on the door.”
He actually studied her face then, surprised to find that her expression was more animated than he’d seen it in ages. “You’re serious about this?”
She nodded. “I can’t explain it. I know it’s a bit of a mess, but I love it.”
“How can you?” he asked, bewildered. “You have a lovely, modern apartment right above your store. I thought you liked it there.”
“I do.”
“Then why would you be even remotely interested in this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel as if it’s calling out to me.” Her expression turned dreamy. “I’ll bet there’s always been a family staying here in the summertime. Look at that old porch swing. Can’t you just imagine kids in that, or teenagers courting on a summer night?”
“Heather, it’s one thing to rescue some mangy little kitten off the street.” Something she’d done too often for his comfort, he recalled. At least she’d been persuaded to find homes for them rather than insisting on keeping each one. Using the same firm voice that he’d used when it came to the cats, he added, “It’s another thing entirely to try to save a wreck of a house. Making this house livable would cost a fortune. Ask my dad.”
She gave him a defiant look. “That’s just what I’ll do,” she said. “I bet it has great bones. Now, are you going to help me get a closer look, or do I have to struggle over there on my own?”
Connor shook his head, but he dutifully climbed out of the car and went around to the passenger side. After all, today was supposed to be all about making Heather happy, and, for reasons beyond him, this house seemed to make her very happy. In fact, she was already trying to stand up and steady herself on her crutches.
“Will you just hold on a minute,” he grumbled. “If you’re not careful, you’ll wind up with your other leg broken.”
He walked with her across the street, but halted at the bottom step leading to the porch. “That wood is rotted right on through,” he declared. “You’re not going up there.”
“Then you go. See if anyone’s home.”
“You expect me to risk my neck…” Her imploring look silenced him. Choosing his steps cautiously, he went up and knocked on the door. “No one’s here,” he said eventually.
“Let’s walk around back. Maybe we can see in the windows.”
“Mind if I borrow one of your crutches to beat a path through the jungle?” he inquired, not entirely in jest. The yard was a tangled mess of weeds. If this had been inside the town limits of Chesapeake Shores, the owner would have been put on notice to clean it up immediately.
Amazingly, though, as they slowly circled the house, he began to see why Heather was intrigued. Driftwood Cottage was bigger than it had appeared from the street. Under the out-of-control weeds, the backyard was huge, perfect for children and fenced to keep them from wandering across the road to the beach. Though the windows were grimy, there was a large sunroom across the back.
“Oh, my,” Heather murmured when she saw it. “Connor, isn’t it wonderful?”
“It has potential,” he grudgingly admitted.
Back in the car, she dug in her purse and wrote down the Realtor’s name and number. “Do you have your cell phone with you?” she asked. “I forgot mine.”
“You want to call now?”
She nodded at once. “Please.”
Connor gave in and made the call. Fortunately from his perspective, he got voice mail. Maybe Heather would come to her senses once she’d had a little time to think this through. She couldn’t possibly afford a potential money pit like this.
But he could. The thought came to him out of the blue, like a bolt of lightning when the skies were still clear. What was it Jess had told him—to go for broke to prove to Heather that he was listening to her? This ruin of a house certainly
