Page 31 of Inside Out
“What?” Michele and Laurel simultaneously asked.
“Don’t listen to him,” Ashley said, approaching us from the rear of the house. My sister still looked like a supermodel who just stepped off the runway, but her brain was sharper than her looks. Ashley worked for one of the most prestigious law firms in the state of Ohio where she managed a team of lawyers specializing in civil rights. You wouldn’t know it by her outfit of distressed denim and a light gray, cold shoulder T-shirt. “I was going to invite you in to see the rest of the house, but I’m not so sure now.” She flipped her black hair over her shoulder dramatically. She had either missed the premature-gray gene or she spent a lot of time at the hair salon. “Must you rile them up with ridiculous stories.”
“What?” I asked, playing dumb. “You and Ben aren’t adopting four little boys ranging in age from two to twelve?”
“Mom!” Michele gasped. “Is that true? Therearea lot of bedrooms in this house.”
“He’s joking, right?” Laurel asked, folding her arms across her chest.
Leaning toward me and lowering her voice so only I could hear, Ashley said, “I’m going to murder you.” Then she faced her daughters with a sweet smile. “Don’t listen to him. We’re not adopting a family of four brothers. We’re not adoptinganychildren,” she added to clarify. “We bought this house because we apparently have more money than sense.”
I looked up at the ceiling that opened up to the second-story landing and admired the way the dark wood beams looked against the light ceiling. From the center of one of the beams hung an ornate crystal chandelier that probably cost as much as my car. I didn’t begrudge them their success, but as beautiful as this house was, it wasn’t my style. I would’ve chosen to take the girls and travel the world during their summer breaks instead.
“It’s not crystal,” Ashley said, reading my thoughts. “Those are actually plastic pieces cut to look like crystal.”
“There had to be at least a thousand pieces to that chandelier,” Ben said, striding toward us. I’m sure he was wondering what was taking us so long to join the group.
Like my sister, Ben looked like a distinguished model you expected to find gracing the cover of a magazine about men’s health in their fifties. He had always been a stunning guy, but he got even better looking with age. As an environmental engineer, he traveled a lot, and I admired the confidence Ash had in her marriage. I’d even asked her about it once. She replied that she knew Ben could have any woman he wanted, and she was grateful she was who he’d chosen. It was obvious in the way he constantly reached for her that he was still as enraptured with Ash as he was on their wedding day.
Ben slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her into him when he reached the group. “We got a really great deal on this house. The sellers were motivated, and we fell in love with it.”
“We still have money left in our college funds, right?” Laurel asked. God, this girl cracked me up.
“Mom and I are paying for part of your college, but not all,” Ben said. “We’ve had this discussion already. Mom and I paid our way through life by taking out loans and working hard to pay them off. We’ve been very frank about this.” They had always strived to achieve balance with the girls. I’d heard them say on more than one occasion that just because they could afford to do something for the girls didn’t mean they would.
“Dad is making me get a job,” Michele said, turning to face me. “None of my friends work.”
“None of your friends are probably as grounded as you and your sister either,” I told her. “There’s nothing wrong with hard work and respecting how difficult it is to make money. Wait until you see how much of your check goes to taxes.” I reached out and cupped her cheek. “You’re going to be so much better off in life because your parents could’ve made you both spoiled brats, not the loving, responsible young ladies you are today.”
“You’re forgiven for traumatizing the girls,” Ash said.
“Traumatizing?” Ben asked with a quirked brow.
“He told us you and Mom bought the house because we needed more room for the four brothers you planned to adopt.”
“Huh,” Ben said, tipping his head to the side as if he was considering it. He and Ashley had always said they wanted a large family, but Ash had required a hysterectomy before they could realize that dream. “We do have plenty of room.”
Laurel and Michele glared daggers at me while Ash studied Ben to gauge his seriousness. The smile he gave his wife said they’d talk about it privately.
“What’s taking so long?” yelled a voice from the rear of the house. “Is that my Romeo?”
“Coming, Aunt Astrid,” I said, pulling free from the group and following the sounds of her delighted clapping.
Astrid Abbot was actually our late grandmother’s twin sister which made her my great-aunt. The last time I saw her was two months ago when we celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday. She wasn’t as mobile as she used to be, but sharp as a tack. Arthritis didn’t cripple her fingers like it did many her age, which meant she could still knit. While that was great for Aunt Astrid, it was horrible for me—her favorite nephew. If she wasn’t knitting me sweaters and caps, she was buying the weirdest things she saw on television. One year for Christmas, she bought my sister a coat that looked like it was made from strips of those air pillows they stuff in packages to keep items from breaking during shipping. At least I got crooked sweaters and hats.
I stepped into the enormous room on the back of the house overlooking the inground pool. Three of the four walls were made of windows and doors that opened to the outdoor living area. Part of the room was a comfortable sitting area and the other was the most beautiful kitchen I’d ever seen. It was equal parts contemporary and French country which shouldn’t have worked but did. The modern touches were the commercial grade stainless steel appliances and the white and gray marble countertops, including the one on the kitchen island the size of a double bed. One side of the island had a sink and a glass stove insert along with a generous area for prepping the food. The other side was elevated and acted as an eating area. The cabinets were antique white, distressed, and looked like something that came from the French countryside. I was in love with the space.
Ash came up beside me and tucked herself beneath my arm when I raised it for her. “‘It’s a beaut, Clark.’” She giggled when I quoted our favorite line fromNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.
“I knew you’d love the kitchen. To be honest, it was all I could see when we toured the house. It was a good thing Ben stayed grounded and paid attention.”
“It was a good thing I didn’t see the man cave in the basement first, or we would’ve both been in trouble.”
“True,” Ash said, smiling at her husband. “I haven’t seen your eyes glaze over like that since the first time—”
“Ewww. No,” Laurel and Michele both said, making their parents laugh with evil glee.
“I was going to say the first time he drove his father’s classic Mustang before you so rudely interrupted.”