A Margin of Lust (The Seven Deadly Sins #1)(38)

Before she'd hung up with Lance, Gwen told him her theory about houses. . She believed they were like family dogs—emotional vacuums that picked up the moods and attitudes of their owners. The Sailor's Haven house had been decorated with a loving hand. Mementos of a life well lived were everywhere you looked. The very walls of the house exuded contentment. Cliff Drive was like an abused animal, dangerous in its hunger.





CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


Gwen got to Laguna early on Sunday morning. If there were going to be any surprises, she wanted to know about them before anybody else did. Shoving down the distaste rising in her throat, she unlocked the front door.

She thought about waiting for Lance before entering, but didn't want to give him any more ammunition. He'd teased her enough about her theory on the similarity between houses and family pets when she shared it with him.

She hurried through the entryway past the baleful basement door and into the kitchen. While she ran water into the vases she'd bought in San Juan, she pulled three bouquets of flowers from a paper sack. Instead of fully staging the house, she and Lance had decided to use some of the furniture he'd found in a basement room, some odds and ends from her home, and flowers to make the place as homey as possible.

Gwen refused to go down to the cellar with him, so she had to trust his judgment. He did okay, she thought when she entered the living room. An old sofa table with claw-foot legs sat in front of the picture windows gleaming with polish. Gwen glanced across the expanse of the floor before crossing to it. No bugs. No dead rats. No surprises. Her vase of yellow tulips made a striking contrast to the blue of sky and sea beyond.

A square wood table, gray with age, sat between two black, ladder-back chairs under an ancient crystal chandelier in the dining room. An arrangement of white hydrangeas and roses with celery green grass looked elegant against the severe backdrop.

As Gwen moved from room to room adding a throw pillow here, leaning a picture there, her mood lightened. The bones of the house were lovely. The freshly painted walls hid the scars and bruises of the past. It wasn't cheerful, but it had drama. Maybe they could sell this place after all.

"Hello, the house." Lance's voice rang through the empty rooms.

"In here," Gwen called from the kitchen.

"Hey, our crazed pit bull is looking pretty good this morning."

"Funny."

He dropped three bags onto the counter. "Candles—scented just in case. Crackers—to go with the cheese plates. And toilet paper. We're going to be here all day."

"Good thinking." Gwen opened the package of toilet paper, selected a candle and headed to the guest bathroom off the front hall.

"Have you been upstairs yet?" Lance followed her.

"No. I haven't had a chance."

"I put a few chairs up there, that's it. I didn't want to haul up beds and dressers. But I thought we could add pillows or a throw blanket to warm things up."

"There's a big, plastic garbage bag full of that kind of stuff in the kitchen. Help yourself." Gwen busied herself with the toilet paper holder, taking longer than necessary to insert the roll and make a triangular fold in the first sheet.

Lance watched her for a moment then disappeared into the kitchen. She'd go upstairs, just not yet. She'd used up all her courage credits opening the house by herself this morning. As she lit a candle to leave on the side of the sink, she heard Lance's footsteps on the stairs.

Several minutes later, he joined her in the kitchen. "Can I take those?" He pointed to the last bunch of flowers, bright red gazanias in a milk white jar. "The master needs a little something else."

While Lance finished the second story, Gwen ran to the car for the box she'd packed with coffee pot, cups, cream and sugar. Wine was fine for the afternoon crowd, but she for one wanted to start the day with caffeine.

"Can I help you with that?" John Gordon pulled up to the curb as Gwen lifted the cardboard crate from the trunk. John, Taryn, Eric Woo and Caroline climbed out of the vehicle.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen said.

"That's a nice greeting." John took the box from Gwen's arms.

"We wanted to see the mystery house," Eric said. "It's the highest price listing in the office."

"I brought donuts." Caroline held up a greasy bag.

The group followed Gwen inside and scattered when they hit the front hall. She could hear the click of heels on the wood floor, creaks overhead and raised voices from all around the house while she made coffee. She poured the first cup for herself and carried it into the entryway. "Coffee's ready." From that vantage point, her voice carried into every room.

John walked down the stairs a moment later and accompanied her to the kitchen. The rest entered through the door off the dining room.

"It's a bit beat up, but it's a great location," John said.

Lance moved a bite of donut into his cheek then said, "You should have seen it before we spruced things up."

"The place gives me the creeps," Caroline said.

Taryn looked at her over the top of her glasses.

Caroline's hand fluttered in the air as if she was trying to wipe away her words. "I mean, I'm sure it'll sell. The view is amazing. I just wouldn't want to be..."

Taryn put a fist to her mouth and coughed. Caroline stopped talking.