Faithless in Death (In Death, #52)(28)

“They wanted old and character, some grounds, and that blank slate in or near their neighborhood. She’s far from decrepit. Neglected she is, but she’s a beauty who just needs some attention and imagination.”

Eve narrowed her eyes. “You were going to buy this place.”

“I was, yes. I had an offer ready to go when Mavis contacted me.” Then he smiled. “And it seemed to me this had come across my desk exactly for this reason. Fate, darling Eve.”

As Bella had with Peabody, he took her hand, pulled her along. “Come on, see the rest. Give her a chance.”

They caught up with Peabody, who was now touting the joys of the woodwork, the moldings, and a window seat in what she termed a perfect study.

Eve poked her head into a half bath, and its red-and-gold wallpaper had her stepping quickly out again.

They made their way through the main floor into a huge space where Mavis spread her arms.

“I love how open all this is, right? Kitchen, the family room, the dining room, and you can just see everything.”

Eve saw it, all right. A stunning display of ornate, dark cabinetry, acres of solid black counters, and weird, fussy lights hanging everywhere.

Plus, a lot more dinge.

“So iced having the double fireplace thing.”

“There’s a big pantry,” Leonardo put in, and hauled Bella up when she lifted her arms. “We’ll spend a lot of time in this space, I think.”

“After it’s Mavis and Leonardo–ized.” With a laugh, Mavis spread her arms again. “It’s ult ugly and mega sad. Roarke said it’s a—what is it?”

“Gut job,” he supplied.

“Gut job! We can donate the totally ugly cabinets, hit it with some color and freaking happy. We can hang in here and see Bella and Number Two wherever they are. And we have back stairs!”

She spun in a circle, then hurried toward them. “Let’s go up. Whoever thought I’d live in a house with two sets of stairs?”

Because the sheer joy overwhelmed even the dinge, the dust, the scars, Eve put aside her reservations.

Upstairs, the doors read black to Eve, but Peabody instantly went into rapture again about solid mahogany, stripping, refinishing.

Big rooms, Eve thought, and lots of light again. Which wasn’t so much of a bonus at the moment, as it highlighted lots of scary wallpaper.

Bella grabbed Eve’s hand, then Roarke’s.

“Das! Ork!” And raced into one of the rooms. “Mine!”

She chattered, danced. She seemed particularly pleased with a window seat, then the big closet, and finally tugged Roarke’s hand until he crouched down to her level.

She jabbered.

“Ah, I see. I’m sure you have it right. Yes, of course, that’s just the thing, isn’t it now?”

Clearly pleased, she hugged him, wiggled her butt, then raced off laughing.

“What the hell was she talking about?” Eve demanded.

“I haven’t a single clue, but she seemed firm on it.”

With a shake of her head, Eve walked to the big window. It overlooked the back—and a lot more overgrown yard, some sort of shed or garage.

With big shady trees, she thought, a wide patio.

“I get it. I get what she sees here—sort of anyway. And I get what she wants. What they want. But, Jesus, it’ll take months, maybe years to do all that.”

“Two to three months,” he corrected. “Most is just cosmetic.”

“Seriously?”

“She’s rock solid under the questionable decor and unhappy neglect.”

“You’d know.” She thought of the dilapidated farm in Nebraska he’d turned into a postcard on a bet.

Yes, he’d know.

“Okay, if she wants my nod on it, she’s got it. But something’s off. The dimensions. The west wall stops way before it should. You can see that from the outside, and that patio deal extends beyond where this house stops.”

“The main part of the house. You’ve a good eye.”

“I’d have to be blind not to see it. What’s the deal?”

“Mavis’s next reveal.”

They went out again where McNab was talking about updated electronics, house systems for security, entertainment, business. All in a language she knew no one understood but Roarke.

And he and Roarke went into geek speak as they walked downstairs again.

“I can convert the lower level into a studio,” Mavis said, “and Leonardo’s got the kick-ass attic space. But I really want to show you the bonus round. Out here. Roarke, what did you say we could do here?”

“Blow out this wall, install glass accordion doors to the patio.”

“That. So instead of this dink door, imagine that. And we can put a playhouse out there for Bella and Number Two, and have a garden. We can still walk to our favorite joints, and to parks and, well, everything.”

“To us,” Peabody said. “Because we’re going to miss having you in the same building.”

“Like nutso,” McNab agreed, and scooped Bella up. “Gotta have my Bellamina fix.”

“Nab,” she said with swoon-worthy love, and kissed him.

“We like hearing that, don’t we, honey bear?”

Leonardo opened another door off the patio. “We’re counting on hearing it.”