A Family Affair(81)

“They all seem to be good. My mom is just about back to normal. Bess is as weird as ever but she’s doing fine. Jess is not around as much, a good thing, but she seems like a whole new person since she got her dog. Wriggly is quite the guy. For a little dog he’s not yappy or annoying—he’s pretty cool.”

“I can’t wait to meet him.”

“I see your dad has the Christmas lights up,” he said.

“Oh, yeah, he’s all over it. They’re going to bring the tree in later today and start getting out some of the decorations. My mom has been shopping like crazy, getting ready to shock and awe the grands. Since my brother-in-law’s parents live kind of close, we’ll have everyone here for most of the time. Christmas morning, for sure. We’ll have to share the kids a little bit. And the in-laws are coming to a big dinner one night. We have lots of lists going, getting ready.”

“You haven’t gotten yourself that second job yet, have you?” he asked.

“No, I’m waiting till after the holidays. A lot of high school and college kids pick up part-time work while they’re on break. There’s no need to compete with that.”

“How’s it going, living with your folks?” he asked.

“Surprisingly well, considering I’m the youngest and they don’t let me forget it for one second. I’m surprised I don’t have a curfew.”

“Oh? Does that mean you’re going out a lot?”

She threw him a look. “I’ve had a couple of wine breaks with the girls but I haven’t gone out with any guys, if that’s what you’re trying so clumsily not to ask me.”

“That was it.”

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll know when we get there.”

“Are we going wine tasting? Are we going to vineyards?”

“No. How’s your grandma doing?”

“She’s fine. She’ll be with us for Christmas. How about your grandma?”

“Blanche isn’t doing that well,” he said. “She’s really deteriorating. She doesn’t make sense a lot of the time, poor old girl. But I think she’s getting along okay at the nursing home. She has always had a gift for making friends. Even if she can’t remember them or their names an hour later.”

“Where are we going?” she asked a bit more forcefully.

“Just up the road. Not very far. San Rafael. Have you been there? It’s really close but I think I only drove through it or past it before. It’s not a bad-looking little town. Good roads, lots of older neighborhoods with real nice yards. Have you? Been there?”

“I don’t think so,” she said. “What’s in San Rafael that you want to show me?”

“Just give me five minutes, Jenn.”

“I don’t know why you don’t just tell me.”

“Okay, look. You gave me an idea and I started looking at houses. I got a Realtor and gave her the parameters—has to be fairly close to work, has to be at least three bedrooms, solid, not run-down. I said I could do a few things, cosmetic things, but I’m not a builder and I can’t do anything major like electrical or plumbing or putting on a new roof. I’ve looked at a few houses.” He whistled. “They’re pricey. But my dad left me some money, and my mom told me when they originally wrote their wills they wanted to help us afford a house. Because it’s so hard to buy a house in California. So, I had a little money, I have a great job, I looked around. And I found this sweet little house in a nice neighborhood. The houses are kind of old but the owners aren’t—most of the neighborhood is young.”

“You’ve been looking at houses?”

“This is the block. Look how nice it looks and it’s the beginning of winter. The lawns are so neat, the gardens meticulous. Most of the houses have freestanding garages in the back. I know, there are a lot of cars parked on the streets. That’s the one.”

There was a mission-style house, a woman in a suit and heels standing in front on the sidewalk.

“Oh my God, it’s pink!”

“Yeah, that’s a downside,” he said. “Come and see the inside...”

“It’s pink! Not slightly pink. Pepto-Bismol pink!”

“I know, but come on. The inside is amazing.”

He introduced Jenn to Maura Cummings. “Thanks for taking time on a Sunday to show me this house again. I really want Jenn’s opinion before I make a decision.”

“Perfectly reasonable,” Maura said.

“It’s really pink,” Jenn said.

Maura laughed and said, “It sure is. That can go away in a few hours. We can even make it a condition of sale.”

The front door was beautiful, had an arched doorway in the Spanish influence. The foyer was large, the living room and dining room generous, and you could see through the house to a cozy covered patio. The rooms were tiled in burnt-orange Spanish tiles with thick, soft area rugs throughout. The kitchen countertops were off-white quartz. The kitchen was big—work island, breakfast bar and all. It looked as though it had been recently remodeled. To the right of the kitchen was a large bedroom and bath with shower, to the left of the living room, a main bedroom with a large bath containing both tub and shower. There was a third bedroom next to it.