Page 16 of Second Chance At Love

How different from her own husband who had pressured Cora to drop out of college, Cora thought ruefully. She gave Adriana a smile. “Good for you. I wish I had finished school.”

“You still can if you want to,” casually mentioned Addison. “It might be difficult with the new baby, but there are online classes or maybe you could employ a part-time nanny?”

Cora mulled the idea over in her head. She could take some classes if she wanted to. Nate wasn’t here to forbid it and Henry had said to treat the money in the accounts as her own.

She could do whatever she wanted within reason, decided Cora. Possibly even finish her degree. It was exciting to think about.

“Okay, we are going to go to visit what just might be the perfect house,” grinned Candi as she rejoined the group.

Following Candi, they drove to a large estate where Cora put on the breaks at the gated entrance.

“Cora?” gently questioned Addison from the passenger seat.

Cora shook her head. It was too large, too imposing, and the gates made her feel trapped. She wouldn’t be able to breathe in this house which would need paid help to keep it in shape. She didn’t want a full time housekeeper or a grounds person. “This isn’t it.”

“We haven’t even seen it,” frowned Adriana as she looked up the long drive to the large brick house.

“I’ll call Candi. We can go to the second one,” said Britney as she dug out her phone for a quick conversation.

A few minutes later, they were pulling up to the second location. It was in an old suburb with mature trees lining the streets. Cora parked on the street as she looked at the house.

Blue siding with white trim and a black metal roof. The house was Victorian with a detached garage. There were flower beds around the house waiting for springtime. The large porch looked like it had a swing on it along with other furniture.

It looked comfortable.

“What do you think?” wondered Britney.

“Let’s see the inside,” decided Cora.

They joined Candi as she was opening the side door. “Now we need to temper our expectations on this one. I only put it in the mix because it is near the school and has five bedrooms, even though they are quite small. The property itself isn’t very large by your family's standards. There is one more just a little further away from the school which I think you might like better.”

Candi led the way in. “You can see there is an open concept living room and kitchen area. They did some renovations probably about twenty-five years ago to open up the space and to also finish the basement. Everything is a little tired and needs some redoing. While small, the kitchen has all the basics but you would probably want to do a full renovation on it, get new cupboards and granite countertops. One thing the place has going for it is there are plenty of windows to let in natural light.”

Cora ran a hand over the butcher block countertop. It reminded her of home, where she grew up with her parents before their deaths. With old doors, hardwood floors, and a creaky step on the way upstairs. There was even stained glass over the bay window. “How many bathrooms?”

“Three full baths which is a little unusual in this old of a house,” replied Candi. “The garage only holds two cars, but there is a small swimming pool in the backyard. It’s also a five minute drive to Livingston Academy which is convenient.”

They looked over the bathrooms, the bedrooms, and the basement which had a rec room and storage area. The master was on the main level as was a small guest room. Three bedrooms were upstairs. It all needed some paint and a few small updates in fixtures but overall, it was cozy andcomfortable. There was a deck out back, and an inground pool which took up two thirds of the yard. There was a small patch of grass and more shrubs.

“The owners were really into flowers and simple landscaping. I know it’s too small for your family and outdated. I promise you, the next one is larger and has been recently renovated with everything you could want,” said Candi as she waved her tablet around.

“How much is this one?” asked Cora. She looked at the patio furniture on the back deck and decided to take a picture of it. She wanted something similar. “When would the owners want the closing date?”

“The owners want an immediate sale as they have already moved to their new property and don’t want to carry two mortgages any longer. The move in date can be within a few days or after you do whatever updates you want.” Candi named a price that had Cora blink. It really was quite reasonable, not that Cora was an expert. She had only been looking online for the past day at comparable homes.

“You like it, don’t you?” questioned Addison as she looked over the yard. “It’s quite comfortable.”

“Are you sure it will be enough space for you and the boys?” wondered Britney. “Gabe’s and my house is almost three times the size and it’s just the two of us so far.”

Cora hesitated. A house was a big and expensive decision. Perhaps she should ask Henry what he thought of the place. Although, he had told her to buy whatever she wanted…Was that a trap? Would he be angry if she chose wrong?Cora wrung her hands together. She loved this house. Mostly because it reminded her of her own childhood, but partly because she knew Nate would hate it. It wasn’t modern with clean lines and glass everywhere. It didn’t make a statement. It was solid, old, and a family home.

She really wanted this house.

“Hey.” Cora jumped as Addison put a hand on her shoulder. “If you need time, we can check out that other house or we can go through this one again. It’s up to you.”

“I just need a moment,” decided Cora. She quickly went into the house, making her way to the kitchen. Yes, it was small. Yet in her opinion it was almost perfect with its farmhouse sink and painted white cupboards. The appliances were stainless steel and the fridge was a large one. She ran a hand over the countertop again before digging in her purse for her phone.

Henry picked up on the second ring. “How is house hunting going?”