Page 17 of Second Chance At Love

“I think I found the one I want to buy,” her words rushed out in one breath and Cora bit her lip.

“Then put in an offer,” Henry easily told her.

“You don’t want to see it? It’s a lot of money to spend and I don’t want to make the wrong choice…” Cora trailed off.Why? Why was she suddenly transferring her fears over how Nate treated her to Henry?she wondered. Never once had Henry hurt her in any way. He was nothing but supportive and kind to her, yet she couldn’t stop the pit of worry in her abdomen.

Maybe she wasn’t afraid, maybe she just wanted his approval?Cora turned the idea over in her mind. They were friends, and it was his money she was spending. She wanted him to like the house as well. He would be living there with her, Nick, and Oliver. It made more sense that she wanted his opinion on the house. She wasn’t afraid at all, just anxious, Cora decided.

“Cora, do you like the house?” he patiently asked, cutting through her thoughts.

“Yes,” she nodded even though he couldn’t see her.

“Then buy it. If it doesn’t turn out to be what you want, you can always sell it and get a different one. However, if it isexactly what you want, you won’t regret buying it. So go for it. And remember, the deed goes in your name,” stated Henry firmly.

Cora couldn’t stop herself from grinning as her anxiety dissipated. “I’m buying a house.”

“Good for you,” replied Henry with warmth in his voice.

Saying a quick goodbye, Cora headed out to the deck out back where everyone was waiting. “Put in the offer. I’m buying this house.”

“Oh wow! How great!” smiled Candi. “Let me get the other realtor on the phone.”

“Does any of the furniture come withit?” blurted out Cora. When they all looked at her in surprise she pointed to the patio set. “I really like that. Honestly, I like most of what I saw inside and we need furniture.”

“I can ask,” murmured Candi with the phone pressed to her ear.

“Are you sure you wouldn’t want new?” questioned Britney with a frown.

Cora faltered. They wouldn’t understand. She had been brought up on a budget, on being careful with money. She remembered going to secondhand shops and purchasing most of their items from them. Rarely during her childhood had Cora gotten brand new things. Money had been tight. These women were used to being able to buy whatever designer goods they wanted whenever they wanted. Yet what Cora had remembered of the furniture inside the house, she had liked. It all suited her tastes.

She felt a hand slip through her arm. Cora looked to see Adriana linking her arm through hers in support. “I think it was all quite nice. It’s cozy and I really like the patio, too. If I didn’t like Parker’s condo by the ocean so much, I would say tohim to buy the house and furniture for us.”

Cora blinked back sudden tears at the young, shy woman’s support. Adriana understood.

“The furniture is all from a staging company. It’s not used at all,” revealed Candi as she came back to the group. “The owners are willing to cover the cost of it in the purchase price if you want it, however then we probably can’t drop the price to include the kitchen renovation.”

“I’m not renovating the kitchen. I like it just as it is,” firmly stated Cora. “I do want to change some of the fixtures and paint the rooms, but we are not going to negotiate about the price, especially since they are willing to put in the furniture. Whatever they want, I’m willing to pay if I can have a quick closing date.”

“Great. I will put in the offer and we can get the paperwork started,” enthused Candi.

A few short hours later Cora was sitting at the kitchen table signing the papers. Henry had helped her over the phone with the bank to transfer the funds over to the realtor. Britney had already scheduled a contractor and designer to come help her with the fixtures and painting while Addison had lined up a pool and lawn care company to look after her maintenance. Throughout it all Adriana had simply smiled and stayed seated beside Cora, offering silent support.

Finishing initialing and signing the last page, Cora leaned back in her chair and looked around in mild astonishment. “I bought my house. I hope the boys like it.”

“They will love it,” said Candi as she handed over the keys. “Congratulations! You’re a homeowner.”

Cora had a tremulous smile as she held the keys to her future in her hands.

Chapter Six

Henry was escorted to a private visitors room. It was a nice enough place, he supposed, with comfortable chairs and a small table with a few magazines on it. A leafy plant was in the corner and the room was painted a cheerful yellow.

The furniture was bolted to the floor, Henry noticed as he took a seat. There was also no window or pictures on the wall. He wondered if the plant was fake or real and if the pot was screwed down to the floor as well.

He didn’t have the opportunity to investigate as one of the orderlies let Gerrit into the room. His brother was pale with dark circles under his eyes, his cheeks sunken in. He wore the plain gray scrubs and soft slippers all guests of the facility wore. He gave Henry a dull look before sitting down in one of the chairs.

“How are you doing?” asked Henry, trying to determine what sort of mood his brother was in. The last time Henry had visited, Gerrit had been in the throes of withdrawal and the response had been a snarled ‘How do you think?’

“I’ve been better,” came the bitter answer. Gerrit shifted in his seat with a wince. “The back is killing me.”