Page 24 of Balancing Act

“Yeah.”

“Wow what?” Skylar asked, leaning forward to check out the phone.

“I know I’m not the best person to say this, but . . . that seems cheap.” I looked at Zaya, who was not only a realtor, but had far more real world experience than I did.

She nodded. “Definitely more affordable than I was expecting. Of course, it needs a ton of work. The entire inside needs to be gutted.” She swiped through the photos.

“True.”

“It’s been on the market for over a month. I bet you could get it for even less than asking.”

“It would be a huge change. But we all know you’ve been dying to do this. You think Whittier Falls could be the place?”

I thought about it. We’d only been here two days, I still had so much to see and explore. But everything about it felt right. The fresh air, the nature, the opportunity to explore, the laid-back down town. It was the perfect setting for my dream retreat.

“I think so. At least, I think it’s absolutely worth considering further.”

“I agree. It has all the right elements.”

I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. “Is this really happening?”

Zaya poked my arm. “Well, you need to see it first and get an idea of what repairs need to be done.”

“Of course, yeah.”

“But it has potential,” Enzo said.

“And if anyone has a safety net to jump into something like this, it’s you, Eryn,” Skylar said with a laugh.

Zaya nodded. “I think we should call and set up an appointment immediately. We’re already in town, there’s no harm in checking it out. And if it’s not right, no big deal.”

“Potential,” I murmured, more to myself than to them. “It has potential.”

9

Gray

An unexpected knock on the door tore me away from the sandwich I was making for dinner. I grumbled under my breath, expecting it was Walk or Mason showing up to get the scoop on the trail ride. But when I swung the door open, it was worse.

There she was—Mama, with her light brown hair touched by strands of silver and those familiar blue eyes that matched mine.

“Sharon Anderson,” I began, leaning against the doorframe in mock frustration, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Can't a mother visit her son without an appointment?” Her tone was light, but the concern etched around her eyes was as clear as daybreak.

“Sure,” I conceded, leaning forward to kiss her cheek and then stepping aside to let her in.

“I’m so thrilled, I can’t even tell you.”

“Thrilled about what?”

“That you actually took a few hours off and did something fun.”

“Guiding a tour group is not my idea of fun. It was work, just like anything else.”

“Oh, Gray hush. We all know you love getting on horseback and exploring the trails. And when’s the last time you visited one of the falls, huh?”

She had a point, but I didn’t like admitting it.

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