"I already know which one belongs to you. It's the yellow one."
She gawps at me. "That's right. How did you know? You haven't even gone inside yet."
"You have the sunniest personality of anyone I've ever known. Naturally, you would live in a house that's the color of the sunshine."
"Awww," Sabrina coos. "That's the best answer ever. Too bad my ex-husband never heard you say that. He still would've dumped me, but at least he would've seen a good role model."
"How could any man divorce a Remington woman? You're all treasures to be guarded and appreciated."
Sabrina starts to cry.
Oh, bollocks. What have I done? I didn't mean to upset her.
Before I can struggle to come up with an apology, Tabitha hurries over to hug her sister and glances back at me. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sabrina always cries when she thinks about her marriage. The divorce was hard on her."
Sabrina wipes her eyes with the sleeve of her blouse and sniffles. "I'm okay now, Tabby. And I am so happy that you found a great guy like Spencer. I'll wait out here while you show him your house."
Tabitha leads me inside the tiny home which seems to consist of just two rooms, though I can't tell what the smallest room is. "Let me give you the grand tour. My house is a little different from Sabrina's and my parents' homes."
"Yes, I can see that quite clearly. You have your own style. I already like your house, and I've only just stepped inside."
"See, the kitchen is over in that corner, and it's open to the living room. Unlike my parents, I have a TV in the corner there. I also have a closet, which is right next to the bathroom. I have a tub, a toilet, and a sink."
"Yes, and I see the bedroom over there. I like the open plan of your home. It seems less cramped somehow."
"There's also a mirror on the bathroom wall."
I wander over to the sofa, rotating in a circle to take in the full view. "Your house is one story. That's good. I'm afraid I'd have a ruddy awful time trying to squeeze myself into a loft bedroom."
"Sounds like you want to spend the night here."
"Yes, I do. Unless you prefer to drive back to Arlington tonight. I assumed we would stay overnight."
Tabitha smiles, and her face lights up like the sunshine in the sky. "I want to stay over too. My parents should get to know you better."
"Hey, lovebirds!" Sabrina shouts. "Are you done making out yet? I want Spence to see my house too."
I clasp Tabitha's hand as we leave Tabitha's home. Sabrina seems quite keen on showing me her tiny dwelling, and I don't want to disappoint her. When Tabitha had first told me about the unusual way her family lives, I had assumed their houses must have been self-built in a ramshackle way. Not sure why I assumed that. My brain apparently couldn't grasp the concept.
As the three of us wander toward Sabrina's home, my curiosity rears its head up. "Did your family build these houses themselves? Or did you hire contractors?"
"A little of both," Tabitha explains. "We got an architect to draw up the plans, then we hired contractors to do the things we couldn't, like putting in the plumbing. But the four of us put up the walls ourselves and painted everything."
I gaze at her with a new appreciation. "You know how to put up walls? Blimey. I can't even hammer a loose nail into a board without cocking it up."
Tabitha bumps her elbow into me, smiling up at me with sly sweetness. "I would be happy to give you a crash course in tiny-house building techniques."
Sabrina smirks and winks at me. "I'd be happy to show Spencer how to pound those nails."
Her emphasis on the words pound and nail make her meaning clear. Tabitha's sister is making a sexual metaphor.
And my girlfriend seems none too pleased with that. "Sabrina, stop hitting on Spence. You're making him uncomfortable."
Sabrina rolls her eyes. "I wasn't hitting on him. I was making conversation."
"Uh-huh. Sure you were."
I throw my arm around Tabitha. "Ladies, please don't fight over me. I know I'm irresistible, but I don't want to come between two sisters. I do have several mates back home who are single. Maybe I could set Sabrina up on a blind date if she comes to England with us for Kendall's wedding."