Page 32 of Stuck With My Christmas Crush

Maddie runs off to play princesses and host a pretend tea party for some royalty who are stopping by, leaving Jason and me alone by the gramophone. I feel suddenly shy.

“So, Charlie. What brings you all the way out here today?” asks Jason with reserved politeness. “Is it purely a social call or are you interested in purchasing a grand old hotel that needs a whole lot of TLC?”

“Oh. Just a social call. And I dropped off a thank-you gift. For you and Rocko. I left it on the shelf at the gatehouse. I thought you weren’t at home, then…

“You came snooping.”

“That’s right. I did.” I laugh. “I can’t help it. I’m just nosy.”

“I know.” There’s a pause then Jason says, “So, would you like a personal tour of the old Mansion Hotel?”

“Would I? I thought you’d never ask.”

Jason shouts out to Maddie that he’s showing me around. Maddie shouts back, okay, as I follow Jason out to the main hall and reception area.

“Here we are at the grand entrance. Before it was a hotel, it was my great, great grandfather’s private residence.” Jason’s voice echoes as we begin to climb the sweeping marble staircase. “I’ve been doing a bit of digging since I saw you last. About the family. My ancestors. The people who built this place.”

“Cool. I want to know everything.”

“Well, Cedric Winston Archibald Clayton Harris made his fortune on the railroads. He was good friends with the Rockefellers who built one of their houses just down the road.” We arrive on the landing where corridors lead off in opposite directions. Ghosts of pictures that have been removed still hang on the wallpaper “They played golf together and socialized in similar circles. You know, the movers and shakers of the time, I guess.”

“Wow. That’s so interesting.” I follow Jason through an open door to a vast bedroom decorated with wallpaper covered in delicate birds and flowers. “This room is incredible.” A massive bed with a carved gold headboard dominates the space and is positioned to take in the full-length windows down to the gardens below. Luxurious swags of pale green drapes frame the view.

“Yes. And the adjoining bathroom is pretty special too,” Jason says walking toward a door in the far corner. I follow him through to where a huge white claw-footed bath sits in the middle of the room tiled in black and white ceramic designs.

“Now that’s the bathroom I want someday.”

“It’s yours. It comes with the house if you want to buy a rundown monster of a place.”

Jason shows me other rooms upstairs, then we take the servants’ stairs down to the kitchen and scullery on the ground floor. I imagine the small army of staff that must have been needed to run this place and the difference between these people and the wealthy guests they were serving.

Jason opens a door, and we descend to the basement and wine cellar.

“I’ll show you a photo of this wine cellar packed with bottles and barrels,” says Jason. “It must have been quite the party house in its day.”

“Yeah. I get that feeling.”

I’m so pleased I came here today. All my nerves from the drive up here have evaporated as my nosiness takes over. Every room is a delight. And I feel privileged to be shown around this beautiful, yet rundown property. I wonder what will happen to it after it’s sold.

“What other treasures are you finding?”

“Oh, it’s mostly just junk.” Jason smiles. “I think anything truly valuable was sold off to pay for heating bills years ago.”

“It’s great that you have time to be here, to get things organized. It’s a massive job.”

“Yeah. Well. I don’t have a contract at the moment, so I said to Meredith that I’d do whatever is necessary to get this place on the market. Then, when it sells, we’ll split the proceeds. And that will be that. And I’ll be free to continue living my best life.”

“And, excuse me for being nosy again, but what is that? Your best life.”

“Another great question, Charlie.” But Jason doesn’t elaborate, he keeps walking. “All that’s left to show you is the garage.”

“Great.”

We leave the house by the grand front door and disturb Rocko who is snoozing in a patch of sunshine on the portico step. He jumps up and wags his tail eagerly.

“Hey. What’s that you’re wearing, Rocko?” Jason is talking to his dog but he’s looking at me with a crooked smile. “Looks like a new collar.”

“Don’t you think red plaid suits him?”

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