Page 43 of Icebound Hearts

“Yeah, we’ll see about that idea,” I say, and Violet laughs as she strides into the living room.

There are raised ceilings, but only here in the living room, and two skylights are built into the roof to let the sun stream in along with the huge floor-to-ceiling windows built into the front of the house that each give the place a lot of natural light.

“This house has so much character,” Violet murmurs, pointing at more stained glass built into the top third of the front windows. “Look. Each little panel there tells a part of a story, from sunrise to sunset.”

She’s right. The sun moves across the sky above a flower in each panel until it sets in the final one.

“Even the banister has flair.” She smiles softly as she shifts her focus to the little handrail built above the steps leading to the upper level of the living room. She runs her hand across its beautiful, smooth and polished stained wood. “I wonder if the owner built the house himself? This is pure craftsmanship. You can tell so much of it was handmade.”

“He didn’t give me the whole story, but he did say that a lot of the pieces in the house are original. Apparently, he took up woodworking and that kind of stuff as a hobby when he retired.”

“It shows,” she says and trails out of the living room into the adjoining kitchen. She knocks on the wall between them. “I kind of wish this wall wasn’t here though. The open concept would work so well with this layout.”

I follow Violet through the rest of the house, more impressed by her attention to the details than to the details themselves, until we arrive back in the living room where she draws open the curtains on a pair of doors that lead out onto a beautiful stone patio that surrounds a modest in-ground pool. An equallybeautiful garden wraps around everything, giving the space a great amount of privacy and making it feel almost like it’s not even in a public neighborhood.

“There’s a pool!” Jake stares in disbelief and as soon as Violet opens the doors, he goes streaking through them to check it out. “It doesn’t have a fountain, but it’s still cool. Look at the edges, Daddy!”

Amazingly enough, there are a few stained-glass pieces built into the upper rim of the pool as well, each depicting a different view of a mountain, presumably one of the many that are nearby.

“Wow,” Violet says quietly as she walks around the pool, drinking in all the details. “You’d never get me out of here.”

I laugh. “This is definitely one of the big selling points of the house.”

“I love it. I mean, not that it’s for me or anything, I’m just saying. It’s beautiful all around. What do you think, Jake?” she asks, shifting the focus off herself.

“It’s so cool! And I love the living room.”

“Glad you like it, buddy. Guess I’ve got a lot to think about,” I say and lead everyone back inside, making sure to lock up the backdoors before we head out. Outside, I drop the key back in the lockbox and spin the numbers to scramble them, then walk Jake back to the car and help him inside with my mind racing. The screeches and laughter of happy kids playing outside reaches my ears, and it tugs at me.

“Alright, now that we’ve seen all three, what did you think of them all? And be honest,” I ask Violet when we’re back on the road heading home.

“They were all great in their own ways, honestly.” I stare at her, smiling to encourage her to let the truth out. But she just laughs. “What? What’s the look for?”

“Oh, come on, the last one was far and away your favorite. I mean, you lit up as soon as we pulled in the driveway, so you don’t have to be so diplomatic about it.”

Her face flushes and she tosses her hands in the air. “Alright, fine. Guilty as charged. The place was amazing, but like I said, I’m not picking a house for myself. I’m helping you and Jake find a place that would be perfect for you. And all three houses had what you and Jake are looking for, although some had more of it than others.”

I nod. “You’re right. It’s not gonna be an easy decision to make. Well, other than ruling out that second house. I just can’t see us living there.”

“Not even for the pool?” Jake chimes in from the backseat, making both of us laugh. I shake my head at him in the mirror.

“Sorry, buddy. That pool was great, but it was pretty much the only thing I liked about that house.”

“Oh well. The security guard was kind of creepy anyway,” he says matter-of-factly, and Violet chuckles.

But the conversation mostly dies out after that, and she stares out the window as we drive. When we’re a few blocks away from home, I notice that she’s slumping in her seat. Judging from her reflection in the side mirror, she’s fallen asleep.

The warm evening sun casts a striking orange-yellow glow on her face, somehow making her look even more beautiful than she normally does. It’s hard to keep my eyes on the road because I can’t stop glancing over at her and soaking in the details. Her skin looks so soft, and the sunlight strikes her lips in a way that brings out their vibrancy.

“Hey, bud,” I whisper to Jake, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. “Wanna take a drive up to the mountains? I think Ms. Violet probably needs to sleep a little more, so I don’t want to go home quite yet. Maybe we can spot a bighorn sheep.”

“Yeah!” Jake beams and nods eagerly.

Chapter 14

Violet

My eyes flutter open as the car comes to a gentle stop, and I realize we’re back at Sawyer’s house. But something is different. After a second, it hits me what it is—the sun is almost down, obscured by the house. I blink and turn to look at him.

---