Page 67 of Bought
Good thing Ryan and Cass are stealing all his attention. Hopefully, he won’t notice my silence.
We all get into the van to continue the ride to dinner. “Blaze and his crew are holed up in Queens,” Lucian explains.
Staying near Bambi’s apartment, I’ve never been to this part of the city. Clothing boutiques line busy Austin Street, where dining options include old-school Italian, ramen, and Middle Eastern cuisine.
The busier part of the city quiets down as you reach residential Forest Hills, centered around a plaza enclosed by charming Tudor-style buildings, which gives way to a leafy neighborhood of half-timbered houses.
I gaze out the window in awe. “This is beautiful.”
The Bachmans all call it the Forest Hills house, which is charming. I try to picture myself living in this elegant, freestanding Federalist brick home, a true landmark majestically perched on a hill. It’s situated on a beautiful, quiet side street within the highly desirable Forest Hills Gardens.
The land is vast, making the historic home feel more like an estate.
We step inside their home to explore an elegant layout designed for comfortable living and entertaining. The first floor features a grand hall, a bright living room, a spacious dining area, and a modern eat-in kitchen with ample storage space.
Blaze approaches me, tall and broad, with thick, dark hair that is more wavy than curly and beautiful green eyes. Cleopatra is shorter and has curves like Cass, with straight, light brown hair.She’s dressed in a flowy, multi-patterned dress, nothing like what they sell in Posh.I like her instantly.
Blaze’s mother, Sharon, is well dressed, her graying hair mixed with pretty, pearl-blonde highlights. Falcon is clearly obsessed with her, never more than an arm’s reach away. He’s a big man with a thick neck and salt-and-pepper hair that curls just above his ears. The deep lines etched into his suntanned face light up with a warm smile as he strides down the aisle in his beloved, worn leather work boots.
Cleopatra gives us the tour, saying, “Dad’s been in construction his whole life. He’s helping me renovate the place while Blaze works.”
Blaze says, “Forest Hill is nice, but a little too far from my home in the Bronx.”
“Poor baby.” His ‘ma’ rolls her eyes. “You’re stuck in this mansion instead of our old project housing. It is what it is.”
“Blaze prefers his old digs,” Lucian explains. “Most of us Bachmans did not come from billionaire backgrounds.”
I realize that I don’t know anything about his past. Nothing. Aside from the fact that he’s from the city and the damage caused by a mistake he once made.
I push my sister’s chair up to the spot at the table where the family has already removed a chair. Does he have siblings? He hasn’t mentioned.
He’s obviously close to this group.
And Falcon clearly loves his daughter. “Have you seen Cleo’s wallpapering in the living room? It could be a professional job.”
Cleo says, “Dad, stop bragging.”
Falcon says, “Never.”
“Me neither,” Blaze swoops in, planting a loving kiss on the top of her head.
Cleopatra pauses to gather her emotions before saying, “After what happened to the Village... we knew we wanted to come back to the city, to be here with Lucian as we wait to see if we can move forward. Who knows how long that could be? We needed something that could fit all of us.”
The house definitely suits the four of them just fine. It’s stunning. My eyes keep wandering. It must have five bedrooms.
“We have a lot of guests,” she adds as if she’s reading my mind. “Family visiting from the Estate in Italy.”
“What if you can’t rebuild?” Cass wrinkles her nose at Cleopatra.
I wish I had a secret rubber band I could snap against Cass under the table every time she asks a question that’s too personal. “Cass…”
“Good question,” Cleo answers with a smile. “I asked myself the same thing, but I have to keep myself busy while we’re in limbo or I’ll go crazy. Speaking of which—let me go grab the pasta from the oven.”
She leaves the table, going deeper into the kitchen.
Falcon says, “With the work my little girl has done on this place, they’ll easily be able to sell it for way more if we leave the city.”
“It’s sweet,” Cass says, trying to recover from her earlier invasive question, “you live here with your in-laws.” But then she followsit up with a classic Cass comment, “Most women can’t stand theirs.”
