Page 82 of Whiskey and Whispers
“National parks,” Glen finally said. “I’d like to see the Grand Canyon. Went when I was a kid, but I’d like to see it again.”
“Maybe the beach,” Shelly said. “Something warm and tropical. We could do a cruise.”
By unspoken consensus, they all dropped the subject, wanting this to be a pleasant evening among friends. Rachel didn’t make eye contact with anyone, going back to her phone.
Leo had made a good point as to why Rachel thought it was so important that Josh be the original victim and not Tyler. It didn’t make much sense. If anything, she should be relieved that there wasn’t a killer lurking around every corner in town trying to off her husband when he least expected it.
But she wasn’t happy about that idea at all.
It was strange behavior that had Tate asking some new questions about old friends.
Chapter
Twenty-Four
The next morning,Cat kissed Tate goodbye and drove to the other home that Winnie wanted to show her. This time, there wouldn’t be any pressure to like it. Tate had made it clear last night that he wanted her to eventually move in with him. He wanted to take that next step.
Last night, she’d hesitated slightly, not wanting to jump into anything too quickly or too soon. But this morning it all seemed a bit silly, to be honest. They were in love. They weren’t children anymore. They were grown adults who knew what they wanted out of life and love, and they wanted each other. Why waste time?
She’d even called Winnie this morning, expressing that she might be putting her home search on hold for a little while. Her friend had encouraged her to see the house anyway, saying she might fall in love with it. She could always buy it as an investment. Cat had relented, and now she was pulling into the shaded driveway of a three-bedroom brick ranch with two and a half baths.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Winnie gushed as Cat exited her vehicle. “Think about how it will look in the spring and summer. Allthese trees, and wait until you see the back deck. It’s amazing. The neighborhood is one of the best, too.”
Winnie said that about every house, from what Cat could tell. To be fair, all the neighborhoods had been good ones. Winnie knew her job. She’d only shown Cat houses that fit all her criteria.
Unlocking the front door, Winnie stepped back so that Cat could enter. The foyer was small, but it opened up to an expansive open-concept living room and kitchen.
Sigh. Another open-concept.
She wasn’t against them, but she wasn’t for them either. Sometimes it might be nice to have a wall so that company didn’t see dishes in the sink.
“Wait until you see the primary bedroom,” Winnie went on. “A huge shower and a soaking tub, plus double sinks. Lots of vanity space.”
Cat could admit she loved to spread out her makeup where she could easily see it. A pedestal sink simply wasn’t going to do it.
The bathroom was as lovely as promised, and the bedroom was large with two bright windows on either side of the headboard. Even the walk-in closet was good.
“I told you,” Winnie said knowingly, giving Cat a smug grin. “You love it, don’t you? It’s exactly what you were looking for.”
The other two bedrooms weren’t fancy, but they were good-sized with adequate closets, along with the jack-and-jill bathroom in between.
“I want you to see this deck,” Winnie said, leading the way back to the sliding glass doors off of the dining room that were already open, letting the fresh air and sunshine spill into the home. It was the first halfway nice day of the year, the kind that teased that warmer weather was around the corner. “The owners have really put some time and sweat into the backyard area. Ifyou wanted me to, I could ask them to leave the grill. I bet they would. We can ask for the lawnmower, too.”
If Cat bought this home, she was planning to hire a lawn service. She’d be itching and sneezing like crazy just from the pollen and freshly-cut grass. The mere thought had her scratching the skin around her wrist. There wasn’t enough Benadryl in the world for her to be able to do yardwork.
The back deck was huge, leading out to the yard with more shade trees and even a little birdbath underneath the branches. It was chilly outside, but the day was pleasant and sunny. Winter was finally retreating.
Winnie stepped to the middle of the deck and spread out her arms, smiling widely.
“Can’t you see yourself here hosting a fun barbecue? There’s even room to put in a pool.”
“I don’t think there’s room for a pool.” The sun’s rays landed on Winnie’s necklace, glinting in the bright light. “That necklace is very pretty. I don’t think I’ve seen you wear it before.”
Still smiling, Winnie lifted it so that Cat could take a closer look.
“It’s one of my favorites. It was a gift. It’s an opal. I wear it a lot, but sometimes it’s hard to see with the blouses and cardigans I wear.”
An opal. The exact same shape and setting as the earring they’d found in Tyler’s blue cashmere sweater.
