Page 15 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
“Dude! Seriously? I didn’t buy the housejustto reconnect with Harper.” It was only part of the truth, but I felt my cheeks get hot anyway. “I wanted a place where I could get away and just be me for a while. I started searching for a house therebeforeI met her. I like Rhode Island. You would, too. The beaches, the laidback lifestyle, everything you could want within driving distance—it already feels like home more than my place in New York and definitely more than my parents’ house in LA.”
Max was silent for a few seconds. “Don’t keep your parents’ place if it makes you miserable.”
Now it was my turn to be quiet. Why was I keeping the place?
Two years ago, I’d moved out of my apartment in New York and decided to live in my parents’ home in Los Angeles. My uncle had held on to it, employing a couple to keep up with its care in case I ever wanted to move back. When I did, I realized it was full of memories I wasn’t ready to face—like finding my parents dead of a drug overdose. The needle sticking out of Mom’s arm, the spoon on the floor by their feet. Dad’s lifeless eyes staring at me.
That was twenty years ago, but I was still haunted by their neglect and their deaths while I lived there. I took every role I could to avoid the place. Especially the ones I had to travel for.
What I wanted was a real home, like I experienced living with my uncle. I’d found that in Rhode Island.
***
IT TOOK CLOSER TO THREEweeks before I could move, but I was about to enter my house for the first time. I pulled into the driveway that circled around the back to a private parking area, and a grin stretched across my face.
Before getting out of my car, I grabbed my phone and requested a video call with Uncle Theo.
“Lincoln! I didn't think I'd hear from you until later tonight." Uncle Theo wiped the sweat beading from his forehead. I must have interrupted his daily workout.
“Just got here. I thought you could see it with me.”
“I'd like that.” It was moments like this that made me grateful I'd ended up with him. My parents hadn't even made it to my Little League playoffs because their dealer had new pills for them to try. They'd sent our house manager in their place.
I cleared my throat, brushing aside the painful memory. "Let's do this."
I got out of my car, holding the phone out in front of me, and walked around the large cedar shake home. Immediately, the salty air from the nearby beach settled my nerves.
“Well, you're not in LA anymore,” Uncle Theo chuckled. “Look at the size of this yard. And the house has such a beautiful rustic charm to it.”
“I love how warm the cedar shake shingles are in comparison to the wall-to-wall windows of the LA house." I turned the phone to face me. Uncle Theo nodded enthusiastically. He'd never been a fan of the concrete, contemporary home my parents had built.
This house sat back from the street, with access to the bay. The steady beat of water lapping against the shore filled my ears. This was the view I wanted to wake up to every morning. “I'm thinking of getting a small boat that we could take out sometime.”
Uncle Theo loved boats. It would be the perfect excursion for us when he visited. “I'm already thinking of a few models that would work."
“Lincoln,” Tai called from the front of the house. She was dropping off the keys. I was grateful she helped me find a cleaning crew and someone who stocked my place with food before my arrival.
“In back,” I called out and headed to the front of the house.
“You ready for the big reveal?” Tai’s head popped around the corner just as I reached it.
“Definitely. The house is perfect, and this view is even better than I thought it would be.” I turned my phone in her direction. "This is Uncle Theo. Uncle Theo, say ‘hi’ to Tai."
She smiled and waved, then held out the palm of her other hand. Cupped inside were the keys. I took them and jogged to the front door. Walking through the foyer, I stopped in my tracks.
This place was a hoarder’s heaven.
“Holy shit.” I said to Tai when she entered the house behind me. There was more furniture than I’d expected. Three wing chairs sat practically on top of each other in front of a coffee table that dominated the room. On the other side, a couch and another chair blocked a hutch that stood in the corner, making it impossible to navigate through the room.
“I know. Don’t say—”
“I won’t.” I held up my hands in surrender and chuckled. “You were right.”
“Whoa,” Uncle Theo's surprised voice echoed in the room.
"Right? Why don't I let you go so I can explore the rest of this place with free hands? I'll call you back later tonight.”
“No problem." We waved goodbye before ending the call.
