Page 5 of Keeping My Wife
I wandered around the large room, checking over the Windsor chairs around a small table as well as the curved settee by the fireplace.
I was more into woodworking, but I’d been known to do somereupholstery when warranted. The fabric was a bit worn in spots but might be able to be saved with a deep clean.
I moved through the living room into the dining room and my chest tightened at the mahogany dining table and chairs. That would be a pretty penny and flipping it wouldn’t be very good on the ROI, but damn it was some serious craftsmanship.
I kept moving through the house, surprised there was another sitting room past the dining room. But the view of the backyard told me exactly why it was there.
The back gardens were stunning even if they were a bit on the overgrown side. I was pretty sure my brother’s best friend would kill to take a crack at it. Wyatt Howard was a genius with landscaping, and we’d been working with him more and more to extend our services.
But November was upon us, and winterizing was the name of the game this time of year. I bet it would look hella pretty with a layer of snow though.
I drifted over to the massive cabinet. It had a mix of leather-bound books and quite a few empty shelves where things had been sold off.
I spent at least three hours wandering around the bottom half of the house. I could only imagine what was upstairs.
But the hour was growing late. There were a fair number of lookie-loos who only wanted to snoop around and see what was in the house, but there were some serious collectors as well.
I recognized a few antique dealers from Saratoga sniffing around at the larger pieces.
It made me wonder how steep the prices would be.
I had dozens of pages of notes and a phone full of photos of pieces I was interested in—and a few that were probably out of my price range—but I hadn’t spotted anyone talking people up. I assumed Marcella would have hired someone to do this kind of work. I quickly swept through the rooms on the lower floor, finally spotting someone in a blazer with an iPad in hand.
When she turned around, my mouth instantly went dry as dust. “Maxie?”
She frowned. “Cam?”
“Yeah, uh. Wow, it’s been a long time.”
She walked around the secretary desk I’d been eyeing earlier. Her eyes were tired, but clear. Those big, green eyes had always slayed me. Jet black hair floated around her shoulders in soft layers of waves making the deep burgundy jacket even more bright in the timeworn room. There was a bit of pallor to her warm black skin, but her high cheekbones were dusted in makeup to hide it. Her full mouth was stained a deep crimson stain drawing my attention there.
Maxie Delacroix had been the last person I expected to find, but damn if she didn’t still rock me back on my heels. It had been years since I’d seen her, but somehow, she was more beautiful. She’d lost the teen softness of our high school days leaving only a stunning woman in her place.
“I thought you were down in Georgia.”
She smiled sadly. “I was. They needed me home.”
I moved in closer, unsure what to say. “I’m sorry about Lucinda.”
“Me too. She always seemed larger than life. Hard to believe she was actually mortal.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Lucinda in a nutshell.”
She huffed out a laugh. “My grandmother was a force. And she left me quite the mess.”
“How’s your mother doing?”
She shrugged. “Difficult. Avoiding this place like always.” She waved her hands. “Sorry, you definitely didn’t need to hear all that. I’m just exhausted.”
“It’s okay.” I didn’t really know what to say. Indigo Valley was a small town and Maxie had been around my siblings’ friend group for as long as I could remember. She was a few years older than me and always just out of reach.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
I cleared my throat. “Always wanted to get a look at this old house. You have a lot of pieces I’m interested in.”
She tilted her head. “Really?”
“Oh, yeah. If I could, I’d take half the house. The Chippendale pieces alone are enough to make my—” I cut myself off and cleared my throat. Lusting after her family heirlooms was a bit tacky. “It’s a great find for someone like me.”
