Good Buy Girls 05 - All Sales Final Read Free Page B

chips or cracks, hard to believe for something that was easily sixty years old. The range was an old O’Keefe and Merritt gas and was equally spotless.
    “Does it work?” she asked Marcy.
    “Oh yes,” Marcy said. “There were some renters here a few years back. They said everything was in tip-top shape. I know it isn’t state-of-the-art.”
    “No, it’s more like art, period,” Maggie said. “Oh, I love vintage kitchens.”
    Sam grinned.
    “You knew it was all vintage, didn’t you?” she asked.
    He nodded. “I’d heard the kitchen was remodeled in the fifties and hadn’t been touched since. I figured you’d dig it.”
    Marcy’s eyes went wide. “You like it as it is?”
    “Like it?” Maggie asked. “I love it. I specialize in retro at the shop. I think I even have a copper canister from the fifties that would look amazing over there.”
    “Well, isn’t this perfect?” Marcy spread her arms wide. She was beaming.
    “Yes, it is actually,” Maggie said. Each room was better than the last and she was really beginning to see Sam and her making their life together here.
    The master bedroom and bath had been modernized and updated. A big bay window with a love seat looked out over the two acre backyard. There was a walk-in closet that was as big as Maggie’s bedroom now, and the large master bath had another bay window and a Jacuzzi.
    There were several more bedrooms and a sitting roomupstairs and Maggie and Sam haggled over which would be their home office and which would be guest bedrooms. Maggie didn’t really care and only put up a bit of resistance just to keep Sam on his toes.
    She had been alone for a very long time. The thought of sharing the three Bs—bed, bathroom and bills— with someone again made her feel just a bit light-headed. She wasn’t used to making compromises; she was used to making all the decisions and doing all the heavy lifting. What would it be like to lighten the load? She could barely fathom it.
    Marcy’s cell phone rang and she glanced at it. “I’m sorry. I have to take this. You two go ahead and wander about, and I’ll meet you on the porch when you’re done.”
    Sam and Maggie poked their heads in the attic. It was dry and dusty with a few cobwebs and a bit of a draft but there was no sign of any critters of the furry or the insect sort. They also checked out the basement which, aside from creaky wooden stairs, was dark and dank but dry and free of mold.
    They examined the overgrown garden just outside the kitchen window. Maggie could just picture replanting it with an herb garden. She’d always wanted to plant parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, well, just because. And she wanted to plant tomatoes since there was nothing like fresh tomatoes in summer.
    Sam was thrilled to discover that the toolshed at the back end of the property was big enough for a ride-on mower. Maggie noticed that the woods beyond the lawn looked friendly and cheerful, the sort of place deer andbunnies would roam, as opposed to being cold and creepy and full of monsters.
    At least Maggie imagined it that way, but maybe that was because she was falling in love with the house as quickly as she’d fallen in love with Sam. She knew from experience that when something was right, you could feel it all the way down in your bones. This house felt right. As they strode across the lawn, Sam put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
    He leaned down and kissed her temple as they both examined the back of the house. It did need paint and some more landscaping. But the wraparound porch was just begging for a swing and Maggie could see herself sitting on it with Sam as they sipped iced tea and watched Marshall Dillon chase butterflies.
    “What do you think of it, darling? Do you think we could make a life here together?” Sam asked.
    Maggie noted that his voice was carefully neutral as if he didn’t want to influence her decision in any way.
    “I think . . .” Maggie began but she was