Devil's House

Chester couldn't remember the last time he'd been so nervous. He wasn't sure if it was the possibility of the L house being a let down, or if it was excitement that maybe it really would be perfect. But either way, he was ready to get there. Traffic was being annoying as he and Mike made their way to the address, anticipating meeting Katie, the realtor who was going to show them the property.

"Holy Crap, Ry was right," Chester said as they made a left hand turn and he pointed out the window. "That's Score. That's our building right there." The tall office space was three blocks away, and according to GPS, they were only half a block from the L house.

Chester immediately sucked in a breath as the circle drive came into view. He knew this was it, recognizing the outside from the pictures on the realtor site. Even though the price tag on this particular house was still high for his liking, he knew there were other tradeoffs that would help to make up for that. The savings in gas money that Ryan had mentioned before. And my time. I'll be able to leave later in the mornings and get home sooner at night. That will make getting dinner ready so much easier. And Ry will be there. Ry and Jay both, if Jay ends up working remotely like they're talking. That means Mike and I will always have someone else in the house if something happens. Especially that first month when the babies are so little and Mike won't be home very much because of school. I won't have to be alone with the girls.

It was an exciting possibility to think about. "I can absolutely come home every day for lunch if we end up here," he said to Mike as they slowly pulled into the circle drive to park behind the realtor's black Jeep. "And I know this part of town. There's a kick ass grocery store just a few blocks from here, and there's a really good restaurant called Golden Waves. It's Chinese," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at Mike. "And this weird place T likes to eat at that has like...healthy sandwiches that don't actually use bread!" He turned the car off to twist in his seat so Mike could see how serious he was. "They wrap all the sandwiches in lettuce. It's like, that's not really a sandwich. Even their cheeseburger doesn't have a bun! And the cheese isn't real. It's like, plant-based or something."

"Gross." Mike waved off the idea of plant-based cheese immediately. He was nervous about looking at the house in front of them, almost as nervous as he was excited. There were so many things to like about it from the pictures online, and he hoped the inside was as appealing in person. He wanted Chester to love it, regardless of the weird sandwich place that was close by. No matter what, he wasn't eating fake cheese.

"You ready?" he asked instead of continuing the fake cheese conversation. "It looks so normal from the front. I guess that's because the whole other side is behind the garage there." He pointed out the windshield. "From the front it looks like any other house."

"It's pretty," Chester commented as they both got out. He shut his car door, and pulled his sunglasses off to hook them over the V in his v-neck white shirt as he studied the front. It was well-kept, with a small manicured lawn and a few funky looking bushes that looked like oversized bonsai trees. There were black double front doors, and a stone porch that was big enough for their rocking chairs from home. The stone didn't clash against the white siding like Chester thought it would. It was a strange mixture that was oddly appealing the longer he looked at it.

Chester spun one way, and then the other, looking at the view of the street and back to the house. The circle drive felt like it gave an extra layer of protection from the street, and Chester liked that aspect. "I like the porch," he said, pointing, just as Katie walked up to meet them, introducing herself.

"Hi, I'm Chester, and this is my husband Mike. We spoke on the phone," he informed her as they shook hands. She was younger than he figured, with blond hair pulled back in a bun. She had a clipboard with her, which reminded him of Talinda, even though he knew Talinda wouldn't be caught dead in those jeans or the peach colored top she was wearing. And all that jewelry, he decided as he glanced over her ocean blue necklace, earrings, bracelet, and ring that all seemed to match. Normally he was all for things matching, but the blue against the peach was a turn off. Not that it mattered. He knew she was trying to catch a look between business and casual, and for the most part, he decided she'd captured that. She wasn't intimidating, and her smile was warm. He liked her, despite her non-Talinda like outfit.