Race to a Happy Ending

Chapter 9

It was starting to get even colder outside on that last day of January. Cameron had turned the heat up in the truck and had been holding Kate's hand on the ride over. Cold temperatures or not, Kate felt very warm being with Cameron, and the warmth had nothing to do with the heater in the truck. When they pulled up into the swanky, gated subdivision, Kate felt giddy and nervous all at the same time. She was elated to finally see where he lived. So far, the whole day had seemed surreal and like a dream. Who knew that she would ever find herself in a relationship with a famous athlete? They turned into the driveway and even though it was dark, Kate could see the beautiful, tudor style home. She could only imagine how beautiful it was in the daytime.

"I'll warn you now, it's a bachelor pad. It may look pretty on the outside, but the inside is not too fancy. I had someone come in and do some sparse decorating when I bought it, but I haven't really done anything else with it. As you can probably imagine, I don't spend much time here. One day, I'd like to buy some land and build a house with my own style." he explained.

"I'm sure it's fine," Kate said. "I'm just happy you brought me here."

Cameron pulled into the driveway and came over to open Kate's door and help her out. They hurried inside for shelter from the cold. They entered the house through the garage and into the mudroom. He helped remove her jacket and hung it up on a hook by the back door. They entered the kitchen area and Cameron flipped on the lights. Kate dropped her purse on the kitchen bar area and looked around at the beautiful home. The cabinetry in the kitchen and the granite countertops were amazing. The stainless steel appliances rounded out the perfect kitchen. Kate could only imagine all the entertaining she could do with a kitchen like this. The kitchen opened into the living room, where a huge stone fireplace adorned one wall. She could definitely tell what he meant by bachelor pad. It was decorated nicely, but it lacked any familiar touches. Other than a few things here and there, it almost looked like a model home where no one actually lived.

"I love this place!" Kate said. "It's beautiful!"

He quickly grabbed her and gave her a hug. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and back to warm her up. "I'm glad you like it. It's a little plain in here, but in my bedroom and downstairs in the basement it looks a little more 'lived in', if you know what I mean."

"Then give me the grand tour. I want to see it all!" Kate smiled at him and embraced him back.

"Then lets start right here." He pointed to the fireplace, which was flanked by huge floor to ceiling windows on each side. "In the daytime, these windows look out over Lake Norman. It is one of my favorite spots." He then took her through most of the house, showing her the guest bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as the dining room and formal living area. All looked immaculate and untouched. Then he took her downstairs where there was a game room complete with pool table and video games as well as a large tv and comfortable chairs. "This is where I spend most of my time when people come over. " He walked her over to the french doors that led out to the patio at the back of the house. They stood at the window and looked outside as he flipped on the flood lights to the back. "There is the pool and hot tub. I spend a lot of Sunday nights after a race in that hot tub. And in the summer, I keep the boat down there at the dock," he pointed out. "It's a great piece of property with a decent amount of privacy considering it's still a subdivision. "

"I can see where it would be a lot of fun in the summer," Kate stated.

He took her back upstairs and led her to the master bedroom. When she walked in the first thing she noticed were the pink roses in a vase at the nightstand by the bed. She also noticed a neatly wrapped package lying on the bed. She looked curiously at the package and flowers, then looked at him. He smiled at her then took her to the master bathroom. There were two vanities. One was obviously his and the other looked relatively unused. She noted that there was a nicely arranged basket on the unused vanity that contained typical bathroom toiletries, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, and other travel necessities. There was also a smaller vase with an arrangement of various flowers on the vanity. Again, Kate looked curiously at both vanities, wondering what it all meant. Maybe it was something he always kept there, trying to keep in line with the 'model home' look. But, she didn't think so. Then he took her into his large, walk in closet. Kate instantly fell in love! The closet was bigger than any bedroom she'd ever had. Cameron could see how much she liked it. "This humongous house and my closet is what gets you excited?" he laughed at her.