If It Happens

25

April 12, 2019

Stevie turns into the parking lot of the Apartment complex. It was odd really, half of the Apartments were two bedrooms in a building like a normal Apartment Building but the other half were three-bedroom townhomes. Stevie parks her 2018 GMC Tahoe right in front of the townhome C2. 

"She's going to kill us like she really is going to kill us," Blakesley says unbuckling her seatbelt and unplugging her aux cord. 

"She won't kill us when she finds out that Austin was in on it." Stevie rolls her eyes at the 25-year-old. 

As the kids grew up all three of them took an interest in Buckingham Homes, to an extent. Blakesly was a designer much like her mother, and Zachary was doing the building much like his father. Two degrees later in Architecture and Interior Design, the twins were getting ready to take over the job as retirement and traveling the world was becoming more appealing to Stevie and Lindsey. Of course, they wouldn't be world travelers in a sense. They'd go to Europe for a couple of weeks out of the year, maybe six and they'd just spread them out. They weren't sure yet but as soon as 2020 rolled around, they'd be handing over their business to the twins and their respective partners. Zachary was married to a Kindergarten teacher, Hallie, they had met in college and married at the ripe young age of 21. Blakesley was engaged to a chef, Brody, which was a good thing because the girl can't even toast a piece of bread. 

At a fresh 28, as it was her birthday,  Kinzey, a realtor for the company was married to a 35-year-old policeman on track to become a detective. Living with them is his Niece six-year-old  Natalie. His sister and his brother were killed in a plane crash. Stevie never asked what happened but Natalie moved in with them four years ago when she was 2. 

The three-unit townhome was fine for just the three of them, but Kinzey was six months pregnant with a little boy and they needed more room which prompted the family birthday gift for the young girl. Lindsey purchased a plot of land about ten minutes away from his and Stevie's house, and Austin, Lindsey, and Zack started building on it. Stevie and Blakesly knocking their heads together to design it. 

Stevie slings her purse over her shoulder and the two of them traipse to the front door. Blakesley rings the bell and they wait patiently for the door to open. Kinzey opens the door and wrinkles her nose when she sees her mother and her baby sister.

"Mom, Blake if I had known you were coming I would've...cleaned." She kicks a barbie out of the way. 

"We have a Birthday present for you Pumpkin." Stevie smiles sweetly.

"I don't see it." She shakes her head pushing a blonde strand of hair out of her face. 

"That's because it's not here doofus. Come on get Natalie and come with us." Blakesley bounces impatiently.

"But I have to start dinner and." She shakes her head.

"No you don't, you all are having dinner and Birthday cake at my house tonight." Stevie pulls her into a hug. 

"Alright. NATALIE!" Kinzey calls evoking a wince out of the mother and the sister. 

***

Pulling up to the property Kinzey looms over her mother's shoulder from the backseat. 

"Why aren't you buckled?" Stevie asks.

"Mom, what is this place?" She asks as the house comes into view.

"This is your birthday present baby." Stevie tells her.

"We didn't buy a house though." She shakes her head.

"You're right you didn't buy a house. Your father and I did. We were going to build and sell since everyone is flipping houses now, but Austin approached us with a different idea." Stevie parks the car and everyone files out.