Peyton shook her head as she laughed. “It was just an example. Besides, I’ve kind of been jonesing for both of these so I figured…why not?”
“I’m sure it’s all going to be delicious.” Stepping away, he went to pour them each a glass of wine before taking a seat and watching her work. He considered asking if she needed help, but Ryder knew his strengths and cooking was not one of them. “So tell me about your day.”
It was completely mundane–this whole scenario where they came together after work and talked while Peyton cooked. Ryder never imagined himself as the kind of man who found this appealing, and yet…he did. Actually, he was finding there were a lot of aspects of his relationship with Peyton that he never thought he’d find appealing that he now did. Other than their trip to Denver, he hadn’t traveled anywhere since their relationship started. All of his business had been done via phone and Zoom calls. He always imagined he’d be antsy by now and anxious to hit the road–or the air–just for a change of scenery, but he was very content exactly where he was.
“So then he starts boasting about this fantastic property on the edge of town and how much commission he’ll make from the sale,” she was saying before looking at him and rolling her eyes. “The thing is, I know that property, and it’s kind of a legend in town because the guy who built it was a total recluse. I can’t imagine that it’s in the kind of shape Shawn was talking about or that it will fetch the kind of money he thinks it will.” Then she turned back and was putting some sort of ingredients in a pan.
“Wait…who are you talking about?”
“Shawn Markle. He’s a local real estate agent–we went to high school together and now works with Jenna who…” Pausing, she shook her head. “He works here in town and primarily does smaller home sales. Anyway, he’s a regular at the café and today he came in and was pretty much bubbling with excitement over this listing.”
“And it’s…just property?” And yeah, he hated how he clearly wasn’t paying attention to what she said the first time.
“No, it’s an estate. Massive. It’s on the sound side of the island. Not far from here at all. It looked more like a resort than a home when it was being built, but then the owner did some massive landscaping for privacy and you really can’t see much of anything if you drive by it. Plus, there are more houses built around it so it’s even more hidden.”
Ryder watched as she flipped whatever was sautéing in the pan before removing it from the burner. She moved around the kitchen without missing a beat. She knew where everything was and didn’t ask him for anything.
“And now this house is for sale?”
Nodding, she filled a large pot with water. “It’s on two acres and the house is almost seven thousand square feet.” Shaking her head, she let out a snort. “I mean, who needs that much space?”
The Ashfords always did, he thought.
“You can go online and check out the listing,” she told him. “Shawn said it went live last night and then bragged about the amazing pictures he took.”
Pulling out his phone, Ryder did just that. Just from Peyton’s brief description, he was intrigued. And really, how much could the property possibly be worth? He’d been doing his research all over Magnolia and thought he’d seen the best of the best with residential real estate. There was no way his realtor wouldn’t have mentioned a property that was…
“Three point nine million?!” he cried. “Seriously?”
Peyton laughed as she mixed up whatever it was that went into a meatloaf. “Yeah, crazy, right?”
“Why would someone build something like that here and then let it go?” he wondered. Although, as he scrolled through the pictures, he saw how the place needed a lot of work due to neglect. It had a lot of potential. The grounds consisted of a saltwater infinity pool with swim-up bar and dry seating under a pergola, three golf greens, landscape and hardscape on a triple waterfront lot with five outdoor fire features. “Peyton, did you see these?”
“What? No. I was dealing with a luncheon we were catering and trying to get it out the door. Why? Is it nice?”
“Nice?” he asked incredulously. “Property at that price point isn’t normally labeled as nice. This place is just…it has everything. It just needs to be updated.”
She was busy putting the meatloaf into the oven and then washing her hands, but as soon as she was done, she came and stood beside him to look at the pictures.
“Damn…look at the size of that kitchen,” she commented in awe.
“And that’s one of three,” he told her. “There’s a full outdoor kitchen as well as one on the ground floor and then one on the main floor.”
“Holy crap! Who needs three kitchens?” Then she laughed. “Although, I would probably find a use for all of them! Especially during the holidays!”
Ryder knew his family probably would have utilized them for entertaining and then never touch them for the rest of the year.
“Look at that pool! I can’t even imagine living in a place like that. And honestly, it was a single guy who built it. Older guy.” She shrugged. “I guess if you have the money, you can have whatever you want, huh?”
He had no idea how to respond to that because…yeah, basically that was how he had lived his life.
Was still living it that way, if he were honest.
“Well, hopefully Shawn finds a buyer for it. He’s a decent guy and he and his wife are having their first baby. It would be nice for him to make this deal and get a little ahead financially.” Smiling at him, she asked, “You have any rich friends who want to live in a small coastal town?” Without waiting for an answer, she walked back over to the stove and poured some pasta into the pot of boiling water.
But Ryder continued to scroll through the pictures with interest. If he hadn’t already purchased a house on the beach and renovated it, he’d be seriously tempted to buy this property and turn it into something great. But with the resort and the restaurant, did he really need another project? Especially one that he didn’t particularly need?
“No, I do not,” he murmured, closing out of the site.
“So what about you?” Peyton asked. “How was your day?”
“I had lunch with Austin.”
Glancing over at him, she looked surprised. “Oh? And how did that go?”
“He apologized for his shitty behavior Saturday. I wanted to stay mad a little longer, but…I get where he was coming from. He’s concerned about you, that’s all.”
She snorted again. “Please. Even my brother didn’t react that way.”
“Your brother seems way more laid back than Austin.”
“Everyone is more laid back than Austin,” she said with a small laugh. “So…you guys are good now?”
He nodded.
“Come on,” she urged. “I can tell you’re not fully okay with it.”
It was petty, he knew that, but…
“It just bothers me that he treated me that way. I’ve always been fair with him and I’ve never given him any reason to doubt me. And yet…”