I guess there was only one way to find out.
“Here we are,” I said as we pulled under the portico that faced the distant eight-bay garage and horse stables. “Home, sweet, home.”
My hands began to sweat as I waited for Layne’s response. She’d lifted her head, staring out the car window in shock before turning to me with a look of annoyance. “Ha-ha, very funny.”
“For once, I’m not being funny. This is where I live.”
“And I’m secretly Dumbledore,” she teased. “I forgot to ask, what house were you sorted into?” She tapped her chin while scrutinizing me. “You look like either Ravenclaw or Slytherin.”
I began shaking with laughter.
Her frown deepened. “Definitely Slytherin.”
It only made me laugh harder. This was a response I hadn’t anticipated. She didn’t believe me. She thought this was some sort of joke, because obviously no normal high school student would live in such a ridiculous mansion.
I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised she thought this was another of my jokes considering I’d done nothing but tease her since the day she burst into my mother’s office.
Sadly, this was the one thing I wished I was joking about. But I didn’t know how to make her believe me since she was glaring at me like the boy who cried wolf.
“I’m not messing with you,” I said, through my laughter. “I swear. This is where I live.”
Unfortunately, Layne thought my laughter was directed at her. “This won’t work, you know.”
“What won’t?” I asked.
“Is this supposed to be scary?” She crossed her arms. “Because it’s not. I’ve heard all the ghost stories about this place. The gargoyles come alive at night, there’s a ghost in the attic, a witch in the well. It’s all very spooky. But I’m not scared of ghost stories, Wyatt. I’m not twelve.”
I blinked at her, no longer laughing. “What’s that about a well?”
She rolled her eyes. “Can we please leave before we get arrested for trespassing, which is the only scary thing about this place, by the way.”
I sighed, not quite sure what to do. I had two choices, roll with this being a prank and take her to town for pizza, or bite the bullet and bring her into my garish home.
I knew which option I preferred, so not wanting to lose my nerve, I made my decision.
I got out of the car and walked around to her side, pulling the door open. Layne blinked up at me, no longer looking so confident in her belief that this was all a ruse.
“Listen, I live here. I know it’s lame, but I’m owning it. You have two choices, either come inside, have some pizza and listen to vinyl with me like we planned, or you can sit in the car and wait for the gargoyles to wake up.”
I held my hand out to her, waiting. After a long moment of hesitation, Layne slipped her hand into mine and I loosed a breath of relief.
“If you’re messing with me,” she warned.
“Trust me, I wish I were,” I muttered, leading her toward my house.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Layne
When Wyatt’s key code actually opened the front door the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Either this was one heck of an elaborate joke, or he really did live here. In which case I felt like a huge jerk for teasing him about it when he’d been nothing but respectful about his visits to my less-than-spectacular home.
Despite my best efforts to remain cool, when we walked inside, my jaw dropped. Who was I kidding? I wasn’t cool on a normal day and walking into Northwood’s only mansion was definitely not normal.
My eyes raked over the unbelievable home as I followed closely on Wyatt’s heels, afraid I’d get lost in the maze of rooms if I didn’t. As I tried to take everything in, one thought kept tickling my mind. Why would anyone be embarrassed to live here?
The place was incredible.
The inside was nothing like the dark foreboding exterior. Everything had been updated with all the modern trappings one could hope for, yet it still retained some of what I imagined was its original splendor.
I particularly loved the walk-through fireplace in a room that vastly resembled the Great Hall at Hogwarts. But I decided to keep that Harry Potter reference to myself since I’d probably done more than enough damage to my credibility with my dorky book nerd references earlier.
We finally walked into a gorgeous white marble kitchen with a massive island in the center. It was the size of a Buick and again I had to remind myself to pick my jaw up off the floor.
Wyatt looked at me expectantly.
“Who did you say your dad was again?” I joked.
He didn’t look amused. “I didn’t.”
I stood back as he opened what I thought was a large cabinet to reveal a refrigerator. I remembered to snap my mouth shut just in time for Wyatt to hand me a bottle of water.
He took out one for himself, taking a long swig. “So, what kind of toppings do you want on your pizza?” he asked.
I arched an eyebrow. “Does Carmelo’s deliver out here?”
He looked at me like I was crazy. “Of course not. We’re making our own. If that’s okay?” he added.
It seemed like a shame to let such an incredible kitchen go unused. “Sure.”
Wyatt’s easy smile was back. “Good. I asked the chef to pick up what we’d need.”
He opened another equally large hidden fridge and started handing me things. When he was done, the gorgeous marble island was covered with enough supplies to make an army of pizzas.
“How many pizzas are we making?” I asked.
“I didn’t know what you liked,” he said defensively, as he surveyed the now cluttered island.
“Your castle makes you moody,” I teased.
Wyatt smirked. “Sorry. You’re right. I’m being a bit of a wanker, aren’t I?” he replied, his hand rubbing the back of his neck bashfully. “I guess, it’s just . . .”
“What?”
“I don’t have many guests here . . . er, ever, actually.”
“Why? This place is amazing!”
“That’s one word for it.”
“You have a different opinion?”
He pursed his lips. “It’s not lost on me how ridiculous this place is.”
“I don’t think it’s ridiculous.”
Wyatt crossed his arms. “I saw the look on your face when we first arrived.”
“Well, okay, I was a bit shocked at first. I mean, from the outside, it does have a bit of a Beauty and the Beast vibe, but that’s my favorite Disney movie, so . . .”
Wyatt leaned back against the counter as he scowled at me.
“I’m kidding. Geez. Lighten up.”
“You just referred to my house as Beast’s Castle,” he said, still brooding. “I can only imagine who that makes me in that scenario.” His green eyes flashed with disappointment when they met mine. “Which is exactly why I don’t bring people here,” he added under his breath.
“Wyatt, you know I’m not serious. I think your home is spectacular. But that’s just my opinion. It doesn’t matter.”
He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “Why not?”