“No problem,” they said. “Where do you want these boxes?”
“All the boxes can be put in the master bedroom. I’ll sort them all out after,” Vanessa smiled and looked at Logan. “Isn't this exciting?”
Logan nodded. “Certainly is. I cleaned out half of the closet for you.”
“Half? Oh, Logan, I’m going to need much more room than just half. I have a lot of clothes.”
Logan sighed. “I suppose I can move my stuff to my office closet. Just put everything in the room, and we'll figure it out later.”
"Oh, Logan. This is amazing,” Vanessa said, wrapping her arms around him. “We are going to be so happy.”
✽✽✽
Chelsea MacDuff turned the page of the photo album balanced on her knee and wiped a small tear that had run down her cheek. Her father had been dead three weeks as of today, Sunday, and she missed him terribly. She also had to figure out a way to get his ashes to Scotland, where he wanted them spread around the shores of Loch Ness. Her father had left her a small inheritance, but by the time she paid for the funeral and the cremation and took care of a few of his outstanding bills, there wasn’t enough for a return ticket.
He had also left her with back taxes and a mortgage that was six months behind. All those years, he hadn’t told her that money was tight. She knew that they weren’t well off, but they had always seemed comfortable. Now, alone, she was faced with the task of figuring out what to do.
“Oh, Da. I wish yea kin how much I miss you,” she said in her Scottish brogue. She had spent her early years over in Scotland before her parents moved to America in search of a better life. Having grown up in the states, she had almost lost her accent, but when she was upset, lonesome, or angry, she found it came out without her realizing it.
Turning the page, she put her hand on the picture of her mother. "Oh, Ma," she said sniffing. Everyone said she was the spitting image of her mother, and she could certainly see it now. She had the same long blond hair and blue eyes as her mother, and her clear complexion was spotted with just a few freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her father had always told her that she had her mother's beauty as well as her temper.
After her parents moved to America, her father got a good job with a construction company and worked his way up the ladder. Knowing that his wife was homesick, he bought twenty acres and began building her a castle. He always said a queen needs a castle. He had just completed it when she died of pneumonia, leaving him devastated and Chelsea motherless.
Turning the page, Chelsea smiled at the picture of her parents standing in front of the turret and front door of their new home. It had been based on pictures of the original MacDuff Castle in Scotland, and it was a grand place to live.
Hearing a knock on the front door, Chelsea found her friend Marjorie standing there.
"Hi, Marj. Come in. What a nice surprise,” Chelsea said, opening the large oak door.
Marjorie laughed. “I still find it freaky you live in a castle.”
“I was just looking at some old photos. It’s a bad day,” Chelsea said, leading the way into the Great Room, as she called it.
“Oh, do you not feel like company? I can leave if you want,” Marjorie said, looking worried.
“Oh, please stay. I've got some wine," Chelsea said, smiling.
“You don’t have to ask me twice.”
Getting two glasses of wine from the kitchen, Chelsea came back into the room and sat down.
“Your father sure did a beautiful job. It’s too bad your mother didn't have time to really enjoy it," Marjorie said, looking around the beautiful room.
“Yeah. It’s so hard to believe they are both gone and that both of them passed away quickly. Mom with pneumonia and Dad in the car accident,” Chelsea said, shaking her head. “I think I’m going to have to sell this place.”
“What? Really? Oh, Chelsea. Why?”
"Well, I need money, and what am I going to do living here? This place is huge and expensive. Seriously, it’s too big for just one person,” Chelsea said.
“Oh, Chelsea, that’s a shame. You love this place so much, and you always said it reminded you of Scotland,” Marjorie said.
“Yes, I know, but I really don’t have any other choice,” Chelsea said, shaking her head regretfully.
“What about turning it into a bed and breakfast?”
Chelsea looked at her friend. "That takes a big commitment, and I already have a full time job. The only way I see around this is selling, as sad as it is. I’ll probably call around next week. Do you know any good real estate agents?”
“Darlington Realty is one of the best, so I have heard anyway. The Darlington brothers are all so handsome. Have you ever seen them?”
Chelsea shook her head. "No, I haven't. I’ll have to look them up.”
"The two oldest brothers are married, but the four others, drop dead gorgeous each one of them,” Marjorie said. "If you're lucky, you'll get one of the single ones, although I think just Logan and Patrick are agents. The other two, I think one is a photographer and the other a designer.”
“Well, I’ll give them a call tomorrow. Maybe just ask some questions to start with, find out what I need to know,” Chelsea said. “I don’t want to rush into anything I’ll regret later.”
✽✽✽
On Monday morning, Logan walked into the en suite bathroom and looked around. The counter was covered with lotions and face creams; there was no evidence that a man lived there at all.
“Vanessa! Where is my shaving kit?" he called out, looking in the drawers and under-counter cupboards.
“Oh, I moved them to the bathroom down the hall. I hope you don’t mind. I just thought it would be easier if we each had our own bathroom,” Vanessa called from the bed.
"Great, first, my clothes, now my shaving stuff. What’s next?” Logan mumbled to himself. Vanessa had only been here two days, and already he was regretting inviting her to move in with him.
"What was that, darling?” she called out as she slowly got out of bed.
“Nothing, nothing at all," he said, heading down the hall to the other bathroom. He had known that living together was going to take some getting used to, but he hadn’t thought it was going to be like this. He had had visions of them having hot sex all over the house, but since she had moved in, they had only made love once, and he hadn't even really enjoyed it.
Fresh and showered, he walked into this home office and opened the closet doors. His clothes that had once hung neat and organized in his custom-built walk-in closet were now squished together in a single closet.
“Something has to change," he said, grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt before returning to the master bedroom to get his underwear and socks.
For now, he was giving Vanessa some time to get used to the changes, but soon, he would have to put his foot down. He wanted her to feel comfortable, but this was ridiculous. She had pretty much taken over the house, and her cleanliness left much to be desired. She was used to having someone pick up after her, and now his once-neat home was a mess of dirty dishes, clothes strewn here and there, and cosmetics, creams and make-up all over the place. He had created a monster and didn’t know how to make it leave.