It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries)

by Beth Prentice

  “Do you like it?” he asked. I stopped spinning to look at him and my heart did a little flip.

  “You are truly awesome, Riley. I can’t thank you enough,” I smiled. I felt so happy at this moment, yet I knew it was about to end. My agreed two weeks was up. The house just hadn’t felt lonely since Riley’d been in it.

  “What happens now?” I asked quietly. Riley still hadn’t broken eye contact with me, which was causing my heart rate to go into the cardiac arrest zone.

  “That’s up to you. Do you want me to stay?” he asked quietly. This felt like such a loaded question.

  “Of course I do.” I actually never want him to leave.

  “Then how about Monday morning I start work on the bathroom?” he asked giving me the megawatt smile.

  * * * *

  I spent the rest of the day sorting the files Scott had couriered over and organizing my new office for Monday. A few times I thought I heard a car pull up outside, but every time I checked there was no one there. My imagination was going wild again. By the time I had everything filed and stored, it was starting to get dark and, as it was Friday night, I had a night out to get ready for.

  Tonight, we were all meeting at Danny and Andrew’s, so I decided to take the letters and let the others read them. See what they could make of them. I also wanted to talk to someone about Riley.

  “The house just feels so alive when he’s in it,” I was explaining to Andrew and Danny, later that night. “But what about Scott?” I whined.

  “What about him?” asked Danny “He’s a cow’s ass. Dump him, I say.”

  “I agree,” said Molly. “Even though I’ve never set eyes on Riley. You did promise I could come and perv on your handyman, if I remember rightly.”

  Yeah, there was a reason she’d never seen Riley. If he got one look at Molly, he’d be hooked.

  “Besides, Riley is far nicer to look at,” continued Danny. We were sitting in his salon with treatments in our hair, facemasks on our faces and glasses of wine in our hands. Andrew gave me a refill.

  “Oh, no thanks Drew,” I said attempting to cover my glass. “I have to drive home tonight.”

  “No you don’t. Why don’t you stay here? You and Molly can crash on the couch and go home in the morning,” suggested Danny. “Harper has already made himself at home.” We all looked at Harper who was laying on the couch, on his back, legs in the air, snoring.

  “Ok, fill me up,” I smiled. Not hard to talk me into that, I hear you say? Well, you’re right. The thought of another restless night, alone and lonely did not appeal to me right now. A night of company was exactly what I needed. “The thing is,” I continued, getting the conversation back to where I wanted it, “Riley is out of my league. He could have any woman he wanted and there is no way I could compete with any of them. I know I’m lucky to have Scott, so I think I should just be grateful. It’s just with all this stuff about the ring and the letters, I seem to be spending a lot of time with Riley and he’s so wonderful. Do you know he holds open the car door for me?” I was now leaning forward, very intent on what I was saying, the wine already having an effect. “I mean what man does that these days? And you should see my office. While I was sleeping in this morning, he carted all the furniture up two flights of stairs and set the whole room up for me. It was actually very romantic,” I smiled.

  “Can I read the letters?” asked Andrew, ignoring my monologue about Riley.

  “Yeah, let me have a look at that ring again,” said Molly. While Molly and Danny admired the ring, Drew sat reading the letters. When he’d finished he looked thoughtful.

  “Why do you think they were kept apart?” asked Molly.

  “You know, not all families are as understanding as yours is. You’re very lucky to have them,” Drew smiled. “I’ve met quite a few parents in my time who couldn’t accept their sons for the choices they made.”

  “But love isn’t a choice,” I said.

  “No, you’re right, it’s not. But what you do with it is,” said Drew. “You believe in the fairytale of love, you’re caught up in the romance of it. But what happens when the honeymoon period is over and you have to live with your choices. Not everyone can do that.”

  “That’s pretty deep, Drew,” said Molly.

  “Yes, well I’ve been around a bit longer than you,” smiled Drew.

  “Look at this photo. This one is Avis, Right?” asked Danny, pointing to Avis in the photo. I nodded. “She was wearing this ring then.” Danny was right. Avis had the ring on her wedding finger.

  “Maybe you should get the ring valued and see if it’s worth anything,” suggested Molly.

  That’s actually a very good idea. “Hey Molly, do you want to come and see Wicked with me tomorrow? Scott gave me two tickets to see it and I thought of you,” I said.

  “What happened to Scott taking you?”

  “Not his thing apparently.”

  We spent the rest of the evening discussing Scott and Riley and what I should do. If only the choice was mine.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Sunday night dinner with the family came around pretty quickly and this was Harper’s first time with us all together. It would be interesting to see how he fared. Grandma Mabel was on fine form tonight, telling us all about her outing with the seniors club at church. Apparently all the seniors’ clubs at the different churches took it in turns to host a group day. This month’s turn was at the Global Ministry.

  “I had a blast!” chuckled Grandma. “Those girls there didn’t stand a chance against me in the knobbly knee contest.” She lifted her skirt so we could all take a look at her knees. “Now this here’s a good set of knees, done me proud, they did.” Grandmas’ knees resembled those of a chicken’s. Only I think a chicken’s had more fat on them. “That Ben Willett couldn’t keep his eyes off of them.” I’m not surprised, he was probably wondering the same thing we were - How did they hold her up? “I think I might ask him to sit with me at next week’s gathering,” she smiled.

  “Mum, how old are you? You shouldn’t be looking at men!” My mother looked horrified.

  “Why not? I’m old, not dead.” She was back to swishing her false teeth around again. It was a habit she had when she was thinking. What she was thinking about, I didn’t want to know.

  “What’s it like at the church?” asked Molly. “That building is absolutely massive.”

  “I remember when it was a tiny thing. Not too many people attended. We were all a bit more traditional I suppose back then, but I guess if you like singing then it’s the place to be,” said Grandma. “I went to school with the son, you know. We all thought he was a bit weird. He had an older sister but you never saw too much of her. Kept pretty much to herself. The father was very strict. I remember Charles being afraid to do the wrong thing or he got a belting. So much for being a man of God.”

  “I heard it’s the same family who still runs it. I read somewhere David Thornton is the pastor there now,” said Danny.

  “Yes, he’s Charles son. I think he followed in his Granddad’s footsteps,” explained Mum.

  “Molly, what’s wrong with Harper?” asked Andrew. Harper had been sitting on Grandma Mabel’s knee and she’d been rubbing his belly but at the moment he seemed to be squirming in pain. Molly immediately rushed over to him to see what was wrong.

  “He was gettin’ a bit excited with me rubbing his belly if you know what I mean. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a response like that,” said Grandma.

  Lifting Harper’s front legs up, we all got a look at what Grandma meant. Harper had got himself in a bit of a predicament. His man business had popped out with all the attention from Grandma and got stuck. It appeared to be hurting him because he’d started to yelp.

  Molly panicked. “Oh my God...what do I do?” she yelled.

  “Calm down, for a start,” said Danny, even though I could tell he was feeling a bit on edge as well. It was probably a man thing.

  “Try to push it back in,” sugges
ted Mum.

  “How do I do that?” asked Molly.

  “If you have to ask that, my girl, you need to get out more,” said Grandma. Molly looked at Grandma.

  “I’ve actually never had the opportunity of putting one back in Grandma,” she said, glaring at Mabel.

  “Try rubbing it,” said Mum helpfully.

  “Won’t that make it pop out more,” I asked.

  “Oh, for Goodness sake,” said Drew walking over and picking up Harper, who was yelping quite loudly by now. Handing him to Molly he put his hand on Harper’s man business and started to rub. Up and down, up and down. Is that how you get it back in, I wondered.

  “I think it needs some lubrication,” said Danny.

  “Put some spit on it,” suggested Grandma. We all stopped and looked at her.

  “Maybe some Vaseline would be better,” suggested Drew.

  Mum ran to the bathroom and came back with the Vaseline. Opening the bottle, Drew put some on his fingers and worked his magic on Harper. It did the trick, Harper instantly stopped yelping and Molly instantly started crying. Drew just walked to the bathroom to wash his hands.

  “It looks like he’s had some practice at that,” said Grandma.

  We all looked at Danny, who was now bright red.

  * * * *

  Monday morning arrived before I knew it. My holidays were officially over. The weather seemed to feel the same way as I did—overcast and dull. Today was my official first day back at work and I decided I should dress for the occasion. If I was working in the city, I would have to wear a business suit to work every day, which consisted of straight fitting knee length skirt, business blouse and short, fitted jacket—all very professional-like. I had put a lot of thought into what I was going to be wearing now I was working from home. The right outfit might make me feel more motivated to actually do some work. With this in mind, I decided my very best, Juicy Couture sweat pants and sparkly pink t-shirt were the right garments for the occasion. Start as you mean to proceed is my motto.

  Sitting at my new desk, I looked around the room and gave a deep, contented sigh. Even though I had to work in here, this office was my favourite room in the whole house. Not just because it’s finished, but I love the little dormer window that looks out over the yard and down the street, and I love the slanted ceiling. It has a really safe, cozy feel. It is so lovely sitting here in my very comfy chair, with the breeze blowing in through the window, Cat—sorry Mister—curled up asleep on the window seat and my beautiful lavender candle burning. It was all very relaxing. I could almost have a nap.

  After about an hour of thinking about everything but work—and maybe a five minute cat nap—I decided that working from home might not be a good idea. Maybe I should pop downstairs and grab a cup of coffee. That would get me going.

  Walking down the first flight of stairs, I saw Riley in the bathroom. He’d started pulling the old toilet and vanity out. Looks like I’d be doing the midnight dash up stairs for a while.

  “Do you want a cup of coffee?” I asked. He looked up from what he was doing and smiled.

  “Sounds great. I’ll be down in a minute.”

  Pouring two cups of coffee, I sat at the kitchen table and waited for Riley to join me.

  “I’ve been thinking maybe we should pay a visit to the cemetery and put some flowers on Avis’s grave,” I said when he walked in. He sat down opposite me at the table and picked up his cup.

  “Okay, sounds like a good idea. Do you want to go today or are you too busy working?” He grinned. He knew not much had been happening up there.

  “Smart Ass,” I smiled. “Whenever you’re free. I assume you want to come as well.”

  “I just want to fit off all the plumbing and then I can take a break. How about after lunch?”

  * * * *

  We made the fifteen-minute drive to the only cemetery in town. It was very old and was divided into two sections—the old gravesites and the new. The old graves had lots of big stone headstones and monuments, a lot of which were crumbling with age. Some of the richer people even had crypts, which even though I respect each to their own, I found a bit creepy. Actually I found them a lot creepy. Riley was close and it was broad daylight, so I figured I would be safe from any ghosts today.

  The new section of the cemetery was more like a garden, with lots of grass. Many of the gravesites had small stones, about the size of a house brick, stating who they belonged to and all were numbered. We’d been given the site number from administration, so we walked over to where Avis lay, being very careful where we walked. She had no headstone, no flowers, nothing to mark she was there. Just a number.

  It was so quiet. Even though a major road ran right past, it was almost as if the entrance gates protected everyone in here from the noise of the outside world. A few people walked around, heads bowed in respect. But then again, maybe they were looking for a number too. I noticed one family standing together with their arms around each other for support. An elderly lady and a woman I assumed was her daughter placed flowers on another grave. I noticed a lone man walking closer, his head tucked low under his hat, the collar on his jacket lifted up against the wind.. I felt overwhelmed by sadness. Bending down, I placed the flowers we had brought on the grass.

  “Hi Avis. I know you don’t know me, but I bought your house.” I looked at Riley. He probably thought I was crazy talking to the ground but then, he thinks I’m crazy anyway. “Riley and I found some old letters of yours and a ring. We’ve been trying to find out who the ring belonged to before you. We thought it was important someone who cared about you should have it.” I stood up. The lone man had stopped at a grave two down from us and knelt down, seemingly praying. I looked at Riley.

  “Maybe we should say a prayer for Avis,” I suggested. He shrugged, but stepped up beside me.

  “Dear Lord, please look after Avis in Heaven and make sure she has a lovely place to sit. Her garden here was pretty appalling, so maybe she’ll have a lovely one up there amongst the clouds. I hope one day she’ll be able to be with Will. I don’t know if he’s there yet, we’re trying to find out, but if he is then I hope they are together. Amen.” I could feel Riley smile next to me.

  “Oh, and Avis,” I said, trying my hardest to sniff discreetly, “Mister has moved in with me. Well I suppose technically, I moved in with him, but either way, he seems happy.”

  Wiping the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand, I felt Riley put his arm around my waist and pull me closer. This place was just so sad. I couldn’t help it. Turning, I put my face to his chest and allowed the tears to flow freely. I don’t really know who I was crying for. Maybe some tears were for Avis, dying alone, without the one person who truly loved her, and maybe some were for me. I was extremely lucky to have a wonderful family, but I still felt a loneliness that could only be filled by a true love.

  If anything, our journey to find Will had made me realize what I was missing in my life. Riley held me tight against him, both arms around me and I felt so protected, I never wanted to move. In fact, I would melt into his skin if I could. But nevertheless, it was time to pull myself together and grow up. Be grateful for what you have, Lizzie, I kept telling myself.

  Pulling myself away, I looked in my handbag and found some tissues.

  “I’m sorry I lost it there,” I sniffed.

  “That’s okay. I understand. Have you lost someone you loved?” he asked.

  “Only my Grandpa, but he died 30 years ago.” I saw the amusement in Riley’s eyes.

  “Do you mind if we make another stop before we leave? I want to visit my Grandpop,” Riley asked, all amusement disappearing.

  “Really? Why didn’t you say earlier? I would have bought some more flowers.”

  Following Riley, I walked to the opposite side of the grassed area. The weather seemed to be getting worse, with the wind picking up even more and the clouds looking like they were about to burst. Riley didn’t need to look for numbers here. He knew exactly where he was goi
ng. Stopping in front of a grave with many flowers on it and a small granite headstone, I read:

  George Joseph Thomas

  5th January 1925 – 13th April 2010

  Loved and missed by everyone

  “Heart attack.” Riley looked at me.. “I miss him every day, but it’s been especially hard on Gran. She was devastated. They were married for sixty four years,” Riley said quietly. I saw the cloud darken his eyes. He obviously loved his grandfather as much as he did his gran. I reached over and squeezed his hand.

  “What was he like, your grandfather?” I asked. “I never knew either of mine.” I felt Riley’s grip on my hand tighten as he smiled at the memories.

  “He was amazing. Totally devoted to Gran. I remember, when I was about fifteen, I had this big fight with Mum and Dad and I ran away to live with Gran and Pop. I only stayed there a week and then Gran talked me into to realizing I had a pretty good Mum and that I should go home,” he said fondly. “But I remember my Pop used to leave Gran these messages. Every day, he would leave them somewhere for her to find. They were always little love notes. As a fifteen year old, I thought this was a bit gross. I mean they were really old, you know?” He laughed that wonderful throaty laugh I’d heard a lot of since knowing Riley. “He left them in the strangest places. Sometimes in steam on the bathroom mirror, sometimes in the ashes of the fire. This particular day he had written it in the butter. It just said I Love You. Gran looked so happy when she found it. She told me how lucky she was she had someone in her life who loved her that much, and how much it meant to her that—even after years of marriage—he still took the time to find new ways to tell her.” Riley smiled. “I decided there and then that was the kind of love I wanted in my life one day. When I find it, I will never let it go,” he said so quietly it was almost a whisper. He looked down to me through those beautiful lashes. I could see the vulnerability in his eyes and felt my heart squeeze. The stillness surrounded us and it felt like we were the only people left in the world. He still had hold of my hand and squeezing it tighter, he looked straight into my eyes. I’m sure he could see right into my soul.