A Perfect Life by Patricia Kay

Author:Patricia Kay
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2006-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

When she got to the house, Shawn could hardly contain her excitement. After telling Lauren about the house, she said, “I’m sorry you didn’t get to see it before I made my decision, but I was afraid to wait.”

“I’m not gonna be here for the move,” Lauren said.

“I know, but it can’t be helped. Maybe we can go through your things this week before you leave. And you can pack up whatever you’re not taking with you.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll go get some boxes from the U-Haul place tomorrow.”

“Mom, do you think I could go see the house now?”

“Let me see if Mr. Franklin minds.”

When Shawn told the old gentleman how eager Lauren was to see the house, he agreeably said to bring her right over. “My Alice still isn’t home, though.”

Shawn smiled. Oh, she did like him. Too bad he wasn’t going to be a neighbor. She would have enjoyed getting to know him better, as well as “his Alice.”

Lauren loved the house, too. She grumbled a bit about sharing the bathroom, but when she saw the finished room in the basement and Shawn told her it would be her domain, she was thrilled and forgot all about the bathroom. “Do you mean it, Mom?” she said, eyes shining.

“Yes. It’s yours. You can do whatever you want with it, within our budget, of course.”

“It’d be so cool if I could have a couch and some chairs down here. And a TV. And a CD player.”

“Now Lauren…”

“I know, Mom. But maybe Dad’ll give me some money to buy some stuff when I tell him about the room.”

Shawn wanted to say don’t hold your breath, but she was sticking to her resolve not to say anything negative about Rick or Alexandra.

That night, after Lauren had gone to bed, Shawn sat down with her checkbook and calculator. She realized that if she borrowed just a little bit more than she’d planned on, she could afford to let Lauren buy some furniture for the basement room. Maybe she would. After all, Lauren would only be living at home for a few more years. Why not indulge her while she still could? And then, when Lauren eventually got a place of her own, the furniture could go with her. She smiled. Lauren would be so excited. Shawn could hardly wait to tell her.

But before telling Lauren anything more, Shawn knew she had to call Ann. She felt bad about buying a house for sale by the owner, especially since Ann had spent so much time showing her houses, but at least she’d made a nice commission on the sale of this house.

Still, Shawn hated having to tell her.

But Ann seemed genuinely happy for Shawn. “Oh, I’m so glad,” she said. “I was worried we might not find anything you could afford.”

“You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“Shawn, you’re one of my best friends. I’m happy for you. Honestly.”

After hanging up, Shawn thought how lucky she was to have such wonderful friends.

The following morning at breakfast, Lauren chattered nonstop about the house—especially about its “great location.

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