A large Victorian-style house complete with a tower came into view, looking about as different from what he’d expected as possible. “There isn’t a lot of land available on the lake. And the few lots that come up from time to time are usually small. The people who built this first tried to get my dad to sell them some land. He refused all their offers. I’m not sure I would’ve said no to their final one, but it wasn’t up to me.”
Since they’d built the house in a style popular over a century ago, he expected the interior to also replicate a home from the same period. He’d never been more wrong. While the main foyer fell in line with what he expected, the kitchen resembled something from a sci-fi movie, while the largest of the two living rooms on the first floor had a whole safari theme going on complete with an animal skin rug. And forget about the music room. It appeared as though someone had plucked it straight out of one of those Gilded-Age mansions built in Newport during the late 1800s. He’d never meet the owners, but either they were the most eccentric couple on the planet, allowed a five-year-old to do the decorating, or simply had no taste.
“I remember when they built this house, Caryn. The owners went through a lot of effort to get a spot on the lake. Do you know why they are selling?” It wouldn’t surprise him if the owners had woken up one morning, noticed what a disastrous mess they’d created, and decided it was easier to sell and start over than to redo what they had.
“Deidra decided she wanted something in the mountains instead. Personally, I’d rather be on the lake, but to each their own. They started construction on a log cabin in Franconia late last summer.”
He loved the mountains, but if given a choice between seeing the lake every morning or the mountains, he’d take the water.
“Deidra and Mateo are motivated to sell, and the price includes all the furnishings. I’m sure you noticed the property has been on the market since September.” Caryn led them down to a set of french doors, and he wondered what decorating faux pas waited for them on the other side.
Rather than find a home office decorated as if it belonged in the medieval period or a game room that resembled an old 1920s speakeasy, two things he wouldn’t have been surprised about at this point, he walked into an indoor pool area more or less devoid of any decoration except for the lounge chairs and a hot tub in the far corner.
“Between the three of us, the unique décor has turned off the few potential buyers I’ve brought through.”
Unique décor. Was that what you called it? “I wonder why?” he whispered into Juliette’s ear when she paused to open the sauna door and peek inside.
“I’ve known Deidra for several years. She likes extremes. I recommended they make some changes before putting the home on the market, but she didn’t see the need. Nina, their listing agent, should have told them the same thing.”
There was no For Sale sign out front, but he’d assumed Caryn’s agency was handling the sale. From the sound of it, Caryn and the owners were friends, so maybe they’d decided to go with someone else rather than involve a friend in a financial matter.
“My guess is Nina didn’t because she’s engaged to Deidra’s eldest son. I know when Gerald and I were engaged, I never would’ve said anything like that to his mother.”
Juliette or anyone else not familiar with Caryn might find it odd that she offered up so much information about the current homeowners. He’d known Caryn and her family much of his life. If the woman hadn’t shared so much additional personal info, it would have surprised him.
Caryn left them standing near the sauna and walked to the far end of the room. “The pool is saltwater.” She pressed a button, and the blinds rose to reveal a wall of glass. On the other side was a manmade beach area and the lake. “This is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I just love the view.”
He had to agree it was spectacular.
“I don’t know if you can see it from where you’re standing, but there’s a boat dock at the end of the beach.”
The house had an indoor pool and a sauna. Naturally, it had a boat dock. Somewhere inside there was probably a private bowling alley.
After strolling through the home library that looked like it’d been ripped from the set of a Jane Austen novel, Caryn led them upstairs and through the six bedroom suites. Much like on the first floor, each room had its own unique decor style. A third-floor game room complete with a pool table and a wet bar rounded out the home's primary living areas. The crazy decorating scheme aside, if he had the money, he’d consider buying the place just to have the indoor pool and game room.
Aaron pulled up the contact number for Bruno’s Pizza in his phone. After looking at the various properties, they’d headed back to the cottage to eat dinner. “Anything specific you want on the pizzas?”
“Not really,” Juliette answered, looking up from the stack of paperwork in her folder.
Her response didn’t help him much, especially since Bruno’s had everything from a breakfast pizza covered with scrambled eggs and bacon to what they called the Belly Buster, an extra-large Sicilian-style pizza covered with fried chicken fingers, french fries, and mozzarella sticks. Personally, he couldn’t imagine eating a pizza topped with such a combination, but he’d heard it was popular.
“Okay, are there any toppings I should avoid?” He’d eat almost any type of pizza set in front of him. He’d even eat anchovies in a pinch, but give him a pizza with pineapple and jalapeno peppers, a strange combination his sister loved, and he’d rather go hungry.
“I’m not a fan of black olives or broccoli on pizza.” She went back to separating the paperwork into four piles, one for each of the properties they’d viewed. “You know what, if you don’t mind, I’d love a pizza with sausage on it.”
He loved meat of any kind on his pizza, so if she wanted sausage, he’d get one with it. “Do you want anything besides pizza?” He planned to order a side of onion rings. The combination might not make the healthiest of dinners, but so what? An unhealthy meal every
once in a while never killed anyone.
Juliette added a plot plan to a pile and shook her head. “I’ll eat whatever you get.”
By the time he’d called in their order, she’d finished separating the paperwork and was reviewing one of the piles in more detail.
“The food should be here in about thirty-five to forty minutes.” He took the empty seat next to her and glanced at the property disclosure she held. “Any thoughts about what we looked at today?” She hadn’t said too much about any of the homes or the old dance studio.
“Except for all the pink, I like the old dance school. It’s well laid out, there is adequate seating for parents who stay and wait for their children, and all the major areas were updated recently.” She pulled out an interior and exterior diagram of the school from a pile. “And if I put an addition onto the building here, I could make a locker room so dancers have a place other than the bathrooms to change and a room for the teachers to relax or eat between classes.” She gestured to the back-left corner of the building. “I might wait on that, though.”
It sounded like she’d made up her mind about opening a business. “You’re going to make an offer on the building then?”