I flipped the panel open and entered my code into the security pad. The light blinked from red to green.
“There. Now the cameras are off.”
“This place reminds me of a doctor’s office.” Jules poked his head into the living room. “Everything is white and shiny.”
He wasn’t wrong. The house I’d grown up in had been decorated in rich tones. Dark cherry wood, deep colors, gold accents everywhere. It had screamed old money, even though my dad was first-generation rich.
This new house was new money all the way. The furniture, accent pieces, everything was white. And the place was done in minimalist style so it was austere and boring.
It was Jenna’s taste all the way. My dad was more the “shove his wealth in your face” type, keeping up with the Joneses and all that. Jenna was the one who liked living in a mausoleum.
“The family room looks like you could actually relax in it, but this kitchen.” He trailed his hand over the black marble countertops. “It’s so shiny.”
“Seems to be a theme in this house.” I tugged him through the giant, gleaming kitchen and through to the indoor/outdoor pool, which was currently covered.
“Holy mother effing shit.”
“Really?” I laughed. “Now you censor yourself?”
We were in what could be described as a sunroom, with floor-to-ceiling windows along the back and most of the side walls.
Half the pool was inside the house, and the other half was outside. Both sides of the pool had a deck, fancy furniture, including chairs, mini cabanas, and firepits. There were also two hot tubs, one inside and one outside, and an outdoor kitchen with all the bells and whistles on the other side of the glass.
“How do you get from in here to out there?” Jules motioned to the glass partition. “Do you have to swim under?”
I pointed to a panel of switches on the wall. “You control everything from there. The wall partition goes up and down so you can walk between them.”
“But how do you keep things out? Does the wall go all the way to the bottom?” He bent over and squinted at the cover.
“No.” I pulled him over to the panel of switches. “This one is a full pool cover. They use that when they’re not going to be home, like this weekend. Then there are two half covers that work independently. The wall has three settings. Up, water level, and about two feet under the water, depending on whether you have the covers on.”
“Who needs two of everything? Especially when they’re literally next to each other.” He waved at the fire pits. “Like seriously? They’re ten feet away from each other.”
“Yes, but this way, they can choose to be inside or outside. Don’t you know that rich people need multiple options? I mean, it’s what separates them from the poors. Excessive everything. It’s all about having as many of the most expensive things you can get your hands on.”
“Crazy. I knew your dad was rich, but this is insane.”
“It is.” I tugged him out of the pool room through the doors that led to the media room.
“Jesus fucking Christ. You have a literal movie theater in your house?”
The room was impressive with its two-hundred-inch projection screen, darkened and sound-proofed walls, and three rows of fancy-pants recliners. In front of the theater seats stood several sectional couches.
It was excessive in every sense of the word.
“This is… a lot.” Jules spun around, taking in the room. “This whole house is a lot.”
“It’s disgusting.”
“Was your old house like this?”
I motioned to one of the couches. “Let’s sit. No. It was ridiculously big and fancy, but it wasn’t like this. This is what happens when a rich dude marries a trophy model.”
“Is that weird?” Jules flopped down onto the couch and held his arms out for me.
I slid into them and hugged him close. “Is what weird?”
“Having a model for a stepmom?”