Mia pulled out what looked like a garage door opener and the gates began to open.
“Do your parents live here?” Scott asked as he started up the gravel driveway.
“No, usually they’re in New York. This is their winter home, but the last few years they’ve stayed in the city. They want me to move out here, but…” She shrugged and slowed the car when the gravel path turned into cement.
The home finally came into view. It wasn’t massive or new. The single-story ranch appeared very country and quaint. There was wood siding in places and stone everywhere else. The three-car garage had barn doors with wood beams crossing them. They were painted a dark brown.
“You can park here,” Mia said, and Scott stopped the car just outside the garages. “There are five bedrooms and bathrooms. Take your pick. My room is at the end of the hall on the left,” she pointed out. “There’s a pool. If it stays warm, we can enjoy it. If not, there’s a firepit. I ordered grocery delivery, which should be here”—she glanced down at her watch—“in half an hour.” She got out of the car. “Have a look around, get settled. We’ll start training after lunch.”
The house didn’t look big enough to hold five bedrooms and bathrooms, but the moment they stepped through the double front doors, Selene realized that the house went on for farther than it seemed from the front. The entire back of the house overlooked a pool, a pond, and a field. It became clear that the place was two stories with the main floor being the top floor.
“There are three bedrooms downstairs.” Mia motioned to a set of stairs with an iron railing.
They had each grabbed their own bags, and they watched Mia disappear down a hallway, leaving them to explore the house.
The entryway forced them to either follow Mia down a hallway or turn to the left and enter a large living room that connected to the kitchen. A set of stairs separated the entry and the space. Selene could see a massive deck off the back of the house, where rocking chairs and recliners sat overlooking the pool and pond.
“Want to head downstairs?” Scott suggested.
“Sure,” she said, following him down. They stepped into a living space that had a massive pool table and was attached to a smaller kitchen.
She followed Scott down a short hallway and, when he opened a door, they both looked into a darkened home theater.
“Wow, I’ve always wanted a home theater,” Scott said.
“I like falling asleep on a couch too much,” she pointed out as she opened another door and looked in on a half-bathroom. He followed her down the long hallway on the other side of the stairs.
Here, they looked in on three unique bedrooms. In the end, they settled on a big room with an amazing tiled bathroom that had a shower big enough for an entire football team and a bathtub she drooled over.
After putting their bags on the king-sized bed, they headed back up the stairs and heard Mia talking to the grocery delivery person.
Scott helped the teenager carry in the rest of the bags as Selene helped Mia put things away. She wanted to ask Mia how long they planned on staying, since there was enough food here to last a month but decided to just be thankful that it appeared Mia had the same tastes Selene did.
She put a few bags of her favorite potato chips away in the walk-in pantry along with cereal and other snack foods. There was enough meat to practically fill the massive double refrigerator, everything from steaks to fresh salmon.
There were even bagels and cream cheese and some other breakfast foods.
“You thought of everything,” she said to Mia.
“Believe it or not, this is the standard grocery order we get when the entire family comes home.” Mia chuckled. “With a few additions.” She held up the bottle of whiskey. “I know Scott likes this brand.”
Selene frowned. “You do?” Suddenly, she wondered just how well Scott knew Mia. They did live in the same building, after all. Had they gone out or slept together?
“It’s another one of my gifts. I forgot to mention it earlier,” Mia said with a shrug. “It’s also how I knew what brand of shampoo to get you.” She held up a bottle.
Sure enough, it was Selene’s favorite brand of shampoo and conditioner. Mia had even gotten Scott his favorite brand of aftershave.
“It’s freaky, having her know all these things about us, but at the same time, it’s not,” Scott said as they took the bag of their things downstairs to put away in their room. “You know, I can’t remember anymore a time when things like this seemed odd to me.”
She smiled and said, “I know what you mean.” But had there ever been a time where she hadn’t thought she was strange? That there was something wrong with her?
What had it been like for Mia to grow up in a loving family where her abilities were not shunned but praised and celebrated?
That thought stayed with her the entire time the three of them made sandwiches and ate lunch out on the back deck. Today it was a little chilly, so she’d grabbed one of her sweatshirts, and Mia had lit the firepit that sat on the deck.
“Tomorrow it’s supposed to be warmer,” Mia assured them. “But if you want, the hot tub is directly under us on the porch.”
Scott glanced over at her and wiggled his eyebrows. “Nice,” he said, nudging her knee.