My nerves were shredded now. I couldn’t stop picking at my cuticles, and my teeth were set on edge.
“Here we are!” Mom said, sounding annoyingly bright and cheery. God, how was shenotanxious about this big move?
I sat up straight and stared out the window as we drove along Crown Point’s main thoroughfare. It looked like the set of a movie brought to life. All of the buildings were huge and perfectly maintained, and the cafés and shopfronts featured an artisanal aesthetic which made it clear that the produce was always organic and the prices always sky-high.
We left the main strip and turned onto a gently-curving road that led up a hill. I’d Googled this neighborhood the other day and discovered that it was the wealthiest part of Crown Point, featuring multimillion dollar estates with views of the Pacific that stretched as far as the eye could see. George Kingsley wasn’t just rich if he lived here. He wasrichrich.
Mom turned three more times before braking at a huge white gate near the top of a hill. “This is it,” she said with a wide smile. “Our new home.”
I gaped as the enormous gate slid open in front of us. Beyond it lay a long driveway leading to a three-story mansion with towering white pillars, huge windows facing the ocean, and enough space in front of it to park thirty cars.
When we drew closer, the place looked even more impressive. The landscaping running along the edges of the property was immaculately-maintained, and on the left side of the house, a lengthy lap pool with a twisting waterslide was visible.
“Wow,” was all I could get out.
“It’s a great house, isn’t it?” Mom said, raising her brows at me. “I’m sure you’ll have no trouble getting used to it.”
I flashed her a little smile. “Yeah. It looks really nice.”
She smiled back at me and patted my leg. “Let’s go inside.”
We headed up to the front entrance. Before we could press the doorbell, the frosted glass door opened to reveal George Kingsley. He was a handsome man—tall and dark-haired like his son with the same russet-brown eyes.
“You’re here!” he said with a wide grin. He briefly threw his arms around my mother before ushering us both inside. Then he turned to look at me. “Kinsey, it’s wonderful to see you again.”
“It’s nice to see you too,” I said, offering him a shy smile.
He lifted a palm. “Listen, I do realize this is a little bit awkward. We’ve gone from meeting at a funeral once to suddenly moving in together. But I hope to make things as easy as possible for you. I’m really excited to have you here, and I promise I won’t steal your mom away from you too often.”
My smile grew more relaxed. “Thank you.”
“I’ve given you a room on the second floor,” he said, waving a hand toward the gigantic floating staircase on his right. “It has a private bathroom, a huge walk-in closet, and a nice view of the eastern garden, so I’m sure you’ll like it.”
As he spoke, a short woman with gray hair in a neat French twist stepped into the foyer. “Nice to see you again, Anna,” she said, smiling at my mom.
“You too, Maeve,” Mom said, returning her smile.
“Oh, Kinsey, this is Maeve Jordan,” George said, turning toward the gray-haired woman. “Our housekeeper. You’ve been with us for… what, twenty years now?”
Maeve nodded. “Yes, something like that.”
“Maeve is a star,” George went on. “We wouldn’t be able to function without her. She’s actually the one who freshened up your new room and decorated it for you. She lives in the guest cottage out the back, which means she’s almost always here. So if you have some sort of emergency, she’s your best friend. Especially if the emergency involves stains of any kind.”
I had a feeling the ‘guest cottage’ out the back was probably a lot bigger than a standard cottage, but I didn’t say that. I just smiled and nodded.
“Where’s Jax?” Mom asked, peering around.
George rolled his eyes and blew out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. I asked him to be here to greet you two this afternoon, but he went out instead. Somewhere with his friends, I presume.”
While they spoke, I looked all around me. The interior of the mansion was just as dazzlingly ostentatious as the exterior—modern, expensive-looking furnishings everywhere, stunning artwork displayed on the walls, tall vases filled with colorful flowers on accent tables, and designer pendant lights with glass and crystals that sparkled from the afternoon sunrays shining through the enormous windows.
When I turned my head over my shoulder, I could see the ocean through the open front door and surrounding windows. It was so close I could see all the whitecaps dotting the seascape, along with several little boats bobbing in a small marina.
I turned back to Mom, George, and Maeve to join in with their chitchat. A moment later, George’s cellphone dinged in his shirt pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at it before uttering a curse under his breath.
“Everything okay?” Mom asked, brows puckering.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. “Something’s come up at the hotel. I have to go and deal with it right away, but I’ll only be an hour or two. Why don’t you go and relax, and I’ll help you unload your boxes from the trailer when I get back?”