Harbinger in the Mist (Arms of Serendipity) Read Online Free Page B

Mr. Jones held a hand in response. After a moment of silence, he turned back to Aimee, clapped his hands together, and said, “Well, shall we go back inside? There are four more rooms upstairs.”
    Lindsey had to admit that the main house was calling to her, so she turned and walked toward the porch. She heard her mom and the lawyer following after her. None of them went to look at either of the little slave houses. Mr. Jones took the lead at the steps and led them up to the back porch and inside the house.
    They walked up the twisting stairway and onto the second story landing. For the first time, Mr. Jones wasn’t rambling on and on. The only sounds were those of their footsteps echoing through the empty house. Mr. Jones obviously didn’t exercise because he was panting and out of breath as they reached the top of the stairs. Lindsey wondered if a bride had ever walked down those stairs to the tune of Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March.”
    “These two front rooms,” Mr. Jones motioned to his left and right at the top of the stairs with one hand and wiped sweat from his brown with the other, “are identical to the bedroom downstairs with the exception of the bathroom. The second door on the left is a full bath and the second door on the right is where you’ll find the laundry room and linen closet. Now, there are two Master Bedrooms. They take up the entire back of the floor. They, too, are identical, just mirrored.”
    They entered the bedroom in the far right corner of the landing. It was massive. Mr. Jones made a point to show them the large radius head window that framed a perfect view of the ACE Basin. (As if they needed it pointed out.) The 12-foot ceilings he’d mentioned in passing earlier were much more impressive up here. Lindsey left them in the room and went into its twin. It, too, was massive and has its own curved window and view. This would be her room. It called to her. She already knew where she’d put her bed – near the window so that she could see the sun set each day – as well as her dresser, Gramma’s old hope chest, the TV, and whatnots.
    There were two doors along the inside wall. One was a closet, the other a bathroom.
    Oh, the bathroom! It would be a haven all its own. On the left, a large claw foot tub with brushed nickel feet and fixtures sat in the corner under another large, rounded window. The tub looked antique on the outside, but whirlpool jets were visible inside it. The window ledge was large enough to hold candles and bubble bath. She smiled at the thought of what her mom would think when she saw hers. A shower stall, the only modern looking piece, took up the other corner. On the right sat a large vanity, sink, and toilet. Like the tub, the lights and fixtures were all brushed nickel.
    “Lindsey? Linds?  Mr. Jones and I are going to wrap things up. You ready to go check out the hospital and the school?” asked her mom from the bedroom, breaking her reflection.
    “Yeah, Mom. I’m coming!”
    Aimee poked her head into the room. “Amazing isn’t it?” she asked.
    “Oh mom. This is right out of romance novel! What do you think? I know I wasn’t enthusiastic before and I know it’s a little big for us, but I love it!”
    “I was thinking the same thing. I think this is what we need – to get away from Indiana, to be in a place where we have room to breathe and move… a place where we can think things through. Come on down when you’re ready. We’ll be out on the front porch. With a little luck, we’ll be living here by month’s end. It all hinges on me being able to seal the deal today at the hospital.”
    Lindsey walked around the room, imagining it full of her stuff. She walked over to the window and thought about whether or not to leave the windows as they were or to hang curtains. As she watched the gently flowing waters of the Basin, a snowy egret swooped down over the water and landed in the reed bank. There were no street lights that she’d seen anywhere