FORTY-THREE
THICK woods crowded us on either side as we rolled down a long black driveway. Then the van’s high beams illuminated a clearing. The bright light unattractively blanched the manicured grounds. Finally I saw the house.
On this cloud-covered night, the moonlight was muted, shrouding the three-story structure in shadow. Looming large, its dark silhouette looked less than inviting. I said as much.
“It’s a beautiful property,” Matt assured me. “With the landscape lighting off, you can’t tell. But when no one’s here, the darkness makes it invisible from the road.”
“Do you have a security system in place?”
“Of course.” He pointed to his prepaid phone on the dashboard. “I control it through an app.” At my obvious confusion, he added, “An application on the smartphone.”
“If you say so.”
“Don’t worry, Clare. You’ll be comfortable here—once we get the lights and the coffee on.” His white grin flashed in the dark. “Let’s go.”
AFTER parking the van, he tossed me the two bags of whole-bean coffee and unlocked the house. The night air was cold. Shivering on the porch, I couldn’t wait to hurry inside.
When the interior lights came up, I stepped back, surprised by the main room. Matt called it a “great room,” which was an accurate description—if only in sheer size.
The open layout boasted a three-story ceiling, soaring up to reveal gallery-style floors at the second and third levels. Their open hallways were guarded with polished wooden railings.
“Impressive, right? You’ll love it in the morning. There’s so much light . . .”
He strode across the great room’s floor, skirting the cream-colored sofa to activate the sleek gas fireplace. Flames leaped up, adding a sudden burst of color to the otherwise stark white space—but almost no warmth. And, man, was it cold in here!
“Your walls are so naked,” I said, looking up.
“Bree took the artwork. I’ll find other stuff. Maybe you can help with that?”
“I don’t know . . .” I shook my head, considering the emptiness. There certainly was a lot of it.
“The kitchen is at the other end.” He pointed to where a freestanding marble bar served as a divider. “You’ve got Viking appliances in there and a breakfast nook farther back.”
He turned again and swept his hand across the line of French doors. “As you can see, there’s a large deck that extends this living area, and a heated pool farther out in the yard. It’s closed for the winter, but feel free to make use of the sunken hot tub. It’s right there on the deck.”
I nodded and looked up again, straining my neck to find the top of the cathedral ceiling. “How many bedrooms are up there?”
“Six, along with a study, and a master bedroom suite with its own luxury bath, fireplace, and private deck.”
“Nice.”
“You take the master suite on the second floor. I’ll sack out in the room next to it.”
“No, you should have the master bedroom.”
“You’re my guest. I insist. I want you to be comfortable.”
“In this place, I don’t see how I can’t be.” I brought the two bags of coffee into the kitchen, checked the giant fridge, and revised my statement.
“Matt, there’s nothing inside!”
“I know—” Leaning one jean-clad hip against the counter, he studied my face. “It’s been empty a long time, Clare. And I’m hungry, too.”
I got the impression my ex-husband was talking about more than food. When he spoke again, I heard hope in his voice.
“Now that you’re here, maybe we can fix that. What do you think?”
I took a moment to choose my words carefully. “I think I don’t know you. Not the you that gives tours of his Hamptons McMansion. I also think I’m not myself, and we should give this—whatever this is—some time.” I pointed to the bags of Hampton beans on the counter. “I’m willing to start with coffee.”
“For you and me, that was always a good place to start.” He smiled. “Okay.”
“And a shower. I could really use a nice, hot shower.”
“Alone, right? Just kidding.”