You simply had to visit the brownstone on West 81st street to truly understand how magnificent it was. Grayson hired an architect before he showed it to Lili all those years ago to ensure his vision for the brownstone could become a reality. They lost their parents, Andrew and Abigail Wentworth, in a plane crash, which meant Grayson was responsible for his little ballerina sister, Lili.
The gut-renovation of all five floors was complete when the contractor turned two side-by-side brownstones into one magnificent home with 6 apartments. It was a tight fit and the only way to live at the brownstone was New York style. For example, you would never furnish a brownstone with bulky, overstuffed furniture. The dining room table must be a custom fit, the only furniture found in most bedrooms was a bed and a couple end tables, and Grayson had insisted on built-ins for every bedroom.
While Lili was in Sri Lanka, the brownstone next door went up for sale and Grayson purchased it. The façade was finished with ashlar stone to make all three brownstones look like one cohesive building. Liam and Deirdre were moving into the new unit when it was finished, giving the additional space to Rana and her children, Sri and Kavi. One unique feature of the brownstone was a hallway that connected each entrance so you didn’t have to go outside to get to the new brownstone next door. Something else new happened; Keith and Katherine joined the brownstone living quarters. They took over the top floor above Liam and Deirdre with access to the rooftop garden that joined Lili’s.
Isabelle Frechette’s life had radically changed since Lili and Grayson offered her a room at the brownstone. So when Izzy decided to move out and into a loft in Soho, they all knew she was ready to finally be on her own.
That wasn’t the only change in the brownstone. Grayson had a custom-made dining room table placed in the center of the front room. He was making a statement with twelve feet of timber, sanded and stained in a dark glossy finish, surrounded with comfortable cushioned chairs so once you sat down you wouldn’t want to stray. Dinner was served, games were played, poker was won and lost, and the kids colored and painted. Everyone who entered the brownstone hung their coats and dropped their bags in the foyer and sat down in the dining room to catch up with whoever was sitting in there.
This was Grayson’s way of making room for everyone at the brownstone. He often found James and Keith playing cards, or Lili eating dinner with Maggie and Deirdre. It was a great comfort to him with the late nights he tended to work, to find Vanessa sleeping in Lili’s arms, and Maggie enjoying dinner with the gang. You couldn’t have asked for a better place to live.
“I think you should worry about your own love life, James.” Lili placed eggplant lasagna in the oven.
“I’m only trying to help.” James Henry was from California and carried himself with a tender ease these days. He had a gorgeous mop of blond hair and blue eyes. He was painting today. You could always tell by his clothes. He wore torn up jeans with dried paint all over them and a t-shirt equally marred. He did have the capability of dressing up nicely and usually stood out in any crowd regardless of his attire. He simply looked like he belonged with the angels. James would be the first to tell you that he wore conflicting masks. It wasn’t intentional; it was merely a survival mechanism.
“If I need help, I’ll ask.” she took her oven mitts off. “What happened with Marcus, anyway?”
“Oh, come on, Lili, you know how complex I am. How moody and disagreeable I can be. I want attention. I want to be left alone. Don’t get in my space. Why aren’t you fawning over me? I’m ridiculous. I can’t expect anyone will be able to deal with my mood swings when I can barely get out of my own way.” Lili poured James a glass of water and joined him on an adjacent stool at her breakfast bar.
“Listen James, you’re an artist, first and foremost. I can read you perfectly, so will someone else. You’re moody when your painting and you haven’t finished it. You want to be left alone when you have a paintbrush in your hand and a blank canvas. And you want someone fawning over you when you’ve accomplished a masterpiece. Sorry to disappoint you but you’re not that complicated.” She got up and returned to chopping vegetables.
James put his hand over his heart and leaned over the counter as she cooked. “Lili Wentworth, will you marry me?”
Lili got serious in her head and wondered why this idea of marriage nagged at her almost every day.
“Are you ever going to start dating?” James asked. “I’ve got friends lined up waiting for the go ahead to ask you out.”
“You have friends waiting for your permission to ask me out?”
“Sure. They are being respectful that you’ve been grieving.”
“Absolutely not, James. I’m too busy sorting out these dreams. Not to mention the spirits around me. I can’t deal with a relationship right now.”
“You manage to spend a lot of time with Cole,” James smirked.
“Cole is my friend. He looks out for me. Anyway, he has feelings for Cecelia. I’m sure you’ve noticed that.”
“Not really,” James shrugged.
“Well, Katherine has. And that’s not the only thing,” she hesitated, realizing she was trying too hard to prove a point.
“What else?” he pressed, looking for a good bit of gossip.
“Cole has this female ghost that’s around him sometimes. She won’t tell me who she is, but she loves him, that much I know for sure.
“So, what if she does? There isn’t much she can do about it, she’s dead,” James swallowed the last of his water.
“James! She’s not dead…and I…I’m not worried,” Lili explained. James raised a brow. “She means no harm to him or me.” Lili shook her head and started to wipe down the kitchen counter. “But he may still be carrying a torch for her. Maybe that’s what has him…”
“Has him, what?” James leaned on the counter, “has him isolated, distant, a loner?”
“Yes. I thought it was Cecelia, but with this ghost lurking around I’m starting to think it’s someone from his past.”
“It sounds like you’re making excuses to avoid Cole.”
“I can’t have a fling with Coleman Kavanagh!” she blurted. “I can’t have some casual love affair with him. If I’m in it, I’m in it forever, because, well, it’s Cole.”
“What makes you think it would be a fling?”
“Have you met, Coleman Kavanagh?” Lili snorted.
James looked at her with a silent stare.
“He can’t let go of his past and I can’t let go of my future. It’s that simple.”
“Okay, well I just texted this friend of mine that would like to take you to dinner. You met him once, he’s sells real estate in the city.”
“James!” Lili was so burning mad. “Did you not hear a word I just said?” She tried not to slam the dishes into the sink. “You don’t have to agree with me, but to ignore my feelings entirely is just plain inconsiderate.”
James stood up and wrapped his arms around her. “You make me so mad, James. What’s the point of conversing if you don’t listen?”
“Lili, you and I both know I’m too good looking to stay mad at. Should I apologize for loving you and making you deal with your feelings?” He closed his eyes, “I don’t think so, nor do you.”
Lili burst out laughing.
He pulled Lili into his chest, “There, there,” he patted her back, “…just live happily ever after, that’s all I ask.”