“I know it doesn’t have a bow or anything, but we thought it might help you two out. I know you love that apartment, Alice, but it’s pretty cramped for the two of you, let alone a family,” my mom said, looking pretty damn pleased with herself. “Daddy and I asked your friends about the neighborhood, and Bette got in touch with the realtor on it. I just hope you like the inside.”

“Well, we won’t find out sitting here,” my dad said brightly. “Come on, let’s go look around.”

“They bought us a house??” Alice hissed into my ear. “We can’t accept this, Dana!”

“Let’s see if we even like it first,” I whispered back, but I sort of felt the same way she did. It wasn’t the money; hell, I knew my parents had it and more to spare. It just felt funny. I’d been making my own living and doing pretty well at it for over a decade, and in some strange way I’d wanted to be the one to buy Alice a house.

Still, as we walked into the hallway my bad feelings disappeared. The house had been completely renovated both inside and out, and it was gorgeous. There were three huge bedrooms and a big office for Al, a gigantic kitchen with brand new steel appliances, a dining room, a living room with fireplace, and a fully finished basement with a guest bedroom. There was even a big picture window in the living room, looking out into a yard that was pretty big for the area.

The main selling point for me, though, was the decent-sized gym just off the master bedroom. I knew I’d never play professionally again, but I wanted to be able to stay in shape without having to drive to the club every day. I mean, I could have, but I sorta felt like I was in a place in my life where I could take things a bit easier and work out on my own at home. It wasn’t as if I’d need a coach there. The thought made me a little sad, but I pushed it away and focused on the house instead.

I loved it, and it was obvious that Alice did too. She kept making excuses to go back and look at the office, which was toward the back of the home and would be really quiet for her. I followed her while my parents and Howie talked about something or other.

“What do you think?” I asked, walking up behind her and wrapping her up in my arms.

“I think that if we don’t take this house, we’ll regret it for the rest of our lives. It’s amazing, Dana. I mean, it’s everything I could have wanted in a house. Do you like it?” she asked, looking at me with a quiet intensity. I grinned at her because she was acting like a little kid asking for permission to get a puppy…which was an idea, I thought randomly, looking out into the yard.

“I love it, and I love you. I’m glad you like it so much, because if you didn’t I’d be really sad to leave it behind,” I said into her ear, and she sank back into me with a happy sigh. I went to talk to my dad while my mom and Howie came to talk to Alice.

He said they just had to sign some papers and write the check, and the house would be ours. He offered to pay for the furniture, but I refused that. I had an interior decorator’s soul that was starting to wake up in here, and I wanted to do the outfitting myself, with Alice’s help. My dad just smiled, congratulated me, and gave me a hug. We walked down the hall to Al’s office, and even though the place wasn’t furnished and we still had some work to do, I’d never felt more at home my entire life. Looking in Alice’s eyes, I was happy to see she felt the same way.

**********

That was as far as I got before I realized that she was fast asleep. I didn’t have the heart to keep talking, so I kissed her eyelids and left the room. Gemma and Kallie came and checked on us both before leaving for their date, and Jenny brought me dinner. Not long after I’d finished, I got into bed and fell into a deep but contented sleep.