Holiday In the Hamptons (From Manhattan with Love 5)

“Two.”

“And are you planning to live with extended family? Your mother-in-law, perhaps? A whole stream of cousins?”

“Just the four of us.” His tone was cautious. “I don’t see what that—”

“I’m trying to work out what you would do with more space than this. With four of you, you could move in here and not sleep in the same bedroom for a week. You can entertain lavishly—there’s even a guest cottage. When your kids hit their teenage years there is enough space to give them a wing each if they turn moody. Sure, you could buy something with more room, but why?”

“It’s called investment.”

“So you’re not looking for a home, you’re looking for profit.”

“That’s a factor.” He studied her for a moment. “I understood from Chase it isn’t even on the market yet.”

“A house this special doesn’t need to go on the open market. The appeal that dragged you down here in the middle of your very busy working week is the same appeal that has had other buyers knocking at the door. Seth only agreed to let you see it first because you’re Chase’s friend. So I guess it boils down to one basic question. Are you in love with the house?”

“In love?” He shot her a bemused glance. “Real estate is a financial decision, not an emotional one.”

“This isn’t a piece of real estate, Todd, it’s a home. As a matter of interest, how do you propose to present this to your wife? ‘Hi, honey, I bought us a house but don’t bother unpacking or getting too comfortable because if the value increases enough I’ll sell it right out from under you.’ Is that what you’re planning? Because if so, I feel sorry for her. And your kids. What are their names? How old are they?”

“Grant is six and Katy is eight.”

“A boy and a girl. And you’re buying this because you want to be able to spend summers at the Hamptons. I bet they’re going to just love the beach.” Her tone warmed. “They’ll spend time playing hide-and-seek in those dunes just beyond the house. Sandy feet, sun on their faces, happy children. Lucky children.”

Seth frowned.

She’d painted a picture so clear he could taste the salt air and hear his sisters’ laughter. Hear his mother warning them to wipe their feet so that they didn’t trail sand into the house.

Todd said nothing.

“Maybe you’ll take Grant sailing, like Seth’s father did.” Fliss’s tone was desperate, and Seth wondered why she didn’t just give up. Did she really think she could convert Todd Wheeler from hard-nosed businessman to family guy in one conversation?

“Fliss—”

“Has he told you they used to spend every spare hour here doing up their boat? Not down at a boatyard, but at the dock right there in front of the house. Or maybe it will be Katy who loves being on the water. And when you’re spending time messing around with boats, whether it’s on dry land or the water, it’s not about the boat, Todd. It’s about the time you’re spending together, the conversations you have while you’re varnishing planks or sailing a boat into the wind. Whatever you do, however you spend your time in this beautiful home, those are the things your kids will always value about your relationship. They’re the moments Grant and Katy will remember, not how much money their dad made on a property when he sold it. This house isn’t just bricks and wood, it has a heart and a soul.”

Her words were met with silence.

This time, it seemed, Todd had nothing to say.

Neither did Seth.

He realized she wasn’t trying to convert Todd, or reform him in any way. She was selling his house, and she’d done it with as much passion and conviction as if she’d been selling her own.

She’d painted a picture like an artist, skillfully weaving visions of an idyllic lifestyle until Seth would have bought the house himself had he not already owned it.

Todd frowned. “I don’t think—”

“Think of it like this.” She didn’t give him time to speak. “When you invest money, you expect a return. But who says that return always has to be financial? This house is an investment in quality family time. Happy moments become happy memories, and they last forever. Nothing can ever take that away, not even a crash in the market. Take your son sailing, teach your daughter to surf, and they’re going to be remembering those things into adulthood. And when they leave, they’ll take all those memories with them. If that’s not an investment, I don’t know what is.”

They’ll take all those memories with them.

Seth felt a pressure in his chest.

He’d thought the memories belonged to the house, but Fliss was right. They belonged to him. They were inside him and they would always be inside him, no matter where he went or what he did. Selling a house wasn’t going to change that.

Swallowing down the emotion, he walked into the room and Chase reappeared at the same moment, full of apologies.

“Sorry, that was Matilda. She wanted me to pick up a few things on my way home. Have you finished? Is there anything else you need to see, Todd?”