entrance. Perhaps they could get a dog sometime, she thought dreamily. A compact laundry room off the kitchen led to a hallway. She followed that and came to the larger of the two bedrooms. The master bedroom was painted a soft shade of yellow that looked fresh and new. The closet was small but again adequate.
“There are two other bedrooms upstairs,” Judy, the agent, told her. “Four bedrooms in all.”
“Four bedrooms,” Cecilia repeated. It felt like a mansion.
“The basement is unfinished.”
“It has a basement, too?”
“The owner didn’t use it for anything other than storage.”
Ian bounced back into the house and the instant he did, Cecilia could tell he was happy. “The garage is great! Want to come see?”
“Sure.” Cecilia exchanged a smile with Judy Flint. Men and their garages. She trailed him outside and into the detached garage. Judy went with them and highlighted a number of features. There was plenty of room for Ian to work on his car, while leaving space for storage.
“I do want to remind you that this is the first house we’ve seen,” Cecilia teased, throwing his own words back at him. “So don’t get too excited.”
“This is the best home I have available in your price range,” Judy inserted.
Ian’s eyes held Cecilia’s. “What do you think?” he asked.
“I think we’d be foolish to let this opportunity pass us by.”
Ian reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“Would you like me to contact the owners?” Judy Flint asked.
Ian responded with an enthusiastic nod.
The agent walked outside, and Cecilia watched as she opened her cell phone.
“It’s everything I’d hoped for,” Cecilia whispered. “Everything.”
“Four bedrooms is a lot for just the three of us.”
“There’ll be other babies,” Cecilia said. “We could fill those bedrooms in no time.”
Ian’s eyebrows shot up and Cecilia giggled.
She was so happy she could barely contain herself and she could see Ian was just as pleased.
She thought he might have kissed her right then, except that the agent returned. “The owners are in town and they’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
As Cecilia and Ian finished exploring the rest of the house, including the two upstairs bedrooms, she noticed that another car had parked out front. An older gentleman, wearing a large cowboy hat and boots, and a middle-aged woman started up the walkway toward the house.
Judy Flint opened the front door for them and introduced Grace and Cliff Harding. Cecilia smiled shyly at the other couple. When Aaron began to fuss, she lifted him from the carrier and held him against her shoulder.
“I know it’s unusual for the owners to ask for a meeting with potential renters,” Grace said.
“We don’t mind,” Cecilia assured her. She recognized Grace from the library. Before she had her own computer, Cecilia had made several trips to use the ones in the library whenever Ian was at sea, so she remembered Grace, who’d been helpful and friendly. “We like your home very much and we’ll take the very best care of it.”
The older gentleman put his arm around his wife. “Grace and her family lived here for over thirty years and she wants to be sure it’s in good hands.”
“It will be,” Cecilia promised her. She understood why Grace would want to interview anyone who might be renting her house. It must be hard to let strangers move into a place that you’d lived in for much of your life. And yet Cecilia understood why she was willing to walk away from her home of thirty years. Cliff Harding cherished her. She saw it in the way he touched his wife, the way he looked at her.
“You’re in the navy?” Cliff Harding asked Ian.
Ian nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“So you could be transferred,” Grace said, glancing at her husband. She seemed a little unsure.
“We could.” Cecilia’s heart would break if they had to leave Cedar Cove but she’d go wherever Ian was assigned.
“Ms. Harding is asking for a one-year lease,” Judy explained.
Ian paused. “That could be a problem,” he said. “There’ve been a few rumors about the George Washington being transferred to San Diego. That might not mean anything, but then again, it could.” He’d mentioned this to Ceclia earlier, and she could only hope the rumors came to nothing.
“Would you consider a lease-to-own option?” she asked. She should’ve talked this over with Ian first and wished she had, but if that was an option, she wanted to know.
Again Grace looked at her husband. “I…don’t know. I’d like some time to think that over.”
“Sure…Ian and I aren’t even sure we could afford to own a house this big.”
“We’ll discuss all of that later.” Ian gestured around him. “As my wife said, we’d take care of your home the same way you have,” he told Grace. “But if you need a one-year lease, we won’t be able to sign it.”
Cecilia held her breath while she waited for Grace’s response.
“Should we look elsewhere?” Ian pressed.
After the briefest of hesitations, Cliff Harding shrugged and seemed to leave the matter up to Grace.
Cecilia wasn’t sure what else to say, so she asked, “Is there space to plant a garden?”
“Oh, yes, I’ve always had a garden—roses and bulb flowers and perennials. Pretty well everything should be coming up, but there’s certainly room for more. And the yard gets plenty of afternoon sun.”
“I’ve always wanted a garden,” Cecilia confessed. She patted Aaron’s back gently and soon the baby was sleeping contentedly on her shoulder.
Together the four of them walked around the house, while Judy waited inside. Ian and Mr. Harding were deep in conversation, and Cecilia had some questions for Grace, as well.
“I do hope you’ll agree to rent to us even without a lease,” Cecilia said when they’d finished.
Grace smiled at her husband and nodded. “My hope was that this home would go to a family just like you. This neighborhood’s a good place for a family and you’ll fit right in.”
For a moment, Cecilia thought she might cry. “Thank you both so much.”
“Hey,” Mr. Harding said, raising his hands. “This is strictly Grace’s decision.”
Judy Flint rejoined them then. “I’ll
