Free 9781618850607ForeverNightDayNC by Unknown Page A

Bonnie turned and smiled as she put the key in the front door ’ s lock. “Can you imagine sitting out here on those
gorgeous summer evenings? If my husband wasn ’ t such an old son of a gun, I ’ d go for this place myself. I ’ d snap it up right quick and that would be the end of
it. ” The lock
clicked.
    Carrie
Ann nodded. “You ’ ve just about sold me on the place.” It was darn near perfect.
    “ Have I?” asked the realtor, still smiling. “Then come
right on in.” She pushed the door open, and held it for Carrie Ann, sucking in
a breath. “Be prepared to step back in time.”
    She
was right. Just inside the door, Carrie Ann found herself surrounded by
magnificent stained glass and dark hardwoods. The glass pattern consisted of
floral scenes. Each panel highlighted a different flower, illuminated by the
warm, midday sunlight. “Wow.” She marveled at the intricate patterns. “This is
simply gorgeous.”
    Mrs.
Bonnie nodded in agreement. “It really is breathtaking. Now, the front hall
spans all the way through the house. Back there you will find a kitchen which
we will view in a moment. But first, let ’ s have a look at the front parlor. ”
    It
truly was like stepping back in time, just as Mrs. Bonnie had stated. All
around them were things from a bygone era, each a testament in their own right
to a time period in which they were produced and used. “This is something. And
you said all this comes with the house?”
    “ Yes, everything here is included in the sale,” reaffirmed
Mrs. Bonnie.
    It
totally wasn ’ t her style, yet Carrie Ann felt drawn in, like she ’ d been there before, and that strange sense of deja vu didn ’ t go unnoticed. “And the price?” she asked, feeling
the need to hear it again.
    “ It ’ s as I stated. They want it gone. Plus, there haven ’ t been any offers yet.”
    Carrie
Ann ran her hand across a vast marble fireplace mantle and looked up at a large
painting hanging over it. A very handsome man with dark eyes looked out over
the room, his face stern and his hands folded in his lap. “Who is that?” she
asked, pointing to the image forever locked in oil, the silver gilt frame
glimmering ever so slightly.
    “ That ’ s Augustine LaMount , the
original owner. Isn ’ t he gorgeous?” Mrs. Bonnie grinned. “Now, let ’ s move on to the kitchen. You ’ re going to love this room. It ’ s a real gem.”
    Mrs.
Bonnie was right. As far as kitchens went, this one was a complete and utter
showstopper — top
of the line in every way. “Very nice,” she said, sweeping her hand along the
marble countertop. “I ’ m not one for cooking, but this is a chef ’ s dream. It ’ s very appealing — a strong selling point.”
    Upstairs,
they walked down the vast hallway, passing several doors. Mrs. Bonnie told her
about each room as they passed it, only stopping briefly to look inside.
    “ This is the master bedroom. It ’ s a decent size with an en suite bathroom, and a
fireplace for those cold winter nights.”
    Carrie
Ann shivered as she entered the room. It was weird and downright strange that
this room would be so cold during early summer, especially when the rest of the
house was borderline stifling from the heat after being closed up for so long.
She searched with her eyes for an open window. Nothing . “Is this room air-conditioned?”
    “ Goodness, no. There isn ’ t any call for that here. They did install ceiling
fans in most of the rooms.” Mrs. Bonnie pointed to one overhead, and then a
strange expression crossed her face, one of discomfort. “Let ’ s move back downstairs, shall we? ”
    Carrie
Ann finished her tour of the house back in the parlor. She sat and waited as
Mrs. Bonnie crunched numbers. She handed a piece of paper to Carrie Ann and
said, “ I
think that if you place an offer in this range they would accept it. It ’ s a good price, but not too far off the mark.”
    She
traced the number, and thought about the amount. “That