The Old House on Drury Lane

"Hi, Andi. This is Lacy Duval. I just realized I have an envelope with different keys that fit somewhere in your house. And I was hoping I could drop it off, if someone's going to be home tonight."

"Actually, I'm on my way home now, and should be there in a few minutes."

"Good, then I'll be there soon."

I had just pulled into the driveway, and Lacy pulled her sporty little two-door BMW in beside me, giving me a little wave.

I invited her in, but she only stepped inside the foyer. "Thanks, but I really can't stay. I've got a viewing in a few minutes." Then she handed me the envelope. "I just wanted to apologize. I should have given you this when everything was signed over. The previous owner's nephew, the one in charge of her estate, who sold the house, said he has no idea what these keys are for, but that you might want to check around to see what they'll unlock."

I looked at the envelope and shrugged. "Okay. Thanks, Lacy."

She gave me a little grin and wiggle of her eyebrows. "So, have you and Luca settled on a date yet?"

I looked at her blankly, wondering what she was talking about, until I remembered that Luca and I were supposed to be engaged. "We're uh... just looking into some venues."

She nodded. "I've got to say, this was a first for me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, that the former owner insisted the house only be sold to a couple, or a young family, who would hopefully fill it with love as their family grew. I just thought that was the sweetest thing. Her nephew said that she wanted to be sure that her lifelong home wouldn't be torn down, or renovated by someone who planned to resell it."

I was so stunned I didn't even know what to say. Still, I had to ask, "So, did Luca know about her wanting to sell to a young couple?"

"Oh, yes. I spoke with him before the meet 'n greet, where I first met the two of you. He'd heard that the house was up for sale, and said he really wanted to see inside. I told him about her request, that her nephew had promised to try to abide to it, about selling to a committed couple. Though Luca never mentioned on the phone that you two were engaged, and were looking to buy a house together."

Suddenly, I felt sick, wondering how he could act so sweet and yet do something so sneaky behind my back. Now I could understand why Elizabeth was angry, knowing that we'd deceived her about being together, just so Luca could get his hands on the house. I imagined that once he'd fixed it up, that he was probably planning to flip it.

Lost in my thoughts, my head snapped up when Lacy said, "The lady's nephew mentioned that she never married, though he had heard that she was almost engaged once. But apparently, her father refused to give his blessing. Something about her beau being from the wrong side of the tracks. And sadly, her man went off to war, and never returned. She must have been devastated to lose the love of her life. Her siblings all married and had families, but she lived the rest of her life alone here in the family home. Which I guess is why she wanted to fix it up and see a young couple move in to start the family that she never had."

"Oh, that is sad. Poor Elizabeth." I could actually feel for her, living her life alone, having lost the only man she ever loved.

Lacy looked a little confused. "How did you know her name?"

"Um... I think you might have mentioned it?" I lied, knowing I couldn't really tell her the truth, or she'd think I was crazy.

She looked at her watch and flinched. "Well, at least she got her wish, since the two of you look pretty happy together. But I should really get going. If there's anything else I can help you with, just give me a buzz."

After I'd thanked her and closed the door behind her, feeling numb, I wandered into the living room, curled up the couch and gave in and cried. I wondered how I could be so stupid, putting all my trust in a man, who was nothing but a liar and a cheat. Now that I knew he'd used me so he could get around the stipulation and buy the house, I couldn't decide if I was more hurt, disappointed, or angry enough to want to throw something at him as soon as he walked in the door.

Of course, I was even more annoyed with myself, having let myself fall in love with someone I really didn't know. I realized now, that he probably was only acting like we had something together, until he didn't need me anymore. Then he'd buy me out, sell the house, and move on to the next one.

Now I knew why people said, 'Love hurts,' the pain in my chest was like nothing I'd ever felt.

I heard the key in the door and I watched Luca step into the house, smiling as he walked in the living room. "Sorry, I'm a bit late. I got tied up with a project." Noticing that something was off, he asked, "Everything okay?"

"No."

He sat down beside me. "Andi, what's wrong?"

I looked into his big brown eyes, wondering how he could pretend to care, when he was probably counting down the days till he got the house ready to sell, so he could walk out and put this whole sorry mess behind him.

I watched as he slid his hand into mine. "Are you not feeling well?"

My stomach was in knots, my heart was aching, and I wanted to cry until I couldn't cry anymore, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of telling him how much he'd hurt me.

"Lacy Duval just came by." I nodded at the envelope on the coffee table. "She brought some keys that she said should fit somewhere in the house." I pulled my hand out of his grasp and turned to face him. "She also mentioned that she'd spoken to you about buying the house, before we ever met. She said that you knew the former owner wanted the house to go to a committed couple. Now I know why you wanted me to play along and pretend that we were engaged."

He held up his hands. "Okay. I know I should have been upfront and told you the truth."

"You think?" I was so upset I was shaking. "How could you do something so underhanded, even having the nerve to pretend that you cared. When all you ever wanted was to get your hands on the house, so you could fix it up and sell it."

"I admit, initially, that was what I had planned. But then I saw how much you loved it, and I wondered what it would be like for the two of us to live here together."

"I think you went to that meeting looking for a fake fiancée. You thought I looked gullible enough to just go along, so you could trick the sellers and buy this place, then do like you always do, fix it up and flip it. I can't believe you even got your mother to vouch for you, to get me to trust you. Then you thought that we could live together for a while, just for fun, I guess."

He shook his head, looking frustrated. "Andi, that's not what happened. I admit, I did phone Lacy about the house. And she mentioned that the lady had put a stipulation in about who could buy it. She suggested that I might want to check out the house sharing get-together that she'd arranged, and said she had lots of other listings that I might want to look at. But when I got there, I looked across the room, saw you, and I knew I had to meet you. Since it turned out that we both liked the house, I thought if we wanted to see inside, we had to act like we were together, just to prove that we were serious."

"Then why didn't tell me any of this before?"

Heaving a weary sigh, he nodded. "I know, I should have said something. But I thought things were going really good between us, and I didn't want you to think that I had an ulterior motive for buying the house."

"Even though you did."

Looking like he'd reached his wit's end, he stood up and handed me his house key. "Okay. Here. If you don't believe me, the house is yours. I'll sign the paperwork to hand it over."

Luca must have noticed that I couldn't hold back, and had tears running down my cheeks. "Ah, don't cry." He sat down again and pulled me onto his lap, stroking his hand up and down my back. "Honestly, I never meant to hurt you, Andi. And if you want me out of here, I'll go. But I really don't want to leave you."

Between hiccups I mumbled against his shirt, "I don't the want the house without you. But I don't know how I can live with someone that I can't trust."

He pulled back, tipped up my chin, and looked into my eyes. "I screwed up. I'm sorry. But everything I've told you is the truth. I love you. And you can trust me on that."

I so wanted to believe him. And he did sound sincere.

As I looked into his eyes, I could see that he was hurting, too. Not even sure what to say anymore, I snatched the envelope off the table, and headed upstairs. Luca was right behind me. "Where are you going?"

"I want to see what these keys are for. Maybe they can unlock a few of the other secrets around here."

When I was checking around upstairs one day, I'd noticed that the old roll-top desk had lots of little cubby holes. Now I wondered if any of them had locks. I opened a few drawers, and at the bottom of one was a lock that looked like it would take a small key. I emptied the envelope onto the desk and found a tiny key and tried it in the lock. I couldn't believe it worked, and the lock opened. My hands were shaking, as I lifted the flat, wooden top and looked inside. Sitting in the bottom were old pictures and letters tied with a red ribbon.

I pulled out one picture, and could hardly believe my eyes. "Oh, my goodness Luca, it's him," I said. "It's William. The man that I was marrying in my dream. This is Elizabeth's lover. I showed him the old photograph of William in an Army uniform. He looked exactly like he had in my dream; tall, handsome, blond haired, pale, long lashed eyes, with a hint of teasing smile.

Then I saw another picture and got the biggest lump in my throat. It was of the two of them together. Her shoulder-length hair in soft waves around her face, she was very pretty, and he was tall and dashing and quite handsome. They made such a striking couple. And as he held her in his arms, smiling at the camera, I could tell from the looks on their faces that they were madly in love.

"How sad." I wiped at my eyes. "They were so in love and never got a chance to live out their dream."

I looked up at Luca, surprised that I wasn't the only one getting misty eyed.

Once I told him about the séance, he nodded. "I guess if she thought we'd tried to trick her, she'd be angry enough to want to haunt us. But it makes sense that she was happy again when we slept in the same bed and showed her that we were together."

I gathered up the pictures and put them back in the desk where I'd found them. "I want to see if I can find out where she's buried." Downstairs, I got my phone and called Lacy, and she offered to call Elizabeth's nephew to see what he knew.

When she called me back and told me where I could find her, I grabbed my purse. "I'm going to the cemetery."

"Then I'm going with you." Luca was right behind me, helping me into his truck.

"On the way, I want to stop and get some flowers." When I came out of the florists with a bouquet wrapped in paper, Luca started the truck and drove north to the cemetery.

I got so emotional when we found Elizabeth Drury's tall, red granite tombstone, right where her nephew said we'd find her, under a big red maple tree, a little-ways back from the road.

I said a prayer, unwrapped the flowers and put the white bridal bouquet on her grave, thinking at least she finally got her bouquet. Then I blessed myself and noticed that Luca was doing the same.

He looked over at me, smiling. "I think she'll like that you put those flowers on her grave for her." He smirked, "And nonna's going to be really happy."

I looked at him, confused. "Why would your nonna be happy?"

"When she finds out that we're the same religion, so we can marry in the church, she'll be doing a happy dance."

"Wait. Did you just mention marriage?"

He pulled me into arms and kissed the top of my head. "That's what people do when they're in love. They get married, and spend the rest of their lives together."

While I tried to absorb that, I glanced over at the marker beside Elizabeth's and gasped. I pointed over at the other tombstone. "Luca, look. The two of them are finally together. Elizabeth is buried right beside William, the man she loved." As I wiped at my eyes, Luca was quiet as he gave me a little squeeze.

"I'm glad we came here, and found them," I said.

"Yeah, me, too."

LUCA

We got in the truck, and Andi turned and looked at me and said, "No more secrets between us, okay?"

"Okay." I held my hands up. "No more secrets, I promise."

Andi and I held hands on the way home. She was quiet, but thankfully didn't seem to be upset with me anymore.

I tugged her hand. "Hey, are you hungry?"

"I'm still trying to process everything that's happened today. So, I don't know if I'm hungry or not."

"Then how about a picnic?"

I laughed at the wide-eyed look she gave me, like I was crazy. Probably wondering how we'd have a picnic in the dark, especially with how cold and damp it was outside.

When we got home, I put a fire on in the fireplace. In the kitchen, I pulled together a bunch of things; different cheeses and cold meats, crusty bread, olives, grapes, wine and some of nonna's biscotti.

When I spread a blanket out in front of the fireplace, Andi smiled as I put our little picnic down on the coffee table.

"This is nice, eating by the fire," she said when she joined me on the floor.

She laughed when I fed her grapes and little bites of cheese, between kisses, of course.

After we'd finished, curled up on the floor, with her tucked into my side, it felt nice to relax and just watch the flames dancing in the fireplace.

As I stroked a hand up and down along her back, I realized she was getting a little breathless.

Then I felt her hand sliding down over my chest, and I had to suck in a breath when her curious little fingers worked their way down to my fly. I still hadn't bought any condoms, though I imagined she wondered why we were waiting.

But luckily, before things got too heated, she started yawning. I slipped my arms around her, picked her up and carried her down the hallway, and put her in bed. I think she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Next night on my way home, I stopped to get some gas and pick up a coffee, and noticed a big, handsome German Sheppard tied to an antifreeze display at the corner of the gas station. After I'd filled up, I went to go inside, and his tail started wagging like crazy as he watched me walk by.

Deciding it wouldn't hurt to say hello, he started whining and shivering like mad, the closer I got. "Hey, boy, what's your name?" I asked him as I stroked his head.

One of the gas station attendants wiping his hands with a rag, after he'd put some oil in a customer's car, overheard me. "We've been calling him Mooch, because he's always looking for something to eat. Someone tied him up there and left him. We keep hoping they'll come back. But it's been over a week now, so it looks like the poor guys been abandoned. We're open 24 hours, so someone's always here to keep an eye on him and give him food and water. But the boss says it's getting too cold at night to leave him out here, and he's talking about taking him to the pound."

I went in to get my coffee and pay for my gas. When I came back out the dog crouched down and started wagging his whole backside along with his tail, looking overjoyed to see me again, like I'd been gone for a year.

Wondering if I was doing the right thing, I walked back inside, had a word with the manager and left him my card, just in case his owner showed up. Then I untied the dog, patted my thigh and said, "Come on, boy," and he walked right beside me over to my truck.

When I opened the door, he hopped right in. As we drove home, he made me laugh the way he kept leaning over, trying to lick my face. Obviously, he was pretty happy that I was taking him home. And I was just glad that he wouldn't be going to the dog pound.

Not too sure what Andi would say, though she had talked about getting a dog, I rang the doorbell and waited. When she opened the door, looking confused, I nodded at the truck. "I got someone I want you to meet."

I walked her out to the truck, and the moment she looked into his big golden-brown eyes, she reached out and pet his head, and murmured, "Oh, aren't you gorgeous!" Then she turned and looked at me. "Where did he come from?" When I told her where I'd found him, her eyes lit up, she pushed up on her toes and kissed me. "What a sweet thing to do."

"I left my card in case his owner shows up, but after a week, I have my doubts they'll be coming back for him."

She looked hopeful. "So, you mean he's ours now?"

I nodded. "As long as you're happy with him."

"How could I not be, he's such a sweetheart."

She leaned closer and laughed when he licked her nose, with his tail wagging like crazy.

He followed us inside without any coaxing, and wandered straight into the living room and settled himself on the rug in front of the fireplace. As I got on my knees to put on a fire, he kept licking my ear with his big pink tongue, I think trying to show me how grateful he was that we'd taken him in.

Next night, Andi and I laughed when we both came home with bags of stuff from the pet store.

"He's got an appointment with the vet on Saturday for a check up and his shots," she said, Cradling his face in her hands, she told him, "And you're not going to make a fuss about going to the vets, are you, big guy?"

The way his tail was thumping away on the floor, it didn't seem to matter what she was saying, as long as she was talking to him.

We soon got into a routine. I'd make a point of getting home at a decent hour after work, and the three of us would take a walk along the beach, before we'd head back and have dinner. Though we still hadn't decided on a name for him, since neither of us liked calling him Mooch.

We were watching TV one night, and Andi asked, "What do you think of the name Jack?"

"You mean for the dog?"

She nodded, and I pulled a face. "That's my father's name, Giacomo. But everyone calls him Jack."

"Oh, I didn't know if your dad was still around, since he never came over with the rest of your family."

"Yeah, he cuts hair, like his father and his father before him. Apparently, back in Italy I come from a long line of barbers. My father works about three hundred and sixty days a year, and only takes time off for the holidays. He's the reason I'm trying to learn to delegate and enjoy life more, since his whole life revolves around his work. He jokes that he'll probably be cutting someone's hair when he takes his last breath. Though he so says he'll make sure to give the guy a nice hair cut before he kicks off."

"He does sound pretty dedicated."

I nodded. "Yeah, he loves what he does. There's a whole community that pops in and out of his shop, and everyone in the area thinks of him as family. I know he'd hoped that one day I'd take over the family business. And when I was a kid, I used to help him after school, sweeping up the hair and cleaning around, but I could never picture myself working as a barber. I always wanted to do something on my own and I liked working with my hands. So, I went to college and got my Master's in Construction Management. My cousin's kid is training with him, though. So, one day he'll be the one running the shop."

"Do you see your father much?"

"I drop in and bring him a coffee whenever I'm in the neighborhood."

She smiled. "That's good, at least you get to see him. But I guess we can't really call the dog Jack, then, can we?"

"No. I don't think it would work, especially if we had to tell him, 'Jack, stop licking your butt!' when my family was over. I'm sure that would raise a few eyebrows. But how about Taz?"