“And what brings you both to my sanctuary, completely unannounced and apparently planning to stay?” I kept my voice pleasant, but the message was clear.
“We’re on our honeymoon!” Sophia announced as if that single statement explained and justified everything. “We wanted somewhere peaceful and private, away from crowds and hotel staff and all that impersonal luxury resort nonsense. Plus, hotels are so expensive and sterile, don’t you think? This seemed perfect.”
I looked around my living room, which was decidedly not set up for unexpected houseguests. My yoga mat was still rolled out from my morning practice. Paint brushes were soaking in a vintage coffee mug from yesterday’s watercolor session—my latest attempt at artistic expression in retirement. My current romance novel was splayed face-down on the couch arm, right at the good part where the heroine was about to discover her boss was actually a secret billionaire.
“How long were you thinking of staying?” I asked, though every instinct I possessed screamed that I wasn’t going to like the answer.
“Just a few days,” Derek said quickly, his eyes darting to Sophia in a way that immediately told me they hadn’t agreed on this timeline.
“Maybe a week or two,” Sophia corrected with breezy dismissiveness. “We haven’t really decided yet. That’s the beauty of being spontaneous and just following where the moment takes you, right Mom? You always used to say life was about embracing the unexpected.”
I had indeed said that—approximately twelve years ago when she was sixteen and terrified to audition for the school play. I’d been encouraging her to take risks and step outside her comfort zone. I certainly hadn’t meant it as blanket permission to treat my home like a free boutique hotel a decade later.
“Of course,” I said, because what else could I realistically say? “Let me show you to the guest room.”
As I led them upstairs, I caught Derek surveying the house with the kind of practiced appreciation that comes from knowing property values intimately. His eyes lingered on the original architectural details, the renovated kitchen visible from the landing, the ocean views that added significant value to the property. He was calculating, appraising, measuring what he was seeing against some internal metric I couldn’t quite identify yet.
“This is absolutely beautiful, Mrs. Whitmore,” Derek said with what sounded like genuine admiration. “You have incredible taste. The mix of modern upgrades with original character, the way you’ve maximized the natural light and ocean views—it’s exceptional.”
