Chapter 2

“I KNOW YOU’LL just love this cozy little bungalow. It’s the perfect starter home for a young couple. With that all-important room for expansion,” Livy Olson gushed. She’d introduced young couples to their first homes frequently over her twenty years as an agent for Family Real Estate in Jerico City. When the Silvers had entered the office, she was immediately called to talk to them and she loved it.

She unlocked the little house and held the door open for Bruce and Erin.

“It smells new,” Erin said, sniffing at the air.

“The entire home has been refreshed,” Livy said. “New floors, new kitchen, new bathroom. I have an inspection certificate for the electrical and plumbing. And, of course, with your exclusive Family Home Buyers’ Warranty, if you discover a problem with any appliance or mechanical system in the house in the first year you own it, we fix it or replace it!”

Livy was astute. In her interview with the couple, she’d found that Bruce was newly employed by JeriCorp as an architect, but she detected that unemployed Erin was really the decision-maker. She’d seen women who elected to give up a career in order to start a family, but she didn’t doubt that in a year, Erin would be employed and earning far more than her husband while the baby was in the care of a nanny.

“Look, honey,” Bruce said. “This would be the perfect baby’s room. It’s like they planned it for that.”

“Let’s not put the cart before the horse,” Erin laughed. “You know all those stress factors they talk about. Marriage, pregnancy, new job, and moving are right up there at the top. We’ve already got three out of four. I’ve no intention of doing the family thing by myself.”

Just as Livy thought. Erin was managing the process. They’d been married three months and even though she’d quit her job to move to Jerico City with her husband, she hadn’t dived headfirst into pregnancy—if that was the way one dived into pregnancy.

But Erin was thirty and her biological clock was ticking. She’d said in their interview that she didn’t want her children to have ‘old’ parents. As it was, she and Bruce would be in their late forties before any child they had would graduate from high school.

“There’s lots of space in the back for various stages of a child’s life and play cycle,” Livy said.

It was a good thing the back yard was the last thing they saw and not the first. The 12 x 12 deck outside the patio doors sat flat on the bare ground. It had a few damaged boards and looked like it would need to be replaced. The yard itself had no grass. A single oak tree dominated the center of the yard and threatened the dilapidated swing set with falling branches.

“The previous owners had three children, if you can imagine that in this little house. And they were enthusiastic pet owners,” Livy said.

It was apparent the yard had been dominated by large dogs. It had to be dogs, plural, because no one could imagine any one dog so completely tearing a yard down to bare dirt.

Still, if that was all they found wrong with the property, fixing the landscaping was probably low on the difficulty scale. Bruce was waving from the garden shed/garage at the back of the property. Erin stayed on the deck with Livy.

“If we ever get lucky enough to have grass out here, we have space to store a lawn mower,” he laughed. Somehow, Bruce seemed much younger and less mature than Erin.

“Which of us gets to have her car in the garage?” she asked. Bruce ignored the broad hint.

“I suppose I’ll have to be sure my car is protected and ready to get me to work in the mornings. We might even discover you don’t need a car at all. This is hardly Cleveland,” Bruce said.

“The elementary school is only three blocks from here,” Livy said unhelpfully. “You’ll join dozens of others walking your child to school.”

Livy knew the right lines to use when selling the house, but she fully expected it to be back on the market before any child of Erin and Bruce was old enough to walk to school. This would be the fourth time she’d sold the property.

Bruce was on a management track at JeriCorp Architecture and Development. Livy was sure they would want to trade up their home in three or four years. This was a starter home, not a stayer home.

“I guess I’m sold,” Erin finally said. “What do you think, Bruce?”

“How soon can we move in?”

Since the house was unoccupied, they were able to close in two weeks. Bruce’s new company was paying for relocation, but he had to stay in Jerico City to start his job while Erin returned to Cleveland to pack their belongings and supervise the moving company getting things to Jerico City. Even though she’d already quit her job, she at least had friends in Cleveland who would help.

“Is it everything you dreamed of?” her best friend, Dee Bonner, asked. She was helping Erin pack things in boxes that would either go to the new house or to storage in Jerico City. Not everything would fit in the little house.

“It’s a start,” Erin said. “It’s not how I plan to be living in five years. I honestly thought Bruce had a little more put aside for a down payment and we’d be able to afford something more upscale. With just what I could borrow against my 401k for a down payment, we’re not getting as nice a place as we imagined. But it’s in good condition with a new bathroom and kitchen and floors.”

“Are you regretting things?” Dee asked, concern for her friend showing clearly.

“Oh, no! I realize I won’t be in a high-powered corporate job anymore, but I’ll have children to occupy my time. Eventually. Of course, I’ll miss everything here a little. You. And everyone at work,” Erin said. “It’s just a big change.”

“It must be a drag being separated from your husband while you’re getting ready to move,” Dee said.

“It’s only a couple of weeks. I wouldn’t survive the packing without friends like you to help me.”

“I’m ready to pack up your awards.”

“Make sure the box is clearly marked. It’s one that’s going to storage. I don’t have room to display a bunch of corporate awards in the baby’s room,” Erin laughed. “I anticipate pulling them out when I’m rocking a grandbaby and spinning tales of my glory days.”

“Ten years at Allard Holding Company,” Dee said, looking at a crystal pillar before she carefully wrapped it in bubble-wrap.

“I started as an intern when I was still in college,” Erin laughed.

“And shocked everyone when you announced your departure as a regional vice president,” Dee nodded. Erin had a lot of awards, certificates, and commendations, most of which were already off the walls of her apartment. She and Bruce had lived together in the apartment for the past six months and it was really too small. And the house in Jerico City wasn’t much bigger.

“Going south to where everyone talks with an accent,” Erin laughed.

“At least you won’t get cold like here,” Dee said, looking on the bright side.

“It does snow, but the winter is a bit shorter. I wonder if the city has a decent bus service. We aren’t all that far from Bruce’s office, but it’s too far to walk. I haven’t had a chance to look for a job yet,” Erin said.

“You’re going back to work?”

“I have no intention of sitting home alone all day, even after we start a family. I’m thinking of something that gets me in touch with people. I can’t exactly take a job on with as good a career track as I had here, but I’d go crazy if I didn’t have something.”

“Just remember, I’m only a phone call away. If you need me, I’ll be there.”

Landing a plum job at JeriCorp was a dream for Bruce Silver. Life was really coming together for him at thirty. He had a nice car, a great job, and had landed a strong and sexy wife. He was afraid he’d lose her when he suggested they move to Jerico City for a new job opportunity. It was a long way from everything they knew.

But Erin had surprised him, talking about how she’d like to have children and they weren’t getting any younger. They’d married in the spring and by the end of summer, Bruce was working for the huge architecture and development company.

Erin had turned down multiple offers to stay, resigned from her job, and was getting their little nest put together in Jerico City.

“Bruce, the Mackenzie Building drawings should be reviewed,” the director of design said to him. “I’d like you to head the team to do a full review of the designs and the plans. That includes taking over as our point man with Mackenzie. You might need to put some miles on, getting into St. Louis, but we have generous travel allowances. Pull together your team and let’s get this project handed off to construction.”

“Yes, sir. I’m on it.”

This was exactly what he was hoping for when he came to JeriCorp: real responsibility and authority. It’s what he’d trained for, served his apprenticeship for, and moved five hundred miles for. He immediately called up the drawings on his computer and then sent a meeting request to all the people who had worked on the project so far. This would be a full-day review before he drove to St. Louis to meet with the client. He wanted to know everything was perfect.

Everyone accepted the meeting request in short order, except the initial architect, Preston Carver. When Bruce checked with his director, he was told that Carver wasn’t important to the project and he had all the team he needed.

Weird.

“It’s wonderful!” Erin said at dinner that night. “I’m so proud of you. You’ve worked hard for this and it shows that moving here to Jerico City was the right thing to do.”