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t al li v i n g . I t sure w a s n ’t s mog-inf e s t ed L . A .
    N o wonde r Sc o t t had n ’ t bee n a b l e t o shu t u p a bou t the p l ac e .
    W hen they g o t t o the ho u s e, they en t ered through a sun n y mud room w ith banked high w indo w s on one s ide, and a roo m y , we l l - or g anized l aund r y space on the o the r . They made their w a y in t o a b r igh t , ai r y open k i t che n . A commer c i a l s i x -bu r ner s t ove t op and double oven t ook up one s ide of the room, wh i le a s p o tl es s m arbl e - t opped i s l and p l an t ed in the mid d le held an a r r a y of an c ien t , we l l- s c r ubbed p o ts and pans overhead. A d e sk t ook up one co r ne r , a s t one firep l ace the o the r .
    B rand - new chrome appl i anc e s complemen t ed ch e stnut c a b i nets. The ne w n es s of e ve r y thi n g , includi n g a sp o tl e s s I tal i a n t i l e f l oo r , t old him th i s room had already been remod eled . “ Y o u m u s t h a v e s t a r t e d i n her e . ”
    “ I t needed the m o st wor k . I t made s en s e t o get the k i t chen up and g o i n g before we did a n y thi n g e ls e . ” S he did n ’t add that the remodeli n g h ad pret t y much ended here in th i s room when Sc o t t left for I raq.
    They moved on t o the back s t airca s e and up t o the g u e st bedrooms. H e l i s t ened as she p o in t ed out the rooms sh e ’ d already pain t ed, light f i x t ur e s sh e ’ d already rep l aced, a bathroom floor she w as r ip p i n g up before putti n g do w n new t i l e . “T he l arger bedrooms are on the back s ide of the ho u s e w ith the v iew of the ocea n . ” S he w a l k ed in t o one, s t ood at the double F rench doo r s loo k i n g ou t . “ Y ou can s ee the tra i l we w a l k ed through earlier leadi n g do w n t o the cove j u st be y ond that g rove of tre e s. A nd then of cou r s e ther e ’ s the ocean . ”
    F or s ome rea s on, N ick g o t the impr ess ion she w an t ed him t o s ee the p oss i bi li t i e s of the p l ac e . H e w a s n ’t sure w h y h i s o p inion mat t ered. H e w an t ed t o t e l l her he unde r s t ood the p l an, and that what she w as t r y i n g t o do out here w ithout Sc o t t w a s n ’t c r a zy or imp o ss ible for a woman here alon e .
    B ut as she s t ood ne r vo u sly t w irli n g the s imple gold chain d a ng li n g f rom around her nec k , a l l he could do w as think a bout Sc o t t ’ s hop e s and dreams for th i s p l ac e . A f t er a l l, he k new Sc o t t ’ s p l ans alm o st as we l l as J or d an. B ut he could n ’t men t io n tha t .
    I ns t ead, he w an t ed t o k no w , “ J or d an, where do y ou and the b a by sleep?”
    “ D owns t ai r s. There are t wo bedrooms off the f ront of the hou s e . I ’ l l show y ou the r e st of the downs t ai r s as s oon as H u t t o n w ak e s u p . ”
    S he opened one of the F rench doo r s. T h ey b o th s t epped out on t o a lo n g , wooden deck r unni n g the le n g th of the back of the ho u s e . The ocean breeze ins t antly made an impa c t . The cooli n g , aroma t ic w ind r u stled through the colo r f ul p o ts of flowe r s lined up alo n g the w a l l where patio chai r s w ai t ed for g u e sts t o s it out s ide a n d either enjoy a sun s et or m a ybe s t ar ga ze through the t el es cope already p o in t ed s k yw ard.
    “T h at ’ s s ome v ie w , ” N ick remarked, as once ag ain, he f il led h i s lu n g s w ith the s me l l s f rom the ocea n . I t w as ob v io u s w h y Sc o t t had ta l k ed s o much a bout hom e . H e ’ d had s o muc h t o com e bac k t o , a n y ma n wh o ’ d ha d a l l o f th i s w ai t i n g would h a ve ta l k ed a bout it nons t o p .

N ick had n o thi n g l i ke th i s back in L .A ., n o t e ven cl o s e . N o t th i s woman, ce r t ainly n o t a ch i ld. N o thi n g in h i s life rem o t ely r e s embled Sc o t t ’ s. F or wha t e ver rea s on, N ic k ’ s life had been spared that d a