“You have got to be kidding me!” Bridget shouted as she collapsed onto an ivory sofa that still had decorative glass wrapped in plastic on the coffee table.
The young boy put his feet up on the expensive sofa with his dirty sneakers still on and started jumping excitedly. Austin just burst out laughing at the sight.
“Leave him alone, honey, he is just a child having some fun.”
Maya clenched her jaw as Martha went straight to the master bedroom on the first floor. She sat on the double bed to test the mattress with her hands and made a loud announcement.
“This room is absolutely perfect for us because I don’t go up and down stairs like I used to, so I will stay right here.”
“No, Mom, that is the main bedroom,” Austin said in a conciliatory tone, not to defend his wife’s space, but merely to negotiate the layout. “There is another very good room upstairs with a dressing room and a terrace that you would like just as much.”
Meanwhile, Austin’s younger brother, Shane, was already inspecting the second-floor rooms with his wife.
“This room has very good light, and my girls could sleep here when we move our things in,” Shane’s wife remarked.
Maya felt like she couldn’t breathe as she realized what was happening. “When exactly are we moving?” she asked, but her voice was drowned out by their excitement.
On the terrace, her father-in-law, Bill, contemplated the view with his hands behind his back.
“This place is perfect for some top-notch barbecues, and I can already imagine Sundays here with the whole family.”
Maya felt invisible, as if the house had magically appeared in Austin’s hands and her mother’s inheritance was a community prize for his relatives. Austin returned to her side with a proud smile and put his arm around her shoulders.
“Did you see it? It turned out perfect, and I thought the big upstairs room could be for my parents while Shane and his family take the other one.”
