Epilogue
One week before Christmas
“Looking lovely,” Rich said, almost yelling to be heard over the fake snow machine set up in the studio. “Look to the left, eyes only. Draw me in, make me feel that cold air. Yes! Yes! That’s how it’s done!” He turned and looked at the rest of the crew. “That’s a wrap, folks. Let’s clean this place up and then I’ll see you guys at the New Year’s Eve party. Don’t forget to grab a card on the way out.”
He walked up to Kelissa, his smile wide, turning the camera around so she could see some of the shots he got.
“Oh wow,” she said. “These are amazing.”
“You’re amazing,” he said. He reached into his vest, which reminded Kelissa of a safari vest with all its pockets. “Here’s your card. Your check for this photo shoot is in there, plus the Christmas bonus I gave everyone else and a little extra just for you.”
“You really shouldn’t have,” she said, putting the card in her purse without opening it.
“But I did, so here we are,” he teased. “There’s a business card in there. A friend of mine saw my proofs for Southern California Riding Magazine and he wants to use you in an ad campaign. How do you feel about exotics?”
“Dancers?”
“Reptiles.”
She laughed.
“I can work it.”
“That’s what I told him. He knows you’re super busy during the holidays, so send him a text or call him when you get a chance and let him know when you’re available. I know this is exciting and you have a lot of photo shoots coming up, but don’t feel obligated to work him in and overwork yourself. Remember, you have all the power and you work with these people, not for them.”
“Thank you. Luckily, David is helping me manage all these new clients, and things have gotten so crazy that he’s been talking about retiring to manage my career full time.”
“Retiring before he’s thirty? Must be nice,” he laughed.
“He would still be working. I’ve learned a lot from him, but I will remember your advice. I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t going to walk out of here and call this man and book him right away before you said that. But you’re right, I can’t overbook myself just to make people happy. David is good about keeping things balanced, and once he’s done with this last property, he’s going to step back and let the people he hired to keep his business going take over everything.”
“You know he’ll probably still handle the richest clients, right?”
“He says that he’s not going to. He hired some younger real estate agents, and he says they have more drive than he ever did. He wants to give them the shot he had, but without the cartel involvement.”
Rich completely ignored the mention of the cartel, focusing on the final property instead.
“David usually sells quickly. What is there to work on at this place?”
“The family was fighting it out in court for years, and they finally decided to sell the place almost five years after their grandfather passed away. He spent the last years of his life in Platinum Acres Senior Care, so they could have easily dealt with this while he was alive, and he was still around to clarify his wishes. But they didn’t, and some of the older grandchildren were angry that he gave everything to his youngest granddaughter. From the sounds of it, she deserved every penny. The court ended up ordering the property and the hundred acres surrounding it be sold since the youngest granddaughter was happily living on another property given to her by the grandfather.”
“That sounds reasonable, but I hate that she had to share the money. They sound like horrible people.”
“Apparently, the judge thought so, too. It needed some TLC, so David bought it outright and he’s renovating and staging it, so it will sell better. He didn’t want to risk the ruling being overturned after he sunk money into it and the granddaughter is a woman he went to school with. He paid ten million for it.”
“That’s all?”
“It’s in Ramona, and the property needed a lot of work. David has been working on it nonstop since he acquired it just before Thanksgiving, and I’ve been helping him pick out furniture and stuff to stage it when he’s done.”
“Better you than me.”
“It’s actually kind of fun. Anyway, I haven’t seen the property in person, but I’ve seen pictures. I’m sure he’s going to make his money back and more, but that’s not even the best part. The judge ordered her to give her cousins a million dollars of the sale, and that’s all they’re getting. She has six cousins, and they were all gifted something from the grandfather, but it was obvious that this woman was the favorite. And that she was the only one stepping up and caring for her grandfather while the rest were just waiting for him to pass away.”
“Awful. I can’t believe she had to give up six million, but at least she’ll have four million left, plus the place she lives. That’s better than nothing.”
“No,” Kelissa corrected, laughing. “The judge ordered her to split one million between them. She kept the other nine million. And then, the judge ordered them to pay all court costs and her legal fees. So, they walked away with a couple thousand apiece and that’s it.”
“Serves them right,” Rich said.
“Isn’t it perfect?” David said from behind them.
Kelissa and Rich turned around, the studio already cleaned, and the crew gone.
“I thought you were working today,” Kelissa said, kissing him warmly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“I know. But the renovation is done, and if you’re up for it, I want to get your opinion, and maybe have you help me with the pictures for the listing.”
“Alright. Do you think we’ll have time to swing by the horse show that’s going on this weekend?”
“Maybe not today, but tomorrow is the showjumping round, so maybe we can hit that.”
“I have to go,” Rich said. “You two have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll see you at the party.”
They said their goodbyes, and Rich locked up behind them. David opened the passenger door for Kelissa, and she sat back and sighed. The Tundra wasn’t her favorite, but she knew the truck was the best vehicle for bouncing around the large horse property. Still, the truck was growing on her, and it had a much smoother ride than she had expected.
They drove past the billboard with Kelissa and Galahad, and Kelissa was in awe as she always was, even though she’d seen this billboard and the others several times before.
“You just don’t expect to see your own face towering above the road like that.”
“You’d better get used to it. I heard that Rich’s friend is looking to put you on ten billboards.”
“I’m excited.”
“You should be. You’ve earned this, and if you think you’re busy now, wait until next year, once your face gets out there more and more.”
“I know. It’s like I’m living in a dream. Sometimes, I can’t believe it. It doesn’t feel real.”
“It is real, and you deserve it.”
“I really appreciate you stepping away from your business to help manage my career. If you ever want me to hire someone so you can go back to your own—”
“No way,” he interrupted. “This is what I need to be doing. I get to see you more, and I always know when I can spring a surprise vacation on you.”
“That’s sounds nice,” she said.
“I’m full of surprises,” he said. He pulled off the highway and headed down Wild Horse Lane. “I can’t wait until you see all the changes.”
He stopped in front of the sprawling, multi-level house built on the hill.
“Wow,” she said, climbing up the stairs that wound through a large, garden patio with planters and potted plants giving the space a courtyard feel. “This patio is to die for.”
“It’s the focal point of the house. That’s why it’s built in multi-levels in a U shape on the hill. And every one of the bedrooms has a view of it.”
“All the bedrooms?”
“All nine of them,” he said. “The home gym, offices, bathrooms and the rest have a view of the backyard, which the landscapers did an equally stunning job on. But this patio is completely tiled in except for the raised planters and the fountain, and there’s enough room here to have a huge party.” He pointed at thin strands that went across the area, which were almost invisible until he pointed them out. “Those are programable LED lights. And tucked into this little nook is a porch swing. It really is a beautiful setup.”
He opened the door, stepping back so she could take it all in.
“This looks even better than the pictures,” she said.
“It looks phenomenal with the furniture you picked. It could still use a little more personalization, but I think the new owners are going to like it.”
“Have you found a buyer, yet?”
“I just finished the renovation,” he said, laughing. “There’s a lot to be done, and with the holidays, I think that I need to focus elsewhere. There is some interest, though.”
“I was trying not to think about Christmas,” she said. “I was hoping my dad could come out for Christmas, but he said he had some things to do at home and he would see me soon.”
“I’m sorry about that,” David said. He hugged her close and kissed her forehead.
When she stood on her toes and tilted her head up, he covered her soft lips with his and kissed her deeply. They toured the rest of the house hand in hand while Kelissa chatted about the photo shoot and Rich’s friend.
“This house is gorgeous,” she said when they completed the tour. “It’s going to make whoever buys it very happy.”
“It is. It’s one of the best I’ve ever flipped. I’m glad it’s going to be my last.”
She climbed back into the truck with him, scooting across the bench so she could sit next to him.
“It doesn’t have to be your last, David. You can do real estate and manage my career.”
“I don’t have the passion for it that I once did. It was different when I was chasing the almighty dollar. Now that I’m where I want to be, I have different goals.”
“And those are?”
“Making you happy, of course.”
“I am happy,” she said.
“You’re content. I want to make you deliriously happy, and I know that is going to take a bit of work on my part. I want to start by getting you back under the same roof as me.”
“I know,” she groaned. “And I know it’s a pain for you to sleep in the hotel with me. But I just can’t go back to the house. Every time I walk into the foyer, I relive him killing that man. Not that I feel sorry for him, but it’s an image I’d rather forget. A man lost his life, and without warning. Yes, he deserved it, but that doesn’t mean I wanted to witness it.”
“I’m sure it makes you think of other things you’d rather forget.”
“Exactly. I don’t want to relive gun violence every time I walk into a house. Maybe after you sell this house you can do one more job and buy a house for us. The furniture has to go somewhere after this house is bought, right?”
“It does unless the buyer wants the furniture, too.”
“Hopefully, they won’t. I’m just jealous. This place is so nice, and it’s in such a secluded area. When we start looking for a place, I want something like this. I mean, the view of the mountains, the huge property off the beaten path. Everything about this place is just perfect. I almost wish that you hadn’t put it on the market at all, but I know if there’s interest, you have to let that prospective sale run its course.”
“Maybe they’ll change their mind,” he said, but she was already shaking her head.
“There is no way someone is going to just let this place slip through their hands. No. I predict that the first person you show it to is going to snatch it up. You could even triple your investment.”
“I hope you’re right,” he said.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought you might like to see the rest of the property. There are two guest houses with five bedrooms each and their own ten-acre parcel of land. Each house is far enough away from the other that there is a lot of privacy, and with the rolling hills, you can’t see the main house from here, or the barn.”
“Do you think it will get divvied up?”
“I doubt it. There, see the first house over there? That one is close to a stream that runs down from the Black Mountain. It doesn’t come onto this property, but most of the surrounding property is part of the national forest and I think there’s only one neighbor way down the road.”
“This place is really amazing. Are we going to stop and look at the guest house?”
“The other guest house is almost exactly the same, and that one is further down the private road and on the way to the horse barn. They’re almost identical, so I thought we would check that one out.”
She nodded, leaning back into the comfortable seat. His arm around her felt so right, and she almost laughed at the image of the two of them giving it all up to be ranchers. She would never walk away from her modeling career, but she longed for a place like this where she could hide from being a celebrity for weeks at a time and only emerge when she wanted to. It would be the best of both worlds, and a place like this might even encourage her father to come out for a visit.
She sighed at the thought of her father.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m just upset my dad couldn’t come. He’s such a homebody, and a workaholic.”
“Did he say why he couldn’t come?”
“He said he had things to do at the house, but he said he’ll come out soon. Or I’ll see him soon, so maybe I’ll just have to surprise him for Christmas.”
“That sounds like a plan,” David said. “Maybe we could both surprise him.”
“Really? You haven’t seen your parents since they were put in witness protection, and you would spend Christmas with me and my dad?”
“Does your dad like surprises?”
“No, but I do.”
“That’s good to know. My parents could come, too.”
“I guess I didn’t think about that.”
“Thanksgiving went well, didn’t it?”
“I don’t know. I was too busy trying to deny my feelings for you.”
“That was painful to watch,” he teased.
“Admit it, you were worried.”
“Of course, I was. But it was worth it, and things worked out for us.”
“They did. Is this the place?”
“It is. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“I love the main house, but I wouldn’t even mind living here in one of the guest houses, either. The mountains are amazing, and the air just smells so fresh and clean.”
“Come on. I’ll show you around.”
She smiled and took the hand he’d offered, getting out of the truck on his side and holding his hand as they made their way up the brick walkway in the perfectly manicured front lawn.
“The landscapers did a fantastic job. I can’t believe how much better this place looks compared to the pictures.”
They stopped at the door, and Kelissa waited for him to take the key out and unlock the door. When he knocked instead, she was confused.
“Is there someone here?” she asked.
“Sort of.”
The doorknob turned, and the door opened. When Kelissa saw the man standing in the doorway, she burst into silent tears.
“Daddy?”
“Hi, princess.”
“Daddy, what are you doing here?”
“I was just showing the place to Bill and Marta.” David’s parents appeared behind her father, then the three of them stepped out onto the large, wraparound porch. “Isn’t the view beautiful from here?”
“Yes, it is but I don’t understand what’s going on.”
She looked at David, and back at their parents, then back at David.
“Are you buying this place?” she asked, then shook her head. “I mean, you already bought it. But are you keeping the place?”
“It really depends.”
“On what?”
“On you.”
He knelt down, looking up at her with a smile on his face, their parents looking on and the massive Black Mountain looming in the foggy distance.
“Kelissa Knight,” David began, pulling a small, velvet box out of his pocket and opening it to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. “Would you make me the happiest man in the world and spend the rest of your life with me?”
She was speechless, her heart pounding and her eyes flicking from one face to another as she tried to wrap her head around what was happening.
“Is this our place? Our home?” She looked at her dad. “Daddy, are you moving here?”
“If you’ll have me,” he said, teary-eyed and smiling.
“Wow,” she said as it all sank in.
“You said you liked surprises,” David said. “I was afraid you would catch me when I had you pick out your own furniture.”
“This is…wow. And your parents?”
“They’re going to live in the other guest house.”
He smiled, still holding the ring out patiently. She looked at it, then looked at him, one eyebrow arched.
“That’s a huge diamond. Is there a tracker in that thing?”
David shook his head, laughing.
“No,” he said, still smiling sheepishly.
“Alright then,” she said.
She took a deep breath and looked around one last time, soaking up the moment and the people surrounding them with perfect, unconditional love and she knew that she was home. This place, with this man was where she was meant to be. Everything else would fall into place or fall to the wayside. There was only one answer to his question, and as she watched him waiting for her to say the word that would change both their lives forever, she smiled and said the only thing she could say.
“Yes.”
THANKS FOR READING!
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Lena & The Simply BWWM Team