The Winner

Better Days

I was right. James's house is only a few blocks from the Marriot. We pull in to the driveway of a cute bungalow. It's white with a blue trim. The front yard is kept up nicely, with a brick walkway and a palm tree off to the side. A white privacy fence separates the backyard from the front. A flower garden of some sort is well manicured on each side of the front steps. Two white rocking chairs and a hammock decorate the front porch.

"This is where you live?" I hop out of his Range Rover the second he turns the engine off. He laughs a little at my eagerness. He gets out and comes around to my side.

"This is where I live. Well... me and Maggie when I have her."

"Is she here now??" I ask excitedly, but James shakes his head no.

"No, It's Lindsay's turn."

I follow him up to his front door, taking everything in.

"This is the cutest house I've ever seen!" I say before seeing the interior.

"Cute as in small." He corrects me.

"No. Cute as in absolutely perfect."

"Cmon in. I'll show you around." He unlocks the door, and we walk in. Being the polar opposite of Nate, I'm not surprised his house is also the complete opposite of Nate's luxury top floor apartment. This is so- James.

The house is older and cute. Not OCD clean like Nates. A few pairs of running shoes are lined up near the hall closet. A pile of mail covers a table in the front hall where he drops his keys. Hardwood floors are a little scuffed up, I imagine from Maggie. James's bike and a helmet also line the hallway wall.

The house is bright with plenty of natural light beaming in from the windows. All of the downstairs is painted a light eggshell color. He has a nice dark brown leather couch with a matching recliner in the living room and in the corner, what I imagine is Maggie's bed. A big cushion type round thing covered in her fur. There is no TV in the living room.

"This is home." James kicks off his sneakers, and I do the same.

He walks me through the small living room into the kitchen. the kitchen is white with a small island in the middle he uses as his table.

Everything is very well decorated, making me think his sisters took over that task. A small sunroom off the kitchen houses a ton of different plants and a little sitting area with two wrought iron chairs and a matching round table.

The house is absolutely perfect and lived in. Little pieces of James and Maggie everywhere. A few dirty dishes in the sink, a couple of dog toys in the corner of the kitchen near her food and water bowls, and a takeaway pizza box on the counter.

"Wanna drink?" He asks, opening up a stainless steel refrigerator. The house itself may be on the older side, but the furniture and appliances are all newer looking.

"Water is fine, thanks."

He hands me a bottle of water and grabs one for himself.

"I wanna see your bedroom." I boldly announce.

"I'm sure you do, Miss Moretti." He raises an eyebrow and smirks.

"Hey, you've seen mine. You've seen my whole house."

"You live in a damn hotel room." He kisses the top of my head and takes my hand. "Fine... but don't expect it to be clean.."

We run up the creaky stairs. His bedroom is a good-sized room. The walls continue the same eggshell color, but the room is very manly. A queen sized unmade bed with a dark red bedspread and two matching pillows take up a good amount of the room. Matching end tables stand on each side of his bed. One with a lamp, a pad and pen, the other with a bunch of vitamin bottles. Some more plants on a stand live near the windows, and two dark wood dressers with a little dust take up the rest of the room. An overflowing hamper tucked away in the corner near what I assume is his closet.