Falling for You by Julie Ortolon

limits.

Chapter 8
     
    Chance watched Aurora’s excitement build with every room and every new discovery. The parlor was a large room on the same side of the house as the dining room, with an alcove formed by the corner tower.
    “Wouldn’t this make a great office for checking in guests?” Rory said. “We can have a desk here, in front of the fireplace, and a sitting area there by the windows facing the cove.”
    “Wouldn’t you want the office across the hall?” Allison asked.
    “Actually”—Rory considered—“I think that would make a better gift shop, what with all the shelves.”
    “You think so?” Allison looked thoughtful as she glanced across the hall. “Yes, it would.”
    “Hey, wait a second, what about my books?” Adrian protested.
    “Sorry, brother, you’ll have to put your books somewhere else.” Allison offered him a sweet smile.
    Chance had to smile at how quickly the older sister got caught up in Aurora’s enthusiasm. The only one who hadn’t lost his head was Adrian—until they made their way through the butler’s pantry to the kitchen.
    “Wow,” Adrian said, moving into the cavernous room. The red-brick walls, plank floor, and beamed ceiling still held a faint hint of wood smoke and spices. “Now
this
is what I call a kitchen! You could fix a meal for two hundred in here.”
    “On that old stove?” Allison looked with horror at the antiquated appliances.
    “Oh, we’ll rip all that out and buy brand-new, commercial-grade equipment.”
    “You realize,” Chance said, “you’ll probably have to rewire the kitchen to accommodate modern appliances.”
    “Hell,” Adrian said, “I bet we’ll have to rewire the whole damned house.”
    “You’re probably right,” Chance agreed. “And new plumbing.”
    “It can be done,” Aurora insisted. Her wounded look made him feel like an ogre for pointing out the negative, but if the bank decided to loan them the money for this venture, he didn’t want the St. Claires blindly rushing into anything. Allison wandered into the back hall. “What’s down these stairs?” she called to them.
    “The servants’ quarters,” Summer said as they joined Allison in the space behind the main stairs. There was a large food pantry, a laundry room, a door to the outside, and narrow stairs leading to the basement. “Come on, let me show you. I think if you knock out a few walls, you could convert the space into a very nice owner’s apartment. That is, if you plan to live on the premises.”
    “Oh, absolutely,” Aurora answered.
    “That’s
if
we decide to do this,” Adrian answered. “And
if
we can qualify for a loan.”
    Chance watched Aurora worry over those two ifs as they descended the stairs.
    The basement was mostly aboveground with the house so close to sea level. At first they saw only a long, dark hall with cobwebs covering the walls and the smell of earth hanging in the air. Even Aurora looked hesitant to go all the way down. Chance couldn’t blame her.
    “I know it looks unappealing now, but you have to picture the area opened up,” Summer insisted as she moved forward opening doors. Dim light seeped into the hall. “Just look at all the windows.”
    Adrian followed the agent, glancing into each room. “You know, it could work,” he said at last.
    “You really think so?” Aurora asked, hope rekindling in her eyes.
    “We’ll practically have to gut the place”—Adrian nodded thoughtfully—“but yeah, I think it has potential.”
    “Are y’all ready to see the upstairs?” Summer asked, and they eagerly left the musty basement and headed back through the kitchen to the central hall.
    At the base of the main stairway, Aurora stopped. “Did you feel that?” she asked in a whisper.
    “What?” Allison whispered back as everyone stopped.
    “The room just got cold,” Rory said and looked down. “Oh, my God, this is where Marguerite died.”
    Chance found himself looking down with the others. In unison, they all