The House in the Hills Read online

  Then she saw something else. Just a few yards from the pool sat a small building tucked behind a trellis that was covered in beautiful, flowering wisteria. It was an exact replica of the house, but smaller. It even had the butterfly roof. “Oh, my God! Is that a guesthouse?” she asked in awe.

  “It is,” Marc said. “Some call it a casita.”

  Harmony nodded. “I could have my own studio! You know, for my writing and stuff. You know, I’m thinking about writing that cookbook.”

  “Uh… About that…”

  “What?” she asked, perplexed.

  “The house comes with a tenant,” he said quickly.

  “How many caveats does this place have? Seriously? A tenant? Who is it?”

  “I don’t know who she is,” he said. “But the owner told me she was an actress.”

  She smiled at him. “You tried that for a little while when we first moved out here.”

  “Thank God I regained my senses,” he said. “I’ve never felt so bad about myself.”

  Harmony chuckled a little and touched the side of his face with her hand. “Poor baby,” she said and pouted a little. Breaking into the business was hard, even for someone as good looking as Marc. But he hadn’t had the heart for it and had quit after a few months and totally concentrated on real estate, which he had a natural talent for.

  “Besides, I wanted to make money and not…” he said, thinking of a way to word it. “Not make money. Which was acting for me in a nutshell.”

  “That’s acting for a lot of people in a nutshell,” she told him and smiled. She stared back at the guesthouse. “Where is she? The actress? I mean, is she here?”

  “I don’t think so,” he said. “She might be on location or something. Who knows? Maybe we got lucky and she moved out.”

  Harmony nodded, then thought of something. “Was she here during the… The death.”

  “I have no idea. As I said, I didn’t read the police report or anything. But she’s been here awhile,” he said. “And she pays a pretty penny for that small guesthouse and that could help significantly with the mortgage.”

  Harmony sighed, thinking about that and kept looking around then she walked to the edge of the pool and looked down. It looked so good. She looked back up and, just then, saw the view. All of Los Angles was spread out below the backyard. “Wow,” she muttered. “That’s definitely a million dollar view.”

  “It is,” Marc said and walked up bedside her, took her hand, then kissed it. “Harmony, I want you to listen to me. This is it. You know it and I know it. This is the one for us. You’re just afraid of committing, even at this ridiculously low price. The mortgage would still be a lot. I know it’s scary. I understand that. But we can swing it and for this place, I’m willing to moonlight as a stripper.”

  Harmony laughed. “Well, it did help put you through college.”

  Marc cracked up and shook his head, his face flushed with just a little embarrassment. “I should have never told you about that! When are you ever going to let me live it down? I did it for like two days. On a dare! Geez!”

  Harmony nodded. “Ummm…hummm…”

  “Besides, when you got a body like this, you gotta share it with the world.”

  “Along with some lonely housewives,” Harmony interjected and they both laughed at the same time. She sighed and then stopped laughing. They should leave and get back to the apartment. She had a lot of work to do. But something wouldn’t let her leave. It was just so peaceful out there she wanted to sit down on a chair and just stare out over the pool and take in the view. It was perfect, this house. But that’s life; sometimes you gotta take a chance to get what you wanted and what she wanted was this house. And she knew it would make Marc so happy if she agreed, even with its history. But its history was what was keeping her from saying yes. She turned to Marc and said, “I mean, yeah, this house is perfect but… It’s the death thing, honey. That’s heavy, Marc. Even you know that. I can’t get past it.”

  He said quickly, “We can get some ghost hunters to check it out with those little machine things to make sure everything is okay.”

  Harmony just stared at him.

  “Or get it smeared,” he added.

  Harmony gave him a look. “It’s smudged, idiot.” She shook her head at him, then said, “But even with all that, it’s still too good to be true.”

  “Don’t look at it like that. It’s so negative. This could be a great house for us.”

  “I just don’t want all this to come back and bite us.”

  He shook his head at her. “That’s paranoia. This is our house. If we don’t jump on it, someone else will. Someone else will take it because that’s what the market dictates. A house like this is one in a million.” He paused and took a breath then pointed a finger at her. “If we don’t take advantage of this, we could end up living in a yurt.”

  “A yurt?” Harmony asked and shook her head, wondering how this logic was going to play out.

  Marc nodded adamantly. “Yeah, a yurt. They’re round, not square. No crying in the corner in a yurt.”

  “We’re going to be crying if we buy this house and strange shit starts happening.”

  “What would that be? Ghosts and goblins? Come on, Harmony. There is nothing here. Nothing strange is going on. If there was something strange going on, we would have felt it. Besides, you don’t really believe in that stuff, do you? I mean, I don’t.”

  Harmony shrugged. Maybe she believed in that stuff a little. But didn’t everyone? She didn’t know where that part of her came from, either. Maybe it came from watching too many horror movies. She loved horror movies as it was her favorite film genre. But some of them stuck with a person forever, like Salem’s Lot. She thought about that movie and shuddered. It always gave her a slight feeling of unease, though she had loved every minute of it. But that’s what horror movies do. They stick with a person long after they’re over. Maybe she should start watching romantic comedies or something.

  But this was real life, not a movie and this house… Well. She didn’t think there was any danger of vampires taking up residency here. This house was perfect and it felt perfect. She had to admit that.

  Marc seemed to echo her feelings by saying, “Look at it this way—it looks normal, doesn’t it? It feels okay, that’s what’s important, isn’t it? I mean, you’re not feeling weird or anything being in it, are you?”

  Harmony started to really seriously consider his words, and buying the house. What was she so afraid of? She didn’t remember ever feeling this at home in any house they’d looked at before and they had looked at plenty. She stared at Marc who looked hopeful. He was winning her over, that much was true. He was the love of her life and she so wanted to give him what he wanted. But something was still stopping her, telling her no, telling her to walk away. This was just too good to be true. All of it. It was too perfect. She said, “Well, it is cool but it’s not ideal, but what is? You’re right. I hate to admit it, but you’re right. But I don’t know if I can. It’s got too much baggage.”

  “Every house will have baggage, Harmony. That’s just the way it is,” he said. “But I understand if you want to take a pass on it.”

  He took her in his arms and turned her around to stare at the view, which was just so picture-perfect.

  “It’s so pretty,” she said and leaned back against him, feeling, as usual, comfortable and secure in his arms.

  “Yeah, it is. I am going to miss this place. I always wanted a house in the Hills. This is the house.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Don’t be so dramatic. You can’t miss something you never had.”

  “I’m going to miss not having it, then,” he said and chuckled, then squeezed her tightly.

  Harmony felt bad. She knew she was what was standing in between Marc and his dream to own a house like this. He worked hard and he’d probably ferreted out this deal somehow. And he was so eager to have the house. For a split
second, she felt the need to give him what he wanted and she wanted him to have it. And, so she conceded. Against her better judgment and against feeling that this was just too good to be true, she conceded. What choice did she have? It was either this house or nothing. They’d searched far and wide for something and this was the only house that came close to what they both wanted. And could afford. And, oddly enough, the house made her feel like everything was going to be okay. Like everything would work out and be fine in the end.

  She moved out of his arms and turned to face him. “I cannot believe I’m saying this but yes, let’s go for it! Let’s take the bull by the horns! Let’s buy this house! And let’s do it quick before I change my mind!”

  Marc’s mouth dropped then he grinned with excitement. She opened her arms for a hug and he took her in his arms and squeezed her tightly again, this time pulling her up off the ground. She squealed with delight, then pulled back.

  “And if there’s a ghost or a goblin in there, you can deal with it,” she told him.

  “Deal,” he replied. “I always take care of all the spiders, don’t I?”

  Harmony started to reply but then she teetered, grabbed onto Marc for support but then they both fell into the pool with a big splash. And that sealed the deal.

  MOVING DAY

  The next month was flurry of activity. They closed on the house and started to sort through everything at the apartment, donating most of their old stuff to charity, even their furniture. Even though nearly all of it consisted of thrift store finds Harmony had painstakingly sourced, she hated to get rid of most of it, especially their well-worn leather Chesterfield sofa, but it really didn’t go with the mid-century house at all. She kept only a few knickknacks, like the “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil” silver monkeys Marc had bought her for a birthday present a few years ago, and a few other items, but the rest was donated. Most of their stuff simply would not go with the décor of the new house. So, it was off to charity where it would hopefully find a new home.

  As Harmony went through the few rooms of the apartment, it seemed to get even smaller. She couldn’t believe they’d lived there as long as they had. And she was still in awe over the fact that Marc had secured the dream house in the Hills for them. It was a bit surreal and sometimes, when she was packing, she would pause for a moment and ask herself if this was really happening. Were they really moving? And moving into such a nice house? Them? The couple from the South who had only lived in the big city a few years? It was like they were, indeed, living the American Dream.

  But first, they had to sort through all of their old junk, which started to become a monumental task. It seemed to take forever and just when Harmony thought she’d gone through the last of it, something new would pop up, like a box of old records, which Marc would not part with, though they didn’t have a turntable. But he was like that. He promised that one day he’d buy a turntable and use the records that, of course, sounded better than anything else. Harmony, herself, didn’t see the difference between vinyl and an MP3, but then again, she didn’t care that much about such things, either, unlike her husband.

  Soon enough, though, the last drawer was emptied, the closets were bare, the cupboards were barren in the kitchen and everything was cleaned for the last time. Harmony made sure of that as she wanted her deposit back.

  And once it was all done and the apartment was completely emptied of all their belongings and loaded into a moving truck, Harmony did one last walk-through to make sure they’d gotten everything. As she did so, much to her astonishment, she began to cry. She couldn’t believe she was really moving and she couldn’t believe how many years they’d spent in this little place. She suddenly felt very nostalgic about it all and she remembered the good times, like their first Christmas together in the apartment when all they had room for was a very small artificial tree she set up in the corner. She remembered an anniversary dinner where she had prepared lamb chops for Marc and the cute gold earrings he’d given her afterwards. That was when they’d first moved to Los Angeles and she was in culinary school and he was just getting started in real estate and they couldn’t afford anything. But those were good times. They’d laughed through dinner and then they’d made love and then they’d gone to sleep wrapped in each other’s arms.

  She hadn’t been prepared for the impact of leaving the apartment would have on her emotions. But it wasn’t about the space; it was about her and Marc’s life there. They’d been so excited and so happy when they’d first moved in, only envisioning good things happening in their future. But then, reality had set in and they both soon realized it would be harder to get out of that apartment than originally anticipated. This caused some tension and some worry, but they got through it as a couple. They held on and they worked hard and now they were being rewarded for not giving up.

  Even so, it was still a little bittersweet.

  And so, it was goodbye. Harmony wiped at her eyes and walked out the front door, locking it on her way out. And, as she closed it for the last time, she patted the door, mentally thanking the apartment for sheltering them and getting them through to their next stop in life. And then, she was ready to move.

  Her emotions seemed to flip flop as she made her way to her car in the parking garage. She was sad a few minutes earlier, but as she neared her car, her sadness gave way to a whole new realm of feelings. Nothing could have prepared Harmony for the excitement she felt at the very thought of moving into the new house. And that day was today. It was finally moving day!

  As she started her car and then put it in reverse, Harmony began to envision all the things that would happen in the new house, playing out the fantasy from inception to completion in her mind. She thought about having their first real grown-up dinner party where she’d prepare some really delicious food and, of course, post it all on her blog. She’d never really had a big, adult dinner party before, but she could start. Why not? They had the space now. And though she didn’t necessarily like to entertain, or be around a lot of people at once, she felt like she might learn to like it once she started. She even thought of the pool parties they could have. That could be fun. While she didn’t have a lot of close friends, Marc was always meeting new people and had loads of acquaintances and business associates. She imagined people jumping into the pool and she and Marc cooking hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. She saw people laughing and drinking imported beer, the condensation sliding down the bottles in the summer heat. She saw beach towels strewn all over the lounge chairs and half-eaten plates of food carelessly tossed here and there. That would be a mess. And Harmony wasn’t one for messes. She liked things neat and organized and clean. However, she might make an exception for a good pool party.

  As she put the car in drive and drove forwards, she felt so good, so lucky. She felt that luck rushing through her veins. She was just so happy that they finally got to move and get out of that apartment. She was so happy they’d made it work and made it happen. And, for that, she promised herself she would have people over. But, really, who cared about that entertaining business? What she really looked forward to most was just settling into her new house with her handsome husband and getting on with their lives. She smiled at that and thought of all the hot sex she and Marc would engage in all over the house.

  She rolled out of the parking garage, turned right and headed towards her new home. As she drove, she smiled and began to really love the idea of living in the house with her husband. Now they could really start their lives. She felt as though they’d been put on pause for years, just waiting for a breakthrough and for something to happen to point them in the right direction. And, she felt, that had been exactly what happened. All those years she and Marc had waited to start living their lives had not been in vain. They could finally feel like grownups in a grownup house, even if the thought of the accompanying mortgage made her uneasy. While they did get the house at a “steal,” it was still very, very expensive. And it unsettled her. But she knew they cou
ld pull it off and they would. Having a big down payment had brought the mortgage payment down a bit and that helped.

  Harmony smiled to herself as she drove all the way up into the Hills, listening, not ironically, to Weezer’s Beverly Hills as she did so. The drive seemed to take forever, but soon enough she was pulling into the driveway and waving at the movers standing beside their truck who were waiting on the curb for her.

  She stopped in front of the garage and put the car in park and turned it off. Then she looked over at the house and a sense of pride of ownership and validation overcame her so rapidly she felt tears spring up in her eyes. She couldn’t believe she and Marc finally had realized their dream. She didn’t know how long she sat there and just stared at the house, still not quite believing it was hers, but all of a sudden, a horn honked loudly and obnoxiously. Harmony looked over her shoulder at the two moving men who were waiting on her. One of them pointed at his watch and then threw his hands up in frustration. They must have been there for a while. And it was beginning to agitate them.

  “Come on, lady!” the other yelled.

  She blushed and got out of her car and went to tell them where to take the boxes and the few furniture pieces that had made the move from the apartment.

  And then it was on. And it took a good day to just unpack all the boxes and put everything away. And she kept having to take trips to the garage and throw empty boxes in there that would need to be broken down and put in the recycling bin. She also found that some of the stuff that had made the move didn’t work in the house, so she ended up repacking a bunch of stuff and storing it in the garage, as well. This took forever.