Unsound Devotion

XXII

"We had an appointment for today. I'm standing in front of the house." A voice came on Jess's phone. For the next few days, the woman lived like a shadow. She jumped out of the motel bed and quickly put on the wrinkled shirt and jeans that were lying on the floor.

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes." She said and hung up, rushing to her car.

She parked in front of her father's old workshop, next to a worn-out Jeep. She looked around but saw no one in front of the house. She entered through the gate to the back. A woman with honey-colored hair stood in the garden. Jess saw that she was dressed in jeans and a shirt, just like her. The woman heard movement behind her and turned around. They looked at each other for a moment. Jess was electrified by the woman's dark, warm eyes looking at her with polite interest. The woman smiled as she approached her.

"You must be Jess. I hope you're not angry that I entered the garden? I'm Isabelle, a friend of the Backswills."

"Do you like it?" Jess croaked, coughing slightly, tearing at the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Yes. I want to buy it." The woman said simply.

"Immediately?"

"Sometimes it's not worth thinking too long." Isabelle smiled warmly and Jess immediately took a liking to her. She noticed that the woman had a pretty face, slightly freckled. "Other than that, I feel like it's a happy home."

"I never thought of him like that." Jess mumbled.

"Shall we go inside? I think it's going to start raining soon."

Jess nodded and went to open the door. Isabelle looked around the rooms with interest, they even went to the workshop and the woman beamed at the sight of him.

"It will be the perfect studio." She said.

"Lab?"

"Yes... I sculpt and paint a little. And there's enough space here. We'll just have to put a big window instead of this gate."

Jess scowled. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear about the changes the woman wanted to introduce in her family home.

"Sorry." Isabelle said, placing a gentle hand on Jess's shoulder, who felt the pleasant warmth of her touch. Since the last time she saw Eva, no one had touched her. She didn't have the opportunity to feel the warmth of another human being. "It must be hard for you. Backswill said you recently lost your father. I'm so sorry. I know what it's like to grow up without a parent."

"This is my adoptive parents' house. I didn't know the real ones." Jess murmured, surprising herself with how honest she was with this woman she had just met.

"It's not the names that are important, but how you felt towards these people." Isabelle said gently.

They were silent for a moment before Isabelle withdrew her hand, clearing her throat slightly.

"Will you sell this house to me, Mrs. Hunter?"

"Yes." The brunette said with a sigh. She had to pay off her debts, she had to start her life from scratch. Why would she look for another buyer? She had no choice but to keep the house anyway.

"Great. I'll make an appointment with the notary."

A few days later, Jess was throwing out the rest of James and Cherry's stuff to clean the house. She signed the sales contract in the morning and the house belonged to Isabelle, who was now busy in the kitchen.

"Aaah!" Jess heard a scream and a crash and immediately ran towards it. Isabelle was sitting on the floor, holding her ankle.

"What happened?"