It Started With A House: Lizzie. Book 1 (The Westport Mysteries) Read online

  “You’ve put new curtains up,” I said to Mum as I walked into the kitchen.

  “Yes, aren’t they lovely?” Mum was so cute when she was excited. Her whole face glowed and she kind of had this scrunched-up look around her eyes.

  “Gorgeous, Mum. Do you think there’s anything on the color wheel you might have forgotten to add?” asked Molly sarcastically.

  A lot of people say Molly and I are a lot alike, but I think this is only in looks. Molly is far more outgoing than I am, far more confident and much better dressed. She’s the oldest of the three of us and even though she sits here in her four-inch Jimmy Choo's, skintight, pink-sequined halter-top and skintight jeans, don’t be fooled. When she gets her teeth into something, she’s like a bulldog, never letting go.

  “Well, just because your house is very sterile looking, Molly does not mean you have to be sarcastic about mine,” said Mum rather irritably. I have to agree, though. I thought Molly was right.

  Mum and Dad’s house wasn’t particularly big, so when I left home they converted the bedroom Molly and I had shared growing up, into the dining room they never had. This of course had the added advantage of neither me nor Molly ever being able to return home to live. After Danny moved out, Grandma Mabel moved into the only other spare room.

  As Mum called dinner, we all piled into the dining room and sat down to eat. Dinner was always a noisy affair in our family, everyone spoke at once and never waited his or her turn, but somehow we all managed to follow the conversation, even Grandma Mabel. After her nap, she was bright and chirpy once more. I looked over at her thinking how sweet she looked in her purple calf-length polyester dress, complete with matching purple hair. Just as my heart was melting, she lifted her left bottom cheek and a distinctive noise coming from her rear end was followed up by a seriously bad odor. Grandma continued to eat, a completely innocent look on her face as if nothing happened. A second later the odor hit and I saw her wrinkle her nose.

  “Who let Polly out of prison?” she asked, looking around the table, her eyes stopping on me.

  “Don’t look at me. Everyone knows it was you,” I quickly stated, making sure everyone knew it wasn’t me.

  “Oh, Mum! We’re at the dinner table!”

  Grandma just shrugged and feigned innocence. “This meat’s a bit tough, our Nell,” she complained.

  “You just need your teeth sharpened, Mum.”

  “Can they really do that?” asked Molly. We all looked at Mum. She just shrugged. Grandma Mabel however, decided she should take a closer look and pulled her teeth out of her mouth.

  “Ew! Grandma put your teeth away,” yelled Molly who happened to have front row seats to this particular event as she was sitting opposite Grandma.

  “I’ve got something stuck under them and it’s hurting,” replied Grandma, dipping her teeth in her glass of water and swishing it around. Gagging, I looked up to see Danny leaning in towards me.

  “Hey Lizzie,” Danny whispered. “I was thinking about Molly’s birthday next week and what we should get her.” Molly’s birthday is exactly one week after mine even though she is two years older.

  “That’s good, because I don’t have a clue,” I replied.

  “I think we should go out to the animal refuge and rescue a dog for her,” said Danny.

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?” asked Andrew, who was sitting between Danny and me.

  Actually, I thought it was a great idea. Molly had been a bit down since she’d broken up with her last boyfriend and something that would give her unconditional love was exactly what she needed to get her mind off men.

  “I think that’s a great idea. Have you been out there for a look at what they’ve got?” I asked.

  “No, but I have looked on the Internet. There’s this one dog, his name is Harper. He’s a cross between Maltese and who-the-hell-even-knows. After dinner I’ll show you,” said Danny, leaning over the table to get a second helping on the potatoes.

  Dinner continued on as usual but I was having a hard time concentrating on the conversation. I just couldn’t wait to see Harper. Molly had been heart broken when she split with her boyfriend Adam. So much so that I was actually worried she would never be the same again. Like I said before, Molly is very outgoing and loves nothing more than male attention, but after Adam, she just hasn’t been interested. She’d thrown herself into her work. As a photographer she was always very talented, but this new hurt had made her talent shine even more. Maybe there was always an upside to everything.

  After dessert, (Mum’s famous homemade chocolate cake), we left Molly and Andrew with the dishes—I got out of it because it was my birthday dinner—and got onto Mum and Dad’s computer.

  It didn’t take Danny long to find the website we were looking for and suddenly, there in front of me was a full size image of the saddest dog I’d ever seen.

  Harper was listed under the oldies and was described as a pure white Maltese terrier. In the picture, he didn’t look pure white I can tell you, but he did look old. He was so old, he had no teeth, and so as I looked at his photo, his tongue was hanging out of the side of his mouth. But none of that mattered, he’d already grabbed my heartstrings. He was exactly what Molly needed—something to love and take care of.

  “Danny, you’re a genius.” I turned and gave him a big hug. He really was the most thoughtful brother a girl could ever ask for.

  “By the way, for your birthday, I’m giving you a makeover,” he said. Like I said, always thoughtful.

  “I can meet you there tomorrow and we can have a look at him, if you like?” I said.

  “Sure, tomorrow works for me but it will have to be in the morning. I have a big day planned.”

  * * * *

  Trying to find the animal refuge was a feat in itself. When I did finally find it, I realized it was not a track that liked little Mini Cooper’s. It was muddy, bumpy and full of potholes big enough to actually lose my car in. But I could hear the dogs barking as I drove closer, so even though my car complained every inch of the way, I forced it to negotiate its way around the holes and over the bumps until I reached the gates. Sitting in the car, waiting for Danny to arrive nearly broke my heart. I decided there and then that if I ever win a big enough lottery, I was going to buy a place like this and turn it into an amazing place for dogs to live. I’m sure the people here look after the dogs just fine, but it’s nothing compared to a warm comfy bed, snuggled up to the one you love, is it?

  When Danny finally arrived, we made our way to the reception area and asked to have a look around. Now, you would think the amount of noise coming from behind these gates would have been a good indicator to me as to how many dogs were actually here. But no, I was shocked by the sheer number of abandoned animals. There were big ones, small ones, medium-sized ones, black ones, brown ones…the list went on. They were all so beautiful I didn’t understand how anybody could leave them.

  We found Harper pretty quickly, which was good as I was starting to get a bit upset. He was standing in a pen with two other dogs, both of which were jumping up and trying to get our attention. Harper, however, was just standing back checking us out, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, just as it had in the photo. The attendant told us he was about ten years old and needed to go to a home without a cat. He hated cats apparently. Luckily he wasn’t coming to live with me.

  “What do you think?” Danny asked.

  “I think I want to take him and run. This place is really starting to get to me.”

  Danny bent down near the fence and called Harper over. It took some coaxing but Harper eventually succumbed to the pressure. As Danny managed to put his hand through the wire and give him a pat, the other two dogs seemed to back off. I wondered if they had some sort of gentleman’s agreement concerning visiting humans where, once a dog was selected by a human, the other dogs backed off and respected the chosen one.

  Probably not. I’d say it was more likely they had grown bored with the lack of attention.


  I could tell Harper probably was white but at the moment he was almost a yellow color, and looked to be a few kilos underweight. He had the darkest brown eyes, allowing me to fall in love with him even more.

  “He has the biggest wanger I’ve ever seen, and believe me I’ve seen a few,” said Danny incredulously. I rolled my eyes. Trust Danny to notice the dog’s manhood. Bending down next to Danny, I took a look.

  My God, he was right.

  “Maybe he used to be a stud dog,” I suggested.

  “I think the other dogs might be a bit jealous of that, little man,” Danny said talking to Harper.

  “Do you think Molly will like him?”

  “I think she’ll love him, but we should probably bring her out here before we buy him,” said Danny thoughtfully.

  He was right. Molly really needed to bond before she took a dog home. “We’ll bring her out here on Thursday. It’s the only day I’ve got any free time this week.”

  “What if he sells before then?” I was already falling in love with him and the thought that somebody else might buy him made me want to cry.

  “We’ll ask if we can leave a deposit on him and that way if anybody else tries to buy him they will have to ring us first.” Danny really was the smart one.

  “Oh okay, that makes sense.” Saying our goodbyes to Harper, we headed back to reception. They were very happy to take a deposit, but kept checking that we were talking about Harper, the small white Maltese.

  “What’s wrong with him?” I asked.

  “Oh, nothing. It’s just people don’t usually want the oldies, they usually only want the puppies. We all thought Harper would be here for the rest of his life.”

  “A housebroken one is definitely what our sister needs. She’s had enough of un-housebroken men,” said Danny with a smile.

  Chapter Ten

  I was awoken Tuesday morning by my phone ringing. I knew it would be Mum.

  “Happy Birthday, Love!” she yelled. She thought as she was the one who had to endure the pain and suffering of my birth then it was her right to be the first to wish me happy birthday.

  “Thanks, Mum,” I mumbled. A sleep-in would’ve been good.

  “Now, I know you’re heading over to Danny today for your make-over, so I’ve left your present there. Dad and I are going to be a bit busy so I thought that would be best.” She sounded a bit worried about this, so I quickly reassured her it was fine.

  “Thanks, Mum, that would be great.” I listened to her story about the Bridge tournament before hearing my call waiting. A quick look at my phone told me it was Molly.

  “Mum, Molly is trying to call me on the other line, so I’ll have to go.”

  After saying our goodbyes, I spent the next half an hour lying in bed talking to Molly. Danny had asked her to leave sometime free on Thursday for a surprise and she was bugging me for some clues. While chatting to Molly, I heard Riley arrive and let himself in. He closed my bedroom door on his way past. I had to remember to talk to him about that door again. Even though he’d changed the lock, I still woke up every morning to an open door.

  I’d had particularly restless night thinking about all of those poor dogs left at the refuge and about Avis, but mostly about Scott. I was feeling a bit uneasy about tonight, actually. Yes, I was really excited about seeing a show and a night out in the city, but Mum wouldn’t be right would she? I really hoped he wouldn’t propose. I just wasn’t ready to answer. A year ago I would have jumped all over him if he’d given me an engagement ring, but a lot had changed in the last few months. After hanging up from Molly, I took the box containing Avis’s engagement ring out of the drawer next to my bed. It really was extraordinary. Lying there, I wondered why Avis hadn’t married Will. Was he still alive? Had he married someone else? Who the hell was he?

  So many questions, so few answers.

  I didn’t have to be at Danny’s until lunchtime so I decided to stay in bed and re-read the letters looking for any clues we might have missed the first time round.

  None of the letters were dated, so there was no chronological order. Reading them made me really sad. They were full of pain, heartache and strength. The first ones at least, were full of hope. Whatever the obstacle, they were determined to jump it. The last letter was different though.

  My Darling Avis

  I’m sorry. I cannot do this anymore. I love you too much to see the pain I cause you. Of course my heart wishes things were different. That life had given us a different path. But I realize now this was not to be. I see the pain our choices have left you and it breaks my heart. I have to end this, before it destroys us both.

  I love you enough to let you go.

  I pray life will be kind to you and you have all you deserve.

  With all the love in my heart, I’m saying goodbye.

  Will

  The tears were running freely down my face. I couldn’t imagine what all-consuming love felt like. I’d never experienced it— especially not with Scott. Does everybody get a chance at that kind of love? And if so, why did fate not allow them to be together? It broke my heart to think the universe showed them their soul-mates only to take the chance away again. Fate really did play cruel jokes on us at times.

  With my puffy eyes and soggy tissues, I crept over to the bedroom door and snuck into the bathroom. That way I wouldn’t accidently run into Riley and be humiliated once again when he saw what I looked like in the morning.

  The feeling left with me from the letters did not want to leave. It hung in the air like a bad smell. Putting my head under the hot water, I tried to drown my mood. It was my birthday. I should be happy.

  After I’d completed the usual morning routine of shower, hair and makeup, I headed down to the kitchen, my mood only slightly brighter than before. I stopped in the doorway as a bouquet of flowers sitting in a vase on the table, caught me by surprise. The card had my name on it. Opening it I read:

  You brighten my day, happy birthday Lizzie.

  Riley x

  Wow, this man really knew how to take my breath away. Hugging the card to me I took a closer look. It wasn’t a huge bouquet but it contained the brightest pink flowers I’d ever seen. It was so happy looking I couldn’t get the smile off my face.

  “I thought I heard you walking around.” I turned and saw Riley standing at the door looking a bit sheepish. His eyes smiled even when his lips weren’t.

  “Oh my, these are really lovely. Thank you.”

  “It’s not much. I saw them at the shop this morning when I got the paper and I thought of you.” He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal.

  Funny, it didn’t feel like a big deal. It felt like a huge deal. There were so many butterflies in my stomach, I thought they must be having a party.

  “What’s happening with you today?” I asked, looking away from him and trying neutralize the electricity seemed to be floating in the air all of a sudden.

  “Busy day fitting a toilet. Then it’s on to the painting,” he smiled. “The new carpet is being laid Thursday so you’ll be able to have your office furniture delivered by Friday.”

  “Really? That’s so good.” Even though I’m one year older, and the day had started on a bit of a downer, right now the world seemed like a really amazing place.

  * * * *

  I spent the next few hours in the salon with Danny and Andrew, and I have to admit they were true miracle workers. By the time they’d finished, I looked like a completely different person. My unmanageable curls were now sleek, soft and sexy. Now, for all of you out there with curly hair, if you’ve ever had it straightened you will understand the feeling of the swish. If you swish your head from side to side your hair moves strand by strand, not in a solid mass. For those lucky members of society who already have this hair, please, count your blessings. Swishing my head from side to side, I walked to my car and headed home noticing a storm had started to build.

  Of course it had! I had straight hair and couldn’t get it wet or—like Cinderella—I would t
urn into a pumpkin. Let’s hope the storm blows away. Pulling into my drive, I noticed my neighbor had had their car fixed as it was now parked back in the same awkward spot. I couldn’t go and speak to them about it today though. I was worried my hair would get rained on.

  Once inside, I ran to the bathroom and decided to do the smoldering sexy eye thing to match my now straight, sexy hair. So, it was after about an hour of primping and preening that I put on my new dress. I’d bought myself an off-white, calf length gown with shoestring straps that draped across my body to my hip and then fell on the bias towards the floor. It hugged me where it was supposed to hug me and fell loose where I needed it. With a quick spray of my favourite perfume, Dior Jadore, I grabbed my wrap and felt like a million dollars as I headed down stairs to wait for Scott. I’d noticed over the last hour or so the storm had built and was now quite black and menacing. Just my luck Scott would be held up. Riley was standing in the kitchen when I walked in. He turned and stared for a few moments before clearing his throat.

  “Wow…you look… um… stunning,” he whispered.

  “Thank you,” I smiled. The air thickened and I could feel the electricity bouncing around, but that could be from the storm. I’m not really sure what was going through his mind but I could see his breathing get more rapid. He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I had walked in. The silence seemed endless as I waited to hear what he was going to say next.

  “I hope Scott appreciates what he’s got.” His voice was low and his gaze felt very intimate.

  All indication of a smile had vanished as the energy in the room intensified. My pulse quickened and the butterflies were at it again. Could he really like me? No, of course not, I was imagining things. Before I could respond though, my phone started ringing.

  Feeling all fluttery and grateful for the distraction, I quickly turned and picked it up. It was Scott’s office.