Punished by Divorce

Cottage

Naomi

The quaint little cottage was everything I had envisioned. Of course, the photos Cheryl had sent me had helped but seeing the place in real life was incredible. The front yard was overgrown and in desperate need of some cleaning – which was the first thing that made me panic. The rickety small light blue gate squeaked obnoxiously loudly and needed a fresh coat of paint. The stone pathway that led up to the front of the house needed a wash, but otherwise, it was still in good condition. The cottage itself was clearly in need of some work, and I was confused.

“As excited as I am right now…it didn’t look this bad in the photos you sent me,” I said to Cheryl, who had stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to slowly look at me. “This place…it’s beautiful…but…it needs a lot of work,” I couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of spending money I just didn’t have.

“Sorry…the photos were taken just after she died. The boys wanted to sell immediately, but…the asking price was just too much. They eventually did lower the price…four years later and guess who the lucky buyer was? You!” she smiled brightly before she turned back to the cottage. “Besides, the boys will help you fix it up in a jiffy…they won’t leave you hanging,”

“And how much will that cost? I can't afford to fix this place up,” I said softly, as the panic had subsided and had been replaced by dread. If the outside looked this bad, how bad was it inside?

“How much will what cost?” a deep voice said, and I glanced up to see two ‘boys’ come around the side of the cottage. The two were most definitely not boys, in fact, they were two full-grown men with athletic builds that made my mouth go dry. Short brown hair, clean-shaven, with a strong nose, full lips, and the greenest eyes I had ever seen. I wasn’t sure which one had spoken, but I could tell that the older one seemed like the quiet, brooding type. The younger one was clearly checking out Cheryl and I sighed. Could this get any worse?

“Cheryl?” the younger one said, and his voice was smoother, which had meant the older one had spoken first.

“Sorry…ah…Naomi Scott, meet Atticus and Alastair Crawling,” she said. The younger one waved, but the older one remained silent.

“Nice to meet you, Naomi…and in case you didn’t quite catch that, I’m Alastair,” the younger one – Alastair – remarked with a bright smile. His eyes weren’t on me though, as he continued to watch Cheryl.

“How much will what cost?” Atticus questioned. His deep voice reminded me of Erik, and I shuddered as I looked away from the two strapping – and sexy – men.

“Naomi…well, I may have sent her the old photos of the place. She wasn’t expecting there to be any work done on it,” Cheryl explained. I snuck a peak and noticed that Atticus didn’t look happy.

“Well, we won’t charge you,” Alastair said. “Technically it’s Cheryl’s fault. So, she will pay it,” he added. Cheryl gasped in shock, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Atticus.

“We’ll fix it up. Free of charge,” Atticus promised as he folded his arms across his ridiculously large chest. “Just nothing fancy, city girl,” he felt the need to add, and I frowned. Was it that obvious that I was a city girl? Or that I would want anything fancy? I kept my lips sealed as I looked back at the cottage. The tiled roof looked good and sturdy, albeit a bit rough around the edges. Then again, it could simply be the type of tile they had used. It was a dark charcoal gray and I deemed it decent. The wrap-around porch offered some nice shade, which I appreciated as I stepped up onto the porch. The railing could use a fresh coat of paint, as well as the front door. The walls were gray stone, and it was perfect.

“Let’s go in,” Cheryl said as she stepped up to the door and unlocked it. The first thing I noticed was the smell. The place hadn’t been aired out, and I had a feeling it had been years. The smell was potent, and I turned around to see that the brothers had come inside as well.

“Is that…mold?” I asked. “That better not be mold,”

“Mothballs,” Alastair said. “Nana believed in them like she believed in fairies,” Atticus scoffed as he pushed past his brother. I turned away from them to take in my surroundings. The layer of dust was so bad that each and every surface looked white. The front door led you directly into the open-plan lounge, kitchen, and a little nook. It was perfect, despite the dust and smell. The furniture wasn’t too bad either, but I could tell I needed appliances. How was I going to do this? I couldn’t afford it.

“Right, up there is the bedroom, a small loft, and the bathroom,” Cheryl said as she turned to me. “I should get going, but don’t be shy in telling the boys what you want done to this place…ok?” I nodded as she handed over the key. “Welcome to your new home Naomi,” she cheerfully declared before she literally ran out. Alastair didn’t hesitate as he followed her out, leaving Atticus and me alone.

“Cheryl is a pain in my ass, but we’ll fix up whatever you want,” he said, and I nodded as I looked around.

“Do you have any cleaning supplies?” I asked awkwardly. “I mean…I just wasn’t expecting it to be…like this,” I waved my hand around in disgust and Atticus shot me a small smile.

“I’ll bring the supplies in the morning…would you care to join us for dinner? I don’t think you want to cook in that…” he made a point of looking in the direction of the kitchen and I slowly nodded. I didn’t want anything to do with them, but I was hungry.

“That would be great,”