Stealing Home Read Online Free PDF

sure the real-estate agent had it all swept out last week. There’s nothing in there but the resident ghost.”
    “Oh, please,” Maddie said. “How can there be a ghost? No one’s died here.”
    “But wouldn’t it be fabulous if there were a ghost?” Dana Sue persisted. “Just think of the PR value. There’s nothing a Southerner loves quite so much as a good ghost story or bragging rights to having one up in the attic.”
    “I’m not sure having a ghost would be much of a recommendation for a health club,” Helen said. “What if it appears in a mirror one day? It could scare twenty years off someone’s life and pretty much destroy the place’s reputation as a fitness mecca. I’m not sure even I could win that lawsuit.” She met Maddie’s gaze. “Ready to go inside?”
    “Sure. Why not?” Maddie said, still trying to see what the two of them obviously saw in the run-down house. Even her memories of the way it had once been didn’t help her to envision it as a thriving spa.
    Not two minutes later, though, once she’d stepped acrossthe threshold and into the sunlight pooling on the old oak floors, her pulse began to race a little faster. The downstairs rooms were huge. The windows were dingy, but even so they let in streaming rays of sun. With pale yellow walls and white woodwork, the spa would be cheerful and welcoming. The floors could be brought back with sanding and a good coat or two of polyurethane.
    When she reached the dining room, which faced the back of the property, she realized that the French doors and tall windows opened to a wooded lot with a small stream trickling through it. Treadmills set up to face that way would give the illusion of walking or running outdoors. Wouldn’t that afford women a sense of serenity while they exercised?
    Dana Sue latched on to her hand and tugged her into the kitchen.
    “Can you believe this?” she demanded, gesturing around her. “The appliances are old and the cabinets are a mess, but the room is huge. Just imagine what we could do with it.”
    “I thought the idea of this place was to make people forget about food, not to feed them,” Maddie said.
    “No, no, no,” Dana Sue chided. “It’s supposed to give them a place to make healthy choices. We could set up a counter over here and a few small tables in that area by the door. We could even open it onto the back patio and add a few tables outside.”
    “Can you cook and serve in the same space?” Maddie asked.
    “There won’t be any cooking done here, except for whatever classes we offer. I’ll cater the salads from the restaurant kitchen. We can get a professional refrigerator or display case for those. And we’ll offer smoothies and other drinks. Can’tyou just imagine what fun it would be to work out with a couple of friends, then sit out there gazing at that stream and eating a chicken Caesar salad and drinking mineral water. You’d leave here feeling a thousand percent better, even if you never lost an ounce. And if we offered a hot tub and massages, oh, my gosh…” She sighed rapturously.
    “That sounds great for someone who has all morning or all afternoon, but won’t the people who can afford what you’re talking about be working?” Maddie asked, continuing to play devil’s advocate.
    “We’ve thought of that,” Helen said. “We could offer day-long or half-day packages for women who want to be really pampered for a special occasion. But we could also have a half-hour workout and lunch deal for someone who only has an hour-long break from work. And there are so many bedrooms, we could even convert one room to a nursery and hire a day-care worker so moms could exercise in peace.”
    Maddie regarded them with surprise. It was beginning to seem they had an answer for everything. “You’ve really given this a lot of thought, haven’t you.”
    Helen shrugged. “What can I say? I hate Dexter’s place and I really need to work out. I might as well create someplace I’ll