The closer we get to Lakeview Hollow, the more my nerves wreak havoc. My stomach gnaws as I nibble on what's left of my fingernails. Mum's hands clench on the steering wheel tightly as we finally pass the entrance sign. Nervous energy engulfs me, despite the excitement that has been building for weeks.

Driving down the main street, I notice little details I had previously ignored on earlier visits. The trees lining the streets, interwoven with old lamp posts and bench seats, are beautiful, I realise. How had I not noticed this sooner? The first trip here with my mum was part of her attempt to 'bond' with me-or something like that. I'll admit I wasn't in the best of moods on that day. I didn't want to come, and I missed the biggest party of the year in doing so. Having said that, that weekend did, in fact, turn out to be a saving grace in our mother/daughter relationship. A turning point. It had been a long time coming, and looking back now, I appreciate the effort Mum had put in to work things out.

Mum takes a turn down a back street towards the dirt road leading to the mansion. While we were engrossed in packing our home in the city, Jake, Mum's new boyfriend, and all-round hero, found an old map of the town in the local library. It revealed a dirt road between the back of the town and the mansion, where we're driving now. Turns out, the original owners of the building created the road, but over time, as it lay abandoned-unused and forgotten, surrounding trees and shrubbery had completely taken over, hiding it away.

"I still can't believe Jake found this road," Mum says, as we close the distance. I nod as she continues. "And to coordinate everything, have it smoothed out for us before we got here; just amazing."

Jake not only researched, found the map, and confirmed the road was still valid, but he arranged for some of his local farmer friends to clear the road for us, making it usable once again. It will come in handy when we make regular trips into town, as well as for those who planned to come visit. While it is still dirt and a little bumpy, both Mum and I agree it adds a little something extra to the character of the property.

Mum pulls up the car, parking right outside the front door. Unlike our previous visits, the door is now secure. When Jake and his friends were preparing the road, he found and secured the key, leaving it in an envelope underneath a brand-spanking new welcome mat he had left as a welcoming gift.

The door swings open, as it's unlocked, and its familiar musty scent escapes. Febreze would come in handy, right about now, but oh well. We push on, now inside treading further until we're standing in the centre of the foyer. Silence surrounds us as we take it all in. This is our home now. Ours.

"So, what do you think, Ais?" Mum says. She's standing with her hands on her hips, ever so proud of the acquisition.

"I love it, Mum. But I think it needs a name."

"A name?" she says curiously.

"Yeah, all places like this have some elaborate name-usually after the people that built it. Something fancy."

She seems to consider my proposal, her mind ticking over for a long minute or two. "That's not a bad idea, Ais. We'll have to sleep on it, though. Unless you have any suggestions already?"

Shaking my head, I reply. "No, nothing, but I'm sure we'll figure out something amazing."

Together, we work to empty the car of our possessions, stacking them inside the foyer for the time being. Mum's phone chimes, alerting us to the removalist's pending arrival.

"Oh, thank goodness. We might have to figure out a place to store these boxes and furniture while we figure out what rooms we're using for what," she says. "But now we know we have phone service out here-that's a relief." For me too. I'm not sure how any teenager would survive without a mobile phone or laptop. That reminds me; I'll have to check if Mum organised Wi-Fi yet.

Mum's tapping out something on her phone as I interject, querying the internet connection. She looks up briefly, "I'm not too sure about that yet, sweetheart. It's on my list of things we need to figure out, though. Right after electricity and water."

Oh, geez-please tell me we are not living the humble life. My eyes involuntarily roll back in response. There's no way in hell we can live here without either of those necessities. Next, she'll be telling me we don't have a television or Netflix, either! This is urgent, so I interrupt her again.

"If it's going to take some time to get the electric and water connected, don't you think we'd be better staying somewhere else for a few days? Maybe Maggie's B & B or with Jake?"

"Hm, maybe," she says.

The removalist finally arrives, and I wave them over to park next to our car. Mum directs them to the dusty ballroom, down the hallway since it's the only room big enough to hold all our furniture, until we work out where it's going to live permanently. The two guys work tirelessly, and they're done within two hours. By the time they leave, they're dripping with sweat, and dampened dust and cobwebs they've found along their many trips down the corridor.

"Good luck with your reno, lady," they say before climbing back into their truck and heading off in a pillow of dust.

"Thanks," Mum calls out after them, but they're already too far down the road to hear her. As the dust settles, I hear the rumble of a truck heading towards us. It's Jake.

"Mum," I bellow, "Jake's here."

A moment later he pulls up. "Hey, Ais," Jake says greeting me. "All settled in now?"

"Not really," I giggle. "It's going to be a while until we're all settled, I think. We don't even have Wi-Fi yet!"

Jake guffaws at my comment before continuing. "Do you mind if I go find your mum?"

"Sure. I think she's just inside," I say, pointing towards the front door.

In the interests of not witnessing any more of their canoodling, I decide to remain outside. I pull out my phone and video call Ellie. It rings three times before she answers.

"Oh my God! You're here!" she squeals. "Is that the mansion in the background?" She's so excited, more than I'd expected. It's like gave her a puppy on Christmas.

I nod. "Sure is. Made it in one piece."

"When can we come over? I've been dying to get another look at the place," Ellie says, exuding excitement.

I shrug, "Whenever you want, really. We haven't unpacked anything yet."

"Sweet. I'll see if my mum or dad can bring us over. I'll let you know."

We continue chatting for a while before she hangs up, planning to come visit as soon as someone could drop them off.

I make my way back inside the house, expecting Mum and Jake to be finished with their canoodling by now. I head up the stairs, searching for my bedroom among the many doors. Deciding on one a few doors down from Mum's bedroom - she'll most likely claim the one they took photos of on our last trip - I head back downstairs. After a couple more trips up and down the grand winding staircase, I'm finally finished... for now, at least.

I hear voices from the kitchen, trailing through the house until I find them. Jake's inspecting the pipes under the sink while Mum watches him. She's leaning against a counter with a precarious smile adorning her face. I know that look, and I'm certain she's perving on his ass. Meh, it's not so bad, for an old bloke, I suppose.

From under the sink, Jake updates Mum on the situation. "They look ok to me, but we should probably get a licensed plumber to take a look, anyway. When's the water getting connected?"

"Actually. About that," Mum says, sounding rather shifty. "I wasn't sure who to contact about the water or the electric. Any ideas?"

Jake gets up from his position on the floor, furrowing his brows. "You haven't called anyone yet?" Sheesh, talk about awkward.

Mum shakes her head, blushing with embarrassment. "It didn't occur to me to get it sorted before we moved. I'm such a ditz. How long do you think it will take to get it figured out?"

Wiping his brow with his forearm, Jake raises a brow and lets out a sigh. "Well, it's Saturday. Not much happens on the weekend. It'll be Monday at the earliest, Audrey."

Mum lets out a sigh, brimming with frustration. "I've really stuffed this up, haven't I?"

Jake embraces her, attempting to ease her worries. "It's okay. This is your first renovation ever. It's normal to encounter some bumps along the way. But don't worry, we can work through them together."

I couldn't help but blurt out, "We? Since when are you included in this 'we' business?" Jake clearly picked up on the sarcasm in my tone and quickly fired back.

He clears his throat before beginning, "Well, because both of you," he gestures towards me, then my mum, "decided to relocate here in order to be closer to me..."

I protest, "But that's not..." Jake interrupts me with a playful wink.

"As I was saying, since you moved to be closer to me, it's only fair for me to lend a helping hand. After all, what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

I roll my eyes at him, but Mum looks absolutely delighted by his romantic gesture. It's so saccharine it's giving me a toothache.

With a sigh, I reply, "Forget it, Jake." They both chuckle at my lack of a witty comeback.

Mum shrugs her shoulders and asks, "What do we do now?"

Jake informs us, "You can't stay here without running water. And you need to get an electrician to check the wiring before it causes any problems."

"I told you we should have stayed with Maggie," I say, giving my mother a pointed look.

Mum pulls out her phone and scrolls through her contacts until she finds Maggie's number. Just as she's about to hit the call button, Jake interrupts.

"Why don't you both just come stay with me? It'll make it easier to plan for this place now that we've decided to work together."

My mother looks up at Jake, clearly hesitant. "Are you sure that won't be too much trouble?"

He grins back at her. "I'm positive."