Down a bit farther, I think I’ve found Ben’s old room. It’s the only other one with some personality. The rest are all pastel, places you’d have a guest sleep.

I take a careful step into the space, vowing I won’t touch anything. Only look.

This isn’t the TV version of a high school boy’s room with posters of half-naked women next to pictures of sports idols. Instead, there’s artwork, mainly paintings of landscapes. Gorgeous nature scenes with trees and rolling hills. Even some mountains.

I examine the bookshelves and find a decent amount of sci-fi novels. Looks like Ben is a bit of a nerd. But, on closer inspection, I realize he actually has a wider range of tastes. There are classics, like Dracula and The Jungle, along with nonfiction authors like Malcolm Gladwell. I have to smile when I find all seven Harry Potter books in hardback. Good to know he’s not opposed to a bit of magic in his reading.

His bed is perfectly made up. I go to peek beneath the covers, only to be disappointed. I was hoping that he might have fully committed to a fandom with a set of Star Wars or Batman sheets.

Oh well.

Back out in the hall, I realize that the stairs go up another floor. When I head up them, I come out in a sitting room. This one seems warmer than the space downstairs. Like the first floor is for show, and this floor is for living. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the walls. Seems like the Gerhards are big readers. More couches are spread around, paired with dark wooden coffee tables. On the far wall, there’s a set of glass doors.

When I push through them, I walk out onto a large rooftop patio. Metal furniture with thick cushions sits around an empty firepit. In the corner is a covered hot tub big enough to seat eight.

But the best part is the view. The Philly backdrop makes this a city dweller’s paradise. I can imagine having strings of lights hung around, burning bright after the sun goes down. People laughing and drinking fancy cocktails as they discuss their extravagant lives. Just like a scene from a movie.

I’ve never been in a house this nice before. My grandma’s place was a decent size with three bedrooms and a yard. But things always felt a bit cramped. There was a short time, after Marcus moved out, that the place seemed vast but for all the wrong reasons. Pops’s house was better; Marcus was there, and I had my own room. But neither come close to this towering townhouse.

My brother would probably love this place, maybe even try to design something similar. Me, I’m a little overwhelmed. Should’ve just stuck to one room or one floor. Piling it all together at once is like trying to read an entire textbook in one sitting.

I let my thoughts trail off at the sound of the glass doors opening. Dr. Stevens steps out to join me, and we gaze across the top of the city.