Page 15 of Taming Waves

Anson slides a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs in front of me.

“That’s what you get for volunteering to be Audrey’s bitch,” he says.

“Whatever, asshole,” I say as he hands me a fork.

He loads a plate for himself and brings it to the island opposite me.

“You could have slept in, you know. I’m sure Wade could come by later.”

“I’m fine. I don’t want to waste an entire day off in bed.”

In the offseason, Anson and I can work on projects. I don’t want my need to help her—to be with her—to disrupt our plans.

Wade is knocking at the door by the time we finish our breakfast, and the three of us sit at the dining table with a set of plans Wade drew up for the remodel.

“Can we take out this wall and expand into the laundry room? I’d like to add a soaking tub to the master en suite,” I say.

Anson quirks a brow. “A soaking tub?”

“Yeah, I think a soaking tub would add value to the place. Any woman interested in buying would love that feature.”

Wade glances at the blueprints of the condo. “It shouldn’t be a problem if you’re willing to sacrifice about four feet of laundry space,” he says.

“Wouldn’t bother me,” I say.

“But it’d probably bother that future woman buyer you’re referencing,” Anson says.

I look up from the papers strewn across the table to him. “You think so?”

“He’s right. Eden just had me do an addition to the second-story laundry room at my place. She wanted a sink, shelves, and a folding station,” Wade says.

Eden is Wade’s new bride.

“I didn’t realize that was a thing. Seems silly,” I mumble.

“It doesn’t make sense—it’s just a place to wash your dirty clothes—but women don’t make sense ninety-nine percent of the time,” Anson agrees.

“I have an idea,” Wade says as he picks up a drafting pencil. “We could move the connections and replace the current washer and dryer with a stackable full-sized set. Then add shelves to the sides with a small folding table under them. That should give us the footage we need without too much sacrifice.”

He sketches the new design on top of the drawing.

“I like that,” I say. “How much would that cost?”

“I’d guess about twenty-five hundred more, plus the cost of the tub, washer, and dryer,” he estimates.

I nod. “I’ll talk to Uncle Grady about it and let you know,” I say.

“Sounds good. We’re only doing one at a time, so you guys aren’t toilet-less. What about the rest?” he asks.

“I like it.”

“Good. I’ll have my crew come and start the demo on the guest bathroom tomorrow. Just have Grady call me,” Wade says as he stands.

“Tomorrow? Let’s tear some shit up today,” Anson offers.

“Sorry, buddy. Eden has a doctor’s appointment at one, and I’m supposed to pick her up at the studio in half an hour.”

Eden is expecting their first child. A baby girl. He has a teenage son, Dillon, from his first marriage. The three of them are over the moon and anxiously awaiting the new arrival.

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