Page 21 of Ava
“About?”
“Chuck’s going to waylay you and get the paint colors from you. He wants to go down to the feed store later today to get it ordered.”
“Shit, I have no clue what color to make anything.”
“What needs color?” Ava asked.
“Everything. There are eight bedrooms, as well as eight bathrooms on the second floor.”
“We’ve made the attic into a storage area if any of you girls have extra things you want stored, but not in your bedroom. Don’t worry,” he laughed as he held up his hand at their expressions. “It’s all wired, and completed. Chuck’s working on the insulation and drywall up there. Well, he’s mudding it. All of us started in the attic and worked our way down. Once the mud dries, we figure by tomorrow, then we can all sand, and then start painting by tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll help pick out the colors.” Ava volunteered, and the look of relief Morgan gave her was priceless. It was like she’d just volunteered to give her a life-saving organ. Laughing, they exited the garage, and Justin handed Morgan a key ring with at least a dozen keys on it.
“What are these?”
“Keys for the garage. I went and had them made, they all work, and I’ve given one to the boys, even Chuck.”
“Okay,” Morgan said as she took the ring, then removed one and handed it to Ava. “Might as well put it with the others I gave you, and later today, if you’d like, you can bring your bike over here and store it, but there’s no rush.”
“I’d sort of like to wait until the driveway is in a little better shape, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t, and I agree.” Morgan nodded and told Justin about Ava’s suggestion of building the end of the driveway up, so it was more level with the road, and trimming some of the bushes at the end, so people could see.
“I’ll add it to the list,” Justin said as he nodded, and followed the women to the house.
CHAPTER10
“Wow,”Ava said as they approached. “This is beautiful. You’d never know it was a barracks.” She stood outside on a sheet of plywood in the muddy front lawn and looked at the imposing house.
“That’s what we were aiming for,” Justin admitted. “In case anyone came knocking, they’d see a normal, everyday home, not something the military would have built, and before we go in, Morgan, these walls have reenforced steel in them also. They just don’t have cement blocks as the walls. Just regular wood, siding, and insulation, and yes, it also has heat and air, just like your house at the ranch.”
“I like the front porch,” Ava sighed as she looked at it, and imagined herself sitting there in the early morning with her Cola, or late at night, enjoying a glass of wine winding down for the day. She didn’t see Justin’s frown at the wistful look on her face. She shook herself, and turned to Morgan with a grin. “Can we go inside and look?”
Laughing, Morgan indicated for her to go first, and she rushed up the front steps, then stopped. She looked back at Justin and bit her bottom lip. “Shoes off or on?”
“Doesn’t matter. We have paper over the hardwood floors to protect them. We can’t remove our shoes, so it was easier to do it that way. Once everything is done, then we’ll tear up the paper.”
Ava grinned, turned and opened the door. She only got about two foot inside when she stopped dead in her tracks and stared. Morgan ran into her, and she only moved to the side. “Holy shit,” she whispered, then looked at Justin with wide eyes. “This place is huge.”
“It is, it’s seven thousand square feet. We’ll start here, this is the living room.”
“Is there a side entrance?” Morgan asked as she wore the same expression as Ava. The last time she’d been inside, there had only been studs up. And she couldn’t picture the walls when Justin tried to explain it to her.
“As you wanted, Morg, this downstairs is all common area. Living room, further down, we have the dining room, and then as you can see, Alan is working in what will be your kitchen. The appliances aren’t even in yet. He’s custom building the cabinets.” Both Ava and Morgan made a beeline for that room, and they stopped short and stared at the sheer size of it.
“What appliances will there be?” Ava asked.
“Six-burner gas stove, dishwasher, sink, trash compactor, and an industrial refrigerator with the ice and water on the outside. In the back room, along with the washer and dryer, there is a huge upright free-standing freezer.” He paused as both women took in the news, and shook their heads. “Those are already installed, but there are two wall-mounted ovens. The microwave will go in a nook above them.”
“Wow,” Ava said and turned in a circle. “And the island?”
“There’s a sink in the island, for like prepping, and as you can see...” He pointed to the back wall. “That thing coming out of the wall is called a pot filler. It’s hooked up to the hot water, and fills your pots from there, so you won’t have to carry the pans of water from the sink to the stove. Just from the stove to the sink, like if you want to drain something.”
“Wow, I’ve seen them on those home-improvement shows, but never expected anything like this.”
“Hey, Morgan,” a man said as he entered the kitchen area.
“Chuck.” Morgan nodded to him. When she spotted the pad of paper and pen in his hand, she held up hers to stop him. “Give me an hour, and you’ll have your colors.”
