Page 29 of Ava
“As long as it’s not neon clashing colors I don’t care what you get. You and the others will have to live with it.” Morgan laughed when Ava grinned. “Besides, I trusted your choices for the colors of the rooms and bathrooms yesterday. Just remember what colors you picked out, and coordinate your purchases with those.”
“I promise not to get drab olive green.” They were laughing as they came out of the office, and Morgan gave an oof, when Wyatt grabbed her around the waist and planted a kiss on her. Ava had to leave, because it was so hot. As she walked away, she heard him tell her that he would be out culling the herd all day and wouldn’t be back for lunch. They locked lips again, and Ava made it to her room to grab her purse. As she came back out, she saw Morgan standing in the hall with a dazed look on her face, and Wyatt tipped his hat at her, with a huge grin on his face.
“Thanks for the pancakes this morning, they were great.”
“You’re welcome.” She went to Morgan and had to snap her fingers in front of her face to get her attention.
“Hum? What?”
Ava laughed. “I forgot to get the credit card from you.”
“Oh,” Morgan said as she hurried back into the office. Ava didn’t want to know where it was kept, so she stayed where she was. When Morgan returned, she handed Ava a completely black card, and Ava only raised her brows at it, afraid to touch it.
“According to Uncle Chip, there’s fifty grand on there. I don’t have to tell you to save the receipts?”
“Nope, I’ll put them in this folder.” She held up the one with the lists on them. “If I can get the big stuff delivered, then I’ll see how much room Justin has and maybe bring the things like the towels, bedding, curtains, and kitchen items back with us.”
“That sounds good. Oh, and don’t forget the coffee pot, or two, along with a blender, a mixer, maybe a toaster or two, anything you think you’ll need in the kitchen.”
“Just the basics. I understand.” Ava nodded and put the card in her wallet, and threw the long strap of her purse over her head and shoulder. With the file in her hand, she hurried out to the kitchen. She was just putting her shoes on, when Justin entered, and she held up her hand with a grin as she ran back, and grabbed a can of Cola from the refrigerator. As she rejoined him, she laughed. “Remind me to pick up some to replace what I took from Lucas.”
“I will,” Justin said, and escorted her out to a big-ass black truck. After helping her in, he looked at her, and grinned. “Ready?”
“Yes, I hope you like shopping, because we have a lot to pick out.”
“Not really, but I’ll hide my annoyance if I have to.”
“Gee, thanks,” Ava laughed at his grin. It wasn’t long before they were down the driveway and heading down the highway toward the city. At one point she looked up from her list, and sighed. “Maybe we can get lucky and find a furniture store going out of business.”
“That would be great. Why don’t you look up furniture stores online? Give us an idea of where they are before we even get there.”
“That sounds like a terrific idea.” She pulled her phone to do just that. The rest of the ride into the city was quiet, Justin driving, lost in his own thoughts, and Ava on her phone, looking at websites, and taking notes.
CHAPTER13
Ava wrinkledher nose when they pulled up to the first store, and looked at Justin questioningly. “What do you think?”
“By the looks of it, it doesn’t look too safe, or clean, but we should give it a shot anyway. You know that saying, don’t judge a book by its cover.”
“Okay, but I’m sticking close to you. I may be a former sniper for the United States Marine Corps, and a kickass soldier, but I don’t like the looks of this neighborhood.”
“Me neither, don’t worry, I’ve got your back.” He parked, shut the truck off, then looked at her with a stern expression. “Don’t get out until I come around to you.” She only nodded and waited for him to do just that. After helping her down, he slammed the door, then used his key fob to lock his doors. They had to pick their way through the rubbish in the parking lot, and the pot holes, but they finally made it to the front door.
As soon as they entered, Ava paused long enough for her eyes to adjust from the bright sun outside to the dimness of the interior.
“Welcome to Sal’s, how may I help you?” A middle-aged man asked a he approached them. Before Ava could speak, Justin held out his hand and shook the other man’s. “We’re here to furnish a house. What do you have in the line of furniture?”
“Honestly? Not much,” the man said, and looked over both shoulders before he leaned in to stage whisper to them. “As much as I like my job, the new shipments the boss has been getting in isn’t up to our usual standards.” He leaned in closer still to stress his point.. “And it’s all made overseas, so there aren’t any fire code regulations on the tags.”
“What’s that mean?” Ava asked, as she and Justin exchanged looks.
“It means that the material they use isn’t fireproof.” He leaned back, then took a step back. “May I ask what you’re looking for? Maybe I can point you in the right direction.”
“Eight complete bedroom sets, a dining room table to seat ten, two couches, two love seats, four lounge chairs, and various other items,” Ava said.
The man reared back with a shocked expression on his face. “Even if I could help you, we don’t have that amount of stuff here. We’re waiting for a shipment, and we only have two bedroom sets, but not headboard or footboards, and one dining-room table that seats six at the most.”
“Okay,” Justin said and nodded. “Thank you for your time.” They turned to leave, but the man stopped them. He gave them the name of a place that he had heard through the grapevine that was thinking of going out of business. “Now it’s just a rumor, mind you, but you could always check them out.”
