Page 10 of Loyally, Luke
“Indeed. The orphanage is her particular responsibility, and she takes it very seriously. Her opinion is held in high regard within the royal family, so first impressions with her are important, of course.”
“Well, if we’re both wanting the same thing—to help these kids have a safe structure to live in—then I suspect we’ll see eye to eye without much trouble.”
Luke thought he caught the briefest hint of a smile on Mr. Holton’s face. “Indeed.” The man stood and tipped his head. “Until tomorrow.”
From: Luke Edgewood
To: Izzy Edgewood, Penelope Edgewood, Josephine Martin
Date: March11
Subject: The cabin
To keep from a zillion texts where I must repeat myself ad nauseum, I’m sending this bulk email to jointly answer some questions.
Peter is a nice guy. Probably close to Penelope’s age. A real positive kind of guy. He likes to talk and I’m not sure he’s ever been camping before. He drives like Penelope too. I’ll let you figure that one out for yourselves.
The electricity is out in the cabin until the electrician can rewire some things in two days. That gives me some time to look over the place and figure out what sort of additional wiring we’ll need for the expansion I’m planning. Pete’s not too happy about the lack of electricity since he’s a rather social sort, and I may be a disappointment as far as conversational partners go. However, I told him that I’d scare the bears and coons away if we saw any, but since I wasn’t sure what other kinds of critters live in Skymar, I couldn’t vouch for his safety from them.
I’m attaching pictures of the cabin. It’s got great bones and is a good place to have as our base. Seems that we’re only about three miles from the village of Crieff. Nice place. Small. Lots of stone buildings and a few thatched roofs. We can purchase supplies there or have them shipped in, so I feel content in not having to travel into any cities.
The village is nestled in the mountains and a good half hour or more from anywhere else. The cabin is even more secluded.
I feel right at home.
The cabin’s kitchen needs an update and we’re turning a covered porch into a larger living area. The view is worth seeing (attaching a photo of the view too).
That’s three photos. Be happy.
Otherwise, we’re just winterizing the place and updating. The woodwork is great. And the wooden beams, but we’re going to relocate them into the new living area.
The other project hasn’t started yet but may end up being a big job. I don’t know much else about it, except it’s a secret.
That should be plenty for you all to chew on for a while.
Luke
PS: And yes, Izzy, I did tell Pete I was mostly joking about the critters.
PPS: BTW, Pete has never seen a coon. I’m trying to figure out if I’m saddened or envious.
Text from Penelope to Luke:Are you just saying it’s a secret because you want to annoy me, or is it REALLY a secret?
Luke:It’s really a secret, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to annoy you too.
Penelope:Ooh, Grandpa Gray knows lots of folks, so if he set it up for you, it must be very special. Famous people? Royals? Tell me if I’m hot or cold.
Luke:Nope. Didn’t work with Christmas presents either.
Penelope:Ugh. I’ll just keep teasing you about the meet-cute then. I looked for her in your picture of Crieff, but didn’t see anyone resembling... who was it? Grace Kelly? *batting eyelashes*
Luke:Who is Grace Kelly?
Penelope:Nice try! Izzy wouldn’t have made that up because it’s way too unbelievable. So you must have REALLY said Grace Kelly and now I have a new thing to tease you about until the day you die.
Luke:I regret I ever mentioned the whole coffee scene to Izzy. It’s a good thing I know how to keep secrets.
Penelope:I’m glad she told me. Now I can have such fun daydreaming FOR you!! Somehow, it makes you feel not so far away.
